Not nostalgic for film anymore.

I’m heading out for Iowa tomorrow, and decided to develop the last of the photos I took from when my friend Stephanie was pregnant (now several years ago). I had shot in black and white, and have everything I need to develop the film.

I was feeling nostalgic as I pulled out the chemicals, the tank, and the measuring cup. I loved that I still knew the steps by heart. I even went so far as to develop the two rolls I had just like every other roll I’ve ever developed – listening to Weezer.

When you’re developing film, you don’t get to see how the film turned out until it’s been in the fixer for a bit – so you know it won’t degrade. This step comes after about 20 minutes of sloshing chemical around.

When I opened up the tank, I found that the rolls were blank. I think my chemicals had gone bad. They looked all right when I inspected them before using them.

Beautiful photographs of a photogenic and glowingly pregnant friend – gone. My heart hurts.