Topic: Harry Callahan's darkroom

[Francois]

After bringing you W. Eugene Smith's darkroom, here is Harry Callahan's.

As you can see, it's a very different setup and a very different personality.

As usual, I know the book it still copyrighted, though probably largely out of print. So if anybody doesn't feel OK with the content, just PM me and I'll remove the text and images...

To get to Harry Callahan's darkroom you walk up 3 flights of a wide-pine spiral staircase to the top of a house on a historic street in Providence, Rhode Island. Just across the hall from the darkroom is his workroom, a spacious oak-floored room with a view across Providence to the Capitol building and the hills beyond.
Callahan moved to this house in 1964. He made the down payment with money made from selling prints. He was delighted with his darkroom because it was the first darkroom he had with a sink in it. He had been printing for almost 25 years without a sink?bringing water into a room, carrying it out to dump it, washing prints in the bathroom. "I had always had just makeshift things. To have a sink was remarkable." But when he finally had a real darkroom, he laughs, "I felt I was more on the spot. I really had to produce."
He is spending more time in his darkroom  these  days.  The good news is that he is selling prints; the bad news is that he has to spend time in the darkroom that he would rather spend photographing. "I don't mind printing, though I've gotten tired of it lately because I've been doing so much of it. I think I like just about everything about photography.  I don't even mind mixing chemicals."
He has a new washer to help cut down on the drudgery, a Zone VI workshop washer that will take about 30 8 x 10 prints, and one that is much more efficient than his old one, which took 6 hours to wash 12 prints.
Other equipment that makes his darkroom work easier is a water temperature regulator (to set washing temperatures), a sodium safe-light (he likes the brightness of it compared to regular safelights), and air conditioning (because the
top floor of the house gets very hot in summer). One amenity is the view from his workroom; he likes to make a print, then be able to take a little break by walking out of the darkroom to look out the window. In   retrospect,   Callahan might have built a bigger sink. An 8' sink seems very big when you've never had a sink before, but in recent years the need for archival processing (which, among other things, requires 2 trays of fixer and a large washer) has made his sink seem too small.
Callahan never really designed his darkrooms, but just used whatever space was available. He says he knows the present darkroom could be reorganized more efficiently, especially with more shelves and better storage, but "you get used to something, you reach, and you can find it in the dark. I think I have a very dumb darkroom, but I like it."

DeMaio, Joe, Curtin, Dennis, The darkroom handbook - A complete guide to the best design, construction and equipment. Curtin & London inc. Marblehead, Massachusetts, 1979

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[Ed Wenn]

Another winner, Francois. Loved reading this, esp the bit about him printing for 25 years without a sink!!

 

[db]

Confession time- I am a total darkroom voyeur! 

Thanks Francois. It's not a book most of us are going to stumble across, so I'm loving the chance to see the darkrooms of these guys. Callahan especially, who is one of my photographic saints.

Darkrooms are usually so make shift and pulled together with a mix of precision equipment and wonky home made whatsits. Messy, personalized, individual. There are a few principals that most darkrooms have in common, but exactly how those basic issues are solved is different in every case. I am always fascinated.

Will anyone here share their darkroom? Please.
If so- bring on as many snaps of the room and the details as you care to show. From the glamorous to the humble bits.. (remember- Callahan used a bucket for 25 years!)

[Francois]

Glad you enjoyed this one too.
I loved the sense it gave me that Harry Callahan is a genuinely good guy.

Confession time- I am a total darkroom voyeur! 

You might want to check this out:

One of the worse/best (it's a matter of perception on this one) darkrooms I've stumbled upon on the web is Lloyd Erlick's. He's a Toronto photographer who, has they say, has been reducing the amount of junk that goes to the landfill

Just take a look at Lloyd's darkroom for fun...

[db]

Just take a look at Lloyd's darkroom for fun...

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. And a schematic too. hm-mmm.
Damn, you could play football in a room that large! And could fit mine inside it 6 times over. That's a fantastic
find Francois- thanks 

[Francois]

There's also this French guy who built something really nice.

As found on the French H0LG4 Site

I just love his Eastern Block enlarger (the large Krokus) 

Besseler never made anything that came close to it.

[db]

There's also this French guy who built something really nice.

Yep, but a bit too neat and tidy for my liking, except his safelight which does have a certain rustic charm

I just love his Eastern Block enlarger (the large Krokus) 
Besseler never made anything that came close to it.

That could be a cold-war missile housing far all I'd know

[cmdrray]

That Krokus enlarger is way cool....it looks like a Federal enlarger on steroids

[Francois]

By looking at the large removable central band and the long lamp focus rod, I think it might be convertible into a point source enlarger... though I really don't know since I've never done any research on the Krokus3...

That could be a cold-war missile housing far all I'd know

But as the scary part goes, it wins hands down..

[original_ann]

I'm fascinated by others' darkrooms!  Thanks for sharing this

[Stu]

Love these. They all make my darkroom/fiancee's nan's spare room look a bit... meh!
Gives me something to aim for when I buy a house!

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[Francois]

I'm fascinated by others' darkrooms!  Thanks for sharing this

You're welcome... and there's more to come