If you suddenly had no darkroom.

[Sirius Glass]

Would it change how you approach your film photography if you had no darkroom.

I am beginning to think whether I should consolidate my film photography just to b/w film.

Situation - I don't now or ever expect to have a darkroom. As a side note I do not have a quality scanner for color film. Just a flatbed. For the last 2 maybe 3 years I have been developing my b/w film with a Paterson tank in the laundry room. Ie - get the equipment out of the garage process the min 2 or preferably 4 rolls and after 2 days air drying on the bath I pack away back to the garage.

I had no hope either. Then the children moved out, I changed the smallest bedroom into a dry darkroom with a 4"x5" color enlarger and a 32" wide drum dryer, the master bathroom converts back and forth into the wet darkroom, Jobo processor on the kitchen sink counter, and a freezer full of film. I am happy as a pig is shit!

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I used to load bulk film in the closet at night and make prints in the kitchen at night. Using clothespins I'd hang towels from the kitchen window, door, and doorway. I made dodging and burning tools out of thin cardboard from a shoebox.

I spent from midnight to 6am making prints and would listen to music. Whenever I hear "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack, it takes me right back to those evenings making prints in my Venice (California) apartment.

 

[vdonovan]

I was without a home darkroom for about ten years. I only shoot black and white, so I developed all my film in my kitchen. I used a changing bag to load the tanks. I used Nikor tanks and reels for 35mm and 120, a Mod54 (and later an SP-445) for 4x5, and a CL81 for 8x10. I hung the film in the bathroom to dry, after running the shower for a few minutes to get rid of dust. I was very happy with the quality of my negatives.

I would print at a local rental darkroom, usually twice a month. I have an Epson V800 flatbed negative scanner, but I'm not really interested in developing a hybrid workflow.

If I was, I'd get myself up to speed on printers and color management. I know several photographers who achieve stunning results from a hybrid workflow.

 

[Jim Noel]

Would it change how you approach your film photography if you had no darkroom.

I am beginning to think whether I should consolidate my film photography just to b/w film.

Situation - I don't now or ever expect to have a darkroom. As a side note I do not have a quality scanner for color film. Just a flatbed. For the last 2 maybe 3 years I have been developing my b/w film with a Paterson tank in the laundry room. Ie - get the equipment out of the garage process the min 2 or preferably 4 rolls and after 2 days air drying on the bath I pack away back to the garage.

If I have a place to live, I will have a darkroom, even if temporary.

 

[Born2Late]

If I lost my darkroom and had no prospect of building another, I would resort to using a changing bag and kitchen sink to develop negatives, then scan and print using my PC.

Actually, I use this method in part now. I scan my negatives after development and print a contact type sheet, only larger for evaluation. Then I print what I like in the darkroom.

 

[LAG]

... if you had no darkroom.

Null hypothesis

 

[adelorenzo]

I hate scanning film more than anything. If I lost my darkroom I'm pretty certain I'd buy a digital camera.

 

[Arklatexian]

I would be really sad.
I've been working out of temporary darkrooms for decades. It isn't hard, just less convenient.

If I suddenly had no darkroom, I would relearn Morse code and take up amateur radio. To me, no darkroom/enlarger equates to no more analog B&W photography. I only do B&W in my darkroom. I prefer the color prints from my _______ printer for family pictures and since the demise of Agfachrome and Kodachrome films, I shoot hardly any color of any type...Regards!

 

[canvassy]

That's still a darkroom.

The definition of a darkroom is a room that is dark, not one specifically and solely designated for processing film and paper images.

Hey, you're right. I hadn't looked at it that way.

 

[perkeleellinen]

Whenever I've lost a darkroom I've projected slides.

 

[TSSPro]

Hybrid- lost my darkroom after a decade of not having to go without. I live in a closet of an apt and retained all the equipment I can store in my living space (Which works out to be not a lot due to space.) I need to make work- this is the most viable option for me, as you can obviously read from others' posts, this is not an option for some who fundamentally refuse to work in this way or simply would rather go without if there weren't any other options. For me it works, it's not making wet prints, that's for sure, but I still love the results, in a different way though.

