i'm only 17 (technically a young adult) and i do photography at school. lately my negs and prints have turned out horribly and i really love photography. as this is my last year at school i am looking at setting up a darkroom. i live in sydney, australia and i was wondering how much an enlarger would probably cost? i would only be printing B&W photo's and I KNOW NOTHING about all these photographic terms....because i dont listen in class! if anybody could help me it would be GREATLY appreciated! THANKS!

SARA vegemite_sao@hotmail.com

-- sara Lim (vegemite_sao@hotmail.com), July 31, 1999

Answers

Hi Sara,

get a used enlarger. That shouldn4t cost too much. Around 300$ might be enough for the start. You should ask a teacher at your class to give you some advice on what to look for in used equipment.

For further questions fell free to mail me.

-- Andreas Tretow (tretow@snafu.de), July 31, 1999.

response to help me

I agree with Andreas about buying used equipment but you can get an enlarger for much less than $300 (my first one was $50). You will also need an easel, trays, a timer, film developing tank and a safelight for a basic set-up. This can add up considerably. Check the local buy and sell papers as people often sell their whole darkroom setup together and this can cost much less. Perhaps the school will let you come in and use their darkroom after hours. It's worth asking.

-- Andy Laycock (agl@intergate.bc.ca), August 01, 1999.

Hi, I'm from Brisbane so might offer you some local advice. You can buy a decent enlarger for about $150 - $300 from the Trading Post or from Sydney Morning Herald classifieds on Saturday - if they have a camera/photography section. Ask at any newsagent if they have the Trading Post or Sudney equivalent. I occasionally look out for equipment in Brisbane, there is plenty on offer - I'd expect there'd be more in Sydney. Usually you can get some miscellaneous equipment with it - trays, timer etc. Make sure the enlarger comes with a lens, otherwise it'll be an extra cost. You can buy a new enlarger for about $400 - $500. If you have any further questions about enlargers or photography, feel free to drop me a line.

-- Tim Bolotnikoff (tbolotni@legalaid.qld.gov.au), August 01, 1999.

For one thing, why don't you listen in class if you love photography so much?

To learn about photography, get a few good books (such as Hicks/Schultz, The B&W Handbook) and shoot and print a lot.

To make it easier in the beginning, you might want to start with an easy film like Ilford's XP 2 and let others do the processing. You can still do the printing yourself.

But be warned: It will take a little longer than an average class at school to become a good photographer/printer.

-- Thomas Wollstein (thomas_wollstein@web.de), August 02, 1999.

THANKS for helping me out, it means alot. i have looked a little at the trading post and there seems to be many enlargers for sale. so i guess i'll have to look into it a little further. and the reason i dont listen in c lass is cause for one : i'm 17 and very immature, and 2: we dont really learn much, its basically a time filler and nothing else. but i do enjoy photography and i would like to take it up as a hobby. i dont want to be a professional photographer, i just want to create my own pics for my own viewing and i guess this is my sort of stress relief, with all the exams coming up and when i'm in uni, it will help me to! please excuse the spaces, i'm not AN idiot, my space bar keeps playing up! ;) thanks again,

sara

-- sara (vegemite_sao@hotmail.com), August 03, 1999.

Sara,

I never paid attention to my high school teacher either. I just used the dark room. By the way, what is vegemite?

-- Craig Brown (csbrown@tastybuzz.com), August 05, 1999.

Sara...whoever told you that you're immature...you sound pretty sharp to me. I'm a teacher, and nobody listens to me either!

I'll bet you might be able to put a nice little wanted ad in one of your papers, along with the nice story you told us, and somebody will give you a really good deal on a nice darkroom system. Just be sure your mom or dad checks it out first!

-- Todd Frederick (fredrick@hotcity.com), August 08, 1999.

vegemite is a spread, like peanut butter, it tastes dam good!...a lil tangy... but good. oh, and to the guy who keeps mailing me and telling me to enjoy minimum wage...... "GET A BRICK, BULID A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!"

thanks people, much appreciated

-- sara (vegemite_sao@hotmail.com), August 09, 1999.

Off the topic of photography - for our American friends: vegemite is a yeast extract which is one of those Australian icons. Ironically, it is now owned by Kraft but that's globalisation for you.

-- Tim Bolotnikoff (tbolotni@legalaid.qld.gov.au), August 09, 1999.

Ah yes, isn't it what we in the UK call Marmite?

On the original question: keep your eye open for car boot sales, etc. Many people are disposing of their darkrooms, and there is a real glut of them. I picked up a Durst 2-1/4, with two lenses, trays etc for #25 (UK pounds) last year.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), August 10, 1999.