Repurposing my Darkroom

[gordrob]

I served for twenty four years.
I declared myself a free agent.
I got the two children.
My ex got MY DOG.
The dog was pissed.

Then I met my girl friend.
We have been together over twenty two years, but we cannot get married because we have never had a fight.
If we never fought or argued how can we know how a marriage will work.

Lessons learned.

1. Young people think that supernatural is about werewolves and vampires. They do not know $#!+
2. If you spouse gripes about photography, trade the spouse in for a new model with less miles and a better suspension system.

Awsome
Lesson learned - that should be published for the younger set

 

[Ian David]

Have others had thoughts about this?

It's a pretty well-trodden path, Clive. Maybe initially just box up the stuff you think you want to jettison and store it elsewhere until you are sure you don't want to change your mind.
With that caveat, I reckon simplicity, whatever that means for you, is an excellent goal. Too many cameras, too many processes, too many choices etc can, for some (including me), be a real impediment to creativity. Follow whatever route works for you.

 

[MattKing]

Only if it's political or religious....

Well, it certainly might end up breaking the rule against argumentative and disruptive ......

 

[Don_ih]

that should be published for the younger set

I get the feeling they'd rather not drink from a poisoned fountain.

 

[awty]

It's important for the creative process to explore other aspects of creativity, other wise be prone to repetition.
HCB painted.

 

[Sergey Ko]

Sell enlargers & buy JOBO film processor. I am using JOBO ATL-1500 & I am happy

 

[Sirius Glass]

I get the feeling they'd rather not drink from a poisoned fountain.

Wisdom is not a poisoned fountain.

 

[Don_ih]

Wisdom is not a poisoned fountain.

Neither is irony

 

[Bill Burk]

My plans all along have been to have a mountain of negatives to print, including 4x5, 120 and 35mm. My darkroom has to have at least a D2.

 

[Mr Negative]

I served for twenty four years.
I declared myself a free agent.
I got the two children.
My ex got MY DOG.
The dog was pissed.

Then I met my girl friend.
We have been together over twenty two years, but we cannot get married because we have never had a fight.
If we never fought or argued how can we know how a marriage will work.

Lessons learned.

1. Young people think that supernatural is about werewolves and vampires. They do not know $#!+
2. If you spouse gripes about photography, trade the spouse in for a new model with less miles and a better suspension system.

Haha to be fair my wife doesn’t complain about photography. Her gripe is that my darkroom now occupies 2 bedrooms and the basement is converted to a printing/mounting workroom.

 

[George Collier]

I, too, have changed to a film / scan / digital print process. I resisted it for a long time, but could no longer ignore the reasons. This is all explained on my web site, below the page links on the Work Page. (I started to copy and paste it in, and decided not everyone would want to read it.) It's personal, and is the result of my own experience and story.
I also was originally 4x5, 6cm, and 35mm, and mostly shoot 35mm now, and possibly a Rollei at some point, but the view camera is to cumbersome for me at 76, beginning to experience balance issues. (The About page says more about the 35mm story).
My site url should be below.

 

[Don_ih]

I started to copy and paste it in, and decided not everyone would want to read it.)

Write whatever you want. I went to your page and read it. Whoever doesn't want to is missing out.

 

[Ballinderry-Michael]

Write whatever you want. I went to your page and read it. Whoever doesn't want to is missing out.

Amen to that.

 

[Eric Rose]

I've been printing for 60 years. I am in the process of shutting down my darkroom due to moving. I am not planning on building another one. I will scan my negs and print them using a pro Canon printer. For me photography is about artistic expression and producing an image that encourages thought and reflection.

I loved my darkroom days both professionally and just for myself. It evokes memories of my father teaching me how to use a camera, develop film and printing the image.

I however will not miss the darkroom at all. I can still drink scotch when I'm working in PS and still listen to music as loud as I want.

It's simply a change that is better for me at this stage of my life. Not a reflection on whether one way of creating the finished image is better than the other.

 

[Sirius Glass]

When it comes time to repurpose my darkroom, I have decided to make that my children's problem.

 

[VinceInMT]

Something along those lines, yes, although not exactly the same as your plan. I find I go through phases of exploration, where I expand the possibilities for myself and try things out. And at some point, I need/want to refocus, so I cut out some of those options to get rid of the ballast.

