shooting analog

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My Darkrooms

My father took photography and darkroom classes from Minor White before I was born. I remember my Uncle coming over to help dad build a darkroom in the basement of our home that I grew up in Portland, Oregon. A few years later when I was seven years old, I watched my older brother take photos with dad's camera, I asked if I could do that too. Dad loaded up his Yashika twin lens camera showed me how to use the light meter and set the camera from those reading and sent me out the door. Returning, dad removed the film and disappeared, the next day handing me my first contact sheet. I was thrilled and wanted to do that again. But dad said NO, he wasn't going to be my darkroom slave. The next day dad showed up with a box of 4x5 Tri-X, we built a cardboard pin-hole camera and exposed the ten sheets of film in the back yard, then he showed me how to develop the film and make my own contact sheets and make prints. I've been hooked ever since and have had a darkroom in almost every place I have lived ever since. To this day I have never tired of watching a print come up or the thrill of looking at film for the first time after processing it. Some of the darkrooms I've had were not that nice, just functional. Some Amazing! This was the nicest darkroom I've ever put together, it was in our first house in Warren, Oregon 1995-2005. 12 x 24 with a 12 x 24 finishing room outside the circular door. Image - Nikon F3 w/ Nikkor 15mm f=3.5 lens - Kodak TMZ (ISO 6400).
Darkroom#1.jpg
Darkroom#2.jpg
My new darkroom in Bosquecito, New Mexico is more compact, but very functional. It's an 8 x 16 walled off section in what was once an oversized attached garage (24x36). Outside the darkroom is a finishing room and digital darkroom and studio (Mac Studio and Epson P6000). Inside the darkroom I have two wall mounted Omega D5 XL's one with an Arista cold head and the other a Chromega color head. An eight foot stainless sink with easel to archival wash systems to accommodate up to 16 x 20 analog prints.
sorry... crappy image made with an iPhone 11 Pro Max
darkroomtoday.jpg
 
Hi Deon,
Your darkroom layouts are very well designed. :daumenhoch-smilie: I will have a decent darkroom layout in time - my darkrooms tend to be very hastily made affairs - i.e. black out the windows and balance the enlarger on a support over the toilet or washing machine depending on whether I have converted my bathroom or laundry.
Cheers Kanga
 
Prior to the current darkroom I was developing my film in a crusty half bath off my studio in Eureka, Nevada. I had black plastic over the doorway for darkness (luckily no windows). I had no place to make prints, so I applied for artist in residences that had darkroom facilities plus I scanned film and made digital prints. Many places I went to for artist in residencies were in the process of eliminating their darkrooms, subsequently I ended up with a lot of chemistry and darkroom supplies being given to me on my way out the door. My current darkroom is just over a year old now and I have processed over 600 rolls of film and made contacts to date. No real fiber prints made yet! Much of the old paper that I had in storage all this time was no good, so Trish has been making solar grams with the paper. Sad, as it's hundreds of sheets of Brilliant (brand) graded paper in 11x14 and 16x20...
Duncan Reservoir, California. I created this image with a modified Kodak "Fun Saver Panoramic 35" disposable camera reload over with Kodak Tri-X film. I install a #8 wratten filter between the lens and film. Since the camera has a fixed shutter speed of 125th of a second and an aperture of f=12, I adjust for exposure in the darkroom. Most of the time I'm pull processing using Kodak D-76 1:1. I have several cameras going at the same time with marks indicating push, pull, normal. This image was a push one.
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