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A darkroom disaster in my college dorm changed my whole film routine
I was developing a roll of Tri-X in my dorm's tiny bathroom last fall, using a changing bag for the first time. I fumbled the reel, dropped the film on the floor, and got a bunch of dust and hair stuck to it before I could load it. The whole roll had these weird little marks all over the negatives. Now I'm torn: some friends say a real darkroom is the only way to avoid this, but others say I just need more practice with the bag in a cleaner spot. Has anyone else had a mess like this make them switch up their whole loading process?
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joel_adams795mo ago
Look, the problem isn't the changing bag or the bathroom. It's the reel. Those cheap plastic reels are a nightmare to load, especially with wet fingers. I bet you were using one of those. I switched to a stainless steel reel and tank years ago. You load it in the open, no bag needed, just a dark closet. It feels weird at first but you'll never drop the film again. The film clips onto the reel and you just wind it on, way more control.
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sarahf785mo ago
Ugh, that's the worst feeling! But honestly, how much of your new routine is about the gear versus the space itself? Like, are you now wiping down the whole bathroom floor first, or did you go buy one of those tiny tabletop darkroom tents? Or did you just give up and start doing all your loading at the campus lab instead?
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the_morgan3mo ago
My buddy Chris got so frustrated he bought one of those pop-up darkrooms off of Amazon, the kind that's basically a tiny tent for your kitchen table. He swore by it for exactly two weeks before he knocked over a glass of water and ruined a roll of Tri-X he'd spent all day shooting. Now he just drives 40 minutes to the community college darkroom and pays the non-student fee, says it's cheaper than replacing gear.
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