He’s doing it again with a 90 year old film
Markus Hofstaetter, the Austrian photographer whose exploits with old films have already been mentioned, returns with a new discovery. This time it is an Agfa Isopan Super Special 127 film, which has remained intact for almost 90 years. The film had been used with a Zeiss Ikon Baby Box Tengor camera, a small box from the 1930s that produced 4 x 6.5 cm negatives. Needless to say, no one expected to get anything out of it. But that was without counting on Hofstaetter’s perseverance and his well-established methods.
A homemade technique for saving memories
As usual, Hofstaetter opted for the stand development
a somewhat atypical but effective development method for this type of old film. Concretely, he diluted a small dose of HC110 developer in a large quantity of water. Once the film is immersed in the tank, he lets everything sit for an hour. A gentle technique, ideal for these fragile films which would not withstand more aggressive treatment.
The moment of truth is always intense. Once the film was out of the tank, Hofstaetter spotted, with great excitement, shapes still visible on the negatives. After scanning and some retouching in Lightroom and Photoshop, he managed to reveal astonishing images: people posing in front of a stone wall, surrounded by vegetation, or even a silhouette in the countryside. Simple shots, but quite moving when you consider their ages.
Film to bring the past back to life
These photos show to what extent film can transcend the ages. In a world saturated with digital images, Markus Hofstaetter reminds us that simple moments, even frozen almost a century ago, can be reborn through patience and know-how. The icing on the cake: the images will be sent back to the owner of the camera.
Art
France
