Digital BW, The Print

Hallo, I work in a big city library (newcastle), and have recently had an
opportunity to delve into its depths, discovering a fully equipped darkroom
with all its fittings (real posh, enormous, but non-digital beseler 4x5
enlarger, big format 17x22" kit throughout, all double-doored, ventilated,
safelighted, temp controlled setup). I knew such a thing existed in the
bowels of the building, but didn't think it was still servicable. I asked my
boss about whats done with it, and since they're on something of a
best-value kick at the moment, I suggested it might be coaxed back into
service. The local studies reference section of us has a big b/w archive
photograph collection that people regularly buy prints from. This involves
us asking the council "city repro" section to make the prints, and city
repro seem to charge an pretty high fee (though I'm pretty sure they use
their standard machine processing, which can't really cost that much, though
I guess they are consistant), and we don't really get much except
administration costs from it.

Does anybody have a suggestion on how I might be able to capitalise on the
darkroom, apart from just selling the bits off. I'm not an expert
print-maker by any means, but I know my way around with the red light on,
and have learnt not to waste materials and supplies, and more to the point,
I know people who are more than qualified to work in such a place, if there
was a few quid in it for them.

Conversely, and more topically, has anybody been in the situation where a
new in-house digital/inkjet solution has replaced and/or improved a wet
processing solution (prints more-or-less limited to A3)? I wonder if buyers
would be as happy with an on-demand (or one- or two-hour) inkjet print (city
repro makes you wait.. they made some "errors" last week and everybodies
prints are another fortnight late) made on a hot-as quad/hex tone printer. I
guess the glossy/tactile photo factor is involved.. sell them framed, so its
not so instantly obvious?




Any ideas, commments, thoughts, greatly appreciated. It breaks my heart to
see that gear going to waste. The room is being filled with obsolete
computers as time goes by. In my delving, I bumped into a stack of 286s and
just 86s, I almost cheered (a stack of a more than a dozen computers that
couldn't even do together what the enlarger next to them could replicate, if
it was photoshop on a modern machine.. if that makes sense er... you know
what I mean..)



sandy @ www.euphy.co.uk

LOL love the statment about the red light, maybe you have hit on a 
way to turn a profit from the old darkroom!!

Seriously, I am a commercial photographer (originaly from London) now 
working in Sydney Australia. I am a master B/W printer and have spent 
more time in the darkroom than I care to admit. A year or so ago I 
tried out Cone's piezography, while there are some issues with the 
product, i.e. changing colour in the midtones to a brownish tint I 
still think that the process is a lot easer and the end results are 
better than most of the prints that I produce in my darkroom. I have 
images that i have never got great prints from in as much as the 
feeling of the print did not convay what I felt when I took the 
picture. With the inkjet prints they look wonderful. You have so much 
more control over the tones and where they print.

I know what you mean about not using the old equiptment any more and 
it does seem a shame to throw it out, but ask yourself do you want to 
splash around in nasty chemicals under "a red light" or sit in a 
comfortable chair and see exactly what you wil get before you print?

Anyway just a few thoughts for what ever they may be worth.

