To keep it... or to dump it?

[lutz]

<p><img src="http://www.konermann.net/darkroom.2.web.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="426" /><br>

<br />Hi, it's been a while since I last set foot in either this forum or in what you see above, my beloved darkroom. In fact, it has been sitting idle in a storage space - and here comes the tough question to answer: to keep it ... or to dump it?<br>

Where I am living now, I can't set it up because of space restraints. I would love to set it up in a country house but that would require a major effort, transport-wise as well as even separating a dedicated space for it (walls and all...).<br>

My biggest issue however is the nagging fear, that by the time that I might finally find the peace of mind to go through my many negs and print a few of them - will there still be paper and chemicals available? I'm talking 10 to 15 years from now...<br>

Seriously, what are your prognostics? Where do you see yourselves and your darkrooms, 10 to 15 years down the road? And which are your strategies to cope with prospective shortages of the aforementioned raw materials?<br>

<br />Thanks for any input that will help me take this tough decision.</p>

[SCL]

<p>Sadly, I bit the bullet and sold everything but a few developing tanks after moving to much smaller quarters...I've chalked it up to a changing world and beginning to spend much more time with digital. The boxes of old negatives...I've been thru them a few times, and when inspired (less and less these days), scanned the ones which I think my family might want to see, or occasionally one for printing. Good luck in your own decision.</p>

[AlanKlein]

Don't dump it. Donate it.

[steve_mareno1]

<p>My crystal ball has gone cloudy, so there will be no predictions. However, judging from the facts, film and it's attendant chemicals, papers, etc will be around a long time. It will surely not take you 10 to 15 years to get around to printing. Since even tomorrow is not a sure thing and none of us is getting any younger, get going on it now. You don't need such a wonderful set up either (although I am quite jealous of how well you have put yours together!). I print in the bathroom. It can be done quite easily. Got only one bathroom? You can put the enlarger on a wheeled table, set up all your trays and stuff quickly, and have your safe light permanently mounted in there. It's sort of a time honored tradition in photography :) No digital B&W photo will ever look like a well exposed film negative that is properly printed on fiber paper. Do you shoot color? Ditch it, and go w/ the flow. I can't see that much difference in darkroom color prints and a well made color inkjet print, but if you see a difference, then stick w/ analog.</p>

[henryp]

<p>I feel your pain. My pristine enlarger sits in its box in my basement untouched for years now. I keep saying I'll get back to it one of these days, but in my heart I do not believe I will.</p>

[mukul_dube]

<p>I kept my enlarger and lenses and easel and safe-light in boxes for 33 years. Then I realised that I would never set up a dark-room again. I think the option of scanning decided the matter.</p>

[john_stockdale2]

<p>We are all concerned about the future paper supply. But in the meantime, we only live once and we might as well do what we love doing. That is a great setup with the water and drainage there.<br>

My approach is to use Nova vertical slot processor and a vertical slot washer. Drainage is a hole in the wall for a tube through which the water goes into the garden. My max print size is 12"x16". Everything is moveable (when emptied). The enlarger is a bit bulky. I haven't used it for 12 months, but I will soon.<br>

<br />If you have room, it's not hard to build some walls... In fact, I have always loved these projects.</p>

[andrew_brown7]

<p>Hi,<br>

Ilford find it worthwhile to make up film for ULF cameras...well once a year I think it is. If there was no market they wouldn't bother. I only use Delta 100 or FP4 and there's plenty of that but seemingly almost every other film you can think of is available. Certain colour processes are gone I believe.... but you could do your own Autochromes with that beautiful darkroom setup!<br>

Just need a few potatoes.<br>

I think the film situation is OK, contracted, but OK.<br>

<br />Andy.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Lutz, where there is a will there is always a way. Two nice appearing enlargers and associated darkroom equipment would be prized by many. If the shine has gone for you on film shooting and darkroom printing that is understandable. If I was building a new darkroom or doing occasional work in the bathroom (I started that way) I would keep one of your two enlargers and some trays for 12 x 16 or 11 x 14 prints and place a wooden board over the bath to hold the trays (with 4 or 6 folding wooden legs the temporary board wet darkroom space can be placed at convenient height. Even a smaller but practical darkroom can be constructed reltively easily (two new L-shaped walls resting against existing two walls and near a water supply if possible) in some areas of a house or cottage.</p>

<p>I've invested too much effort and money in my darkroom to readily give it up. As long as I have the desire to develop films and print black and white I will do it with pleasure, as my digital equipment is really only good for color photographs that I farm out for printing in some cases (the majority that is the rest rarely go anywhere else but the humble computer screen).</p>

<p>As for the life of film and printing papers and chemicals, they will be around for much longer than most of us. The vinyl record has made a comeback and ancient photographic processes are enjoyed by many, so I see no reason why there will not be manufacturing of current films, chemicals and papers into the future. Hobby and artist materials rarely go out of style; they may cost a bit more in future (yet look also at the high prices of top rate printing papers for digital printers, high quality digital printers, etc.), but will not follow the latest digital technology into 5 or 10year obsolescence (Remember Syquest data storage, 5MP super resolution cameras, CDs, etc.?).</p>

