I am strongly considering opening up a second darkroom. I have access to a large space in my parents house that would fit that purpose. It is a basement room which was first used by me as a bedroom when I still lived at home, later my father and mother prepared food there for a farmers market. About 2 years before my dad got sick the room became vacant when dad stopped working at the market (he was 79 1/2 years old). I want to use this space in a positive way, and build another darkroom/photo work area might be the best way to do that. Me making photos there after dad spent so many years cooking in that same room seems right somehow. Dad loved to cook, he was great at it and it was special for him. Maybe I can do good photo work while standing in the same place dad stood for so many hours.
I will need to clean and move out many things (3 large deep freezers), add a new linoleum floor, repaint the walls/ceiling and block out the 3 windows. Once that is done I will have a large beautiful room to work in. The idea is to move my part time photo studio into one half, and my darkroom into the other half. I have multiple enlargers that I could use in this 2nd darkroom. 2 condenser enlargers, 2 colour head enlargers and a 5th very old mystery unit that might not work. I also have 2 plastic darkroom sinks, a large deep metal sink (from dad) that I could set up and use. Another existing sink has a large spray gun for washing pots that I could use to wash trays and other darkroom things. There are already multiple tables, cupboards and shelves in the room from dads cooking days. Everything would need to be reorganized, cleaned up and redone. I have all the darkroom trays, safe lights, tanks, easels etc. that I need to set up a complete 2nd darkroom without buying anything new. Heck if I had to I probably could set up 4 or 5 darkrooms. A lifetime of collecting gear has its benefits! : )
This whole project would probably take me up to 6 months to complete. I would most likely get started on my return from Asia in May. Everything might be up and running by next fall or early winter.
What advantages would a second darkroom/photography working space hold?
- Being in my mothers house more would allow me to spend extra time with her. Since dad passed
away mom has been lonely, sad and often depressed. I could print in the darkroom, then eat
dinner with her, help around the house etc. Who knows mom might even come down and help
with the printing! Mom is 80, she might be able to live another 10+ years in the house, especially if
I am there to help her.
- A possible rental space, where I could rent out the darkroom to others and make some money.
- A single location where I could do my one on one workshops for darkroom and view camera.
Currently I do the darkroom workshops at my home and the view camera at my parents house.
- A possible location to do larger workshops with 3-6 people at a time. More space will allow
for larger workshops. Larger workshops mean I have another possible way to make extra money to
fund my photo projects. Grants are not working for me, so this might be the best way to make a
bit more funding money.
- A place I could bring all my negatives, along with light tables etc to organize my thousands and
thousands of images. The situation I have now with negs and binders disorganized on the floor
does not cut it.
- A place to store my final fibre prints in archival boxes. Print storage for me is also now a complete
mess. Having a unique room with nice storage shelves seems like a great solution.
- A platinum printing area. I could set up the large Arista 20x24 light source in the room and do all
my alternative darkroom work in this space. I could make some great platinum prints there.
- A place to set up a seperate computer with printer(s), to do digital work, both prints and digi negs.
- A place to do all my digital negative scanning (thou doing that at home in front of the TV might be
better).
More thought needed on this, but it might be the way I go.
I will need to clean and move out many things (3 large deep freezers), add a new linoleum floor, repaint the walls/ceiling and block out the 3 windows. Once that is done I will have a large beautiful room to work in. The idea is to move my part time photo studio into one half, and my darkroom into the other half. I have multiple enlargers that I could use in this 2nd darkroom. 2 condenser enlargers, 2 colour head enlargers and a 5th very old mystery unit that might not work. I also have 2 plastic darkroom sinks, a large deep metal sink (from dad) that I could set up and use. Another existing sink has a large spray gun for washing pots that I could use to wash trays and other darkroom things. There are already multiple tables, cupboards and shelves in the room from dads cooking days. Everything would need to be reorganized, cleaned up and redone. I have all the darkroom trays, safe lights, tanks, easels etc. that I need to set up a complete 2nd darkroom without buying anything new. Heck if I had to I probably could set up 4 or 5 darkrooms. A lifetime of collecting gear has its benefits! : )
This whole project would probably take me up to 6 months to complete. I would most likely get started on my return from Asia in May. Everything might be up and running by next fall or early winter.
What advantages would a second darkroom/photography working space hold?
- Being in my mothers house more would allow me to spend extra time with her. Since dad passed
away mom has been lonely, sad and often depressed. I could print in the darkroom, then eat
dinner with her, help around the house etc. Who knows mom might even come down and help
with the printing! Mom is 80, she might be able to live another 10+ years in the house, especially if
I am there to help her.
- A possible rental space, where I could rent out the darkroom to others and make some money.
- A single location where I could do my one on one workshops for darkroom and view camera.
Currently I do the darkroom workshops at my home and the view camera at my parents house.
- A possible location to do larger workshops with 3-6 people at a time. More space will allow
for larger workshops. Larger workshops mean I have another possible way to make extra money to
fund my photo projects. Grants are not working for me, so this might be the best way to make a
bit more funding money.
- A place I could bring all my negatives, along with light tables etc to organize my thousands and
thousands of images. The situation I have now with negs and binders disorganized on the floor
does not cut it.
- A place to store my final fibre prints in archival boxes. Print storage for me is also now a complete
mess. Having a unique room with nice storage shelves seems like a great solution.
- A platinum printing area. I could set up the large Arista 20x24 light source in the room and do all
my alternative darkroom work in this space. I could make some great platinum prints there.
- A place to set up a seperate computer with printer(s), to do digital work, both prints and digi negs.
- A place to do all my digital negative scanning (thou doing that at home in front of the TV might be
better).
More thought needed on this, but it might be the way I go.