This is where I’ve always been. I have MANY hobbies, interests, and passions and move from one to another with some degree of frequency. My curiosity generally leads the way and sometimes, the darkroom for example, might sit unused for a couple months at a time as I pursue something else. Our climate drives this as well since a -20F day in January isn’t conducive to motorcycling.

Each of these activities have tools and space as requirements and, quite luckily, my wife (together over 40 years) has no issue with any of them. At my place I have my darkroom, my art studio, my electronics workshop that also has my industrial sewing machine for my upholstery work, and a very large room in the basement, formerly ”the family room” that is my man cave, outfitted with LOTS of 1970s-era audio equipment plus my guitars and such. My cars, motorcycles, and vintage sailboat are scattered around, both here and at my rental property across the street. Downsizing is not something I ever consider.

 

[pbromaghin]

In the last year, I have decided to repurpose my darkroom and change it's design. I am keeping one 35mm enlarger, but intend to mainly only develop film and then scan it (wash my mouth out with soap and water).

Wow, I'm going in the opposite direction - dumping the scanning, taking a darkroom class at a JC and building my first "learning" B&W darkroom. It's going to have just a Durst F60 for 35mm and 6x6, trays, safelight. Water will be in buckets and electricity will be via extension cord. Walls will be black sheet plastic. Maybe after a year or so of that I'll build the "real" darkroom with an Omega D5XL and do it all up to 4x5.

Having just retired from 40 years as a software developer, scanning, photoshopping and ink jetting sound like torture.

Edit to add - I've been doing the hybrid thing for years, and despite the direction I'm going, it's perfectly ok for you to do whatever you want. Since you plan to keep an enlarger for 35mm, you might as well make it the one that's able to do the most formats. You just never know what you might want to do and it will be nice to have one you're familiar with should you choose to go bigger.

 

[eli griggs]

O

Not sure which enlargers you are giving up, but if you have 4X5, why not keep the 4X5 in case you decide to return to MF or LF?

Or pinhole paper negatives.

 

[xkaes]

Let's not jump to conclusions!

 

[TmRn]

As I get older and my back gets stiffer I find that standing for long stretches in the darkroom is more and more of a chore. Yes, I have a stool, but there is still a lot of standing. I love working in the darkroom, I feel like I'm doing my part to uphold a craft and a tradition, but it's hard not to notice that I can sit down at my computer and click-click-click I have a photo. Sigh . . .

 

[cliveh]

I don't intend to do any photoshopping.

 

[madNbad]

I don't intend to do any photoshopping.

The problem with the internet is it’s too easy to go photo shopping! Oh, wait, you probably mean that subscription model…

 

[David Brown]

... I am in the process of shutting down my darkroom due to moving. I am not planning on building another one. ...

I however will not miss the darkroom at all. I can still drink scotch when I'm working in PS and still listen to music as loud as I want.

It's simply a change that is better for me at this stage of my life. Not a reflection on whether one way of creating the finished image is better than the other.

This situation (and the OP) speaks to me. I joined this forum almost 20 years ago, and I was one of the diehard film users for years, although not as militant as many about digital. I still have my darkroom, but have used it less and less. I have not shot a frame of film in years, and probably will not. I could print from my existing negatives for years; perhaps the rest of any time that I would care to or be able to.

But, I cannot let go of my film cameras. And I can’t bring myself to even downsize my darkroom. I have two 4x5 enlargers. I could obviously make do with one. I have two sinks! Likewise. About a year ago, I considered reducing the footprint of the “darkroom” stuff inside the room and moving my computer desk into the left over space. It all makes sense; I just cannot pull the trigger. I’ve even considered putting it all in storage for if, and when, I changed my mind. There is a rental darkroom in town. I could do that. It’s all a dilemma. I no longer teach. I do no commercial work. It’s a hobby.

Not looking for answers or suggestions, just commiserating …

 

[madNbad]

We live in a small house and never had the space for a darkroom. Scanning allows me to continue using film without being reliant on a third party for processing.
It interesting to read the comments about how to approach seldom used gear. My wife and I have the philosophy of, set it aside and if we don’t use it it a year, it’s gone.

 

[koraks]

My wife and I have the philosophy of, set it aside and if we don’t use it it a year, it’s gone.

Sometimes I think I should adopt that policy as well. But I come to regret it as soon as the thought pops up, so I refrain...but there's merit to it for sure.