Wet darkroom??

[Bill Pierce]

I used to spend a lot of time in the darkroom, but that's no longer true. My old negatives get scanned and printed as inkjets. So do the new ones, although they come about for the most part when I'm using a film camera that has no digital equivalent like an 8x10 view camera. My darkroom now is pretty much limited to developing film.

I wondered how many folks, even avid film shooters, still have a fully operational darkroom. And, perhaps more important, are they still able to easily get the papers and chemicals they want?

Bill

 

[rogue_designer]

I'm like you Bill - processing only at this stage.

But I do hope to crack out the enlargers again. Provided I can find the materials I want and make my makeshift space work a bit better.

I am lucky being in Chicago, with several very good options for local purchase of paper and chemistry - I keep checking what I *would* want, and they still have in stock.

*fingers are crossed*

 

[pau3]

I do wet printing. Easy to get everything you need to in Barcelona.
You know, that little city in the Mediterranean coast.

I daren't say that my wet results are better than the digital ones,
but I certainly enjoy more. Much more.

 

[pesphoto]

Right now I process film and scan, but planning on building a darkroom in the house we just moved into. Gotta have it...hopefully by summertime. And my local store does still supply chemicals and paper, though it is a much smaller section these days.

 

[bsdunek]

I daren't say that my wet results are better than the digital ones,
but I certainly enjoy more. Much more.

I'll bet they are. Unless you have really a really good printer, the silver process is better, IMHO.
I enjoy wet printing much more also. Who said "the oder in the darkroom is the smell of creativity", or something like that? 😎

 

[jolefler]

I still run an enlarger.

I still run an enlarger.

Actually, the only way I have to post pics here is to copy prints with a digital camera.

 

[BigSteveG]

I'm currently building a wet darkroom at home. I only have 35mm enlarging ability at this point so I'm on the fence as to whether to stick w/ small format. I'm also limited to 8x10 prints due to the enlarger. I have no problem finding paper or chemicals. Previously, I had been been developing film and scanning w/ Konica Scan Dual. Works ok. But I never had much stuff printed. I wanted to start printing in order to improve on my compositional abilities as well learn the craft of producing a nice print. I'm lucky enough to have a spare kitchen at my disposal for a great workspace. Just finished sealing off the concrete floor. Now have a sturdy table for trays and some countertop space as well. Only really need some table for the enlarger so I don't have to keep it on the countertop. Lot of photo labs going out of business here in LA so it's great time to find bargains.

 

[pingle]

I don't have a darkroom at home, but I have easy access to one at the university where I work. No problems finding paper/chemicals. If I ever find myself in a situation where the local university can't provide the facilities, I'd set up my own wet darkroom over going digital.

 

[acall]

I went to our local arts council to use the darkroom yesterday, the same darkroom I have been using for about 6 years now. It has always been a great deal, $38 dollars for a use card that was good for 30 days, they supply all chemistry. Until now It has been great, everything stocked, in good order, etc. Sadly, lack of use (for the past year or so I think I have been the only one outside of their classes to use the facilities), and poor cleanup and care by the class instructors have made the darkroom unusable. After trying to set up to process some film yesterday, I went upstairs to the office to ask for my money back. The chemicals were a mess, the facility was a mess, and I was not about to chance ruining the film, as it contains some images that I cannot shoot again. I think that I will have to finally break down and set up a darkroom at home.

Luckily, I have access to chemicals locally, but I guess I could always resort to purchasing online if needed.

Cheers!
Alan

 

[Uncle Bill]

I have been processing black and white film myself for a year and a half and been making traditional wet darkroom prints for about a year now. While a lot of people love the convience of scanning and printing with inkjet, I spend enough time in front of the computer with work and other projects. The Wet Darkroom (which moonlights as a furnace and laundry room) is my sanctuary during the winter.

 

[Gray Fox]

As an Army retiree I used to have access to a very nice one at the crafts shop at a nearby military base, much as I did throughout my career elsewhere. The closed it "due to environmental issues." Just too lazy to incorporate simple reclamation/chemical treatment systems, I guess. I've recently thought about putting one in one of my bathrooms, but my house is on a septic tank sewerage system and I don't know if even relatively minor amounts of photo chemicals might kill the active bacteria in the system. Does anyone here know?

 

[mbisc]

I got a 4x5 wet darkroom at home -- the works. I'm currently on a multi-year business assignment abroad, so it's all boxed up, other than my film developing stuff which I took with me. When I move back to Phoenix, it'll all get used again. I wouldn't forgo a wet darkroom for anything, especially not more time in front of a computer 😀

 

[sepiareverb]

Wet darkroom for me too. I'm on septic and bottle exhausted chemistry to bring to work at the college. The chems get dumped into the city sewer system (still proper procedure here), all but my fixer which gets run through the silver recovery.

I find the darkroom a wonderful place to be, and would rather stand there than sit here for printing.

 

[feenej]

I have a darkroom in my basement. I dropped my safelight a few days ago, then tried stumbling around making prints without it, which was a pain. Guess I was boozing when I dropped that thing.

 

[Anupam]

4x5 wet darkroom for me and no trouble finding materials at all.

 

[nikon_sam]

Just last Sunday night I set up the darkroom (downstair's bathroom) and made a few prints...did a few on RC and then with FB paper...toned them all in Rapid Selenium Toner...
Finding materials just takes a longer drive these days...my local store just doesn't have the selection they used to...
Kodak and Ilford products are still avaliable so I stock up whenever I can...
Printing also allows me to fine tune my in camera exposure and film developing...
The prints I made were of my son's friend at his Eagle Scout ceremony...I be giving them to his parent tomorrow night...

 

[Mackinaw]

About 99% of all film I shoot is B&W, all which I process myself. As for prints, I still do wet darkroom work mainly because I enjoy it. I do see myself going more to inkjet B&W prints in the future because no doubt I can do a better job of correcting/tweaking negatives in PhotoShop than I can do in a wet darkroom.

As for buying paper and chemicals, my “local” camera shop (235 miles away) still stocks all of the film, chemicals and paper that I need. I use Freestyle a lot too.

Jim B.

 

[amateriat]

Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to set up even a so-so wet darkroom, so I'm sticking to scanning my film (but I did start souping my own b/w film aabout two years ago...thankfully, that takes up next to no space at all). SInce I've been scanning and printing digitally for the last nine years, I think I can cope. 🙂


- Barrett

 

[Solinar]

My current B/W darkroom is set up in on two roller carts. Thank heaven for Nova processors.

My color output is done on two dye-sub printers.

 

[sepiareverb]

I have a darkroom in my basement. I dropped my safelight a few days ago, then tried stumbling around making prints without it, which was a pain. Guess I was boozing when I dropped that thing.

Dropped the safelight? Sounds like one powerful cocktail😉