jlw
Rangefinder camera pedant
Well, not the room, but I did give away all the equipment. It's strange to think, after having never been without some kind of darkroom since I was 13 years old, that I'm no longer a printer. I'm still trying to get used to it, which is why this post; I suppose it's some kind of therapy, so just bear with me, okay?
I have to admit that I didn't just turn off the enlarger, drain the processor, and stop suddenly all at once -- the equipment had been sitting on a shelf in my garage for more than a year. When I put it out there, I told myself that who knew, I might get a new job that would leave me with more spare time and energy and money, I might join a cooperative gallery again, and I'd want to go back to hand-crafting my own black-and-white prints. (Hey, digital is only a fad, like the Internet, right?)
But the fact was that my enthusiasm for darkroom work had been declining gradually ever since Agfa discontinued Portriga-Rapid paper, and somewhat more steeply since more and more of my photography had slid over to the digital side for purely practical reasons. Probably the tipping point was this fall when I walked into the local Best Buy and stumbled across a great deal on a special-ordered-but-rejected HP B9180 pigment inkjet printer: not only could it make b&w prints almost (but not quite) as good as the ones I had made in the darkroom, but it took up so much shelf space that my ex-darkroom was the only place I could park it.
So, for this year my New Year resolution was to face the fact that I'm never going to want or need to make a wet print any time again in the foreseeable future, and get the darkroom gear out of the garage. I placed an ad on the local Craigslist itemizing what I had; asking price one dollar. (I figured this would actually attract more attention than "free.")
Parenthetically, have you ever noticed how difficult it is sometimes to flat give away something? This wasn't junk equipment by any means: it included a nice, fully functional Chromega B66XL dichroic-head enlarger, a 12x18 Nova slot processor, an archival print washer, two EL-Nikkor lenses, and basically everything else a person would need to make museum-quality b&w prints (other than paper and chemicals.) I live in a fairly large city with two universities that have large photography departments that teach traditional darkroom techniques to hundreds of students per term. I figured somebody would want the stuff! My only conditions were ones I considered reasonable: You pick it up, and you take ALL of it. I even noted that the one-dollar price was negotiable!
I got about a half-dozen responses to my Craigslist post and decided the fair thing to do was take them in order of receipt. The first person to respond was very enthusiastic and emailed some questions. I responded promptly with answers, and invited her to email back or call to set up a time when she wanted to come and get it. I never heard back from her... until several days later, when she emailed to say she had decided she didn't have enough room in her house.
With the second person (actually a couple) we got as far as exchanging several phone calls. They said they were serious photo hobbyists and this offer was exactly what they were looking for. They said that as soon as they had arranged their afternoon schedule, they'd call me back and arrange for a time to pick it up. I never heard from them again.
After this I decided to give up on taking the responses in order. For my next contact I picked the guy who said he lived closest to my neighborhood. This turned out to be a good call. I asked him if he could pick it up the same day, and he said all I had to do was name a time. I did, and (somewhat to my amazement by now) he turned up!
He was a young guy, in his 20s. He described himself as a holdout with no interest in digital imaging whatever; he said he had been heavily influenced by his college mentor, who was a traditional darkroom purist, and had taken after him. He said he had been renting space in other people's darkrooms, and was thrilled to have the chance finally to set up one of his own.
He backed his VW Golf up to my garage and we went through the contents of all the boxes. When it was all packed away, he said, "Are you sure you only want a dollar for this?" I told him I didn't even want the dollar; "Just send me an invitation to your first gallery show and I'll be fine." He went away happy; in fact, today I got an email from him saying he had finally finished unpacking everything, that he couldn't believe what a great setup I had given him, and that he really appreciated it.
So, I think you'll agree that my darkroom went to a worthy home, and I hope this young guy does some great work with it. But it's still odd to think that I'll never again experience the magic of watching a print come up in the developer...
...well, at least not until I retire (still quite a few years away.) After that, who knows? Yes, I'm confident that darkroom supplies and materials will still be available then, even if it's only a cottage industry. And if I do get back into it someday, I'll be able to start completely over with clean trays... new graduates... a Focomat V35...
