Getting tired in the darkroom

[jp]

Every aspect of black and white photography seems so easy compared to serious color work that I hardly think about it. It's recreation.

Compared to any color printing, it is easy. Just takes time.

[jp]

Anti-fatigue mat is helpful.

Music is helpful. I don't stay up as late as I used to in the darkroom, part of that is because I can't crank the music with little kids sleeping in the same house. Something motivating or energetic.

[DanK]

... tired when the drudgery of final washing, toning, HC etc. becomes the next task ...

Washing and Toning are the killers for me....prefer to print at night and I'll print myself to exhaustion, then realize I'm committed for another couple hours...

I used to stand all the time in the darkroom and used the mats (in my 20's), then switched to an old wooden stool (thought that was heaven - in my 30's), now I'm all for my nice padded, adjustable height, air-cushioned posing stool (40's)...

Dan

[Mark Woods]

Yes. I wrap around 3 p.m.

[Merg Ross]

One thing I have never felt in the darkroom, is fatigue. If faced with negatives and vision of dubious worth, I call it a day. However, if inspired by what appears on the easel, and ultimately in the fixer, time has no bounds. A good day in the darkroom is usually twelve hours, sometimes only to reach the wash, sometimes to conclude with mounted prints on the wall. It is all about the passion, knowing when you have a dud, and moving on. I am still young, so perhaps this will change.

[cyrus]

Glad I'm not the only one! I do have fatigue mats I think I'm going to put a stool next to the sink. Guess I'm getting old~! Even a good neg takes time since you still have to figure out how to interpret it -- should I burn here or dodge there? Should the print be high contrast or low contrast etc etc. and by the time I think I've finally figured out what I want to do with a neg, I'm just too worn out to continue. It is quite frustrating.

[ShawnHoke]

I wish I had the time to get tired in the darkroom! My "darkroom" is our only bathroom, so I can't really occupy it for more than a few hours. And then I have to clean it up and return everything to order.

That's the tradeoff with our tiny NYC living quarters.

[cyrus]

I cannot subscribe to the second tenant of your posting, as all of my negatives always seem to go to the same place fine art print wise, no matter whether the interim time is a few hours or a few years. Your difficulties suggest that you may benefit from a printing tune-up course or even learning other (alternative) techniques, to freshen your approach and objectivity. Or maybe, just go for a five mile run.

Oh I've been known to make multiple versions of prints from the same negative. Sometimes I like it darker, sometimes lighter, sometimes cropped, sometimes not... etc etc In fact I am making a deliberate effort to NOT do a "standard" print nowdays.

I think a lot of photographers do that.

[Kirk Gittings]

Printers should think outside the traditional box on occasion-it helps one to explore the full possibilities in a negative.

[Mark Woods]

I look at a print and when it's right for me, I know it. I've spent a number of years working on a negative (on and off) until I finally made a print I was satisfied with. I previsualize the image at the time of the shot and have a solid idea of what the print should look like. I guess it comes from my over 30 years working as a cinematographer where I was paid to get a specific image for a client. Not much wiggle room if one wanted to stay employed.