Standing up or sitting down?

[Martin Rickards]

I started enlarging self taught before any Youtube videos that always seem to show photographers standing and bending down to make copies. I always found it more comfortable to sit down surrounded by the enlarger, trays etc. Some 20 years later I have returned and now it'd be a pain in the back to work standing. How do others feel about this?

 

[miha]

Standing.

 

[wiltw]

In order to use my Beseler 45V-XL with its very tall column, I had to set it onto a TV cart which permits the enlarger head to go all the way up without striking the ceiling. So when printing I sit conveniently next to the enlarger, load the print into a Jobo tank also while seated, and the walk to where my Jobo processor is set up.

I spent hundreds (thousands?) of hours standing in a darkroom, so feel entitled to sit now!

 

[darkosaric]

Standing.

 

[Fujicaman1957]

As the ceiling height in my yet unfinished darkroom is only 6'-5", I had to mount the enlarger on an old wooden desk with a cut out area to lower the easel. |So, I'm going to be sitting once I get the darkroom finished.

 

[DWThomas]

I work standing, the rather small size of my darkroom would mean a stool was always in the way. Not a big deal, as my darkroom sessions tend to be infrequent and relatively short.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Dancing, I'm grooving by LP at the same location where I'm enlarging.
If I sit, my back hurts. Sitting for hours hurts.

 

[winger]

Standing. When I made my enlarger table, I made sure it would be at a comfortable height. And at 5'5", I'm not bending over to use much of anything.


And by "made" I mean picked out pieces at a salvage place that my engineer husband fastened together solidly enough it would be the one last thing standing after a hurricane/tornado/Nor'easter takes out the rest of the house.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Standing.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Standing.

I have a table that is high enough so that I do not have to bend over.

 

[ac12]

It all depends on the setup and the height of the enlarger baseboard above the floor.

• At high school and college, it was standing. Though in high school we sometimes sat on a tall stool when doing LONG printing sessions. We did not have cushioned anti-fatigue mats.
  
• At my parents home, sitting on a stool. The enlarger baseboard was below waist level, because of the low ceiling, so standing would be VERY uncomfortable.
• At my apartment, sitting on a foot stool. The enlarger was on a board over the tub.
• At my home, sitting on foot stool. The enlarger is on the toilet seat.

 

[pdeeh]

Standing up is the new sitting down

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

My back and butt hurt if I'm sitting... If your counter is high enough, you won't need to sit.

 

[Jim Jones]

I've done both, and with an Elwood 5x7 under a low ceiling, on my hands and knees for focusing. In the last darkroom, another low ceiling made sitting at the enlarger necessary, but processing prints was done standing. That's likely the way I'd do it in any future darkroom.

 

[Arklatexian]

It all depends on the setup and the height of the enlarger baseboard above the floor.

• At high school and college, it was standing. Though in high school we sometimes sat on a tall stool when doing LONG printing sessions. We did not have cushioned anti-fatigue mats.
  
• At my parents home, sitting on a stool. The enlarger baseboard was below waist level, because of the low ceiling, so standing would be VERY uncomfortable.
• At my apartment, sitting on a foot stool. The enlarger was on a board over the tub.
• At my home, sitting on foot stool. The enlarger is on the toilet seat.

In my darkroom I have two stools so I sort of sit and stand, both at the same time with one foot on the floor and the other on a part of the stool. Whichever you do, be sure you are comfortable. You are supposed to be in a darkroom, not a dungeon used for torture...........Regards!

 

[mooseontheloose]

I'm short (5'3") and unfortunately I cannot find tables that are high enough to be comfortable, but I still stand. The only exception is when I am lith printing - I will sit since rocking the tray for 5-10 minutes gets even more tedious when standing.

 

[Bill Burk]

And dogs do it on three legs.

 

[iandvaag]

Squatting. My darkroom is my small bathroom in my apartment with almost no counter space to set my enlarger upon, so I set it on the floor and squat beside it. I put three 5x7 trays on the small counter space next to the sink for processing.

 

[MattKing]

And dogs do it on three legs.

And I was being strong and avoiding such a reference!
I've worked in a lot of darkrooms, and with one exception, I have always worked standing up.
A couple of those darkrooms were designed to permit several photographers working side by side. In at least one case, there were bar stool height chairs on castors in the darkrooms, which you could choose to use.
When I used to have trays in my bathroom/darkroom at the same height as the rim of a (low) bathtub, I sometimes either perched on the toilet lid or brought in a low chair - primarily when I was printing batches of prints (such as with the postcard exchange). I now have the trays higher, and prefer to stand.

 

[Bill Burk]

Shake hands of course you know... one of the questions to know the answer if you were to be a member of the Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles (which I would say so if you were to ask)

I stand in the darkroom, there's just too much moving about to sit.

 

[Slixtiesix]

I never sit down while developing or enlarging. I have a chair in my darkroom but never used it.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Always standing in commercial darkrooms, but I have been running chair(s) and/or stools in my home darkrooms for the last 30+ years for enlarging work and stand for developing paper if using dishes/trays.

With colour and RC B&W paper I have a Durst Printo paper processor, I stand up from the enlarger to put the paper in, then sit down again to await the paper to emerge at the other end.

Mick.

 

[darkosaric]

It could be that best would be to use a chair like this one:

 

[greg zinselmeier]

I stand, however if your Are an "art Director" ordering your lackey around , . . . . sitting is preferred. of course with a double Macchiato. shouting "Darling, Darling!!! "

 

[jeffreyg]

I stand at the enlarger and sit on a stool for the 2 1/2 - 3 minutes the print is in the developer. My sink height is just right for me either standing or sitting.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/