These days, developing film and making prints in a darkroom seems a little outdated. Why spend time in a dark, smelly room working to get the perfect print when you can upload them and photoshop them to perfection? There is no doubt that digital is more convenient and flexible than film, but sometimes it’s fun to spend a little time working in the dark. If you’ve never ventured into the darkroom before, this is your 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 a machine that turns your film into large printed photos. 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 create a print, you will have to line up the frame with your enlarger’s light source, then project it onto a blank mat and make sure it’s properly focused by adjusting the knob on the side. Make sure you can clearly see the grain of your image otherwise get a magnifiying glass to check. You need to play with the exposure timing to make sure the image turns out okay, then you should be just fine.
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’re unhappy with the contrast or exposure levels, head back to the enlarger and adjust your timing. Once you have an image you like and it has fully developed, it’s time to move over to the stop bath.
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. Feel your image to see if you can move on; paper that has been properly stopped will squeak when you rub your fingers on it. This should only take a few 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 prints in fixer for very long- usually about 5-10 minutes depending upon the paper and chemicals.
4. Rinse – Naturally you’ll want to rinse your photos of all the harsh chemicals you’ve soaked in them. Most dark rooms have a sink and a rinsing tub with a continuous flow of water so you can leave your print there as long as it takes to remove all of the chemicals. While waiting, this is a great time to print other pictures from your negatives!
Once you have enlarged, developed, stopped, fixed and rinsed your prints, place them out to dry in a safe place or use a photo dryer. Don’t forget to rinse your prints well because if you don’t, your photographs will turn brown over time from the chemical residue 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 put in a picture frame. Although choosing a frame for your print could be a separate article altogether, you want to choose a frame that complements your picture. This could be anything from a choosing a black picture frame that highlights the contrasting colors in your black and white print to using an antique gold picture frame that accents the tones in your sepia print. Now, back to the darkroom…
The dark room can seem a little intimidating at first but once you understand the process it’s a lot of fun. 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 check before turning on the lights or you may just ruin someone’s photograph!