I’m usually eager to develop a roll of film pretty quickly after I finish shooting it. That’s why I was surprised to find out I’d left a roll of film in a camera I’d taken in for service and cleaning.

My dad gave me his Yashica D many years ago. He’s gone now and never got to see me enjoy and appreciate the camera, which I regret. Wanting to keep it functional and in good repair, I dropped it off at a local camera repair shop for a cleaning. When I picked the camera up a month later, I learned I’d left a roll of film in it. I had no memory of what photos I’d taken. It was a roll of Ilford Delta 400.

I’d previously been disappointed when processing “fast” rolls of film in Rodinal, the only film developer I had on hand. My online research taught me that Rodinal should be reserved for slower films, ASA 125, 100, 50 and the like.

I ordered an old film developer standby, Kodak D-76. It’s what I used in high school and it served me well back then. I developed the “found” roll of Ilford Delta 400 in D-76 at a 1:1 dilution for 14 minutes at 68°, which was the suggested particulars from The Massive Dev Chart.

My dad gave me his Yashica D many years ago. He’s gone now and never got to see me enjoy and appreciate the camera, which I regret.

As soon as I inspected the negatives I remembered taking the photos. It was from a day trip to Salina, KS and Coronado Heights the first weekend of October. I’d taken two cameras on that trip, shooting both 120 and 35mm (two rolls). I’d processed the 35mm already but forgot about the 120.

I’m pleased with the quality of the negatives and will definitely use this combination again.