a few photos documenting learning how to use plant-based developer in 35mm film developing and printing in the darkroom. thank you to Beatrice Thornton for leading the workshops and sharing your knowledge and craft, and to the East Bay Photo Collective for continuing to arrange these awesome workshops, connect photographers and creatives around the Bay Area, and provide darkroom use and space for testing. these two workshops were so fun and inspiring and I’m so happy to be learning.
our plant-based developer brews: basically homemade teas from redwood needles, yarrow, chamomile, lavender, and other neighborhood plants
after adding vitamin C powder and laundry soda to the brew and dissolving well, the mixture acts as a film developer. we developed our negatives using these mixes in the same process we would use a regular developer (followed by stop/fix/rinse), and the negatives turned out pretty well!
finished negatives developed using the redwood needle developer
in another workshop, we printed in the darkroom using similar plant-based developer brews and our previously-developed negatives. the results were really fun and a very “full-circle” moment to finish prints that are connected to the landscape not only based on what’s captured in the images, but what was used in the chemistry to develop them. very cool and inspiring experience and a great way of being more connected through every step of the process by using materials around us (rather than traditional darkroom chemical developer) as part of the final product.
some finished test strips and prints – these were so fun to get the hang of the chemistry (and a good darkroom refresher for me)
Thank you Bea and EBPCO
❤
official EBPCO darkroom member cutie polaroids
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Published by Hannah Hansen
I am a landscape designer and engineer-in training currently practicing in the San Francisco Bay Area. I grew up in Arizona, where I developed a deep appreciation for water and resilient desert landscapes. I obtained my Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University before achieving my Masters degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning from UC Berkeley in 2023. I currently practice at Restoration Design Group in West Berkeley, where my work integrates ecological restoration and watershed principles with grading, infrastructure design, and thoughtful site planning. I'm currently pursuing licensure as a professional landscape architect in California and am interested in expanding my work further into the American Southwest.
Along with my design practice, I enjoy practicing alternative photography to creatively explore landscape, texture, and light. Photography has challenged me to deepen the way I observe and understand environments and the relationship between people, water, and place.
This online portfolio is intended to share my work and to express creativity, curiosity, and appreciation for the environment. I'm always interested in collaborating, whether it be related to landscape and drainage design or a photography project.
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