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Last Saturday my developing tank leaked and I lost a whole roll of portraits from a friend's wedding

I mean, I've been developing at home for about two years now and mostly it's fine, but last weekend was just a mess. I loaded the film onto the reel in my changing bag, got it all sealed up, and then halfway through the developer step I noticed a puddle on the counter. Turns out the cap on my Patterson tank wasn't tightened all the way, so I lost maybe 100ml of chems and the entire roll came out half developed and splotchy. On the flip side, I had a day two months ago where everything clicked - no dust, perfect temperature, and I got six crisp negatives from a hike up at Mount Rainier. Has anyone else had a tank leak ruin a special set of shots, or am I the only one who forgets to double check the lid?
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3 Comments
vera514
vera51412d agoMost Upvoted
Yeah, "everything clicked" days are rare but man do they feel good when they happen. I had one of those perfect sessions with a roll of Portra last fall and then the next week I knocked my entire tray of fixer off the counter while reaching for a coffee. Just stood there watching it soak into the floor.
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christopher943
Dropped a whole bottle of HC-110 down the sink drain once because I forgot the cap was loose. Just watched it swirl away and told myself it was a sacrifice to the photography gods. Idk, sometimes you gotta laugh at the universe keeping you humble.
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ryantorres
ryantorres12d ago
Did you try saving any of the chems or did you just dump the whole tank?
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