How long have you been making prints

I’m a relative newcomer compared to some! I’ve been making silver gelatin prints for just over 10 years. I started in a public darkroom in Cardiff and then set up a basic darkroom at home about 8 years ago. About four years ago I also started making ‘alternative’ prints, salt prints, cyanotypes and kallitypes. Palladium toned kalllitypes have become my speciality alongside silver gelatin prints.
 
 Which room became your darkroom

My home office, which would have been a bedroom in the past, but we’ve never used it as such. I set up a table for an enlarger and a worksurface for trays in the corner of the office, blacked out the window, and that was my darkroom until I moved the office stuff out earlier this year and started using it as a ‘proper’ darkroom. Until then there was no plumbing in the room, I carried jugs of water from the bathroom next door, and print washing was done in the bath tub.
 
 Any modifications to that room?
 
The only modifications I have now is the plumbing for a darkroom sink. Otherwise everything is movable so it could easily be put back to a bedroom if we should ever need to do so. The ‘finishing touch’ to the new darkroom setup was a strip of LED lights mounted on the wall over the sink which work very well.

What are its dimensions

About 12’ x 10’
 
Is there anything unusual about it

Not really, it’s just a normal room. It does make life easier having a darkroom within the house, it doesn’t get too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer.
 
What factors did you have to take into account when converting it
 
When I moved all the office stuff out earlier this year I carefully planned where everything was going to go in terms of sink, work space etc and then at the last minute had to change all the plans when a De Vere 10×8 enlarger became available at a good price and I had to accommodate its sheer bulk. Fortunately, we live in an Edwardian town house with high ceilings so headroom wasn’t a problem.

Was any major work required
 
 No, I didn’t build anything within the room, the worktops are mostly IKEA tables. Even the darkroom sink is on top of two tables, so the only work I had to get done was the plumbing for the sink.

Did you have to make any compromises

The only compromise was reducing the amount of worktop space to accommodate the 10×8 enlarger, but it has a large baseboard which can itself be used as a worktop anyway, so that wasn’t really a problem in the end. I would have liked a bigger sink, but the one I have works fine for my needs.
 
 What do you like about it
 
 Being fairly compact, everything is close at hand.

And what do you like least about it

It could be larger, more space would be good. But then that’s probably the case whatever size of room you have.
 
Has anything about your darkroom changed over time
 
Yes, as already mentioned, there was a drastic change earlier this year when the home office setup became a fully fledged darkroom.

Where did you purchase your darkroom equipment

Most of the large stuff was bought locally in South Wales. The De Vere 5108 was bought from someone in Manchester who very kindly delivered it to me and helped me install it. The smaller stuff was mostly bought on Ebay.
 
What would feature in your perfect darkroom, currently missing
 
A proper darkroom door would be good. The door I have now has light seals around it which don’t work very well, so I have to put up two black-out strips either side of the door and a large towel at the bottom of the door, which isn’t ideal.

What are the newest and oldest items in your darkroom

The newest item is a contact printing frame made by well-known photographer and alternative printer, John Brewer. The oldest item is probably the Smiths timer that I have mounted on the wall.

What does your darkroom represent to you 

It’s a place of escape, where I can shut the door and be in my own little world. I’m not sure if it’s an age thing, but I have a powerful urge to create things, hand-made things, not things that are done by a machine or a computer. I’m no good at wordwork or gardening, so making prints in the darkroom is my outlet for creativity.

The LED light strip in action

Left to right – my alternative print process desk, Jobo CPA2, sink and shelves for trays etc

LPL 7451 enlarger, black out strips over the door edges, dry mount press

Dry mount press, De Vere 5108, shelves for dry chemicals, alternative print process desk

Brushes and chemicals for alternative prints