There are some things you'd rather not know.
I was trying to finally find out what the gelatin in film emulsion is made of. Here are some gross things I found at Howstuffworks
The gelatin you eat in Jell-O comes from the collagen in cow or pig bones, hooves, and connective tissues. To make gelatin, manufacturers grind up these various parts and pre-treat them with either a strong acid or a strong base to break down cellular structures and release proteins like collagen. After pre-treatment, the resulting mixture is boiled. During this process, the large collagen protein ends up being partially broken down, and the resulting product is called gelatin. The gelatin is easily extracted because it forms a layer on the surface of the boiling mixture.
Think about that when you eat Jell-O next time. Oh, and don't forget this:
Here is a list of some other foods that commonly contain gelatin:
* gummy bears
* sour cream
* cream cheese
* cake icing and frosting
* marshmallows
* soups, sauces and gravies
* canned ham and chicken
* corned beef
* sausage
Gelatin is even used to make the coating for pills that makes them easier to swallow. It's also in cosmetics, lozenges, and ointments.
Regarding photography:
It is likely that few people would be aware of a connection between the photographs carried in their wallets or handbags and such things as a bowl of jelly, a marshmallow confection, a pharmaceutical capsule or the hog and cattle industries.To date no suitable substitute for gelatin has been found in the manufacture of photographic film or paper.Gelatin for photographic use is generally made from ossein derived from bone.
printing takes a lonnnnnng time
We started printing today, and boy was it fun. I'm not very happy with these two prints, but they're just "rough drafts" since we haven't used contrast filters yet.
Very contrasty since it's Tri-X @ ISO1600 and probably overdeveloped too...
This one's not as bad, but I didn't clean the negative first.
I'm going to have to go back to develop two rolls of film (at least) and print a bunch more before next Friday. If only I lived closer to Boston.....Taking the last train out of North Station is no fun.
License to Kill
I picked this up today:
I've never been confronted on the T regarding photography, but just in case I do, I'll have this official document to show off. I think it gives me permission to stick my camera in anyone's face. I'll try that next time.
I developed my roll of Tri-X pushed to ISO1600, and it doesn't look too bad. Pushing 2 stops is sort of tricky, so I'm glad that it worked. The highlights might be a little blown out (the water temp at NESOP might've been a little high), but I'll find out when I print a contact sheet later. I'll have a lot of stuff to print once I get to printing (starting tomorrow).
In this one roll, there are a few gems (not to mention a bunch of turds). We shall see.
I'm a Wiener!
Because of my persistent efforts (i.e sitting on my butt reading blogs), I will receive a mix disc from John Galvin. I generally don't read strangers' blogs, but I sort of know John by proxy through Judy. And I met him briefly once. So, yeah. Yay for me......
On the internet, voyeurism is the name of the game.
try again tomorrow
Instead of going to Boston, I decided to catch up on some sleep. Tonight I'll get to bed early so that I can head out around 8 or earlier.
I'm wondering what this subtle pain in my side is. I hope I don't have a hernia or something. Since I don't have medical insurance anymore, if anything serious happens to me, I'm a goner. Oh well.