Classic Darkroom

Classic Darkroom

  • don't have one

    Votes: 63 27.5%

  • have one, but don't use it

    Votes: 14 6.1%

  • use it rarely

    Votes: 22 9.6%

  • use it frequently

    Votes: 96 41.9%

  • use a darkroom of someone else

    Votes: 21 9.2%

  • Had one but went digital now.

    Votes: 13 5.7%
  • Total voters
    229
I just started learning how to make my own prints. Once the class is over I won't have access to the darkroom unless I take another class. (which I probably will). I plan on doing my own developing as soon as my film tank arrives. I was inspired by everyone here who said it's real easy.
 
Great Job on the Poll

Great Job on the Poll

Rudi,
I think you did a great job on the poll and the questions were fine. I have heard from photographers that hate the smell of the chemicals and in short almost everything about the "classic" darkroom -- they love having the digital choice. I am just the opposite: I love the slower pace, the process of the development, the chemicals and every aspect of it. However, with PhotoShop getting better and better and with printer quality improving as it has, it is difficult for me to justify the time it takes in the "real" darkroom as often as I would like. Thank you for taking the time to put this together, the results are interesting.

D2
 
My 'classic' darkroom is in a utility closet, all set up and ready to go. However, I usually wind up spending most of the time I can devote to photography to working with digital images instead.

This seems fine until I compare the prints I make now on my state-of-the-art Epson R800 printer to the ones I used to make in my modestly equipped 'wet' darkroom. The 'wet' prints are so much better that it makes me sick. I'd chuck digital in a heartbeat if it weren't for the fact that I do most of my photography for other people, and those people like the convenience and low upfront cost of digital shots.
 
I have aset up in my spare bathroom. A c-700 omega wich will print up to 6x7 negs, for my 4x5 I can always set up a Bessler 45 mxr a lot bigger,I also develop all of my b&w negs much cheaper and faster results. I do scan my negs and work them in photoshopm but try to stick to the traditional darkroom techniques, dodge and burn, contrast control etc.
 
At one time I wanted to build a wet darkroom in my basement. I even have a spot to make one. I learned the art (back in the day) in high school and loved every part of it. There's a certain dark magic (no pun intended) to an optically enlarged print.

But in the last 6 months or so, I've started leaning toward a digital darkroom. In part, I feel like I'm giving up a dream. But on the other hand I feel a digital darkroom better suits my lifestyle.
 
I have wet dark room and love it. Nothing like the smell of Ilfofix after dinner.

Out of curiousity, anybody here put their enlarging lenses on a 39mm LTM body and shoot a couple of frames to see what happens?...

Stu 🙂
 
Stu, I have not done quite that, but I have used 50 and 80mm enlarging lenses on a bellows for macro shots.

And that reminds me that I've done the reverse! I wanted to make big enlargements from half-frame negs and needed an enlarging lens with shorter focal length than 50mm.

The only shorter lens I had was an early 35mm Summicron, so I set it to f/8 and placed in on a spare lens-board in the enlarger. I don't know that this infused the enlargements with Leica qualities, but it seemed to work well!
 
gnus flash!

i just got my darkroom back up and running, and made some prints tonight! to give you an idea of how long it's been, one roll was shot in January 2000 and had never been printed before....

this is SO much neater than the scanner and key clicks......

🙂=
 
 
I still have a B&W Darkroom...in the downstairs bathroom...actually it's set up right now. I bought my enlarger back in the early 80's and it still works and looks like new. (I'm the only one who uses it.) I am a control freak when it comes to printing my B&W stuff. Can I write it off as therapy??!!
 
Classic Darkroom

I lived in a single apartment for four years and after I bought a Beseler 67 enlager to accompany my 35mm enlarger, I stopped eating at home. The only place for the Bes67 was on the stove. I was so obsessed with printing that eating at home took last place. Due to inexperience, I ended up getting ill from poor ventilation. and probably a McD's diet...! Then I moved into a 1-bedroom and vowed to have not only light, but a kichen I could cook food in. Sounds good, huh? I built frames around the windows and back door to insert removable black drape, and rigged up a bathroom ceiling van (with the air vent hose running to the window screen and surrounded by black fabric) beneath a cabinet that would sit directly over my chemical trays and suck the vapors out the window. The larger kitchen allowed plenty of space for both enlargers against a wall (and on top of cabinets which hold paper and finished prints). I still love processing film and printing. I bought a small daylight-balanced light board that can hold 4x5 or 6x9 negatives. I use this, rarely, to scan negs using my flatbed. Results are mediocre compared with scanning a finished 8x10 matte RC print. Overall, if you have a darkroom with good ventilation, you are lucky. I've also found that by processing my own film, I do not get the dirt, hairs and scractches that always seem to accompany ANY black-and-white film I send out to a lab. They just don't have the time to give the right care to film. With a darkroom, your work is not at the mercy of someone else. The digital darkroom is okay, of course, but nothing compares to watching your image rise from the paper beneath a red light. And you did it all by hand.

Chris
canonetc
 
I too have a darkroom that I set up in the downstair's bathroom...it's not a permanent fixture but can be ready in about 1/2 hour. Lately, I've been shooting alot of B&W film for me. I have had this equipment, bought it new, since the early 80's. The enlarger still looks and works as new, since I am the only one who uses it.
I love working in the darkroom...it helps with film exposure and development to see what the negative will do in there.
Going back to the basics can really help your photographic skills and will get you in touch with your current camera du jour.

I would love to own a scanner some day but I don't believe it would replace my Darkroom.
 
Hi,

I finally set up my darkroom gear late last year after having it in storage for about twenty years. I've converted the laundry and it works well.

I thought I do a course so I signed up for two darkroom courses at local colleges in the past few months and both courses were cancelled do to lack of interest.

I'll keep trying.

Lou
 
Well I want a choice added to the poll: don't have one now but planning to build one.

I bought an enlarger and an enlarging lens this past month. 🙂
 
Lou Iaquinto said:
I signed up for two darkroom courses at local colleges in the past few months and both courses were cancelled do to lack of interest

Lou
Click to expand...

I set up a small darkroom in the walk-in closet of my small 1 bedroom apartment after the public darkroom that I was using was closed due to a lack of interest.

Lucky for me, the walk-in closet is adjacent to a bathroom with a large counter space. I can be up and running in about 30 minutes.

Two things, I get more work done and getting the darkroom has led to a return to medium format.
 
Actually, I have all of the equipment to set up a darkroom but have neither the space nor the intention of doing so. A scanner does just fine so all I have to do is develope my negatives so I can scan them.

Walker
 
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