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Tried developing a roll of HP5 at home last night and my thermometer was off by 4 degrees
I was in my basement at 11pm mixing chemicals for a roll I shot at my sister's wedding, and when I pulled the film out it was completely clear except for the edge markings, so now I've got no photos from the ceremony and a lot of explaining to do. Has anyone else had a thermometer fail mid-session like this?
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the_linda17d ago
That's rough but I gotta say... relying on a single thermometer at 11pm for wedding photos is a recipe for disaster. Calibrating equipment before important shoots has saved me more times than I can count. Your thermometer might've been fine, the real issue is not testing it against boiling or ice water first.
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xenaf5117d ago
Oh man, you're totally right and I feel personally attacked by this thermometer take. One time I showed up to a friend's backyard photoshoot with a thermometer that was off by 10 degrees, so all her "golden hour" cakes looked like they were baked in a fever dream. I figured it was fine cause I dropped it in my coffee that morning and it said 170 which seemed normal enough. Now I just boil a pot of water on my stove before every shoot and see if it hits 212, but honestly half the time I'm too lazy and just cross my fingers.
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harper_foster17d ago
boiling water trick is solid but honestly I just use a candy thermometer and hope for the best. dropped mine in a pot of soup once and it read 180. soup was cold. still don't know what temp it actually is.
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