Photography

**Byzantine Prince** · 02-28-2005, 21:42

Hey. I'm getting really into phototgraphy but I have some crusial questions for anyone that may know the answer. I am interested in taking black and white portraits of people but I am afraid I don't know how to shop for the right stuff.

Firstly do you need a special film in order to take b&w?

Secondly do you need to expose them at a certain special photo huts?

Thanks, BP

**Ser Clegane** · 02-28-2005, 21:52

Originally Posted by Byzantine_Prince

Firstly do you need a special film in order to take b&w?

Secondly do you need to expose them at a certain special photo huts?

Thanks, BP

Yes - you need a special film. Might be a bit difficult to get in "normal" shops nowadays.
I used to buy Ilford for B&W pictures, but I actually do not even know if the company still exists

Regarding the second question ... uhm .. what's a photo hut?

If you are referring to the lab that develops the film and makes copies, my guess would be that the photo-corner at your local supermarket will not be able to handle b&w

If you have a spare room at home you might consider having your own lab. Quite some fun

**Big_John** · 02-28-2005, 22:13

i have a dark room in my basement. the previous owner of this house was an 'artist'. she even left a crap load of equipment and a few chemicals down there. maybe i should take up photography...

**Byzantine Prince** · 02-28-2005, 22:15

I will need some recommendations for places I can order b&w film. I can't find it in normal stores for sure.

A photo hut is just a photocorner place where they develop film.

As for development, I know this photography store that has some pretty sophisticated stuff. Myabe they have the right equipment. And then i coudl set it all up in my basement

.

**Dhepee** · 03-01-2005, 00:00

Ilford HP5 is a good B&W film so is Kodak Tri-X Pan film. They both produce well contrasted images that are easy to develop on your own. Kodak T-Max is very easy to over contrast either in exposure or developing. Go with an ISO 400 it's not too grainy and still easy to work with in a lot of light ranges. HP5 is my favorite.

If none of that made any sense to you then you are probably not ready to invest in a darkroom. Most stores that are dedicated to photography do B&W developing. Once you get a feel for how contrast works and what films behave a certain way you can justify investing in a darkroom setup.

**Byzantine Prince** · 03-01-2005, 00:07

I understand most of what you said very well

. How many different peaces of equipment does the Darkroom require. Space is not an issue. Moreover how much would it cost in total to set up?

**jayrock** · 03-01-2005, 00:19

id say check your local yellow pages for a camera, or photography store, and try and find one local... the plus side of local is a lot of times the're a great source of info, and they like to share their knowledge..

also is this for hobby, or professional.

depending upon what you want, you may be able to save a few bucks on some used equipment, or stuff that isnt top of the line...

as for equipment for a dark room, try a internet search for photography equipment, or darkroom supplies...

btw, my sis gave me this site, said it has some good articles for beginers.

photo referenc articles

if all else fails grab a amatuer photography book at the book store and read up a little before you go sinking time and money into to equipment you may not need...

hope this helps a little.

**Dhepee** · 03-01-2005, 23:26

Originally Posted by Byzantine_Prince

I understand most of what you said very well

. How many different peaces of equipment does the Darkroom require. Space is not an issue. Moreover how much would it cost in total to set up?

In that case...It doesn't take much space. There are only three main requirements: ventilation so that you don't get sick; total darkness; and nearby water.

If you can't get ventilation then buy a painter's air filter that will work for oil based paints, about 18 bucks and a lot cheaper than putting in a ventilation or room sized air filter.

As far as light goes. Just seal up the space and stand in it for about 5 minutes and you'll see any ambient light. If you really want to go check then go into the darkroom, shut off the safelight and pull out about 6 inches of film and hold it up. Develop it and you should have no image at all, if you have a blurry smudge in the film then you have a light leak.

A definite must is the Kodak lab manual; it gives you all the information that you will need about your chemistry.

A big plus of developing your own is that you can buy a bulk loader and load your own film.

I didn't know that Tri-X was being fazed out. That sucks. I like Tri-X.

Be careful about the BW on the PC, some printers don't handle it very well and you get an image with a weird color cast. Usually you can get rid of most of it by dramatically decreasing the blue color channel but that doesn't always work. Before you go digital ask a lot of questions.