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? :cool:

[jolefler]

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 :D

[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;)

[jolefler]

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?

Purely a non-scientific answer, but my dad did B&W wedding photo printing for decades while dumping into his septic system with no adverse affects.

It's been said to me that the chemicals pretty well neutralize when combined and dumped down the drain.

Jo

[Vics]

I'm exactly the same as Uncle Bill. I love printing since I got my M3 and Summicron 50. I too spend enough time at work on computer. I too have to share the darkroom with the laundry.
Vic

[sepiareverb]

Purely a non-scientific answer, but my dad did B&W wedding photo printing for decades while dumping into his septic system with no adverse affects.

It's been said to me that the chemicals pretty well neutralize when combined and dumped down the drain.

Jo

I'm more worried about what I might be doing to my well than to the septic tank.

[David Goldfarb]

We moved to a new apartment a few months ago, and the dark/bathroom is just about ready. I've been processing film and loading filmholders, but I think I'll be able to start printing again this week. I have a 4x5" enlarger, and I contact print larger formats and process all my B&W film, and some E-6 once in a while.

When I was studying in Poland in 1989 I saw how people managed to set up darkrooms in tiny bathrooms and kitchens of small apartments while there were shortages of everything, let alone photographic supplies. I remember going to a photo supply shop one day and the clerk told me with enthusiasm, "we have fixer!" I figure if they could manage under those conditions, I can manage in my New York apartment.

I mix a lot of my own chemistry from bulk chemicals, so I don't worry too much about chemicals being discontinued. I do some alt-process work, so if there is no paper one day, I'll coat my own.

I don't own any kind of digital printer, but occasionally for color I'll send out for a drum scan and a LightJet or Chromira print.

[feenej]

Haha. Yeah. Dropped that sucker. Also dropped a flash and broke it, a mono-light bulb, and a cameras or two, too. I'm starting to wonder if I should not drink and photograph.

[vdonovan]

I develop and wet print all of my film work, which is about 75% of the photos I take these days. I use a fantastic rental darkroom in San Francisco:

http://www.raykophoto.com


It's a nicer facility than I could maintain myself, with a broad spectrum of equipment available, including a massive enlarger that I used to make a 6'X3' mural print.

Like several other people have said, I enjoy hands-on darkroom work because I spend more than enough time in front of a computer for work.

[Jeff_S]

I use a wet darkroom to print black and white. I have a film scanner but really haven't been able to match the image quality I get with good RC and Fiber based paper.

Paper and chemicals are still readily available, Albuquerque or Santa Fe have several good photographic stores which so far still carry everything I need. Plus there is always B&H or Freestyle.

Jeff

[Sisyphus]

Bill,

I still have a fully equipped darkroom in the single car garage. It takes up most of the space. I am able to buy paper and chemistry that I want, both locally and online, mostly through B&H since they have a larger selection of papers. I also order from Freestyle, and sometimes calumet.

I print about once a week. Sometimes I will call in sick on three of our day weekend and print two or three days. I am not really sure what I am going to do with all the prints though. My wife asks me what am I going to do with them, I merely shrug my shoulders, shut the door, and go back to printing.

I am mostly printing 8x10 proof prints. Once I am done I will print FB gallery type prints in different portfolio sizes.

S

PS Rayko is a great facility . . .

[dadsm3]

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.
Ditto here. But I only do it often enough to have to re-learn the whole process every time I do it. It's a special occasion for me, so challenging and very occasionally extremely rewarding.

[Bill Pierce]

I have to make a confession. A terrible thing happened this afternoon while I was doing some office work. I took a break, scanned some old (1954) negs and knocked out some 13x19 prints. They were good prints; the old negs demanded some fairly extreme "printing." And Photoshop did the job. All the good intentions that this thread had built into me, the promise to get out those M7s and follow through with some silver prints, just disappeared. The dreams of quietly enjoying myself under the soft glow of an orange-red light disappeared. I am a sinner. Only my 8x10 view can drag me back to the lovely darkroom in the basement. And that's just to process the film. Forgive me; I have crossed the digital divide.

Bill

[gumanow]

I guess you are forgiven Bill.

I went digital a few years ago and that was responsible for me getting back into the wonderful world of photography after more than several years away from it. My ex-wife, long story there, told me I sucked. I probably did suck at taking snaps of the kids as they were growing, but none the less, here I am.

I love the time that I have in the wet stuff, love the smell on my hands as I get into bed at 5am after printing all night, the feeling like I could go until the sun comes up... I love the time playing my tunes from when I was a teenager and remembering spending the time in the wet stuff then too... My dad and I spent time under the orange lamp from when I was 8 to when he died when I was 11. I remember him and honor what he taught me as well.

Also, I have a feeling of following in the master's footsteps. The Winogrands, Friedlanders, Adams, Westons, etc... they went through these steps, and now I am as well.

