About

SilverGelly.com represents my personal explorations in traditional black and white film photography and silver gelatin darkroom printing.

I love the aesthetic of monochrome prints and enjoy the physical craft of a fully analog process — from creating images with vintage cameras to experimenting with different film emulsions and chemistry to enlarging and printing negatives in a wet darkroom to framing finished pieces of handmade photographic art.

I’m based out of San Francisco and currently do most of my developing and printing at the Harvey Milk Photo Center, which is an amazing public resource with a highly supportive local community of inspiring and knowledgeable film photographers, volunteers, and staff.

For inquiries about my photography or prints, please reach out to me on Instagram or contact me directly. Thanks for visiting!

Film Cameras

  • Minolta Autocord
  • Canonet QL-17 G-III
  • Olympus OM-2n
  • Canon EOS-3
  • Bronica RF645
  • Bessa R3A

Film Development

  1. Film: Ilford HP5+ / FP4+ | Kodak Tri-X / T-Max
  2. Developer: Kodak D-76 1+1 | Ilford ID-11 1+1
  3. Stop: Kodak Indicator Stop | Ilford Ilfostop (30 secs)
  4. Fix: Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+4 (4 mins)
  5. Initial Wash: Running Water (5 mins)
  6. Hypo Clearing Agent: Perma Wash (3 mins)
  7. Final Wash: Running Water (10 mins)
  8. Wetting Agent: Kodak Photo-Flo (1 min)
  9. Drying: Negative Drying Cabinet (25 mins)

Darkroom Printing Process

  1. Paper: Ilford Classic MG Fiber Glossy / Matt
  2. Enlarger: LPL/Saunders 4500 II
  3. Developer: Kodak Dektol 1+3 (2 mins) | Ilford Multigrade 1+9 (3 mins)
  4. Stop: Kodak Indicator Stop | Ilford Ilfostop (30 secs)
  5. Fix: Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+9 (4 mins)
  6. Initial Wash: Water Bath (5 mins)
  7. Hypo Clearing Agent: Perma Wash (10 mins)
  8. Final Wash: Running Water (20 mins)
  9. Drying: Air Dry on Screens | Drum Dryer
  10. Flattening: SEAL Heat Press | Cold Press
  11. Dry Mounting: BufferMount on Cotton Rag

Note: All photographs on this website are digital scans of B&W film negatives except the images of darkroom prints, processes, and equipment (which were taken with a phone).