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Jessica Henton
Mr. White
Period 6
Senior Project Research Paper
Choosing a topic for my senior project research paper was a bit more challenging than I
expected it to be; this may be because I didnt decide what my senior project was going to be
until senior year started. Once I finally did think of the idea it made a lot of sense, instead of
thinking of new forms of photography/how to improve current photography techniques I thought
it would be a great idea to figure out how it all started. Building a darkroom is a way to
understand the (almost) beginning of photography and, in my opinion, gain an appreciation for
the digital age we live in. There are a couple issues with this idea that I need to address before I
start putting things into motion; such as what is the proper setup for a darkroom, what materials
will I need, what safety precautions will I need to take before I begin developing photos, how
will I enlarge my photos, how will I develop my photos, and what safety precautions will I need
to take before I leave the darkroom. Like I said, a couple issues; but hey thats what senior
projects are all about right? Learning about your passion and understanding how to overcome the
obstacles that are thrown at you on the way.
Before the developing process, and even before the safety precautions, is the setup of the
darkroom and the purchasing of all the materials necessary to make the darkroom functional. To
be completely honest, there is no specific set up for a darkroom, it all depends on the space
available to a person; that being said, having a wet area, a dry area, running water, and
electricity are all basic elements any darkroom needs (Burnell). The materials that come to mind

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when one first thinks of a darkroom are probably things like a completely darkroom, a safe light,
and some chemicals; but in actuality darkrooms require much more to function, such as an
enlarger, enlarging timer, enlarging easel, rubber tipped tongs, processing trays, developer, stop
bath, fixer, and light sensitive paper, to list a few (Darkroom Supply List). Of course everyone
has their specific way of preparing their darkroom, for example, plugging in the safe light five
minutes before any operations, allowing the developer tank of cooling water to equilibrate for ten
minutes, or keeping the wet and dry as far away from each other as possible (Darkroom
Techniques, Burnell). One could even go into the specifics of which photo paper to use, glossy,
pearl, semi matte; or which brand of developer to use, Arista, Adox, or possibly Acufine
(Darkroom Supply List). Common sense is also applies to the set up, such as keep all electrical
sockets away from sinks, chemicals, and the wet area, and be sure to have a working ventilation
system (Burnell).
Probably the most important part of the darkroom process is making a darkroom as safe
as humanly possible. First and foremost a ventilation system is needed; this can be a little tricky
as darkroom workers tend to block off any open space leading into their darkroom as it could let
in light leaks (McGloin). There are, of course, other ways to avoid breathing the slightly harmful
fumes, though it would probably be easier to buy a darkroom specific fan one can also wear a
gas mask or disposable face mask while mixing/working with chemicals ("SAFE AND
HEALTHFUL DARKROOM PRACTICES.", McGloin). Another precaution to take is to wear
gloves and an apron at all times while in the darkroom/when dealing with chemicals, rubber
tipped tongs can also be used if one is dealing specifically with chemicals in developing trays
(Darkroom Hygiene Tips?). Better known steps one can take to create a safer darkroom
environment include keeping all chemicals off skin and out of mouth and eyes; also avoiding

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eating, drinking, or smoking in the darkroom ("SAFE AND HEALTHFUL DARKROOM

PRACTICES."). One could even go the extra mile and use towels specifically marked for the
darkroom/wash said towels separate from other loads of clothing, buy a trash can with a self
closing lid to keep just in the darkroom; or, really shooting for that gold star here, buy a
humidifier and steam up the room before leaving to settle any dust that may still be floating
around/carrying fumes (Darkroom Hygiene Tips?). Of course every darkroom user must know
about chemical safety as well, such as what to do if someone inhales any of the chemicals fumes,
call 911 and get the person fresh air, or ingest chemicals, call poison control, tell them what the
person ingested and follow their instructions (SAFE AND HEALTHFUL DARKROOM
PRACTICES."). Also if someone gets any chemicals on their skin be sure to wash the affected
area immediately; same goes for if someone get chemicals in their eyes, be sure to flood the
eyes with cool water for fifteen minutes either at an eye wash station or in a sink and seek
medical attention immediately afterwards (Turounet).
This is the part of the process where ones choice in materials begins
to shape to their unique style. Before the photos can be enlarged, a type of
photo paper, otherwise known as enlarging paper, needs to be chosen to use
for your prints; there are a vast majority to choose from such as resin-coated
paper, fiber-based paper, single or variable contrast grade paper
(Darkroom: Black and White Enlarging Papers). Which photo paper is used
depends on the darkroom workers preference, whether they want a long
processing/wash time, fiber-base paper, or short processing/wash time, resincoated papers; if they want to control the contrast levels, variable-contrast
paper, or if they want to make black and white prints out of color negatives,

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special-purpose papers (Black-and-White Tips and Techniques for Darkroom

Enthusiasts). Not to mention the selection of photo paper surfaces which
include glossy, matte, pearl, luster, satin, semi-gloss, and semi-matte, all of
which have their own unique effect on the prints (Darkroom: Black and
White Enlarging Papers).
Some refer to the enlarger, a machine that enlarges photo negatives
by projecting them onto photo paper, as the heart of the darkroom. Once
again the type of material, in this case the enlarger, really depends on the
preference (and price range) of the person in the darkroom (Resnick). There
are various brands and models of enlargers but three common black and
white enlargers are the Condenser Enlarger, which offers short exposure time
and high contrast by concentrating light onto the negative using one or more
lenses, the Diffusion Enlarger, which takes a longer take to expose but offers
lower contrast levels and small dust effects by scattering unfocused light all
over the photo negative, and the Dichroic-Color Head Enlarger, which can be
used to control the amount of variable contrast in the print but can also be
used to color balance color negatives (Turounet). Going hand in hand with
the enlarger are the enlarging lenses, these are used to make different sized
prints, each lens corresponds with the size of the negatives that were used,
and when combined with detachable filters can change the levels of contrast
(Nicholas). A crucial step, mainly for beginners, is to make a test strip out of
a piece of photo paper by placing the strip inside the enlarging easel,
exposing the entire strip for five seconds, then covering a fifth of the strip

