Darkroom work

If your darkroom work is limited to film development in a daylight tank over the kitchen sink, ventilation is not an issue. If you have a situation like Brett Weston s, in which all the doors and windows can be left open, no problem. But as soon as you enclose a space, be it a closet, bathroom, or a specially built room, proper ventilation is of utmost importance. 

An electronic digital scale, such as a digital postal scale that reads in 0.1 increments, takes up less counter space and is accurate enough for darkroom work. You can even use an electronic scale made for measuring powder to make bullets. 

A 20-year-old man employed in a photographic darkroom suffered attacks of numbness, weakness, vertigo, some nausea, rapid pulse, and flushing of the face after 1 h of work (Parmenter 1926). Two other workers were unaffected. Following improved ventilation in the room, cyanide was measured in several areas of the workroom, including over a sink into which ferrous sulphate and potassium cyanide were routinely disposed. Concentrations of cyanide at that time (with the improved ventilation) ranged from 25 to 75 ppm. 

Discuss reasons for wearing aprons, goggles, and gloves when working in the darkroom and when pouring liquid metals into molds. 

Proper ventilation in the darkroom is the first, and possibly most important, expense, even before an enlarger and lens. Make it a priority to build a darkroom that is healthy and comfortable to work in. Add equipment as you can afford it. 

While a fresh supply of air is of paramount importance to the health and safety of the darkroom worker, clean, dust-free air is important to the quality of the work. It is an especially important consideration in areas where film is to be dried. 

In planning a darkroom, the main objective is to arrange the equipment and materials for efficiency and convenience.The dry side and the wet side should be arranged to facilitate the flow of work, from enlarging to developing and back again, with a minimum of steps. 

A chemical-resistant anti-fatigue floor mat is another good idea. An anti-fatigue mat will help you work longer and more comfortably, especially if your darkroom is in a basement or garage with a concrete floor. The mat will also insulate you from the cold. 

Wynn s darkroom was in the basement of his home which was accessed by wooden stairs outside the back door of the house. One day his wife, Edna, was in a back room working on a project of her own. She heard Wynn clumping up the stairs from the darkroom, the back door thrown open, and then the sound of clunk and clang as Wynn tossed something into the circular metal trash can next to the back door. She then heard him say, To hell with this damn testing I m going out and make some pictures After he had stormed off with his camera and tripod Edna went to see what he had thrown away. There in the trash can was Wynn s spot meter and densitometer. She fished them out and later Wynn gave them to Ansel. 

The most important skill a photographer can learn is how to adjust a formula to express a particular subject. For example, fine-art photographer, Paul Caponigro, has been known to mix varying proportions of warm-tone developer with cold-tone developer to create an altogether new tone for a specific subject or body of work. In printing, more than any other area of the darkroom, the only rules are those you make for yourself. 

While working on this, the third, edition of the Cookbook I was introduced to Brett s long-time friend and associate, Richard C. Miller. Richard sent me a copy of a handwritten note (via intermediary Michael Andrews a friend of Brett and Richard), which he said was Brett s formula circa 1971 personally given to him by Brett. The handwriting is Richard s, who told Michael he had written it down while visiting Brett in his darkroom. It is different from the 1982 formula. To make matters more complicated, it is similar, but different, from Brett s formula given to me by Cole. 

Film requires much less exposure than one is accustomed to in the darkroom. I raised the enlarger to the maximum height and stopped the lens down to its smallest aperture. Ultimately, I was forced to add ND filters to the light path as well. While my timer will make exposure distinctions in the tenths-of-seconds, I prefer to work in the tens-of-seconds because I have found that the results are more repeatable. 

Double-check that there is no stray light in the darkroom. This includes LEDs on timers and temperature control units. Then go through dry runs of the operation because you will be working in complete darkness. You will need to be able to adjust your exposure time for at least a 4-stop range in half-stop increments. I adjusted my setup to enable exposures (in seconds) of 4,6,8,12,16,23,30,45, and 60. 

Caution. Sodium sulfide in solution smells like rotten eggs. The smell has been known to cause some people to have headaches. Use in a well-ventilated area outdoors works just fine. Also, sulfide can damage undeveloped sensitized materials such as films and papers in a darkroom. This is another good reason to use sepia toners outdoors. 

There are two methods to achieve reversal of the image after the bleach bath. The first is to re-expose the developed and bleached film to fight, and the second is to use chemical reversal. Both methods will work with modem emulsions but chemical reversal provides more consistent results. However, chemical reversal baths are usually formulated for specific emulsions and are compounded from hard to obtain organic chemicals. Therefore, light reversal is more practical for most small volume darkrooms. 

Follow instructions for proper disposal of all chemicals. Wash yourself and any equipment that has come into contact with any chemicals. Launder darkroom towels after each session. Dispose of gloves and disposable masks to avoid future contamination. Keep your work space clean and uncontaminated. 

One of the most important habits to develop in the darkroom is consistency. Having achieved satisfactory results you should be able to repeat them, alter them, and then return to the first result should it become necessary In addition to being consistent in your work habits it is important to set and practice standard procedures whenever possible. This will further facilitate the ultimate goal to produce a perfect print. 

One area of darkroom procedure that is conducive to standardization is making proof sheets. While it is not necessary to standardize on making a proof sheet doing so will streamline your workflow, help determine if your system is working properly, camera, meter, film and developer, and enable you to accurately read step wedges when making interpositives. The method is known as proofing for maximum black. 

For those reading this who are already familiar with the first and second editions of The Darkroom Cookbook, I hope this third edition will add to your knowledge and enjoyment of the traditional black and white darkroom process. For those of you just starting to work in a black and white darkroom, or just discovering The Cookbook, you are in for a pleasant surprise. 

If your interest in photography does not go beyond recording moments in time, there is no reason to practice darkroom techniques. The question to ask yourself is, do you wish to become a creator of images If you do, then you must learn to develop and print your own work. 

It was not the sort of accident to reach the front pages of newspapers, although its result was world-shaking From this accidental observation came a train of events which culminated in the triumphal work of Mme Curie Quite by accident, Becquerel had placed a piece of uranium ore upon a sensitized photographic plate lying on a table m his darkroom. Uranium salts had been known since 1789, they had been used to color glass. There was nothing very remarkable about this substance. 

Facilities for film development are needed, either a standard darkroom or, for field work, a portable darkroom in the form of a light-tight box with gloved portholes [16.12], Rapid-process film of the Polaroid Land type does not appear to have been adapted to stress cameras. 

Work in the darkroom must be by the light of a special red lamp. It starts with opening the sample package at the analytical balance and finishes with evaluation of the developed TLC plate. 

In 1878, while working in a photographic darkroom, Chardonnet accidentally overturned a bottle of nitrocellulose. When he started to clean up the spill, he saw that the nitrocellulose had become viscous due to evaporation. As he wiped it, he noticed long, thin strands of fiber resembling those of silk. 

Naturally, the hydrazine used had better be anhydrous. Another danger to success is exposure to light. Work should be done under a dim red darkroom bulb. The flask containing the reaction mixture should be wrapped in aluminum foil to exclude light. Procedures such as extractions and filtering should be done as rapidly as possible without causing spills. 

All work described in this chapter should be done under red or yellow darkroom lighting, or wrap the flask in foil. 

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