I have to admit that I didn't just turn off the enlarger, drain the processor, and stop suddenly all at once -- the equipment had been sitting on a shelf in my garage for more than a year. When I put it out there, I told myself that who knew, I might get a new job that would leave me with more spare time and energy and money, I might join a cooperative gallery again, and I'd want to go back to hand-crafting my own black-and-white prints. (Hey, digital is only a fad, like the Internet, right?)
But the fact was that my enthusiasm for darkroom work had been declining gradually ever since Agfa discontinued Portriga-Rapid paper, and somewhat more steeply since more and more of my photography had slid over to the digital side for purely practical reasons. Probably the tipping point was this fall when I walked into the local Best Buy and stumbled across a great deal on a special-ordered-but-rejected HP B9180 pigment inkjet printer: not only could it make b&w prints almost (but not quite) as good as the ones I had made in the darkroom, but it took up so much shelf space that my ex-darkroom was the only place I could park it.
So, for this year my New Year resolution was to face the fact that I'm never going to want or need to make a wet print any time again in the foreseeable future, and get the darkroom gear out of the garage. I placed an ad on the local Craigslist itemizing what I had; asking price one dollar. (I figured this would actually attract more attention than "free.")
Parenthetically, have you ever noticed how difficult it is sometimes to flat give away something? This wasn't junk equipment by any means: it included a nice, fully functional Chromega B66XL dichroic-head enlarger, a 12x18 Nova slot processor, an archival print washer, two EL-Nikkor lenses, and basically everything else a person would need to make museum-quality b&w prints (other than paper and chemicals.) I live in a fairly large city with two universities that have large photography departments that teach traditional darkroom techniques to hundreds of students per term. I figured somebody would want the stuff! My only conditions were ones I considered reasonable: You pick it up, and you take ALL of it. I even noted that the one-dollar price was negotiable!
I got about a half-dozen responses to my Craigslist post and decided the fair thing to do was take them in order of receipt. The first person to respond was very enthusiastic and emailed some questions. I responded promptly with answers, and invited her to email back or call to set up a time when she wanted to come and get it. I never heard back from her... until several days later, when she emailed to say she had decided she didn't have enough room in her house.
With the second person (actually a couple) we got as far as exchanging several phone calls. They said they were serious photo hobbyists and this offer was exactly what they were looking for. They said that as soon as they had arranged their afternoon schedule, they'd call me back and arrange for a time to pick it up. I never heard from them again.
After this I decided to give up on taking the responses in order. For my next contact I picked the guy who said he lived closest to my neighborhood. This turned out to be a good call. I asked him if he could pick it up the same day, and he said all I had to do was name a time. I did, and (somewhat to my amazement by now) he turned up!
He was a young guy, in his 20s. He described himself as a holdout with no interest in digital imaging whatever; he said he had been heavily influenced by his college mentor, who was a traditional darkroom purist, and had taken after him. He said he had been renting space in other people's darkrooms, and was thrilled to have the chance finally to set up one of his own.
He backed his VW Golf up to my garage and we went through the contents of all the boxes. When it was all packed away, he said, "Are you sure you only want a dollar for this?" I told him I didn't even want the dollar; "Just send me an invitation to your first gallery show and I'll be fine." He went away happy; in fact, today I got an email from him saying he had finally finished unpacking everything, that he couldn't believe what a great setup I had given him, and that he really appreciated it.
So, I think you'll agree that my darkroom went to a worthy home, and I hope this young guy does some great work with it. But it's still odd to think that I'll never again experience the magic of watching a print come up in the developer...
...well, at least not until I retire (still quite a few years away.) After that, who knows? Yes, I'm confident that darkroom supplies and materials will still be available then, even if it's only a cottage industry. And if I do get back into it someday, I'll be able to start completely over with clean trays... new graduates... a Focomat V35...
oftheherd
Veteran
I haven't had a darkroom setup since a house fire about 17 years ago. But if I had one, I don't know that I could have done that. I still wish I had a dark room. But like you, I just don't have the time any more. But I can wish.
Bryce
Well-known
I spent last night printing in my makeshift darkroom.
Its understandable to come to the realization the thing is not needed, takes up valuable space, is too time consuming, and maybe even outmoded. I've thought the same things before.
