Darkroom, a disappearing room : a video.
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ibcrewin
Ah looky looky
wow.. That's kind of sad.
Jamie123
Veteran
Intersting video although the photographer was overdramaticizing at times. Sure, Readyload is discontinued but sheet film isn't. Sure, Polaroid is discontinued but Fuji instant film isn't. Sure, Fotoman is out of business but Alpa isn't.
Also, while I agree it's sad that the whole experience of printing in a darkroom and the social contact with other photographers is lost, I don't see why it's a problem that photographers now care more about the image than they do about the print.
Also, while I agree it's sad that the whole experience of printing in a darkroom and the social contact with other photographers is lost, I don't see why it's a problem that photographers now care more about the image than they do about the print.
RayPA
Ignore It (It'll go away)
I think he's just getting a jump on things. 😉
The real loss here isn't the loss of social contact. It's the loss of the art of the 'process' of making a print (printmaking). For some the art of something is in the creating not the result.
Thanks (OP) for posting this.
/
Jamie123
Veteran
For some it is for others it isn't. Even 'back in the day' not every photographer liked being in the darkroom and printing (or so I hear). Photographing and printing are different skill sets and photographers always had the possibility of having someone else print their photos.
You can still enjoy the process of making a print today (in fact the gear for it has never been cheaper) but the social contact is forever lost. A photographer I know who's a bit older than me and has been in the business for a long time says what he misses most is the social contact. Bringing your film to the lab and picking it up often involved meeting other photographers, talking to the lab employees, looking at other people's contact sheets. Now everyone stays at home in front of the computer all day.
I think the real loss is an overall loss of tangibility in favor of virtuality. And that includes the social contact, the printmaking and the viewing of prints.
will-i_am
Well-known
Yeah a bit depressing
martin-f5
Well-known
thanks for sharing
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Commercially, no question.
Art... Well, very little question, but in the opposite direction, at least in B+W.
Cheers,
R. (Earning a living from shooting & writing for 30+ years)
Art... Well, very little question, but in the opposite direction, at least in B+W.
Cheers,
R. (Earning a living from shooting & writing for 30+ years)
John Lawrence
Well-known
I'm surprised by some of his comments. Unless I misheard, didn't he say something about most photographers never going into their printer's darkroom in the old days? Most of the pro photographers I know (or knew) almost always watched the printer make the print and most of the pro printers I know (or knew) almost always encouraged this practice.
I'm not particularly fond of printing, so have relied heavily on printers over the years and the one thing that always fascinated me (apart from making a decent print from one of my botched negatives) was the way they interpreted my negatives - often completely differently from how I had seen it, which really fired my imagination.
John
I'm not particularly fond of printing, so have relied heavily on printers over the years and the one thing that always fascinated me (apart from making a decent print from one of my botched negatives) was the way they interpreted my negatives - often completely differently from how I had seen it, which really fired my imagination.
John
dave lackey
Veteran
Drat, I was hoping for someone to post how to do a darkroom in a closet! We have little space in our tiny cottage.:bang:
Back on topic, though, my whole feeling with photography has evolved to the point that if the image is not good enough to print, then why make it?
I spent thousands of hours shooting digital over the years and now will have to spend countless hours editing all of that. Maybe it's my age, but I really don't have to have 500 images of my grandkids' birthday party anymore, just one or two would be fine and I would happily display the best in a frame on my desk. A single roll of film yields an appropriate image(s) for me to print.
How many people (normal, everyday people) EVER go through their digital files and/or old prints from the drugstore to view pictures for the last 20-50 years? Sad to say, we don't.🙁
So, the loss of darkroom printing commercially is expected except for the niche folks and we all know where to find them. In-home darkroom printing? Well, that is exactly where I am headed for the near future!🙂🙂🙂
Back on topic, though, my whole feeling with photography has evolved to the point that if the image is not good enough to print, then why make it?
I spent thousands of hours shooting digital over the years and now will have to spend countless hours editing all of that. Maybe it's my age, but I really don't have to have 500 images of my grandkids' birthday party anymore, just one or two would be fine and I would happily display the best in a frame on my desk. A single roll of film yields an appropriate image(s) for me to print.
How many people (normal, everyday people) EVER go through their digital files and/or old prints from the drugstore to view pictures for the last 20-50 years? Sad to say, we don't.🙁
So, the loss of darkroom printing commercially is expected except for the niche folks and we all know where to find them. In-home darkroom printing? Well, that is exactly where I am headed for the near future!🙂🙂🙂
Roger Hicks
Veteran
dave lackey
Veteran
Thanks, Roger...
Bookmarked it! Definitely worth thinking about....
Bookmarked it! Definitely worth thinking about....
chrismoret
RF-addict
Thanks for sharing! What a nice piece of video.
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
Exactly right!
Working relationships between a photographer with his/her printer is that of collaboration born out of mutual respect.
I often hear one pro-photographer friend recalled fondly of his interactions with his printers years ago.
Then usually, waving to the computer and printer, he just sighed and said ..."it's just not the same."
Equally tragic is the new generation of photographers who will never experienced this.
But hey, I guess ignorance is bliss, right?
Jamie123
Veteran
To be fair, I know a few photographers that have quite a good relationship to their retouchers and they often spend time sitting next to them at the computer (ironically in the dark) while they do their magic.
monochromejrnl
Well-known
I use to use a commercial darkroom but it had limitations. I've used professional printers as well but it can be cost prohibitive and in the end, it's their print not mine. So I found collected up darkroom equipment on my local craigslist and built my own in my basement. It's a dry darkroom, small by most standards (8 x 4 feet) but I manage to squeeze fibre prints up to 11x14" from it and best of all it's all mine.
I suspect more and more film users will do the same.
I suspect more and more film users will do the same.
cliffpov
Established
I'm not so sure. I wonder how many others, like myself, after being in digital photography have wandered here to RFF to learn more about film and darkroom printing. Its declining for sure, but I would bet there are many others who haven't experienced it, but would like to.
furcafe
Veteran
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