The+Dark+Room

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The Photo Lab, commonly called The Dark Room, has always been a part of the high school since its opening in 1930. Not the original Photo Lab, all the equipment from the school's opening in 1930 remains, with the exception of one enlarger. The original location was in Room 111, in a small five foot wide room that only allowed for the occupancy of three or four students at a time. Still using the same equipment, the original room became dangerous due to the current 82-year-old equipment's wires began to fray as well as the lack of a designated "dry" and "wet" side in the cramped space. The room also had no vents, a danger to students breathing the chemical fumes for long periods of time. Poorly made, this room also had a door that leaked light, exposing the light sensitive film and paper, ruining pictures. The old dark room now functions as a bathroom in Room 111 ||||= The bathroom has been remodeled To function safely || Circa 1998, we still used film for pictures, including the yearbook and the newspaper, so the Journalism and photography teachers worked as a team. One day the Journalism teacher (still here today) Mrs. Ballew heard a thump in the dark room, and rushed in to find a student on the ground who had been shocked by touching an electrical timer with a poor electrical connection as he stood in a puddle. He was taken to the hospital because they feared his heart had stopped. While it was used as an "initiation" for "baby photographers", or new students, to touch the timer and the sink at the same time, this time, the student had been seriously injured. Mrs. Ballew requested a new dark room, a safer room that the students could work in without worry. A new dark room was built in the place of a boy's bathroom, which has become the dark room students still use today. Sinks from the Air National Guard had been given to the school to replace the old leaky sinks, vents were installed, and a double door system to prevent light exposure. The current dark room has more space, and even featured a new enlarger for a handicapped student to access as well. Designated "wet" and "dry" sides have been established, making the dark room far safer. Though film is now outdated and the Journalism class had moved on to digital cameras, students are still offered a film photography course today. The students are taught about aperture, lighting, loading film, developing film, pulling prints, composition techniques, and more in today's courses. The school does not have any specific digital photography classes, particularly due to the high prices of materials such as printers, paper, and ink. Though film is disappearing, students may continue with film in college, or if they wish, they could create their own dark room, if they can afford it. Today's photo englarger runs anywhere from $250-$1,200 or more, and students also need to buy the chemicals, paper to print on (the most expensive part), and film. Significant, of course, students need the space dark enough to work in. To pull a print from negatives, one must place the film in an enlarger that projects a beam of light to darken the photo paper. Brighter light turns black, so the negative casts less light upon places that do not need as much exposure. A timer is set, and the light shines onto the photo paper until the timer reaches zero. The time the light stays on may range from 3 to 30 seconds, dependent upon the quality of film and the size of the print. Then, the photographer slides the print into a bath of Dektol developer for one minute and thirty seconds while agitating the chemicals, then they take the paper out and let the chemicals drip off, slide the paper into a bath of Stop Bath for 15 seconds, and then they slide the print into the fixer for two minutes while agitating. Once finished, the print soaks in a tub of water for five minutes to rinse any chemicals off of the paper. To add Cool Text to your website, [|click here]. A Pentax 35mm camera, students are required to purchase, borrow, or rent a 35mm film camera to take the class as well as pay a $25 lab fee due to the cost of the paper, film, and chemicals that are slowly disappearing as companies stop making them. || "Don't tell me the sky is the limit, when there are footprints on the moon." This year, students have taken to writing inspirational words on masking tape and placing them on the walls of the dark room, or quotes like this. || Students hang up film and prints to dry on a wire with clothes pins after developing. ||
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 * [[image:gfhsbison/DSC_0055.JPG width="320" height="208"]] The basic set up for pulling a print includes the enlager, a timer, a curtain to prevent light from other englargers exposing the photo paper to light, a frame for several paper sizes to create straight edges on the print. || [[image:gfhsbison/DSC_0054.JPG width="320" height="209"]] Several enlargers, all original to the school from 1930, making the machines 82 years old. || [[image:DSC_0067.JPG width="320" height="209"]] One of the old timers, which is connected to the enlarger and shuts the light off when the time runs down to prevent the paper being exposed for too long or not long enough. ||
 * [[image:DSC_0053.JPG width="320" height="209"]] The "wet" side, where students develop prints in chemicals and rinse the prints off in the tubs || [[image:DSC_0068.JPG width="320" height="209"]] Jugs of chemical to develop pictures with signs above to remind students how long the photo should remain in the tub while being agitated || [[image:DSC_0063.JPG width="320" height="209"]] The "dry" side, where light sensitive photo paper is stored in the yellow box, and the paper cutter to make test strips to see how long a photo should be exposed ||
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 * [[image:DSC_0071.JPG width="320" height="209"]] This light shines an orange color, and provides the only light in the pitch dark room to students as the color will not expose photo paper. The light would expose film, though, so if students wish to roll film to place it in a tank to develop, they are cast in total darkness. || [[image:DSC_0058.JPG width="320" height="209"]] Photography students are first trained with exposure and developing by using these "pin hole" cameras by placing a square of photo paper in the box and quickly uncovering and covering a small pin hole to create a negative print. || [[image:DSC_0079.JPG width="320" height="209"]] A sideways picture of the double door system used to prevent light leakage. ||
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