Inkjet has come a long way, and scanning isn't quite as unbearably bad as it used to be. Digital capture is pretty damn good...
I am not finished yet though. It would cost SO much to get similar quality (better than not possible a couple of years ago) and that makes it still worthwhile. Also, at least when I have time to print, it fills a need I have to exercise some craftsmanship.
Hopefully the recipient of your generosity comes up with some groundbreaking work. Surely that would give you a feeling that you've been a part of something really good as a perk to just getting on with your life!
Its understandable to come to the realization the thing is not needed, takes up valuable space, is too time consuming, and maybe even outmoded. I've thought the same things before.
Inkjet has come a long way, and scanning isn't quite as unbearably bad as it used to be. Digital capture is pretty damn good...
I am not finished yet though. It would cost SO much to get similar quality (better than not possible a couple of years ago) and that makes it still worthwhile. Also, at least when I have time to print, it fills a need I have to exercise some craftsmanship.
Hopefully the recipient of your generosity comes up with some groundbreaking work. Surely that would give you a feeling that you've been a part of something really good as a perk to just getting on with your life!
los
Established
now you know where to go if you just want to play for a day. you did a good thing. i've gifted and been gifted in the transition to digital. it's kinda cool seeing how people relate to one another during this time of dramatic change.
ibcrewin
Ah looky looky
Ah man!!! Another darkroom goes for free!!.. I've been scouring my craigslist for a freebie for about a year.. I came close once, but was 2nd in line. Good on ya for giving it away!
foto_fool
Well-known
jlw - that's good karma! It's great it went to someone enthusiastic just getting started. Enjoy an adult beverage, and feel good about your deed.
My own setup has been on a shelf in my garage for 5 years. I've accepted that I will probably never use it again. Also tried to give it away a couple of times, but half-heartedly and without success.
Like you I'd like to think I could start up again sometime in the future with new equipment. So long as there are successive cohorts of young artists and enthusiasts, it might actually be so.
- John
My own setup has been on a shelf in my garage for 5 years. I've accepted that I will probably never use it again. Also tried to give it away a couple of times, but half-heartedly and without success.
Like you I'd like to think I could start up again sometime in the future with new equipment. So long as there are successive cohorts of young artists and enthusiasts, it might actually be so.
- John
thomasw_
Well-known
jlw, Thanks a lot for sharing that story. Your story filled my mind with a whole mixture of feelings. I wish you well in your digital deeds and I hope you can find the same magic in them as you once did using the analogue methods
Sincerely, thomasw
Sincerely, thomaswPeter_Jones
Well-known
Seems like the lad that got it was the most worthy recipient, hopefully that will be just the leg up he needs to be into this for life
ibcrewin
Ah looky looky
foto_fool said:
Foto. If I'm ever in town, I'll take you out for a few beers in exchange for your setup! I'd love to help you with your uh space issue
tomasis
Well-known
Great that some young guys continue with BW printing. Even greater when someone gives such nice good stuffs away to the "right" person". At other words, next generation
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DavidH
Overweight and over here
Yes, sounds like Fate played a hand...
You did a very decent thing, perhaps that is some small consolation for the loss of the darkroom gear.
I've just had some prints back from an online house - configured my monitor and tested them with a range of color and black and white prints on various papers and canvas. The results are superb, relatively cheap and repeatable with ease. the canvas is already framed and on the wall. The black and white are flawless and have no tints other than that intended by me.
A wet darkroom just wouldn't work for me...but I'm glad there are still those out there who are maintaing the skills - like the mentor who inspired the lad who took your gear.
Here's to what works for us as individuals...
You did a very decent thing, perhaps that is some small consolation for the loss of the darkroom gear.
I've just had some prints back from an online house - configured my monitor and tested them with a range of color and black and white prints on various papers and canvas. The results are superb, relatively cheap and repeatable with ease. the canvas is already framed and on the wall. The black and white are flawless and have no tints other than that intended by me.
A wet darkroom just wouldn't work for me...but I'm glad there are still those out there who are maintaing the skills - like the mentor who inspired the lad who took your gear.
Here's to what works for us as individuals...