B&W photo processing-thoughts please!

[Keira1987]

I was wondering if there are any old school black & white photographers around...film processing and then develop the pictures in chemicals?

I studied photgraphy and mastered many many different aspects of black and white photography but then once i'd done my course I have not really had anywhere to develop any pictures!! I really enjoy it but to buy the equipment needed it is very expensive when you add it all up...enlarger etc.

I cant really find much proper black and white stuff on here as photography has pretty much all gone digital which is a shame really.
Although I dont doubt that digital isnt amazing as there is so much more you can do with it! However there is more than people think you can do with developing your pictures (b&w and colour film and photo processing) if you mess around enough.

I will put some of my work/portfolio on here when I can get hold of it and a decent scanner!!

Just wondering your thoughts on this matter?? Replies would be good...

 

[Gary Bagshawe]

I miss the good old days of the darkroom, I set mine up in our back bedroom but when I finally went digital the Mrs got the bedroom back!!
Still have all my kit all bagged up, enlarger timer safe lights dishes dev tanks etc etc.
Tried selling them but to no avail. Probably about £500.00 worth of stuff and offered it for sale at £150.00 but no takers.
I used to get a real adrenalin rush when covering football or a news story and had to rush into the darkroom and get a dry print out before the newspaper rang in to start the wire machine rolling and sending the pics.
8 minutes to send a b&w image or 8 mins per seperation for colour!!!!
Oh how I miss it

 

[Keira1987]

I miss the good old days of the darkroom, I set mine up in our back bedroom but when I finally went digital the Mrs got the bedroom back!!
Still have all my kit all bagged up, enlarger timer safe lights dishes dev tanks etc etc.
Tried selling them but to no avail. Probably about £500.00 worth of stuff and offered it for sale at £150.00 but no takers.
I used to get a real adrenalin rush when covering football or a news story and had to rush into the darkroom and get a dry print out before the newspaper rang in to start the wire machine rolling and sending the pics.
8 minutes to send a b&w image or 8 mins per seperation for colour!!!!
Oh how I miss it

I have the space to set up a darkroom just not the money which is a shame. Do you still have your kit?? Whats were you seeling for £150?
Developing your photos is so satisfying because you know you've taken the picture, developed the film and then the final image on paper is done by you aswell.
Bet your Mrs was happy to have the room back eh?!

 

[Gary Bagshawe]

Yeah she was/is happy to get the room back, as to what I still am selling, full darkroom including paterson digital timer durst enlarger and lens with colour head which also enables you to dial in different grades for b&w, trays large and small, tongues, dev tank for film, safelights, enlarging easil, contact printer etc etc.

 

[Hoodi]

Developing your photos is so satisfying because you know you've taken the picture, developed the film and then the final image on paper is done by you aswell.

Totally - I get a real buzz from making prints and knowing that I've had a hand in every part of the process

You can find darkrooms in art houses fairly often, usually at reasonable rates. If there's anything similar nearby it's worth keeping an eye on their noticeboard - I picked up a free semi-complete darkroom setup from an ad on one

 

[Keira1987]

Yeah she was/is happy to get the room back, as to what I still am selling, full darkroom including paterson digital timer durst enlarger and lens with colour head which also enables you to dial in different grades for b&w, trays large and small, tongues, dev tank for film, safelights, enlarging easil, contact printer etc etc.

Ok that sounds cool. Can you tell me more about the important things like the enlarger please (model etc)?
A contact printer always comes in handy!!
If you are still selling you kit, I may be interested?

 

[W.Smith]

I don't miss the 'good old days of the darkroom', and chemical photography. It was smelly, dangerous, cost a room, took ages, and isn't nearly as flexible as digital photography is.
I'm glad those days are over.

We don't drive steam 'cars' anymore either.

 

[moomike]

There is definitely an attraction to "old school" darkroom photography & it is something I've always wanted to try but never had the opportunity to do.
Couldn't work solely in film though due to the amount of time & money that I have invested but it'd be an interesting learning experience I think.
I'd love a medium format & digital back setup though!

