Darkroom Printing : Just Start Something!!!!

IG: calebknueven

Have you ever though about darkroom printing? If so this is the beginning episode for you! Today I will show you have easy it is to start to print your own images from scratch! All you need is a few things... it's easier than you think! SO Just dive on in!

Paper:
Arista B&W

Film:
Tri-X

Camera:
Leica M6

#darkroom #35mmfilm #film

[charlottebithell]

Just booked onto a dark room course which covers different printing methods- cannot wait!!!

[dennyrulos]

If you want a even tighter budget here are some tips.

Ditch the stop bath, it isn't necessary. Since you can't overdevelop paper you can just stick it straight in the fixer. What a stop bath does help for is to prolong the lifetime of your fixer a little.

Secondly, instead of a tray for the water wash, just wash it in the sink with running water. If you don't want to waste the water you can just clog the drain. This way you only need 2 trays.

Thirdly, the timers as already mentioned are nice to have but not necessary. There's an app called FADU timer which is a timer for darkrooms which is completely red, which means it's safe for the paper.

Fourth: Rip the paper in half or 1/3s for test strips, you don't always need the entre image to create a proper test strip and this saves you from alot of unnecessary waste.

Also, I see you mixed fresh chemicals. I assume you know this but since you didn't mention I'll just say, you can reuse all baths (dev, stop, fix) a bunch of times. Store them in bottles (I used old soda bottles) and try to squeeze out the air and close the bottle. This prolongs it's shelf life. Storing them in the fridge helps too, but don't do that if you also put food in there.

[thecurioussquirrelreviews]

Loved this video, well, after the bathroom scene, anyways. Just start, indeed. I needed to see how simple it can be; I’ve been overwhelmed with the technicalities and now feel I can just simply do it!

[-practicallymanila-]

School < Bad Flashes and Grainydays videos

[jpiersma]

I just started darkroom printing last month. I quickly realized I probably need to learn split grade printing as well. Luckily I think the filters came in the donated tote of supplies I was given and 2 day loaders 😁. Is it just me or do you only want to shoot black and white now. Thanks for the great content dude!

[DMorrissey]

Love it! I did the same thing. Had an enlarger for a long time and didn't make time to getting my darkroom set up, but finally did it and it's been the best. Nothing better than seeing the images come to life in a physical form like that.

[boggydude]

I really like the spirit of your video because you're right, the most difficult thing can be the beginning. Nice video!

[NickSmithPhoto]

I'm hoping in the next darkroom video we get to see you courting skills with those flexible hand dance moves, also known as, the dodge and burn baby. Bring THAT to the dance floor.

[dflf]

My city’s park and rec has an excellent community darkroom. One of great things about it is knowledge you can gain on printing techniques from fellow photographers.

[tylerhuttosmith]

I’m setting mine up in a garage and bringing in a bucket of water for print washing. Should be an adventure

[alfepalfe]

What I currently have is.

A cheap second hand meopta 4x4 enlarger with a 3d printed block of a negative carrier, a few plastic boxes used as "trays", a piece of glass since the paper will not stay flat, a homemade safelight, some gloves and an old small workbech to mount the enlarger to.

Doing it with such improvised tools and equippment works but I have found it challenging to the point of not really being fun. My list of things I would like to upgrade in order from most to least important is like this.

1. Easel
2. Grain focuser
3. A non homemade safelight (mine is very dim and can fog the paper if exposed to it for very long.)
4. Actual trays
5. Other minor things
6. Things to try color printing but this will be far in the future since I can't even develop color film yet.

[michaelsherck]

My first darkroom was a corner of the garage which had a shelf. The equipment came in a decaying box I brought home from a garage sale after paying $25. The enlarger had no brand name, the timer was an old Kodak that you wound with a key and I had a Kodak pamphlet for instructions in those pre-internet days. My first three or four prints came out blank despite ever increasing exposure times up to several minutes and I was baffled as to why until it occurred to me to turn the paper over. Hint: the shiny side has the emulsion to print onto.

I've never given it up. Watching the print come up in the developer is as close as I will ever come to real magic.

[VictorBezrukov]

You're so right - thank you for the push! i develop my film at home already years. but always felt scared to print - the equipment, the dark room, the process. i think that I'm ready :-)

[FinnishSuperSomebody]

Good video! Makes things look much less complicated than many people make it to look. Today I hopefully get my packet from post and get the paper + chemicals + empty tanks for the chemicals so I can start testing my enlarger I bought couple of days ago!

At first steps I will just use time randomly and count on my head, I don't care if it is too light or too dark or whatever, as long as I can get anything on paper what is even close to focus and if that does not disappear from paper in days or so then I am more than happy, then I have achieved all what I want in the first step. Of course when I can repeat that process couple of times successfully then I will figure out what kind of clock I will use instead of counting in my head, also might try that "test strip" method. At first steps I do not care, as long as there is anything on the paper and it will stay there :D

[bryanswisshelm]

Love this video! It takes me back to the darkroom I used in high school.

[john_murch]

Great timing! I will be getting my enlarger and full darkroom set-up within the next two weeks. Will be setting it up in my bathroom as well. Excited!...:)

[mollyanderson]

Recently rescued an OLD enlarger from a family member’s garage. It’s in bad shape but works…been trying to figure out where to set up…guess it’s time to make it happen!

[hendrikschmelzle]

Awesome video! Just got access to my university's darkroom last week. This Christmas break is gonna be awesome. Just me. Film. Chemicals and my Baby Yoda Anti-Stress Ball. 10/10

[CaptainPsychopath]

Dark Room experimentation is fun. Did a kinda ok faceswap with the help of a copper wire and some paper

[melaninxhalide]

Thanks for that encouragement. Gonna try to get into wet printing next year!