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photo darkroom

The Beginning Darkroom

advanced photo darkroom

The Advanced Darkroom

photo alternative lab space

The Alternative Processes Lab

Photographers use darkrooms as wet chemical work labs, with no white light, to turn film into printed images. Film and photographic paper are light-sensitive, meaning they will be damaged by being exposed to white light. Red and amber colored safelights are used so work is possible, but they will not affect the images being created. 

The Photo Program supports two outfitted darkrooms. The Beginning Darkroom houses a film processing area and 28 fully equipped 35mm enlarger stations for creating printed images. The Advanced Darkroom supports advanced professional and alternative processing classes, with individual processing darkrooms and 16 medium and large format enlargers.

The Photo Program Darkrooms are only available to students currently enrolled in a Mt Sac Photography darkroom-based classes, and are not open to the public to rent.

Classes regularly scheduled in the Darkrooms include:

  • Photo 10 Basic Digital and Film Photography: students learn the fundamentals of film, including processing and printing 35mm negatives
  • Photo 11A Intermediate Photography: students learn medium and large format film printing and processing, as well as additional darkroom techniques
  • Photo 12 Black and White Photo Alternative Studies: students learn advanced film processing and printing techniques, including fiber based printing, special purpose films, toning techniques, and alternative chemical paper printing
  • and other classes based on assignment, such as Photo 17 Photocommunication or Photo 28 Photography Portfolio Development

 

Chemicals in the Beginning and Advanced Darkrooms
  • Paper Developer Powder
  • L-76 Powder Film Developer
  • Stop Bath Legacy Pro
  • Odorless Fixer
  • Photo Flo 2000 Solution
  • Hypo Check Arista
Chemicals in the Alternative Processes Lab
  • Acufine Developer
  • Aluminium Potassim Sulfate Dodecahydrate
  • Ammonium Chloride
  • Ammonium Dichromate
  • Ammonium Hydroxide
  • Borax
  • Chormium Intensifier - Formulary
  • Citric Acid
  • Cyanotype Kit - Formulary
  • New Cyanotype Kit - Formulary
  • Ferric Ammonium Citrate
  • Formeldehyde
  • Fotospeed LD Lith
  • Gelatin
  • Glacial Acetic Acid
  • Glyoxal
  • Gum Bichromate - Formulary
  • Hyrdogen Peroxide
  • Hydoquinone
  • Hypo Clearing Agent - Kodak
  • ID11 Developer
  • Isopropyl Alcohol
  • Kallitype Printing - Formulary
  • Liquid Light Rockland Colloid
  • LPD Paper Developer Ethol
  • Oxalic Acid
  • Photo Flo 200
  • Potassium Dichromate
  • Potassium Ferricyanide
  • Potassium Metabisulfite
  • Rapid Selenium Toner
  • Salt - Kosher
  • Silver Oxide
  • Sodium Citrate
  • Sodium Sulfite Anhydrous
  • Sodium Thiosulfate
  • Solarol
  • Tannic Acid
  • Van Dyke Brown - Formulary
  • Walnut Water Report
  • XTOL Developer