 

[Steep]

I don't miss it either, though I loved it at the time. Going digital has meant I no longer have to lock myself away in the attic for hours at a time and it's considerably cleaner and cheaper even taking into account the 'upgrades' every few years.

 

[Keira1987]

I don't miss the 'good old days of the darkroom', and chemical photography. It was smelly, dangerous, cost a room, took ages, and isn't nearly as flexible as digital photography is.
I'm glad those days are over.

We don't drive steam 'cars' anymore either.

Yeah ok admittidly it is smelly, can be dangerous and takes a fair bit of time, but its more original.
I totally agree with you that digital photography is flexible...its amazing some of the stuff you can do but its not that personal. Obviously every photo is different but its pretty much done with a few clicks of the computer mouse.
I have mixed views on both types of photgraphy but think I do prefer b&w!!
Thanks for yuor comment

 

[Keira1987]

There is definitely an attraction to "old school" darkroom photography & it is something I've always wanted to try but never had the opportunity to do.
Couldn't work solely in film though due to the amount of time & money that I have invested but it'd be an interesting learning experience I think.
I'd love a medium format & digital back setup though!

If you havn't tried it then I do suggest if you can get into a darkroom and have a bit of an idea what your doing, give it a go! Can be tricky and surprisingly you can do some pretty cool stuff with the enlarger and the chemicals. But then it can totally wrong too!! Once you've cracked it, b&w photography can be quite addictive...then you go onto developing colour prints which is interesting also!

 

[Gary Bagshawe]

Durst m370 colour enlarger with lens (mint)
paterson digital timer
and everything else you need to do B&W printing including paper.
You would just need to buy some chemicals.

 

[dazzajl]

A real made from scratch b&w print is the pinacle of photography. Done deal, end of topic, set in stone. You can disagree but that just means you're wrong.

I know digital is quicker, more flexible, more sociable and cheaper (on the process and print front) but it can't get close to glow and feel of a great print made by a great printer. I personally love the smell of the chemistry, the solitary time in the dark room and the time required to bring your vision to life. There is something about working in a dark room that brings you so much closer to the image than a screen can ever get. Depriving your vision of all but the shot you are working on focuses all your creative output into the image too.

I use a good digiback with meduim format kit and the quality is superb. Way beyond anything I can get from my canon kit on it's best days but it still falls short of the subtlety of tones that a good transparency or b&w neg will deliver through a print.

Bring back darkrooms I say. Quick and easy is a must when you have a stressy client and a "must meet" deadline but when it's art for arts sake....... what's the hurry?

 

[Mohain]

I haven't hand developed a black and white for years but the magic of the darkroom hooked me from an early age of 10 years old when they set one up on the TV room of our primary school. However I worked in a darkroom of a commercial lab printing 6 foot wide photos for exhibtions and that kicked any enjoyment I had in processing and printing as a hobby out of me

Resonable rates here:

http://www.photofusion.org/darkrooms/hire.htm

 

[Keira1987]

A real made from scratch b&w print is the pinacle of photography. Done deal, end of topic, set in stone. You can disagree but that just means you're wrong.

I know digital is quicker, more flexible, more sociable and cheaper (on the process and print front) but it can't get close to glow and feel of a great print made by a great printer. I personally love the smell of the chemistry, the solitary time in the dark room and the time required to bring your vision to life. There is something about working in a dark room that brings you so much closer to the image than a screen can ever get. Depriving your vision of all but the shot you are working on focuses all your creative output into the image too.

I use a good digiback with meduim format kit and the quality is superb. Way beyond anything I can get from my canon kit on it's best days but it still falls short of the subtlety of tones that a good transparency or b&w neg will deliver through a print.

Bring back darkrooms I say. Quick and easy is a must when you have a stressy client and a "must meet" deadline but when it's art for arts sake....... what's the hurry?

I really could not agree more...very well put!

 

[sakura]

I don't miss the 'good old days of the darkroom', and chemical photography. It was smelly, dangerous, cost a room, took ages, and isn't nearly as flexible as digital photography is.
I'm glad those days are over.

We don't drive steam 'cars' anymore either.

i dont miss the smell and mess - it aggravated my asthma so i had to give it up