Bruce


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Euphy" <euphy@e...> wrote:
> Hallo, I work in a big city library (newcastle), and have recently 
had an
> opportunity to delve into its depths, discovering a fully equipped 
darkroom
> with all its fittings (real posh, enormous, but non-digital beseler 
4x5
> enlarger, big format 17x22" kit throughout, all double-doored, 
ventilated,
> safelighted, temp controlled setup). I knew such a thing existed in 
the
> bowels of the building, but didn't think it was still servicable. I 
asked my
> boss about whats done with it, and since they're on something of a
> best-value kick at the moment, I suggested it might be coaxed back 
into
> service. The local studies reference section of us has a big b/w 
archive
> photograph collection that people regularly buy prints from. This 
involves
> us asking the council "city repro" section to make the prints, and 
city
> repro seem to charge an pretty high fee (though I'm pretty sure 
they use
> their standard machine processing, which can't really cost that 
much, though
> I guess they are consistant), and we don't really get much except
> administration costs from it.
> 
> Does anybody have a suggestion on how I might be able to capitalise 
on the
> darkroom, apart from just selling the bits off. I'm not an expert
> print-maker by any means, but I know my way around with the red 
light on,
> and have learnt not to waste materials and supplies, and more to 
the point,
> I know people who are more than qualified to work in such a place, 
if there
> was a few quid in it for them.
> 
> Conversely, and more topically, has anybody been in the situation 
where a
> new in-house digital/inkjet solution has replaced and/or improved a 
wet
> processing solution (prints more-or-less limited to A3)? I wonder 
if buyers
> would be as happy with an on-demand (or one- or two-hour) inkjet 
print (city
> repro makes you wait.. they made some "errors" last week and 
everybodies
> prints are another fortnight late) made on a hot-as quad/hex tone 
printer. I
> guess the glossy/tactile photo factor is involved.. sell them 
framed, so its
> not so instantly obvious?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any ideas, commments, thoughts, greatly appreciated. It breaks my 
heart to
> see that gear going to waste. The room is being filled with obsolete
> computers as time goes by. In my delving, I bumped into a stack of 
286s and
> just 86s, I almost cheered (a stack of a more than a dozen 
computers that
> couldn't even do together what the enlarger next to them could 
replicate, if
> it was photoshop on a modern machine.. if that makes sense er... 
you know

> what I mean..)
> 
> 
> 
> sandy @ www.euphy.co.uk

I wrestled with the concept in my own dark room for a couple of 
years...then I realized that my 8 foot sink with 4 temp controlled 
valves was full of printers and scanners and such and was never going 
to have chemical trays in it again...

I looked at selling it and didn't see much value there, so I donated 
it all in one package to a local charity...made me feel good...they 
sold it to a young "starving" photographer, they got some money...

Hard to see where you can go with it...

But good luck (I still have a few Kodak clocks and clamps on the 
walls).

Cheers,

Tom O'Connell


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Euphy" <euphy@e...> wrote:
> Hallo, I work in a big city library (newcastle), and have recently 
had an
> opportunity to delve into its depths, discovering a fully equipped 
darkroom
> with all its fittings (real posh, enormous, but non-digital beseler 
4x5
> enlarger, big format 17x22" kit throughout, all double-doored, 
ventilated,
> safelighted, temp controlled setup). I knew such a thing existed in 
the
> bowels of the building, but didn't think it was still servicable. I 
asked my
> boss about whats done with it, and since they're on something of a
> best-value kick at the moment, I suggested it might be coaxed back 
into
> service. The local studies reference section of us has a big b/w 
archive
> photograph collection that people regularly buy prints from. This 
involves
> us asking the council "city repro" section to make the prints, and 
city
> repro seem to charge an pretty high fee (though I'm pretty sure 
they use
> their standard machine processing, which can't really cost that 
much, though
> I guess they are consistant), and we don't really get much except
> administration costs from it.
> 
> Does anybody have a suggestion on how I might be able to capitalise 
on the
> darkroom, apart from just selling the bits off. I'm not an expert
> print-maker by any means, but I know my way around with the red 
light on,
> and have learnt not to waste materials and supplies, and more to 
the point,
> I know people who are more than qualified to work in such a place, 
if there
> was a few quid in it for them.
> 
> Conversely, and more topically, has anybody been in the situation 
where a
> new in-house digital/inkjet solution has replaced and/or improved a 
wet
> processing solution (prints more-or-less limited to A3)? I wonder 
if buyers
> would be as happy with an on-demand (or one- or two-hour) inkjet 
print (city
> repro makes you wait.. they made some "errors" last week and 
everybodies
> prints are another fortnight late) made on a hot-as quad/hex tone 
printer. I
> guess the glossy/tactile photo factor is involved.. sell them 
framed, so its
> not so instantly obvious?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Any ideas, commments, thoughts, greatly appreciated. It breaks my 
heart to
> see that gear going to waste. The room is being filled with obsolete
> computers as time goes by. In my delving, I bumped into a stack of 
286s and
> just 86s, I almost cheered (a stack of a more than a dozen 
computers that
> couldn't even do together what the enlarger next to them could 
replicate, if
> it was photoshop on a modern machine.. if that makes sense er... 
you know

> what I mean..)
> 
> 
> 
> sandy @ www.euphy.co.uk