How to Set Up a Home Darkroom for Black & White Photography

Choose a room in the home that has access to running water or is very close to another room that has running water. A spare bathroom is ideal for setting up a darkroom because it has running water, ventilation and typically fewer windows than other rooms.

Block out any light that enters into the room. Add items such as foam padding or duct tape around the edges of the door. Sit in the darkened room for a few minutes, and wait until your eyes adjust to find other light that may be leaking into the room.

Obtain equipment necessary for processing film including plastic trays to hold and develop photos, tongs to handle the photos, photographic paper, a safelight so that you can see what you are doing without ruining the film, a thermometer and timers.

Purchase the chemicals required for developing black and white photographs, including a black and white developer, a stop and a fixer. The developer brings the image on the paper out, the stop halts the development of the photo and the fixer enables the image to be exposed to light without damaging the photo.

Set up the equipment in the darkroom in a way that makes the most sense to you. For example, separate the room into a wet side, where water and chemicals are used, and a dry side, where the film is exposed to light.

Label equipment with a permanent marker to identify important items while developing the photographs. For example, the trays and tongs used for water, the developer, the stop and the fixer must all be separate. Having them clearly labeled before trying to develop film will help avoid mix-ups later on.