How to Build A Photo Lab
Photography is a most-loved hobby and art form. There’s nothing better
than being able to take a photo and have other people appreciate it.
Well, maybe having your own photography lab and being able to develop
the photos yourself.
Darkroom
A darkroom is what most people refer to as the photo lab. As the name
implies, a dark room is a room or a space which is made to be dark in
order for photographers to be able to use materials that are
light-sensitive to develop films and photographs.
These rooms were first used in the late 1800s up to the early 1900s.
However, due to the advancing technologies, the use of these darkrooms
for developing photos is continuously decreasing. However, it has found
a niche in the hearts of many hobbyists.
Printing your own pictures is one of the most rewarding experiences for
photographers. It gives a certain feeling of fulfillment because the
picture as a whole, is created by the same hands.
This article tries to give some tips on how you can build your own
darkroom or photo lab.
Listed below are some of the basic tips you should do when building
your own darkroom.
1. A darkroom is most effective if it can be made totally dark. There
are many places in the house which can be converted into a darkroom.
You can look at using the spare room or the spare bathroom to be able
to build a darkroom.
2. You must make sure to ventilate the dark room well so as to make it
comfortable for working.
3. Seal off the different parts of the room where leaking light can
pass through.
4. You should buy the necessary supplies for the development of films
and photos. The basic things that you need are: enlarger; trays which
are adequately sized; tongs; easel; concentrated developer fix and
solution. You can go to eBay to be able to purchase some good and cheap
supplies.
5. There should be two partitions in the darkroom, a “wet” one and a
“dry” one. The separation is very important so as to avoid mistakes
which can damage the photos.
6. Use the trays wisely and appropriately. One tray should be used to
hold the developer solution, the other one should be used to hold the
stop solution, and the other one for the fix solution.
These are just some of the few tips on how to get started in building a
darkroom. Enjoy building one today!
