Darkroom Accessories

Darkroom Accessories You’ll Need And Where You Can Find Them

Most of your budget will go towards the more expensive items needed in the darkroom such as the enlarger with lens, the timer and the easel. There are still quite a few things that are necessary before you can begin to develop prints. Most, if not all, can be picked up from local big box retailers. There are a few items however that you’ll most likely need to buy from a photography vendor. These items will include a safelight, developing trays, binder clips, the fixer, the developer and the paper. You can save money by using tap water as the stop. The developer and the fixer will cost somewhere around $50 for both. However, the developing trays can be bought used from any local photography shops in your area or from online auction houses such as eBay. Whenever possible you should buy as much equipment used as opposed to new. Make sure that the seller has plenty of positive feedback and has a high seller rating. Other miscellaneous items such as tongs, plastic spoons, compressed air, a sheet of glass (for contact sheets), and masking tape can be bought from any big box retailer located in your area.

Most of these items can be picked up for next to nothing and the convenience of a big box retailer such as Wal-Mart or Target is that you can find everything you need in one place. Also, don’t underestimate the power of the dollar store. If there is a dollar store in your area, you should visit and try to pick up as many darkroom miscellaneous items as possible. Most of everything you need will be there and it will cost you a lot less than buying from a better-known store. Often you will see advertisements, online or in the paper, that are for entire darkrooms. For one reason or another, a person has decided to put their entire darkroom up for sale. This doesn’t mean that the actual space is up for sale, but rather that all of the equipment in the darkroom itself is available for purchase. This is also an excellent way to pick up those odds an ends you need in order to get your darkroom up and running. Don’t be shy about bargaining in order to make sure you get the best possible price. Some sellers may be reluctant to sell parts of their darkroom and want only to sell everything at once. If this is the case, move onto the next buyer and see if he or she is open to selling certain pieces of their darkroom equipment.