These days, developing film and making prints in a darkroom seems a little outdated. Why would we want to spend hours in a dark, smelly room, sweating over our images and struggling for the perfect print when we can just upload them to our computers, fire up Photoshop, and have a hot chocolate? There's no arguing that digital is more convenient and is growing increasingly flexible as camera capabilities and software options improve, but sometimes it's fun to break it down to the basics and spend a little time in the dark. If you have never been in a photo darkroom before, this is your dark room guide to getting started.
We'll skip developing your film and getting supplies for now and just talk about the actual process.
Making Prints with an Enlarger
An enlarger is exactly what it sounds like '" a machine that makes your tiny squares of film into large, printed photographs. It does this by projecting light through your film and onto the surface of your photo paper, exposing the light sensitive chemicals buried inside.
In order to print a photo, you'll need to line the frame up with your enlarger's light source, project it onto the blank mat, and ensure it is correctly focused (usually by adjusting a knob on the side). Most darkrooms have magnifying glasses lying around; make sure you can clearly see the grain of your image. You'll need to mess with the exposure timing to ensure the image comes out right, then you should be good to go.
The Chemicals
Once you've decided on the correct timing and exposed a full photograph, it's time to get your hands dirty. Darkroom chemicals have a smelly and distinct odor and will ruin any clothing they come in contact with so make sure to wear an apron or wear old ratty clothes. The chemical process can be broken down into four steps:
1. Developer '" Soak your paper, which will still be completely white, in the developer. This chemical will activate the photo paper and over the course of a few minutes you'll start to see your image come through. If you don't like the contrast or exposure, just head back to the enlarger and get another piece of photo paper and adjust your timing. Once you have a print you like and it's done developing, move it to the stop bath for a soak.
2. Stop Bath '" The stop bath will prevent your image from developing any further by neutralizing the chemicals found in the developer. If you have ever been in a dark room,the stop bath is the distinct smell you probably remember. If you want to make sure your print is done sitting in the stop bath, rub your fingers on the paper to see if it will squeak. If it squeaks, then you know the chemicals have been properly stopped. This should only take a few short minutes.
3. Fixer '" While the stop bath will stop the effects of the developer chemicals, your paper will still be sensitive to light exposure. Fixer is the last chemical in the process so once your print has soaked in this, it can be exposed to light without ruining the image. You don't need to soak your images in fixer for too long, but 5-10 minutes depending on the chemicals and paper is usually a safe bet.
4. Rinse '" Naturally you'll want to rinse your photos of all the harsh chemicals you've soaked in them. Most darkrooms have a sink of some sort that keeps a continually flowing tub of water for rinsing and you really can't rinse for too long, so leave your images in the rinse as long as you need. While waiting, this is a great time to print other pictures from your negatives!
Once you've enlarged, developed, stopped, fixed, and rinsed your images, set them out to dry in a safe place and come get them the next day. Remember to rinse them well '" one of the main reasons photographs turn brown over time is chemical left on the print. Pick up your dry prints and put them in a heavy book or photo press to straighten them out. After that, your prints are ready to frame.
The darkroom can seem intimidating, but once you have a bearing on the process you will enjoy printing your own images. It's a wonderful creative outlet and gives you a lot more control over your final images then having someone else print them. Just remember to ask around before turning on the lights!