 

[Sirius Glass]

If I suddenly had no darkroom, I would relearn Morse code and take up amateur radio. To me, no darkroom/enlarger equates to no more analog B&W photography. I only do B&W in my darkroom. I prefer the color prints from my _______ printer for family pictures and since the demise of Agfachrome and Kodachrome films, I shoot hardly any color of any type...Regards!

Morse code is no longer required for amateur radio licenses. That changed in 2007. I have the Extra Amateur license and I am on the radio now, but I am working on learning Morse [should be called Vail] code.

 

[kb3lms]

I got my general license shortly before the code requirement dropped in 2007. FCC wasn't sure if they were going to drop it and didn't want to wait any longer. I believe it is gone in every country now.

A dark room can also be helped out by doing work at night when there isn't any light. And it is surprising how much light you can get away with in a darkroom although it might affect your results a little bit.

There's nothing wrong with your flatbed scanner unless YOU don't care for the results. The purists always want the dedicated film scanner but those same sorts will tell you that a Ford won't even get you to the store! I am using an old nothing special Epson that works fine. Plusteks and Nikons are better, sure, but quite expensive, and Nikons are out of production anyway. Another option that will handle your medium format film is a flatbed like the Canon 9000. Not nearly as expensive as a dedicated film scanner and does a great job on 35mm and medium format. I have started using one for MF but have also it for 35 and it compares favorably to my 35mm Nikon scanner.

Ham radio is much more expensive than film photography. You can fake a darkroom. What happens when you don't have a tower or trees?

-- Jason

 

[chuck94022]

It is incredibly simple to make a temporary darkroom. The only place I can imagine you not being able to make a darkroom is prison.

 

[Brian Schmidt]

Hello.
I figure the only time I would be in such a situation is either moving away for college (which I know I won't at this point) or going on a trip. If I were to go away for college I would probably mail exposed films home and have my parents hang on to them until I can come home for summer/Christmas, or just let them pile up. Of course I might be able to make friends with the art department and have them help. On a trip I could simply leave them in my bag until I got home.

If there were a situation where I truly couldn't find a dark place for the few minutes it takes to load a spool (to at least stabilize the negative) I would be worrying less about burn-and-dodge and more about dodging bullets probably.

Have a good day,

Brian

 

[Arklatexian]

Morse code is no longer required for amateur radio licenses. That changed in 2007. I have the Extra Amateur license and I am on the radio now, but I am working on learning Morse [should be called Vail] code.

Sirius Glass, after rereading my answer to the post question again, I realized that I did not make myself clear. I have a Amateur License and have had since it was required to learn code. In fact, I renewed my license today. After I decided to stay with B&W photography at the expense of Radio (money and time), I slowly forgot code. That is what I meant by relearning code. If I went back to radio, I would do QRP in code. I also renewed my subscription to ARRL today. At my age of 85 if I suddenly lost my darkroom, I would be having problems that would not be helped by any hobby. Thank you very much for your concern regarding the need to learn code in today's world. I do appreciate it........Regards!

 

[Sirius Glass]

Morse code is no longer required for amateur radio licenses. That changed in 2007. I have the Extra Amateur license and I am on the radio now, but I am working on learning Morse [should be called Vail] code.

Sirius Glass, after rereading my answer to the post question again, I realized that I did not make myself clear. I have a Amateur License and have had since it was required to learn code. In fact, I renewed my license today. After I decided to stay with B&W photography at the expense of Radio (money and time), I slowly forgot code. That is what I meant by relearning code. If I went back to radio, I would do QRP in code. I also renewed my subscription to ARRL today. At my age of 85 if I suddenly lost my darkroom, I would be having problems that would not be helped by any hobby. Thank you very much for your concern regarding the need to learn code in today's world. I do appreciate it........Regards!

I have not come up with good enough reasons to subscribe to ARRL. QRP takes too much energy for me. <<wink, wink>> I wanted to get the vanity call sign of N6QRT, but the FCC evidently has no sense of humor, so I settled for something else.

My age is -1.686 dB from yours.

