Pictures fade to Black

Sometimes I think that developing film is metaphorical.

For what? Well, anything, really.

I mean, how many analogies can you draw about the process and painstaking attention to detail and all the energy that goes into just making a picture appear out of the ether when you drop photo paper into a tray of developer?

The first that comes to mind is friendships and mentoring. Often it's just like developing to a print when you've put time and effort into someone in an effort to make them realize they are worth it, or are not stupid, or are decent at relationships, and you feel like you're getting nowhere. Sure, you're following all the steps and saying all the things they need to hear, but it's like nothing you do comes across. Then one day you step back and realize that they have matured right in front of you, you just couldn't tell until you took a moment to look at the big picture again.

It's just like stepping out of the darkroom with a print you thought was 'decent' but didn't show much detail. That moment when you realize that under natural sunlight all the details come bursting out and you've got an almost perfect print on your hands is wonderful.