Evening star., 1952-10-05
Camera Angles:
BY Alexander J. Wedderburn
cvroter Of Photography
The Smithsonian institution


The late but unlamented sum-
mer was hot enough to discour-
age even the most enthusiastic
camera fan from attempting to
do any developing and printing.
But now that the crisp, cool days
OF autumn are with us, the old
hands will be heading for the
darkroom to take care Of the
summer backlog while many a
newcomer at photography will
be turning over the idea Of fix
Ing up some stray corner as one
Of his own.
In either case the idea is a
good one for more than one rea-
son. The oldtimer already knows
that he can save money by de-
veloping his films and making
his own prints. He knows, in
addition to this, he will be able
to see his pictures much sooner
and will save himself at least
two trips to the photofinisher
Tor each batch of film to be
proceSsed. He also has found
out from experience that he will
be able to give his films indi-
vidual treatment and care that
they can't possibly receive if
maSS-processed. Finally, the ex-
perienced photographer is aware
that he is the only one to de-
eide how each negative should
be printed. how it can be i'm
proved by lodging or burning
In. and what to include or ex-
clude during enlargement.
No SkilIs Required
The newcomer may be a bit
reluctant to invest his money in
a darkroom until he learns of
the advantages Of home process
ing. He may draw back at first
from the idea Of working with
chemicals Of which he has little
or no knowledge. He may feel
that 1t takes some special skill
to use an enlarger or contact
printer. This is far from the
case. For the beginner the pho
tographic industry has prepared,
packaged and bottled formulas
that need only the addition of
water to be instantly ready for
use. These will be discussed in
detail later. Together with the
foolproof chemistry are direc-
tionS which explain in the SIM
plest language exactly how they
are to be used-the three easy
steps of processing, how long the
films or prints should remain in
each bath. etc.
The tools of the darkroom are
certainly nothing to arouse
alarm in any one. They are not
complicated, but are so simple
that even the uninitiated finds
himself working with familiarity
after only a few minutes in
struction. To be perfectly truth
ful the contact printer and the
enlarger are about the only OBJ
JectS in the entire basic setup
which will give pause to the
novice and then for only as long
as 1t takes to describe their
operation.
Cost Is 0ptionoI
Those who have no darkroom
will undoubtedly be interested
in the cost Of the initial out
lay. This can be anywhere from
less than $40 to as high as one
cares to go for elaborate fur
n1shings. A corner Of the base
ment which has sink or laun-
dry-basin is an ideal location.
The darkroom can be built
around this by erecting two in
expensive walls of plasterboard
or similar material. Two work.
benches can be built, or dis
carded tables will do. If the
two walls are impractical or
deemed too expensive. the entire
basement can be converted into
a darkroom by blacking out the
windows and closing all doors.
This can be a very satisfactory
arrangement if you are sure that
no one will suddenly open a door
while you are at work. A do
not open without knocking" sign
will take care OF this.
Those who live in apartments
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