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!
I got my enlarger over a year ago too and have kept putting it off until now. Thanks Caleb for making the video and reminding me once you get over the hurdle of getting all the stuff together (which takes a little bit of effort when you have no clue what you're doing, like what.. I need two lenses one to print 35mm and another for 120, or the best one to put it on the long finger, my room is just not dark enough... I'll be able to print when I've built my own darkroom shed, or another good one, the guilt, over not only using the chemicals but not knowing what do to with them afterwards, I hate hearing the generic advice, please contact your local waste company, I can only imagine their response and as I don't want to break RU-vids policies on the use of explicit language, I'll leave their response to your imagination). Anyway, once you get all the stuff together printing prints is not so hard, let me re-phrase that, printing bad prints is not so hard. Wow that's a long response, I hope I won't get blacklisted by RU-vid in the category of 'way too long replies, audiences don't have attention span for more than 2 sentences and it will distract from getting more ads'. Happy Analogue adventures and Happy Christmas from Ireland! P.s. Leprechauns never existed even though they built a museum in our capital city Dublin only about Leprechauns.
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.
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.
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!
Oh yeah. Now I want to just shoot B&w now that I know I’m going to print images. I think about it all differently. Split grade is tricky I still have not gotten the full swing of it. But it’s fun
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.
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.
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.
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!...:)
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 :-)
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
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.
If I had the space, I would probably get into this myself. Though, I still don't do any film at home. I send it all of to a lab for everything. Im still on the lazy side of things. Okay, I am already confused on how that wended up on there. This is so new to me, im like a newborn baby. I just now realized what you were doing with the box covering part of the image. Now I understand, I should have just watched longer but here I am. This is so awesome. I also want to visit Roys, at sunrise, midnight and sunset, all with a pro mist and cinestill. :) I do like skillshare as well. Also, did you get a new video camera? Change the color grade? Something looked different today. Maybe its just the new room coming together with the light accents and all. Either way, great video as always dude.
@@BadFlashes I do like i said i just need to get out more!.. say.. if you already had a 35 Lux on an MP.. what would be the next Lens you would get for street shooting? Would you go 50mm? or another Focal Length. Thanks.
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
@@BadFlashesYeaaah! I got those chemicals and got started, it was fun :) Surely results were not very good mostly, but it was success for me! I got something on the paper and it stayed there and it was nice and fun! Also I learnt immediately many things. For example that papers are not straight but a little bit curvy (at least those I bought), so glass or something would be handy to flatten them, there would be good to have something to "stop" the photo paper so it would be always in same place (create some kind of frame) etc. In future I will find a clock also so next time I can aim for consistency. In the first steps it did not matter to me at all since I just wanted anything to get to paper and make it stick there :D To have low and realistic exceptations at first helps a lot to build understanding about the process, at least for me. Also it is sooooo much easier to understand why I need glass or frame or ruler or whatever holder for frame when you are in the dark room, put your paper on the place by eye and see that well, it is not staying in the middle where it should be :D It is immediately easy to see and understand and also remember in future that why those tools are used. Gotta develop some other photos in becoming days hopefully but prepare with more stuff. Maybe I put a metronome there in the beginning or if I have battery in wall clock what ticks so I can use it as a timer for consistency. :)
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!
Hahaha no I totally get it. A lot of creators use the same services for music … so many times I’ve watched RU-vid and be. Like oh yeah I used that one haha
Good to see other people's setup. I'm interested in getting an enlarger but find it confusing. You have a Durst, is this one only for 35mm film or will it take 4x5 sheet film? I shoot 35mm, 120 and 4x5 is there any enlarger that you heard of capable of doing all these formats and still fit in a bathroom? Thanks again for the effort.
I know it can be very confusing. The one I have is for 35mm. I’ll be upgrading soon. There are definitely ones that do all those formats, fitting in a bathroom might be hard but then again depends on if you need that bathroom for other things hah
I feel ashamed of thinking of you like.. "Oh, that's Caleb, he shoots with Jason from grainydays." - in the past. But you're so much more, watched a lot of your videos, even the old ones! Fun to watch and also, as this video shows, very educating. Forgive me, sensei.
A Beseler for cheap on my local facebook marketplace has been taunting me. I can’t wait until I have room to give it a shot, but scanning scratches the itch in the meantime.
have you gotten jason in the darkroom yet to see what develops? seriously though...been watching you guys for a while and keep thinking "man id like to see them print some of their negs rather than scan them". good job beating him to the punch. i hope you are lording over him because of it. at least a little.
