562 HANDBOOK OF PHOTOGRAPHY 



separation is possible. Neither should the loading room be part of a room \Yhere 

 chemicals are stored or are mixed. 



Whenever possible, a room at least 10 by 10 ft. should be available, even for 

 amateur activities. 



Layout. — If a single room must suffice for all operations, it must be carefully 

 planned and arranged. The layout should be flexible, however, since no one can tell 

 in advance of having worked in the darkroom exactly how and where the several 

 pieces of equipment should be situated. After the room has been in service for a time, 

 the photographer may wish to reorganize it so that he may work with greater ease and 

 efficiency. 



Sufficient space, and proper arrangement, are vitally necessary to the photographer 

 who will make color prints. More equipment and more chemicals will be needed. 

 Every facility must be provided the worker so that he does not waste material. 



A dry place to load film or plateholders is essential. It should be as far from the 

 sink as possible so that no drop of water or chemical can fall upon and ruin an impor- 

 tant negative. Chemicals should not be stored, weighed, or mixed in the processing 

 room. Dry specks of chemical are sure to fall upon the workbench, later to be blown 

 into the air and perhaps to settle on a wet film or plate. 



If possible, sensitive materials should be stored somewhere else than in the proc- 

 essing room. Because the processing room tends to be humid, plates, films, and 

 papers tend to deteriorate unless pains are taken to keep them free from moisture. 

 The layout should be such that an easy flow of work can take place. 



Placement of the Darkroom. — Because of the quantities of liquid exposed to the air 

 in the processing room, this room tends to be damp. If, at the same time, it is cooler 

 than the surrounding rooms, moisture will condense from water-laden air entering 

 from warmer rooms. For this reason the basement is a poor place for a darkroom. 

 The surrounding earth keeps the room cool in summer, and it is then that most 

 trouble is had with humidity. Wooden apparatus is likely to swell and stick, metal 

 parts to oxidize, and sensitive materials to mildew. 



The operator of a commercial studio has greater choice of a proper place than has 

 the amateur and can locate the processing rooms on the first or other floors above the 

 level of the ground. 



The attic is hot in summer and cold in winter and may be far from sources of 

 water or from drainage. 



The first or second floor of the house is the ideal place for the amateur's darkroom. 

 Here the workroom is easil}'^ heated, drainage is simple, and water can usually be had 

 without too much trouble. Wherever placed, the darkroom must be above the drain 

 pipes for the house. Otherwise trouble may be experienced in disposing of waste 

 liquids (see Water and Drain, page 564). 



Lighting. — It is a mistake to paint the darkroom walls and ceiling or benches in 

 dark colors. A light green or buff color will be easy on the eyes and under safe-light 

 illumination will enable one's work to be viewed much easier than if the walls and 

 ceiling are black. Under ordinarj^ illumination (not safe light) the photographer 

 should have as much light as he can conveniently get into the room. Prints should be 

 viewed bj'' illumination by which they will finally be judged. A print that is to be 

 looked at in daylight, should be criticized by the photographer in that light, or as near 

 as he can attain it, before it is termed finished or ready to be released. Several hun- 

 dred watts of incandescent "daylight" illumination are not too much, particularly 

 if color printing is part of the photographer's work.' 



In the darkroom there should be numerous outlets for electricity. More outlets 

 should be installed than seem necessary. All will be used at some time or other. A 



1 Recent introduction of fluorescent lamps has provided the photographer with an excellent source 

 of illumination which is very efficient and which has characteristics approaching daylight. 



