The Darkroom

• a light proof room
• need electrical wiring
• ideally the room would have running water
• don't' need a lot of space
• organization is important as is cleanliness
  

Enlarger

• functions very similarly to a slide projector
• has a light source, a place to hold the negative and a lens that projects the enlarged image of the negative on the baseboard
  

2 Types of Enlargers:

Condenser

• generally provides more light to the neg and results in shorter print times
• provides slightly more contrast in black and white prints
• filters are added
• frosted bulbs; light source with tungsten filament

Diffusion

• light is diffused or scattered over the surface of the neg; print times are longer
• surpasses the effect of dust on a neg
• filters are built into diffusion head
• quartz halogen bulbs (ESJ)
• these are the enlargers we use

Format Size

• most enlargers will have the capacity to print from a range of film sizes
• our enlargers are called the LPL Dichromatic 6700

Enlarger Lenses

• because the enlarger lens forms the image of the negative, the quality of the print heavily depends on he quality of the lens
• just like lenses on our cameras,, enlarger lenses can come in different focal lengths
• 50mm lenses are used to print 35mm film
• 75mm-90mm lenses are used to print medium format film
• 135mm-150mm lenses are used to print 4x5 film
• enlarger lenses contain an aperture ring with different f-stops

OTHER DARKROOM EQUIPMENT

Safelight

• red or amber in color in a black and white darkroom
• photographic black and white paper is NOT sensitive to this range of light
• intensity of light should not be too strong or paper will be fogged

Timer

• enlarger DO NOT have shutters so the length of exposure is control through the timer

Easel

• holds the printing material during the exposure
• i is essential for accurate positioning of the image on the paper and allows the image to be exposed with clean white borders

Focusing Magnifier

• the image must be focused on the easel or maximum sharpness
• enlarges the image for more accurate focusing
• grain focusers allow us to see the actual grain of the film

Dust and Cleaning

• dust is our worst enemy in the darkroom
• hurricane blowers, compressed air or anti-static cloths can be used to clean dust off the surface of a neg

Magnifying Lupe

• a device used to directly inspect negs for sharpness or defects

PRINT PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

Trays

• used for holding processing chemicals
• minimum of four trays
• use tray one size larger than the paper size

Tongs

• to avoid contact with chemistry, use print tongs for handling the prints in trays

Storage Containers

• dark brown plastic or glass containers for storing already mixed chemicals

Thermometer

• important to control temperature of chemicals and mixing water

Timer

• a clock timer that is easily visible for timing steps of chemical process

Washer

• necessary for clean, long lasting prints
• allows water to flow gently and continuously over the surface

PRINT CHEMISTRY

1. Developer: 1 minute

• converts latent (invisible to our eyes) into a visible silver image
• different developers can effect a print's color, contrast and tonal rendition
• mix Ilford multigrade paper developer 1:9 ratio (chem:water)
• EX. 100ml chem : 900ml water

2. Stop Bath: 30 seconds

• neutralizes the developer, stopping the action of the developer elongating the life of the fix
• we use Ilford odourless stop
• 1:19 ratio

3. Fix: 1.5 minutes

• makes images permanent
• removes unused silver halides from paper
• 1:9 ratio

4. Wash: 5 minutes

• continuous flow of water