Amherst Media Book: Build Your Own Home Darkroom by Lista Duren

Build Your Own Home Darkroom - Build a professional-quality, yet inexpensive darkroom in your basement, closet, bathroom or almost anywhere. All the needed tools are explained and special consideration is given to easy construction, sturdiness, space limitations and budget.

From The Book:

What to Build for Your Darkroom: "Many of the articles needed in your darkroom can be built with standard materials from a builder's supply or hardware store and a usual selection of home tools. If you're willing to invest your time, you can build equipment yourself at less cost than buying it from a manufacturer, and you can build it to fit the measurements and specific needs of your darkroom."

Designing Your Darkroom: "In every darkroom, there is a work pattern - a path you follow as you process a print. An efficient work pattern allows you to process prints quickly with a minimum amount of walking. Figuring out how to lay out your darkroom is easiest if you have scale drawings of your equipment that you can move around on a floor plan."

Buying and Caring for Tools: "Buying tools, especially good-quality ones, can run into a lot of money, so it's important to buy tools that you find comfortable and that will continue to be useful to you. When you are thinking about buying a particular tool, see if you can borrow it from a friend first. See how it feels to you, if you enjoy using it, and whether it provides a worthwhile advantage over other tools that you may have been using for the same job."

Ventilating Your Darkroom: "A ventilation system usually calls for some manufactured items (such as an air conditioner, an exhaust fan, or a lightproof vent or fan) and some home carpentry to lightproof or adapt these items to your darkroom. If possible, design your ventilating system so that the air enters on the dry side of the darkroom and exits on the wet side near the chemicals. This way, chemical fumes won't circulate through the space, and you will be less likely to inhale them."

About the Author: Lista Duren is an avid photographer and writer with her own darkroom. She has a professional degree in architecture and is currently a facilities planner. Will McDonald is an illustrator and architectural designer currently doing residential design.