[dhbebb]

<p>If you really need the money (darkroom gear doesn't sell for much) OR want to stop paying storage fees then get rid of the gear - if not, keep it. I am not clear whether you already have a place in the country - if so, move the darkroom there, paying for some hired muscle if necessary, and dream of making great prints in your retirement. Chemicals will never be a problem, you can make them from raw chemicals if no ready-made mixes are available, and I am sure there will still be printing paper in 10 or 15 years - but it probably won't be easy to buy another good enlarger if you throw out the one you have!</p>

[lutz]

<p>Hey all, thanks so much for your generous advice - it's very much appreciated! Well, frankly, I could never bear the thought of just dumping the gear. If I were ever to give it up, donating it would be the right way to go, I totally agree. On the other hand, your confidence in being able to find paper and chemicals 10 to 15 years from now is somewhat reassuring.</p>

<p>I think David has quite nailed it by suggesting to invest the money saved in terms of storage space into hired muscle/vehicle to get the stuff to the place in the countryside where one day it might eventually be put to good use again. Having some innocent dreams to cling to sounds like a good idea, after all... And you're right: while the stuff won't sell for any price worth mentioning these days, it might be of some value again sometime in the future. Add to it the saved effort of piecing together a perfectly working darkroom from scratch...</p>

<p>Okay, so I'll book the van and clear that storage space asap! Will report.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I think you're making the right decision to move it to the country house. Even if it just sits there, you are still keeping your options open. If you don't use it, you can still get rid of it later. If you get rid of it now and want it later, there's really no getting it back. My own darkroom is mostly gathering dust but I know I could only get pennies on the dollar for what I paid for everything, and it would be difficult to reassemble if I got rid of it. (Yes, you can pick up darkroom gear cheap these days, but it's a matter of chance as to what is available on any given day.) As for chemicals, I think the basics will still be available for many years to come. And as one of the others said, you can always make chemicals up from scratch if it comes to that.</p>

[DB_Gallery]

<p>Personally, I will never again live in a space that I can not setup a decent darkroom, it is a top priority for my wife and I.<br>

That Heiland Splitgrade unit alone would fetch a really good amount if sold, so I would not say that stuff is worth less than what you bought it for but more actually. A fair amount of more serious amateurs and open minded pros are sick and tired of the digital rat race to the bottom and are investing quite a bit into what they feel is a more personally branded future of selling fine art in doing silver gelatin prints. I am one of them and see no problem in getting fine art materials from the likes of Ilford / Harman 30 years from now let alone 10-15, even if the price is much higher.<br>

<br /> I think if you loved using this stuff in the past, you are going to love using it all the more in the future as high end gear like that splitgrade unit are going to go up in price if not become more rare.<br>

<br /> Be different than the digital garbage heap, treat your self to using that stuff when you find the time and space...</p>

[Fotohuis RoVo]

<p>Just use the stuff and especially that nice Heiland Split Grade system in a small darkroom. You can use a Nova vertical processor and washer. It can be very compact. For larger formats a Jobo processor, somewhere else where is the place for easy film development and larger posters.</p>

<p>Films, chemicals and paper won't be any problem for the next decade. Ilford/Harman, Foma, maybe Fuji and Rollei-Agfa Gevaert probably will survive. High tech is good film production. Paper is already less complicated and chemicals, everybody can make this.</p>

[bethe_fisher]

<p>If you set it up and use it, there will be one more person using chemicals and paper, which can't hurt. And I think it will still be around in 10-15 years anyway. </p>

[chris_waller]

<p>Keep it. I have a darkroom and use it as often as possible. If I did ever dispose of the equipment I would probably never be able to replace it. I fully expect to be using my darkroom 10-15 years hence. Wet photography is enjoying something of a renaissance here in Britain. So, 10-15 years on from now, I don't think film and chemicals will have expired, but I might have! :)</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>I just realised from Dan's remark that you have a Heiland Splitgrade unit on what appears to be a Kienzle autofocus enlarger (or maybe it's a Leitz, hard to tell) which is a very fine system. My own Splitgrade has been a boon in saving me time (and material) to get to the point where I can make more subtle changes to the print exposure or undertake dodging and burning on the base image. I recently went to the Heiland website and he has provided updates for more recent and available films and papers for calibration of the instrument.</p>

<p>One of the challenging things about darkroom photography is that no matter how good we get at creating prints there is always something we can learn and apply to improve our work. And the darkroom set-up doesn't have to be very elaborate to do that. Owing to other activities in the past year I have left my darkroom in a sort of storage area state of use but I am very anxious to get back into it.</p>