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with a piece of heavy cardboard, and repeating this process for the rest of
the strip after exposures of seven, ten, fourteen, and twenty seconds (How to
Process and Print Black-and-White Film).
Developing negatives is the fun part of the whole darkroom process
because, even though there are some rules on how long a print is supposed
to be in each chemical, there is a bit of wiggle room for the shutterbug to
experiment and find their own unique style of developing prints. First off, all
chemicals you plan to use should be mixed before hand, possibly outside the
darkroom, and, once back in the darkroom with the safe light on, distributed
into their respective trays with all solutions ranging from 65 to 75F
(Darkroom Hygiene Tips?, How to Process and Print Black-and-White
Film). Once the print is exposed the desired amount of time under the
enlarger it must be taken out of the enlarger easel, making sure to wear
gloves to avoid fingerprints, and then placed in the darkroom workers tray of
desired developer for the amount of time listed on the bottle, in some cases
it is around three minutes (Turounet). As mentioned before, the developing
process is a lot of trial and error in trying to find the perfect way to
developing prints; it differs for every person so some people keep their print
in for three minutes while others keep it in for a minute and a half, it just
depends on the person and the style theyre going for (How To Make A Great
Black And White Print). Unassociated with the amount of time your print is
submerged, you must always agitate your print, somewhere between every
twenty to thirty seconds, with you rubber tipped tongs while it is in the

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developer; this helps supply a constant amount of fresh developer to the

print (Black-and-White Tips and Techniques for Darkroom Enthusiasts,
Turounet).

With the first of the three necessary solutions done with, the next step
would be to move on to the stop bath. This solutions purpose is to wash off
the remaining developer and neutralize the chemical reaction still going on
between the photo paper and the developer (Black-and-White Tips and
Techniques for Darkroom Enthusiasts). Before the print can be transferred to
the stop bath, one should lift the print out of the developer solution using the
developer tongs and let it drain for ten seconds before gently placing it into
the stop bath (How To Make A Great Black And White Print). Though the
developer and the stop bath perform different functions, the same rule
applies where the print must be constantly agitated while in the solution; this
action must be repeated for thirty seconds (How to Process and Print Blackand-White Film).
The final necessary chemical that the print must be exposed to would
be the fixer; this solution is used to remove the light sensitive silver from the
print. This step is extremely important because once the silver is removed
and the print is dry the print can be exposed to light/can be taken out of the
darkroom (Turounet). Once done in the stop bath, lift the print of the liquid
using the stop bath tongs, let it drip off the excess solution, then gently
submerge it in the fixer fluid (How To Make A Great Black And White Print).

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This process can take anywhere between two to ten minutes depending on
the brand and type of fixer you are using; either way you must agitate the
print for the first thirty seconds it is submerged (How to Process and Print
Black-and-White Film). After the print has been in the fixer for the desired
amount of time, it needs to go through a hypo wash, which helps clear some
of the fixer from the print, for two minutes while agitating it continuously for
the first thirty seconds and a short, gentle agitation every thirty seconds
(Black-and-White Tips and Techniques for Darkroom Enthusiasts). Let the
print rest for five minutes after the hypo wash before rinsing it thoroughly
with water; there isnt a set time listed for this process so rinse it until you
feel confident that any fixer residue is no longer present (How to Process
and Print Black-and-White Film). As for the drying process, the most
accessible method would be using drying screens; this method is achieved
by using a squeegee to get rid of excess water, then placing the print face up
between two screens, and allowing them eight to ten hours to dry (How To
Make A Great Black And White Print).
When satisfied with the days creations, it is important to leave the
dark room as clean and safe as when it was first entered. Cleaning ones
darkroom space should not be difficult as it is relatively straight forward:
replace all chemicals in their respective opaque bottles, wipe down every flat
surface with a darkroom only damp sponge, and wash any rags that may
have chemical residue on them (Darkroom Hygiene Tips?). If any spent
chemicals are present, this includes developers, stop baths, fixers, and hypo

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washes (eliminators), follow the proper disposal procedure to responsibly

dispose of the chemical waste (McGloin). Developer, fixer, and hypo
eliminators should be collected and contained with a hazardous waste
symbol clearly present on the bottle, then contact a nearby EH&S (Office of
Environment, Health, & Safety) for pickup. Spent stop baths on the other
hand can simply be watered down by excessive amounts of water and then
can go straight down the sink drain ("Environmental Health and Safety
Florida Atlantic University).
Creating this darkroom would be a way to help me understand how the
digital age we live in has been molded in to what it is today. Researching
almost every aspect of this process has given me a whole new appreciation
for how easy we have it with our point and shoot cameras; but it also makes
me feel like Ive missed out on a great opportunity. That is why I chose this
as my senior research topic and project. Not only so I could understand the
struggle of trying to create the perfect image or the frustration of messing up
prints an endless amount of times; but so I could also experience the
euphoria or finally balancing a print correctly and of having it become and
almost like a second nature to me.