What Is A Safelight?

When we speak of darkrooms, it is not always purely pitch black. You would need to remember that a human being would need to find their way around the room as they complete each step in the photo development. However, they cannot use just any form of lighting equipment. A special kind of bulb is needed – better referred to as a safelight.

A darkroom safelight is not limited to a single type of wattage or color. While most of us believe that red is the only color that illuminates inside a room, the truth is that these actually come in four different colors. These would include red, orange, brown and green. The key to knowing the best bulb for the darkroom is by knowing the kind of developing process that your will need. The first three are especially meant for black and white printing while green is best suitable for most colored printing. However, you cannot simply use any similar colored bulb that you will find in hardwares. These are not always ensured that all seams are coated and will be free from tungsten leaks. 

Another factor to consider when it comes to darkroom safelights is the distance that it is set from the processing trays. The reason for this is while we refer to it as a safelight, it may cause fogging in the photos if it is set too close. This is also because photo paper is highly sensitive to lighting exposure during its developing process. Before you use your safelight for large batches, try to test it first on varying distances to determine if it is truly safe to use.

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment