Anyone here actually use a darkroom? When I saw the forum title I thought hooray, but was disappointed in realizing what it actually was. I'm a photography maniac and have been in the darkroom longer than I've been shaving. Anyway back to the matter at hand. If you work in a darkroom on a regular basis, or have one at home I want to know.
Darkroom Photography
- Thread starter TwistedLogic
- Start date
I actually have one here at home, but have npot been in it in about five years. I built this room just to be a dark room. I would love to spend some time in it, but most of my old negatives were destroyes buy water damage.
I used to be a pro and worked in a darkroom for a decade before changing careers. Had a darkroom at home for awhile before switching over solely to the computer.
I'm currently still working on my photography degree, and the first two studio courses in our photography sequence are darkroom-specific. Personally, I love working in silver process photography. The courses that I'm taking now tend to focus more on digital, but I plan on coming back around to the darkroom again before I graduate.
There's just something about darkroom photography that you can't get with a digital print. Perhaps because you know that each print is unique, even if taken from the same negative. It's also just a much more tactile experience; it makes the final product seem much more concrete.
I'm living in an apartment right now, so I can't exactly set up my own darkroom, but it's on my list for when I get a place of my own.
In any case, I've blathered on long enough, hope that there are more darkroom-fanatics out there.
--miamijuggler
There's just something about darkroom photography that you can't get with a digital print. Perhaps because you know that each print is unique, even if taken from the same negative. It's also just a much more tactile experience; it makes the final product seem much more concrete.
I'm living in an apartment right now, so I can't exactly set up my own darkroom, but it's on my list for when I get a place of my own.
In any case, I've blathered on long enough, hope that there are more darkroom-fanatics out there.
--miamijuggler
I have the equipment thanks to a friend of mine who went all digital; who would turn down a free Besseler enlarger, tanks, reels, and a safelight? Now all I need is some fresh chemicals and some time to actually go shoot film...
Used to have one at home, also ran a photo club in Germany for years and was giving dark room (b/w) classes for adult education in my home town. Our club had a great lab, we had a Fujimoto enlarger, best I ever worked with.
I use a traditional darkroom at least once a week. Here's a link to a thread I started a while back.
Please add to it.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21056&highlight=black+white
Please add to it.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21056&highlight=black+white
Hope the OP does not mind me sticking this story in.
I worked in Lithography for several years, I was a pressman. But back in the day that we used film in prepress our plant manager took reclaimed silver evrey year for Christmas and minted coins for all the employees. I always appreciated the stripers (mechanical artist), and the scanner operators making the seperations because they made our job easyer. I do miss the craftsmenship of it all, I do love a finely printed signature.
I worked in Lithography for several years, I was a pressman. But back in the day that we used film in prepress our plant manager took reclaimed silver evrey year for Christmas and minted coins for all the employees. I always appreciated the stripers (mechanical artist), and the scanner operators making the seperations because they made our job easyer. I do miss the craftsmenship of it all, I do love a finely printed signature.
OUCH! That must have been a real bummer.
I've actually recently put together a darkroom in my spare room in my apartment here in Changwon. Photography in general is my passion in life, my vehicle through life if you will, and working with film and making b&w images is where my greatest interest lies. I'm currently waiting on an enlarging lens and a glass masking negative carrier that are back-ordered in NYC so I can work with my medium format negatives, but in the mean time I'm getting some work done with 35mm stuff.
I've barely touched my digital in two months.
I've barely touched my digital in two months.
Killer portrait! Great work. Keep them comming.
I've actually recently put together a darkroom in my spare room in my apartment here in Changwon. Photography in general is my passion in life, my vehicle through life if you will, and working with film and making b&w images is where my greatest interest lies. I'm currently waiting on an enlarging lens and a glass masking negative carrier that are back-ordered in NYC so I can work with my medium format negatives, but in the mean time I'm getting some work done with 35mm stuff.
I've barely touched my digital in two months.
I have a darkroom which shares space with my furnace room. My enlarger is a Devere 504 with a Varicon condenser head and I print 35 and 120 (6x6) format with Nikkor enlarging lenses.
I have not printed in a while because it's ski season (need to get up early in the morning and I print late at night) and I am getting over what is turning out to be the never ending cold.
Printed both on Ilford MG IV Pearl finish paper in Dektol 1+3 print developer. I shot both photos on a Nikon FM with a Nikkor 28 f2.8 AI lens with Kodak Tri-x 400 processed in Xtol 1+1. I think Xtol rocks as a film developer.
Both photos were taken downtown Toronto, Ontario Canada in early December 2009.
I have not printed in a while because it's ski season (need to get up early in the morning and I print late at night) and I am getting over what is turning out to be the never ending cold.
Printed both on Ilford MG IV Pearl finish paper in Dektol 1+3 print developer. I shot both photos on a Nikon FM with a Nikkor 28 f2.8 AI lens with Kodak Tri-x 400 processed in Xtol 1+1. I think Xtol rocks as a film developer.
Both photos were taken downtown Toronto, Ontario Canada in early December 2009.
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While a film scanner has freed me of the contact printing frame, nothing will get me out of my darkroom 
Aside from a brace of Pentax MX SLRs, I have a large collection (400ish) of cameras dating from the thirties to the end of the sixties. My favourites in no particular order:-
Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex II TLR (second 1928 model)
Zeiss Ikon Contaflex I SLR
Altissa Altix V 35mm miniature with interchangeable lenses
Voigtländer Vito B
Kodak Retina II Automatic
Agfa Super Silette f.2 - rangefinder with 'superfast' lens
Yashica 44 TLR
I try to use techniques and materials in the camera and darkroom contemporary with the cameras - so no lightmeters, zone focussing (even with the reflexes), flashbulbs, Adox 'Leica film', home brewed chemistry, fibre based chlorobromide paper, cold glazing on glass, and such.
You'd be right for thinking I'm not a prolific photographer, but it's so much fun researching and recreating old methods
Aside from a brace of Pentax MX SLRs, I have a large collection (400ish) of cameras dating from the thirties to the end of the sixties. My favourites in no particular order:-
Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex II TLR (second 1928 model)
Zeiss Ikon Contaflex I SLR
Altissa Altix V 35mm miniature with interchangeable lenses
Voigtländer Vito B
Kodak Retina II Automatic
Agfa Super Silette f.2 - rangefinder with 'superfast' lens
Yashica 44 TLR
I try to use techniques and materials in the camera and darkroom contemporary with the cameras - so no lightmeters, zone focussing (even with the reflexes), flashbulbs, Adox 'Leica film', home brewed chemistry, fibre based chlorobromide paper, cold glazing on glass, and such.
You'd be right for thinking I'm not a prolific photographer, but it's so much fun researching and recreating old methods
