The Mobile Darkroom: printing without negatives and enlarger

[@jonbradshaw3385]

I remember when I was a young child spending hours with my dad in the darkroom he set up in our bathroom at home. My Mom was not terribly happy about it but to me it was priceless memories! I always think my dad would be so impressed with how far photography equipment has come, but I’m thinking going a step backwards into an actual darkroom would be amazing! Great video!

[@aows]

Yes! I think we can take advantage of the new while appreciating the old. Thanks for watching!

[@TomChamberlain]

I scanned the comments quickly, but maybe someone also made the same suggestion... Have you thought about just using a grain focuser? Just like we use in a traditional darkroom? I can't see why that wouldn't work. This looks like a fun project! Good luck!

[@aows]

Thanks for the suggestion! I might have to get one, for now I'm trying to do the focusing through software, it'd be nice if I can avoid getting an extra tool. Hope it works :) Thanks again!

[@TomChamberlain]

@@aows There is something magical about analogue prints. When digital meets analogue there is always a hard point of convergence. It seems to me that point is where the iPhone meets the Bronica. The focusing seems to be on the analogue side. I can't wait to see what you come up with next. :-)

[@KrummholzXCD]

I’m had a similar small cheap darkroom, 35mm negative in a slide projector, print paper stuck on the wall of the bathroom with two sided tape, trays in the tub. The images looked very antique due to the projectors simple lens.

[@shervinsardari]

Great video! One way to improve focus would be to buy a cheap grain finder and focus on the pixels of the phone screen. I would also add some cardboard flaps in a 90° angle to avoid any light spill from the phone to avoid fogging.

[@blackheartusa]

The images look great. Good job. Thinking outside the box!!!

[@user-vx5bd1ii3y]

Simple yet brilliant! Thank you for sharing this method!

[@thomasbernier2342]

stunning, that's such a good idea ! you are one hell of a creative guy. it's always a pleasure to watch your videos.

[@aows]

Thank you, Thomas, glad you enjoy them! :)

[@carbo73]

There is an scene in the movie Anthropoid (about the killing of the Reichprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia, Heydrich by czechoslovak commandos), were they use a Rolleiflex Old Standard to recon some locations. And then in a dark room, they have no enlarger, so they put the negative film again in the Rolleiflex (without closing the back) and shine a lamp through it, using the camera as an enlarger. It's cool!

[@aows]

Haha, that's awesome, I had no idea! Thanks for sharing :)

[@MichielSiegers]

Have you thought about putting your negative between your phone and bronica and use the phone just as a light source? That could work and you can use traditional dodging and burning.

[@hickslightfoot]

I agree.... Printing directly from the negative is going to be better then the resolution of a iPhone screen... iPhone should just be a light source... Your brilliant dude... love the whole thought process you took us through... Also look at a grain focuser to get the best possible focus when printing... You rock !

[@aows]

Sure, but that wouldn't work for my digital images. I need a process that can work for both film and digital, I know it's very specific to my case but I do love being able to shoot whatever I want :) Also, my "darkroom" doesn't have proper ventilation so I shouldn't be locked up for too long. This process takes literally 2 minutes, and I'm out. If I had to work more on a print, it'd probably be much longer. Also (2), printing from a negative would require more tools. For example, a brush to remove any dust and imperfections from the print afterwards. I need to keep it as minimal as possible. Thanks for the suggestion, though!

[@aows]

That's a good idea, I'm sure it'd work pretty well :)

[@aows]

Hey, Charles! Agreed, I could use a negative and that would look better, at least on big prints. I was looking for a process that works for both film and digital, though :) This one is the best I could come up with, it's not perfect, but it seems to work just fine for small prints. Thanks! :)

[@bthemedia]

New Paper Exposer app is specifically for this (phone used only as light source) jakubkotrc.com/new-page-1

[@nellip9257]

Oh, the amount of creativity this guy has...

[@carlospazbordone266]

Brilliant! Congrstulations! Great idea!

[@therealquade]

I have never done film photography in my life, and am tempted to get into it, but so much of it can go wrong, and either takes up a lot of space, or requires sending things off to an expensive service, but in this, you used a camera as an enlarger and oh my god that's amazing. If it's possible to just put the developed film back into a camera, and put it on a tripod pointing straight down, open the back and shine light through the film and out the camera, and that just works, Ohhhhh boy this might be doable.

[@allysseriordan1073]

Great video. I really enjoy learning about your printing process. Printing is something I've never done but I find it fascinating. Videos like this really make me feel like I could do it too one day. I'm looking forward to seeing your process evolve.

[@aows]

Thank you, Allysse! I believe printing our images is very important, they become real! :D I hope you can do it one day too. Thank you so much again.

[@brotbox9739]

Very smart! Thanks for sharing this! I am curious to see how it all improved! I may try it too with a real enlarger.

[@christianofslager8078]

Excellent idea! I can see that if you play around with this idea you will have unique photos

[@aows]

They'd be unique, for sure :) Thanks for watching!

[@ChristianKlant]

You have such a smart way of thinking! There is a ton of potential in your setup! Keep up refining it.

[@aows]

Thanks, Christian, glad you liked it! I'm working on it :)

[@waynesimon2963]

What a great idea to use a phone and a medium format camera as an enlarger. Now that's thinking outside the box. Very interesting video. Take care of yourself and make a few more. Cheers from Canada.

[@aows]

Thank you, Wayne, glad you liked it! I will make more :) Cheers from Spain.

