How to Make Your Own Photography Dark Room

The main thing you need for your dark room is, well, a room that's dark. If you don't have a room you can dedicate, a bathroom or an area of the basement will work. A room with no windows is ideal, but not entirely necessary. There are plenty of things you can do to achieve the darkness you need.

Layered black fabric is useful for blocking out windows or the edges of doors where light leaks in. The rule of thumb for testing your darkness is to stand in the room and hold up a piece of white paper. After five minutes, if you can see a little bit of the white, you still have too much light.

A sink in the dark room is ideal, but if you can't make that work, you'll at least need one nearby. You'll want to set up two areas of your dark room -- a wet side and a dry side. This will keep your chemicals away from everything but the photo in progress. The wet side is usually set up in a particular order for a seamless work flow. Developer is first, then the stop solution, next is the fix solution and then the bath. The drying area should be near the bath, away from the other stations.

You'll be working with chemicals, so an area with good ventilation is a must to stop fumes from building up.

Once you have your area set up, it's time to make a trip to your photo supply store to get the equipment you need to start developing pictures. In the dry area, one of the big budget items is an enlarger to blow up the negative. If money is an object, there are instructions on the Internet for making your own.

You'll also need an easel and a timer, and of course, photo paper. In the wet area, you'll need three sets of trays for the chemicals, sized to fit the photo paper you'll be using for your prints. Three sets of tongs are next on the list, one for each tray to prevent cross contamination.

Hopefully you already have some sort of worktable -- one that sits at counter height is preferable. If not, a 6-foot table propped up on plastic bed risers is a quick way to make one.

You'll also need a dark room light, which can be a costly item. But photo stores often sell just the red bulbs, which are much cheaper and can be used in any light fixture. You'll also need your chemicals for developer and fixer. A solution of water and white vinegar works as a stop bath. Fortunately, the only one you'll have to replace on a regular basis is the developer.