Jagglé – 1 Year In – Daylight developing

Jagglé started out as a project to create a daylight enlarger: a system that would allow people to print photographs without a darkroom, using a simple setup and without the investment of time and space required to build a full darkroom. In many ways, the project was a success. Unfortunately, however, I was unable to secure the funding needed to turn the idea into a full product.

Out of that project, the daylight developing cassette was born. Suggested by a friend and designed specifically for the Graflok mount, the cassette became a way to develop paper and sheet film without a darkroom. When the enlarger project failed, I launched the cassette on its own — and it eventually became the backbone of the company. As they say, the tail wagged the dog.

Around a year and a half ago I started this project. A year ago, I shipped the first batch of pre-orders. Since then, Jagglé systems have found their way to photographers in 37 countries around the world. Many have stayed within the EU or gone to the US, but others have travelled much farther afield — to places like South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and Australia.

Many moons later, the system has gained quite a following among photographers who enjoy experimenting with large format photography. What surprised me most was not just that people used the system, but the sheer variety of ways they adapted it to their own workflows and creative processes. I’ve seen people use it for all sorts of weird and wonderful processes, including:

• Standard black and white film development in the field
• Afghan camera–style direct positive portraits
• RA-4 reversal photography
• Black and white reversal photography
• Paper negatives re-photographed to create positives
• …And much more

A huge part of the cassette’s evolution has come from the experience and feedback of early adopters, whose generosity and experimentation helped shape the system into what it is today.

The current system consists of three main parts:

The Film Holder

We now offer four versions:

• The Graflok 4×5 film holder
• The Graflok 10x15cm / 4x6in paper holder
• And both of those options for Graflex cameras using the earlier slotted-style cassettes

Currently, inserts can be swapped to change the format of the holder between paper and film sizes. Interestingly, this feature originally came from the practical need to make cleaning easier.

The Developing Tray

This was an especially interesting design challenge. It needed a light trap that allowed fluids to pass through easily, while also allowing the film holder to be removed quickly and conveniently. At the same time, it had to lock securely enough to prevent accidental separation during processing, which would expose the film.

The Extender

This component came later, based on feedback from a friend and early user of the system.

One issue with the early versions was that the film holder itself became wet during development, meaning users had to disassemble, clean, and dry it before taking another photograph. The extender effectively adds a second dark slide on top of the developing tray, allowing the film holder to be removed before processing begins. This keeps the holder dry and clean, ready for the next shot.

One thing that continues to surprise me is just how much better the products have become over time. The journey from the first versions — where I was simply happy to sell a functional and well-made cassette — to what I now consider a truly mature and refined product has been one of constant incremental improvement: refining the manufacturing process, optimising geometry, improving tolerances, and learning from real-world use.

There has, however, been one downside to this process. Early cassettes are not fully compatible with the latest versions. Because of this, I’ve begun work on a V2 system: an opportunity to incorporate everything learned so far — every tweak, lesson, and piece of feedback — into a design that can hopefully remain stable and compatible for years to come.

More on that later.

While grand financial success may still be some way off — and my superyacht remains firmly over the horizon — I measure success instead through the many incredible projects and photographs these products have inspired, and through the many friendships built along the way.

Below I shared some of the work others have shared with me:

Photo by Revelaciones_Analogicas on Instagram, made using the Jagglé system

Photo by Thomas Pinte on Instagram, made using the Jagglé system

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