Introduction: Dr. Lab Experiment One: Do the Dishwasher

About: Lomography is a Magazine, a Shop, and a Community dedicated to analogue photography.

Meet Dr. Lab aka hti. Straight from the HQ Lomography Archive where he has been whipping up some weird and wonderful experiments just for you. Many thanks Dr. Lab for sharing your laboratory experience, secret techniques and analogue passion in the first of his special edition Film Freak Tipsters. Now come on everyone and do the dishwasher!

The examples seen in this effect were done with Kodak Ektachrome E 200 35mm. Dr. Lab recommends x-pro film when attempting any of these film techniques because the popping colours achieved by cross processing are what really accentuate the great effects.

Step 1: What You Will Need.

  • 1 Roll Kodak Ektachrome E 200 35mm
  • 1 Dishwasher Cycle (normal)
  • 1 Dark Room (try your bathroom)
  • 1 Hair-Dryer

Step 2: Step One.

Put your roll of film into the cutlery basket of your dish-washer, (so as to keep it from flying about) add regular dish-washer detergent and set to a normal cycle.

Once the cycle is finished be sure to rinse the film in clean cold* water afterwards thoroughly

*Cold water is a must! Film has a chemical emulation that needs to be fixed by cooling.

Step 3: Step Two.

With your rinsed film at the ready you need to find a nice dark room like a washroom with the door closed. Make sure that there are no light leaks because now you need to pull the film out of the roll to blow-dry it. It will take about 10 minutes of blow-drying until the film goes from slimy and wet to perfectly dry and normal feeling again, which is what you need it to be like before loading in your camera.

Step 4: Step Three.

Load and shoot! Then cross process as normal and try to contain your excitement while you wait for the results.

Step 5: Enjoy Your Handiwork!

Great job, look how interesting your photos are! SCIENCE RULES!