A Darkroom in my DNA

I spent the day in the darkroom.

That this is a notable event is a signal of how ubiquitous the fully digital workflow has dominated the profession. I am quickly becoming an anachronism.

It is not as though I haven’t embraced digital as my primary photographic milieu. I love the superior control that digital offers. What I don’t know how to do, yet, is produce superior looking digital prints.

There has never been a time in my life when I have not had a darkroom. I grew up with one in the house, thanks to my photographer-dad. There were darkrooms where I went to college.  I have set up makeshift darkrooms in basements in several states (in Denver in 1975, in my girlfriend’s house in Minneapolis, in 1977, in my group house in Olympia in 1978). I shared darkroom-studios with various photographers in the 80's. I became a homeowner in 1994, and set up, probably, the last darkroom I will ever build. Two enlargers (one the Omega DII I grew up on). A sink big enough for three 20x24 trays. A dedicated print washer stand. 24 racks of screens for drying fiber prints, each big enough to hold two 16x20 prints.

Making silver prints is practically in my DNA. Am I willing to leave this behind? I don’t think I need to decide for awhile.

Comments

[Earl]

I am a hobbyist and have a temporary darkroom in my 2nd bathroom. I get so frustrated with my inkjet that I swear I'll never get rid of my old 35mm and Beseler 23C.