The Camera:
I used my Olympus OM-1, which was my first 35mm camera. Olympus was founded in Japan on October 12, 1919 as a microscope and thermometer manufacturer. It wasn’t until 1936 that they released their first camera, the Semi-Olympus I. The OM-1 was the first in the OM line of professional 35mm cameras created in 1972. Yoshihisa Maitani was the mastermind behind countless camera innovations at Olympus. OM stands for “Olympus Maitani”. This line of cameras was meant to compete with Canon and Nikon, and it set a new industry trend. Companies were moving towards bulkier and heavier cameras until the OM line reversed that trend towards smaller and quieter SLR cameras. Olympus discontinued the OM line in 2002.
The Film:
For this experiment I used a fresh roll of Kodak Portra 400. This is one of the most popular film stocks to ever exist. It is daylight balanced, meaning it is meant for outdoor use and was marketed as a preferred film for portraits. The film’s color profile makes for an aesthetically pleasing capture of skin tones. The price of Portra has skyrocketed in recent years with a 5-pack of 35mm film selling for an average of $75. While I use dozens of different film stocks, this one remains my go to for reliable and vibrant color photography.
“Souping” the Film:
“Souping film” is not an official term, but refers to soaking an exposed and still undeveloped roll of film in substances that will intentionally damage the emulsion. This can be anything from salt water to chemical cleaning solutions. The end goal is to create unique patterns, color shifts and marks on each frame. Think of it as controlled destruction! No two souping experiments are the same so this can be done indefinitely with new results each time! You can find hundreds of recipes and combinations online, but for my first time I chose to use a mixture of lemon juice and salt. I let the unopened film canister soak for about two hours, mixing it up occasionally. Then I rinsed it under running water for a minute or two before setting it out to dry on a paper towel. I let it sit for two weeks to ensure it dried throughly and the acidic solution had time to eat away at the film a bit. After that, it was normal processing.
The Process:
Developing C-41 film generally involves seven steps to produce a proper negative (wash, developer, bleach, fixer, wash, stabilizer and final wash). I used a special at-home kit that shortens the process. After mixing the powder concentrate with water, the developer must be precisely heated to 102°F and the “blix” must be between 75°F and 105°F. The steps are as follows:
Load the film in a Paterson reel and tank in total darkness.
Wash the film in water that is roughly 102°F to warm it up to temperature and prepare it to evenly receive the developer.
Pour the developer in and agitate (invert or rotate the tank) for 30 seconds and then agitate for 5 seconds, every 30 seconds for 3.5 minutes.
Blix (combo bleacher and fixer) with the same agitation pattern for 8 minutes
Wash for 5 minutes in running water and you’re done!
*NOTE: If you want to develop this film at a lab, you must ask ahead of time if they accept souped film. The solutions can mess with their chemistry and gunk up machines, so many labs don’t do it. For at-home development I disposed of the chemicals I used instead of keeping them for re-use.
The Results:
Each frame was affected differently by the lemon juice and salt. Little crystalline marks are prominent from the salt on some frames. The lemon juice heavily destroyed the emulsion on some photos to the point that they almost disappeared, but others turned out bold and uniquely colored. I definitely would not recommend doing this to a roll of film that you really care about as it can severely mess with the quality, but if you expose a roll with the intent to do this, then it’s a super cool experience that will surely surprise you. I’m excited to try different soup combinations in the future!
Fun Fact:
My favorite soups are French Onion, Butternut Squash and Lobster Bisque. (I couldn’t think of a more topical fun fact).
Fascinating history! I have a canon ae-1 and I am still learning how to use it.