<p>I hope you will catch the bug again and create a darkroom in your available country home space if that is not possible in the city. In addition to the pleasure of that never ending quest to produce even finer prints of your favorite work (or film to print images of more recent photo projects), there may be another activity that may possibly appeal to you: Taking some time to introduce a younger friend or relative to darkroom photography. Another option, if returning to darkroom photography does not appeal sufficiently, is to find a buyer who will appreciate some very fine equipment and who will be willing to pay a reasonable price for it. Dumping it to a buyer who is not fully aware of its quality and artistic potential, and may never use it as conceived, would seem to be a waste.</p>

<p>With our busy lives a darkroom is often like those well researched and purchased but unread books on the library shelf. Finding the time from other activities to renew the pleasure they offer is not always that evident. </p>

<p> </p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Chris, glad to hear that darkroom work is on the up in Britain. Are you familiar with the journal Black + White Photography? Although there is less space recently for traditional photo processes it seems to encourage that part of photography.</p>

[Fotohuis RoVo]

<p>Well being distributor of Foma I can say that B&W is stable, maybe a very light renaissance in Holland. But color C41 is still going down and E6 slide is dramatically bad. Not talking about RA-4 DIY which have an extremely low demand.<br>

Fiber/baryta and PE/RC is rather stabel at a low level. The sales of Split Grade stopped a few years ago. Most people who want it, have it. Sometimes an exchange of the Cold Light LED source from Heiland.<br>

Summurizing: A big multinational has to go out to keep the rest alive. Maybe time for Kodak Eastman to leave this market.</p>

 

[aplumpton]

<p>Robert, perhaps you are referring to Versalab who are (or were?) the US distributors. As there is no distributor in Canada, I purchased mine directly from Germany (also cheaper by that route at the time). The present Heiland site (English version) still shows the automatic as well as the manual product versions of Splitgrade and the former is adapted to 30 different enlarger models. Some of the enlarger models may no longer be connectable to a new Splitgrade controller, that is something I don't know, but the automatic (motorised filter change and shutter) version seems still to be available. Thanks for your information on sales of various silver-base materials. </p>

[Fotohuis RoVo]

The Split Grade units are still available, only the market in Holland is saturated. And of course, the price is not cheap

even comparing it with a state of the art regular analyser like RH or FEM- Kunze. But the system is really genius. I am

also using it since 2004 on my Dunco II 67 120 pro enlarger.

[aplumpton]

<p>As you and seasoned darkroom workers know, there are many tricks and tools for optimising the printing process and the quality of output. For someone who cannot justify the over one thousand dollars for a Splitgrade, owning a modest Ilford EM10 (somewhere under 50$) exposure monitor can be a great aid in reproducing enlarger times. It is not an analyser like those mentioned, but what one can do is to undertake test prints at small size and small lens aperture (tests allowing much less paper waste) and when best exposure is known simply take a reading, note the value, and when the enlarger is raised for a large print one simply needs to open the lens until the same exposure value is recorded on the meter for the same part of the projected image.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Darkroom photography is most satisfying. My fear is less the future availability of materials (I can accept higher costs and the patience of awaiting orders to arrive at my home or local photo shop) and more that of displacing other activities so I can get into the darkroom on a more regular basis. Once there, I realize that the higher convenience of digital photography is no longer important and second to the pleasure of this photography craft and its occasional good success.</p>

<p>I hope that Lutz will keep us updated on where he goes in his darkroom activity. In one way or the other it will be great if his fine darkroom equipment gets used on a regular basis and the traditional photography market sustained by one more of us. It appears that many photo.net darkroom photographers are more active on apug, but it is good that at least photo.net and its members keeps this column and that on printing and film cameras alive.</p>

[Raymond W]

<p>Oh keep it, Lutz and use it. I do with mine. Only for B&W though. The fun is in the process. I will worry about what to do with it when and if I can no longer find paper, film and chemicals. Until then, my film cameras are loaded and used. And for 120 B&W film, the wet darkroom is the way to go. </p>

 

[traveler_101]

 

 

<p>Film will survive indefinitely . . . assuming of course we don't overheat the earth's atmosphere, or deplete the water table across vast regions, or start a nuclear war over control of Africa's vast resources. Who can think about permanence? It is reasonable to wonder about the medium term, but then is there need to worry? Look what Robert says:</p>

<p><strong>Well being distributor of Foma I can say that B&W is stable, maybe a very light renaissance in Holland. But color C41 is still going down and E6 slide is dramatically bad. Not talking about RA-4 DIY which have an extremely low demand.. . . Summarizing: A big multinational has to go out to keep the rest alive. Maybe time for Kodak Eastman to leave this market. </strong></p>

<p>More evidence of what has been emerging over the past couple of years: b&w film is widely perceived as a unique medium and is becoming an established niche market alongside of digital, even as the mass film market disappears. Kodak will eventually sell or lease its film patents to another company and we will continue to see the little yellow boxes long into the future. Of course all niche products are expensive . . . so if you want to keep shooting film expect to pay a lot more for it in the future.</p>

<p>If it were me I would re-establish that beautiful dark room in a flash. You are so fortunate, Lutz, to have all that nice equipment.</p>