I work for a hi-tech startup and spend most of my time evangelizing technology. I want less of that in my hobby, my personal pursuit. And I love the surprise of pulling the negs out of the soup and seeing that I actually did take the shot and got that slice of life, and that I didn't screw up the development.

For me its wet all the way!

[newsgrunt]

Do we need to head down to New york and have an intervention ?

I'm all for a road trip with a few stops at some fine camera shops along the way ;)

[Sjixxxy]

I got my own darkroom. I'll sometimes scan my negatives directly if I want to quickly proof one, or am preparing multiple rolls worth of photos from a family/friends gathering for quick web gallery use, but other then that most stuff goes though the wet process before seeing a scanner. I keep a nova slot processor covered & bagged, so I can can just walk in, print one RC print of something I want to see and be out with it drying in under 30 minutes.

One local photo store still keeps a large selection of chemicals & paper on hand. Still a wider selection & better prices online, but when I really need or want something without waiting four or more days for it to arrive, I'll just go there and pay slightly higher prices.

[Bill Pierce]

When I first came to NYC, two photographers were exceptionally gracious and kind to me. And both of them could really print. They were Gene Smith and David Vestal. Influenced by Gene, I would make these dramatic multiple filter vc prints that were heavily ferracyanided and overly melodramatic to say the least. Then David would point out there was so much bleach in the prints that he thought the highlights were continuing to brighten day by day. Gene was the master of drama. David, beautiful simplicity. Between the two of them, I sort of balanced out.

I am convinced that if he were alive today, Gene would be the master of Photoshop, damping down, but not eliminating, what was unimportant in the picture and highlighting what he though was important. David is printing in silver and inkjet. He sees inkjet as a way of producing limited editions of prints and even very limited numbers of books of prints. I am extremely proud to have some of his inkjet prints on my walls.

I guess what I am saying is that I miss the darkroom. I still keep it clean, supplied and ready to go. But realistically, I don't use it. But I have tried to make my computer area as private and personal as that room where you can turn out the lights and no one can interrupt you. I have a room. It has a computer, a printer, two scanners, a lot of big auxilliary hard drives and even more photo books. Everybody has learned it's just as dangerous to open the door of that room as it is to open the door to the darkroom.

I think the common enjoyment is that private space where you can concentrate on your images and whatever else without distraction and without interruption.

Bill

[Bill Pierce]

Boy, did the remarks in that last post shut down the conversation. I apologize. I really am fond of the darkroom.

I got fairly messed up covering the civil war in Mozambique and for a couple of years had to find a way to earn a living that was a little more loosely scheduled and less physically demanding than news photography. I chose to be a free lance printer although I got offered some desk jobs. I had a good time even printing other people's pictures.

So don't let me put the damper on darkroom tales. I enjoy them too much. I started developing film and contact printing in a basement cubby hole using Kodak Tri-chem Packs (same chemicals for film and prints), graduated to a Sun-Ray enlarger and finally figured out you shouldn't use a red Christmas tree bulb as a safelight (even for ortho film). I was enjoying hearing what other folks did until I shut down the conversation with an inkjet diatribe.

Bill

[Thardy]

I have a darkroom. use using a MF enlarger to print 120 film. I bought a 4X5 enlarger a few months ago when i was sure I was going to buy a LF camera.

Paper and chemicals are no problem. I can print as large as 11x14....Nova processor limitations.

I get in there occasionally.

[fotorr]

OK- I have all the necessary equipment-Zone VI timers,washers, enlarger, safelight,etc,etc. Today I set up an Epson 2400 printer. put in a scanned and retouched in PS digital file of a black and white negative and while drinking a "small" amount of red stuff the printer gaver me print. I'm a good printer-studied under Adams and Fishback and Tice amoung others. The Zone VI stuff up going up for sale- Epson wins.
Fotorr

[Dogman]

I have a tiny darkroom adjacent to a small bathroom in our house. The darkroom is without running water so I load film in there and process it in the kitchen. I also rinse, tone, HCA and wash my prints in the kitchen because the bathroom is even smaller than my darkroom. I have to make arrangements with my wife in order to use the kitchen. It's not a perfect arrangement but it's doable.

I've scanned film and printed it but never enjoyed the process or thought the prints looked that good. Color inkjets were okay but black and whites were never satisfying. I now shoot with a DSLR when I want color and I print it with an inkjet but when I do something serious it's in black and white and it has to be done in the wet darkroom.

You asked about any difficulties obtaining materials. Not really. When I set up my first darkroom nearly 35 years ago, the local photo stores sold only Kodak and Agfa film and paper and mostly Kodak chemicals. Even though Agfa is no more and Kodak has ceased production of photo paper, there are more sources out there for me now than 35 years ago. I have the internet and I can get film, paper, chemistry and other materials for virtually anywhere in the world.

I'm almost out of my supply of Forte paper and it's no longer available. But I survived when Kodak stopped making Medalist and then Kodabromide and Agfa stopped making Portriga-Rapid. There still seems to be other alternatives available.