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IMPORTANT : New Initiative From HARMAN technology Limited : APUG Feedback Requested

edcculus

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I did the survey. I would not be willing to rent/let others use my darkroom. Its in my spare bathroom, which guests also use on occasion. Trays have to sit on the floor for right now, so its not really set up for ease of use for all people either. I'd be willing to show others how to do darkroom printing and give little workshops. I'd also be willing to let friends who I know well use the darkroom as well.

Now, in 20 years when my wife and I build our dream home, this would be something very possible. Our plan is to have a large room that is basically a studio. Large square room, concrete floors. Large standing height table in the center. Sewing station for all of her sewing projects. Probably an area with a pottery wheel and kiln. There will also be a full built in darkroom accessed through a revolving door. Theoretically, this studio would be attached to the house, but would have a door that could be locked from the inside to the rest of the house. I could allow people access from the outside of the room. Maybe even via a key fob system that would restrict days and hours of entry. One can dream!
 
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Tori Nelson

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As always, Ilford is looking after the film community and how to make it better. I love you guys!
I took the survey but I fall into the group that is not comfortable sharing my darkroom with people I don't know. I have friends that I have let use it on occasion and that is fine with me.
I think the idea of helping to coordinate darkroom sources is nice but perhaps time and resources could be better put to use by producing some teaching videos. Some possible subjects could be putting together a home darkroom that can be set up and taken down easily (such as in bathrooms or kitchens), how to process film with daylight tanks etc.
 

TheFlyingCamera

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I agree with Tori - it would be great to produce some educational materials that would help people see that setting up darkroom space at home is not difficult or impractical or expensive. I've had four darkrooms that consisted a bathroom, three of which were the only bathroom in the house. Everything I needed could be stored on a rolling cart and I could set up and start enlarging within a half an hour. And in all of those darkrooms, I was able to print up to 16x20.
 

pstake

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Survey complete!

Thanks for all you're doing, Simon!
 

Stephen Frizza

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My Darkroom is my work space. It is my source of income and filled with high end professional equipment that is expensive and difficult (if not impossible) to replace. I would never let anyone in to use it. These days I try to have no contact with and shut out the general public completely.

Survey complete
 

removed account4

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thanks simon you folks are great !

i'm training and giving workshops with school aged kids ..
 

naeroscatu

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Survey completed; I really appreciate your work and dedication, Simon. My darkroom is in my home which is my private space. I'm reluctant to invite stranges in my home but exceptions may be granted if I get to know the person and they prove to love the craft.
 
OP
OP

Simon R Galley

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Dear All,

Thanks so much for all your feedback so far, and filling out the survey....

We really appreciate it, its just as important to hear the negatives ( we completely understand ) as well as the positives, otherwise we get skewed feedback, once again thanks so much, no matter what we go on and do please remember : HIRE DARKROOMS and COMMUNITY DARKROOMS will get number one TOP BILLING now and forever...

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :
 

omaha

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As a relative noob, I felt a little awkward filling out the survey. I'd be more than happy to have someone come over and use my darkroom (such as it is...its pretty much a work in progress)...but like most here (I suspect) who run it out of their homes, there are a bunch of considerations. Namely, we would have to schedule around my time, since I'd need to be there.

Still, it seems like a nice way to network with others interested in this craft. I look at it as much as an opportunity to learn as anything else.
 

Thomas Bertilsson

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Survey completed.

I agree about learning. It's easy to get stuck in our ways of doing things, and it's healthy to watch someone else work; sometimes it gives some good ideas that we hadn't otherwise considered. Exchange of ideas and knowledge is always a good thing, and teaching is the best way to learn.
 

Paul Glover

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Filled in. My home darkroom is currently a work in progress (will be a little while before I'm in a position to start using it) but being that it's in a rented apartment with a wife and two cats and is a semi-permanent facility, it's probably not much of a candidate for community use. Now if I happened to be good friends with someone who wanted to try darkroom work, I'd be OK with that.
 

tkamiya

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I filled it in.

My personal darkroom is not available for sharing in this sense as it is part of my house. Also, liability that goes with having a non-friend in such space scares me. I would think, this type of thing is most successful when the facility is public in nature, or for-fee and commercial.
 

TheToadMen

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Hello Simon,
I welcome your idea and I'll fill out the survey.
Just one comment: that "worldwide web site" you're contemplating about already exists: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)
So, instead of creating a new one, please put your money and effort in this forum. It will even give you a head start with an already filled databank full of darkroom info and participants

Bert from Holland
 

MattKing

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I filled out the survey. I don't really think anyone really wants to share the bathroom with my wife and I.
 

GarageBoy

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So, this is kinda like couchsurfing with darkrooms?
 

clayne

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For the people who don't want to lend out their private darkrooms I still think you should consider supervised access - ie tutoring newbies and getting them into it.

For the overall survey I think it should also including teaching how to self develop b&w, c-41, and e-6 film. This is quite easy to setup in a kitchen somewhere etc and will only strengthen the analog route by getting more people self sufficient and started.
 

Ian Grant

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Both very good points. I've given supervised access to my darkrooms on numerous occasions over the years, the amount of actual supervision is down to the skill of the other people using it, and how much help they need.

I think much of it is about teaching people how to be independant in terms of being able to work on their own but then there's another lement that not everyone has the space to have their own darkroom and many don't realise film processing can be done almost anywhere.

Simon's point about giving support to community darkrooms is good but many have closed (in the UK) and the costs of setting up something new is high, on the other hand some of us could expand our darkrooms to give spare capacity that could be shared with others. In my own case I was planning to open a workshop facility (in Greece) but the downturn in the property market put paid to the plans. I'm building a new temporary darkroom but it could easily have an extra pair of enlargers - equipment's not an issue I have it in storage, when I buy somewhere new I will put in teaching facilities and good darkroom space with a view to darkroom rental.

Ian
 

Klainmeister

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Unfortunately, even here in photographic central, the community darkroom finally went out of business a month ago =/
 

eddie

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I had 2 women who regularly used my darkroom. I knew them, so it wasn't an issue, but I understand the hesitance some people have. In fact, I often left them keys, so they could work when I wasn't home. They knew what they were doing, and cleaned the darkroom well...

On a semi-related note, I sometimes wonder why people don't list their locations. Often, I see a "first time developing film-what do I need" post, and would give a tank/reels/ chemistry, if I knew they lived near me.

I also think it would be great if Ilford's ad department would use regular people to promote film/darkroom use. Photos of people, in their home darkrooms (be it permanent or temporary), with text explaining why they still work with traditional materials, and why they choose Ilford products. Most non-film people think this is expensive and complicated. They need to know it's not.
 
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