Black-and-white photography retains a mystique that attracts many.
Traditional film-based photography remains a popular hobby in the digital era. The magic of seeing an image emerge in the darkroom has no equivalent in the digital world. Developing your own film in a home darkroom has elements of chemistry and craft and is the first step to creating your own prints.
The Basics
Film can be developed with a few specialized tools. Most essential are a developing tank and a dark place to load. The tank consists of a reel for loading film, a can to hold the reel and a light-safe lid to pass chemistry. All stages of processing, up to wash stage, take place in the tank. A hose that inserts into the tank for washing is handy, and some plastic tanks have an agitator to stir the developer without tapping the tank. A regular bottle opener is handy to open film cassettes.
Film Drying
After the success of film processing, the next process photographers perform is drying film. Two useful additions are film hangers and weights, to keep the film from curling as it dries, and a soft rubber squeegee to remove water and promote faster drying. Though film squeegeed and hung will dry quite quickly, film dryers are available.
Handling Chemistry
Most fledgling darkroom hobbyists begin with measuring equipment borrowed from the kitchen. Mixing chemistry becomes a pleasure with dedicated equipment. Graduated cylinders in a variety of sizes allow for accurate measurement of chemical concentrates, and stainless steel mixing jugs will transfer heat quickly in a water bath to maintain uniform temperature. Collapsible bottles for storing chemistry prevent oxidation of working-strength solutions.
Negative Storage
Keeping negatives organized helps later in the printing process.
Dedicated sheets for storing processed negatives are available in a few different sizes. Clear pages can be used under a sheet of glass to print contact sheets. Special easels are also available for this purpose. Both negatives and contact sheets can be stored in three-ring binders, with the addition of a punch to adapt the contact sheets.
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