It's the little things.. (aka: I heart the darkroom)

[AmandaTom]

My darkroom is unfortunately very small and I often wish it were bigger, but hey, at least it's something. I find darkroom work a mix of frustration and elation. I can't easily see the print coming up in the developer because of its distance from the safelight so my favorite part is walking my print into the light. It's amazing how quickly time goes.

[nick mulder]

Absolutely! What's even better is to have Dad's plane. We picked up the 170 at the Cessna factory in Wichita in August, 1950, and flew it home. I was eleven.
It still has the same smell of aviation fuel, leather, and other things. Every time I open the door I have to draw it in.

Your Dog, Riley looks like a happy creature in there

[Blacknoise]

The magic of watching the image appear on my paper of choice for the session

I agree with this, it is like magic.

I find the darkness very relaxing too.

[EASmithV]

The solitude it affords. It is my very special place, where I go to finish the creative process which started with the camera exposure. And there are no inflated egos, no self-superior fauxtographers and alleged photographers to (try and) tell me what to do.

I built it myself, from scratch, and I know every nail, every screw, every inch of electrical wire and all of the plumbing, intimately. There is my sweat, some of my blood and a lot of my time invested in that room, and I never take it for granted.

Well stated.

[JOSarff]

My man-cave is a little different. It has two enlargers, two sinks, a safe light, etc. I put on a nice CD, fill the trays and shut the door on the rest of the world. The pressures of work and life in general melt away. When I crawl out of the cave, I am refreshed, invigorated, and ready to face the world again.

Amen.

[naugastyle]

Although my darkroom is not owned by me, or anywhere even close to my home, it is a private space. Previously I'd only ever used shared school darkrooms, although as darkroom manager I certainly let myself in at off-hours to work alone when possible. Sometimes I was still bombarded with someone who guessed I would be there and begged to be let in too. Now I'm truly alone, and it IS like a sanctuary. It's amazing. I turn the radio on loud and dance around to silly music I would never actually own, forget about my clinically insane boss, and oh yeah...stare as the print appears, with the same level of astonishment every time. It's magic.

[cblkdog]

I love the smell of acetic acid in the morning. It wakes you up better than a cup of coffee.