Print Viewing Lamp

distributed · Jun 22, 2021

I am currently using a rather improvised darkroom in my attic. I have an incandescent light bulb that sits right above the trays. As the light seal on the door is a pain to put up, I tend stay in the darkroom and view test strips and prints right under that bulb. Unfortunately I don't feel it's a good light source as I constantly find myself turning the print because the prints reflect and I never have the feeling that I "look at the print right".

What kind of light do you guys use to view your prints in the darkroom? What can you recommend?

halfaman · Jun 22, 2021

My recomendation is to use the same or most similar color temperature and intensity than in the place where the photo is going to be. There is really no point to use another kind of lightning. At least try to match color temperature.

There are color adjustable LED bulbs of different qualities, you can find in Amazon from very cheap to rather expensive bulbs depending on the output quality.

AgX · Jun 22, 2021

halfaman said:
My recomendation is to use the same or most similar color temperature and intensity than in the place where the photo is going to be. There is really no point to use another kind of lightning. At least try to match color temperature.

Yes.
To be more exact, match not only the colour temperature of the later illumination but even the spectral colour distribution (as with non-continuous spectra).

distributed · Jun 22, 2021

The suggestion to use a similar lamp to the final viewing conditions makes sense. In my case it's a bit hard to say though, unfortunately. Most prints are smallish, 5x7", and they are viewed in whatever light is around when I and others look at them

halfaman · Jun 22, 2021

I must clarify that my comment was instinctively intended for color prints because it is what I do. In color photograhpy it is simply not possible to have a print that looks equally well in any lightning situtation, you need to choose one and assume a deviation in the rest.

distributed · Jun 22, 2021

Good point, I thought today on the way to work that I should clarify that I am speaking about B/W prints! Thanks for mentioning it, @halfaman

MattKing · Jun 22, 2021

In addition to colour temperature and spectral distribution, it is important to use a light with the right intensity. Too bright, and your prints tend to end up looking too dark in the "real world".
If possible it is a good idea to place the print on the bottom of a flat tray held at a set angle and at a position that can be repeat ably set. Ralph Lambrecht's Way Beyond Monochrome includes a recommendation for light intensity (although I sometimes have trouble locating it in my copy).
One further trick - make a "reference" print out of a discard print on the same paper that has a wide range of tones and displays well and that you can afford to regularly re-wet and handle over and over. It is a really useful to be able to compare your wet reference print with your wet new print side by side.
Even better, have a dry reference print as well, and compare that to a quickly dried version of the print you are working on.

distributed · Jun 22, 2021

I will try to locate recommendation in Way Beyond Monochrome and put the location here for future reference I think my current setup is probably on the bright side as the prints have a bit of a tendency toward the dark.

Thanks for the two tricks. The repeatable position has got the better than the holding the paper at different angles that I am doing now. The reference print is a a very clever idea. I shall select a print for this purpose and make a few extra copies.

Patrick Robert James · Jun 22, 2021

You don't want a super bright light for viewing in the darkroom. Your eyes will register it as too light and you won't be able to see the highlight detail for what it is. Your eyes will also have to adjust to it over and over again. Better to keep it on the dim end. Avoid florescent lights and LEDs as well since if the paper has optical brighteners they will skew the look of the highlights. Good ol' incandescent is best. I think I have a 40 watt bulb a few feet above the fix. I'd have to check. None of this is scientific, just based on experience so take that for what it is, though I've been doing it a long time....

Pieter12 · Jun 22, 2021

You say you need to move the print around under the light to inspect it. Are you squeegeeing it first?

dpurdy · Jun 22, 2021

I have two lights over my water tray and they are approx 45º each way. I use incandescent because florescent light usually makes the whites glow and LEDs are too dim for me. If your finished prints come out too dark, lower the intensity of your darkroom lights. If your prints are too light when finished then brighten your darkroom light.

gone · Jun 22, 2021

All you need is the same sort of lighting that you plan on displaying the prints in. It wouldn't make any sense to do otherwise. It took me a little while to get this. I've always looked at someone's lighting at home before making a portrait print of them, but now I make sure all of my prints fit the lighting that they'll be hung in.

Pieter12 · Jun 22, 2021

Sometimes people will add a light to wash or spotlight a wall where photos are hung. It is usually safer to work to a standard than make prints for all different kinds of lighting. Just not full daylight. Too bright, and if the print is to be hung where it gets too much of it, it won't last long.

radiant · Jun 22, 2021

I haven't found any problem with extra light when viewing photographs in general. Extra light doesn't actually ruin the photograph at all ..

So my suggestion is make your preview light as dim as possible.

Color-temperature-vise I would go for daylight. I haven't seen any exhibitions with yellow or blue light And probably you have daylight temperature at home too ..

koraks · Jun 22, 2021

I like high CRI leds for this. Energy efficient, as bright as you want them to be depending on component choice and driver circuitry, and overall just convenient. I don't like incandescent or halogen because if its color temperature; much too low if the prints end up being viewed under daylight conditions. Adjustable color temperature high CRI leds would be ideal, but I stick to 5000K or thereabouts currently

MattKing · Jun 22, 2021

MattKing said:
Ralph Lambrecht's Way Beyond Monochrome includes a recommendation for light intensity (although I sometimes have trouble locating it in my copy).

Aha, I found it!
In the first edition (which I have) it is on page 241, which is in the chapter that Ralph wrote describing his then darkroom - "The Spacious Darkroom".
Ralph recommends incandescent bulbs which illuminate the viewing board at an intensity of EV 6, at ISO 100, when measured with an incident meter.
The first edition of Way Beyond Monochrome is now about 20 years old, so I expect that a good quality, high CRI dimmable LED source would also work well.
By the way, I would be remiss in not mentioning that Way Beyond Monochrome is co-written by Ralph and Chris Woodhouse.

bdial · Jun 22, 2021

I use the room lighting of my dark room, but the space is tiny, and the lighting isn't super bright.
For a really critical print, I let my best effort print dry, then view it the next day in whatever lighting around my house that seems appropriate to where the print will be viewed.
For viewing wet prints in the dark room, you would generally want the viewing light to be relatively dim. If reflections are a problem, you may be able to diffuse the light by bouncing it from the ceiling, or some sort of other reflector.

Pieter12 · Jun 22, 2021

For dry prints, I always use this: https://www.gtilite.com/products/de...tions/pdv-professional-desktop-color-viewers/

distributed · Jun 23, 2021

There is a wealth of good information and insightful experiences in this thread.

From the responses and my experience I would have guessed that my light is too bright. A quick measurement of the viewing however puts it at an intensity of EV 6 at ISO 100. What a coincidence! I think I will experiment with different lamp placement then.

MattKing said:
In the first edition (which I have) it is on page 241, which is in the chapter that Ralph wrote describing his then darkroom - "The Spacious Darkroom".
Ralph recommends incandescent bulbs which illuminate the viewing board at an intensity of EV 6, at ISO 100, when measured with an incident meter.

In the second edition it is on page 424. The recommendation has stayed the same, though.

Pieter12 said:
You say you need to move the print around under the light to inspect it. Are you squeegeeing it first?

No. I don't have running water in my darkroom, so I view the prints straight above the fix tray. Not quite the optimum, I am aware.

Pieter12 said:
For dry prints, I always use this: https://www.gtilite.com/products/de...tions/pdv-professional-desktop-color-viewers/

This is super nice. But I don't even have a table in my darkroom!

Pieter12 · Jun 23, 2021

distributed said:
There is a wealth of good information and insightful experiences in this thread.

From the responses and my experience I would have guessed that my light is too bright. A quick measurement of the viewing however puts it at an intensity of EV 6 at ISO 100. What a coincidence! I think I will experiment with different lamp placement then.

In the second edition it is on page 424. The recommendation has stayed the same, though.

No. I don't have running water in my darkroom, so I view the prints straight above the fix tray. Not quite the optimum, I am aware.

This is super nice. But I don't even have a table in my darkroom!

You don't need running water, just a tray with water to do a quick rinse, then squeegee the print against a light or neutral colored surface (I have a sheet of white acrylic on the wall over the rinse tray.)

The viewing box I use is in another room--it is for dry prints and doesn't need to be in the dark, just a room that can be dimmed by closing blinds or shades.

wiltw · Jun 23, 2021

Given that LED bulbs are available in the same form factor as traditional incandescent bulbs, I suggest getting a

LED bulb of 3-4W energy consumtion, equivalent in lumen output as a 40W incandescent, with a 5000K color temp and a good (90 or heigher) color rendering index

distributed · Jun 24, 2021

Pieter12 said:
You don't need running water, just a tray with water to do a quick rinse, then squeegee the print against a light or neutral colored surface (I have a sheet of white acrylic on the wall over the rinse tray.)

That I can do. But then I expect to have a bit of (diluted) fixer on my hands that I need to clean off. Do you just clean your hands in a bucket and dry them afterwards?

bdial · Jun 24, 2021

distributed said:
That I can do. But then I expect to have a bit of (diluted) fixer on my hands that I need to clean off. Do you just clean your hands in a bucket and dry them afterwards?

That works. I have running water in my darkroom, my usual practice when I’ve handled a print with fixer is to give my hand(s) a quick dunk in my water holding bath. A bucket with water would be fine too. But, keep in mind that as things progress in your darkroom session your bucket (and my holding bath) becomes more and more contaminated with fixer. So you would want to give your hands a proper rinse in fresh water before handling unprocessed materials.
If your viewing light will be outside your darkroom space, it would be best to give it a quick dunk in water before leaving the darkroom to view it, or transport it in a tray, so that you don’t make little white dots of dried fixer everywhere. Even if you contain it in a tray, a water rinse is a good idea, to limit the possibilities of contaminating your space with fix.

MattKing · Jun 24, 2021

distributed said:
That I can do. But then I expect to have a bit of (diluted) fixer on my hands that I need to clean off. Do you just clean your hands in a bucket and dry them afterwards?

This is one reason why I wear nitrile gloves in the darkroom - they are easier to rinse than uncovered hands.
And print tongs are also a good idea.

mshchem · Jun 24, 2021

I have a simple 6000°K LED flood lamp mounted on the ceiling. Works great.

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