 

[MattKing]

My Dad was a radio direction finder and radio operator in the Canadian Air Force during the second World War. He served on the west coast of British Columbia and was discharged in 1946, after serving an extra year.
After leaving the Air Force, he never used a Morse Key again.
Despite that, even into his 90s, if he heard code, he would immediately start to translate it into English words.
I have clear memories from the 1970s, where he would be driving, the AM radio in the car would be on, and we would drive near a poorly set up Ham station with a signal that impinged on the AM signal. While driving, he would tell me what the code said.
It may not be as tough to re-learn Morse as you think.

 

[StephenT]

Kid you not every room here has a window, every bathroom and toilet. I'll have to place in a an enlarger also right?

My first "darkroom" was a walk in (barely) closet. You can get some of the cream colored blackout cloth that is used to block light behind curtains. It is lightproof and very effective.

 

[Bob Carnie]

I would not care as the only way I will not have one is if I am wearing diapers and being force fed puree chicken.

 

[Luckless]

Ham radio is much more expensive than film photography. You can fake a darkroom. What happens when you don't have a tower or trees?

-- Jason

Use a balloon or a box kite. There is almost always a way around things.

I'm using a scary and dreaded hybrid system for the time being, because I want to watch the world burn apparently. Changing bag and tank development on medium format film. I inspect the negatives, then take them to that scary place that ruins everything, and have sent things off for the small volume of printing I've had done so far. The ones that I really like a lot are flagged, and awaiting a time when I can get started playing with traditional darkroom printing at some point down the road.

Not having a full end to end analog workflow seems like a silly reason to give up on it completely. I didn't see not having a complete end to end setup ready to go out of the gate as a reason to keep myself from starting to work with film, and so far I've been greatly enjoying what I can do with analog on only the front end. I can see some arguments for abandoning film use if you were just shooting 35mm anyway and accepting modern digital, but the transition in look and feel between affordable medium or large format film and affordable digital just aren't really comparable in my mind. If your shooting style still leans towards the results you got with those larger formats, then why not continue working in them and meeting things halfway?

There is no 'one and true correct way' to do photography. If there was then there certainly wouldn't be all these other ways everyone keeps doing things to get all the different kinds of look and feel that photography offers.

 

[NJH]

I agree Luckless, and I have been in the hybrid place for the past 2 years and only about 6 months ago even doing my own film development. Has to be said though that even if one can scan for themselves its the most tedious and un-enjoyable part of the process for me (Noritsu/Fuji frontier lab scans cost a fortune and I was never that happy with them). Got my darkroom setup almost finished, analog printing is my long overdue Christmas present to myself. I did analog print a long time ago and loved it as much as taking the photographs in the first place. I can therefore fully understand why some feel so strongly about it.

 

[Luckless]

Only saving grace of scanning for yourself is probably being able to safely sip coffee during most of the process. Not something I would ever consider while working in a darkroom, and I always seem overly busy getting work done during any other part of the photographic process. I've had more than a few mugs of tea or coffee go cold while I've been culling or editing, but that whole tedious scanning thing seems to leave me staring at the bottom of an empty cup and debating whether or not to go get another if I'm processing more than a few rolls at a time.

Always fun to look for the small good things in the not so great bits in life.

 

[MattKing]

I'm using a scary and dreaded hybrid system for the time being, because I want to watch the world burn apparently.

I inspect the negatives, then take them to that scary place that ruins everything,

I'm not sure where these comments come from.
With the exception of a very few outliers, no one on APUG is going to think less of anyone who does anything digital in their photographic pursuits. The only thing that APUG asks us to avoid is using APUG to discuss the digital parts of those pursuits.
I'm as fervent an advocate of analogue processes as anyone here, but advocacy of one doesn't mean denial of the value of the other.
I know lots of people who happily mix both types of techniques in their work, or switch back and forth between the two worlds frequently, and their creations are just as valuable as those who profess "purity".

If you, or others get anything approaching the joy I get from the darkroom from the procedures you either choose or accept due to realities, than I for one am glad of it.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

A friend of mine lost his home, which contained his darkroom. He struggled for a while developing in the laundry closet, in his apartment. Then he was forced to move into an even smaller apartment, and his Jobo broke. He lost his job and finances forced him to sell his medium format and LF equipment. Now he shoots all digital and complains constantly about his plugged printer, the cost of ink and paper, and how easier it was printing in the darkroom.