[@JanneRanta]

What a fun project idea. For aligning the camera with the base you can place a mirror on the base and then aim at the center of the lenses reflection.

[@marcossuarez5622]

You can try to change the color of the background to purple or yellow like the grade filters. You can use the level of the phone to check that it is perpendicular.

[@aows]

Changing the background color is a good idea. For now, I'm doing all those adjustments on Photoshop / Lightroom :) About the level, yup, I use that one (after what happened with the photo of the trees). Not sure how accurate it is, but it seems to work just fine! Thanks for the suggestions :)

[@mikegindling4236]

I think it is a cool project. I would be very interested in your future tweeks to your setup.

[@aows]

Thanks, Mike, glad you like it! Hopefully I can come up with improvements to the process :)

[@clivevincent4969]

Fantastic Idea! Really inspirational! You are to be congratulated, really great answer to your lack of a darkroom and all the necessary equipment. All the best to you with this project. I think the idea you have to construct a simple print easel to hold the paper flat will help to provide sharper prints. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses. All the best to you!

[@aows]

Thanks, Clive! Yup, hopefully the easel will help with sharper prints. Thanks again!

[@CraigPrentisPhoto]

Good on you. I hope (with a little bit more tinkering) you iron out some of these initial problems. That’s definitely got me thinking about ways I could start printing some of my larger format stuff. Cheers!

[@aows]

Using your large format camera as a traditional enlarger should work pretty well!

[@MichielSiegers]

In any case, I'd be interested to follow this project. But you could adapt an old back as suggested to get better quality prints from negative, and use your iPhone for digital. You would only have 1 extra back in your box with darkroom equipment.

[@aows]

Very true, I could use the "digital" negative just for digital images. I will give it a try just for fun and see how much extra work it is. Thanks again!

[@MichielSiegers]

aows you might even use your iPhone as a light source.

[@csagedy]

This is super clever! You may have convinced me to pick up a Bronica to try it out. I would suggest using a Bluetooth keyboard or something similar to trigger when the app displays the image. Then you wouldn’t have to rush to get the paper in place. You could also add a way to increase or decrease the exposure time using the keyboard as well, maybe with audio feedback to tell you the current setting.

[@aows]

The keyboard is a great idea, I was thinking about using voice commands but the use of a bluetooth device could be a better approach. Thanks for the idea :)

[@ericfeatherstone]

@@aows You could use the volume up/down buttons in the earphones as a trigger, kind of like the way the camera app uses them as a "cable release".

[@Rizmeister6518]

Found your Instagram account by chance. I've been getting back into photography, something I've enjoyed for years and years. Stuff like this really gets me excited to try more things. Haven't made a proper print in the longest time. Keep up the good work! Edit: for focusing and holding the phone, a figure you can have someone make a 3d model of a holder that could have a micro adjustment built in. Same distance/position each time.

[@aows]

Glad you liked it, I do encourage you to experiment with printing. It's pretty exciting! Thanks for the suggestion, a 3d printed holder would be perfect. Not sure where I could do that, though, so I will have to do some more research. But knowing that the phone is in the same position every time would help a lot. Thanks again!

[@AnoxiaForeplay712]

I think this is a fantastic idea. It was awesome to hear about all of the steps that brought you to this final revelation. I am excited to see the next video that shows off a more refined process, and I really hope that others here are able to give you some ideas on how to improve the process, but man...you've done incredible work on this so far! It's great to see someone so excited! :)

[@aows]

Thank you, glad you liked it! I hope I can refine the process, now that I've promised it haha. But I am very excited about this and to see the first prints. Thanks again!

[@JPKVan17]

Great idea! You saw what was in front of all of us. Thank you for sharing.

[@aows]

Thank you for watching, John!

[@Monoteur]

Hey, how it is going with the darkroom app? It’s a brilliant idea with a cellphone app, you have just to refine it. Maybe you can use a button on the phone to start the pre defined exposure timer and program the app that it goes into airplane mode and full brightness. Cool would be if you do a 3D printed phone holder with a clamp and water spirit level in it that you can lock on the camera back.

[@noeggi]

Hahaha 😂 the message pop up was too funny 👌🏻i really like your way of experimenting and tghe succes you have 👍🏻 love your videos!

[@aows]

Thanks, Bruno! Yeah haha, it's funny now, but I can tell you I was swearing when that happened haha

[@victordesabata]

The notification is what makes it so cool!!

[@quitethecontrary1846]

you could put a Fresnel lens on the phone screen to make it focus the screen very well just like a ground glass... this is awesome man...I love it...I have been wondering how I can make a digital picture work in my enlarger and thi works great!!!

[@andrewmusil4855]

I've been putting my phone in enlargers for a while. I use the negative gray scale display setting and a 1/2 gel filter. The highlights and shadows were still blowing out, so I calibrated a Photoshop curve using Chart Throb. I have to email the pictures to myself, from my phone to computer and back again after applying the curve. Works perfectly.

[@aows]

I had no idea about chart throb, thanks a lot! That will help, for sure. How big can you print using the enlarger before you can see the pixels?

[@ddelacruz]

I've done the phone through enlarger. For proper focus you'll need a traditional grain focuser and instead of the grain you'll focus on the pixels. You'll be sharp then. Cool idea!

[@scottLsilver]

Danny is correct a grain focuser should work and I would add that you can level everything with phone leveler. The phone should be at its brightest setting. I miss printing at the lab. Well done you have something here for sure.

[@aows]

Thanks, and thanks for the tip! I'm trying to do it with software so I don't need that extra tool, but I might have to buy one. We will see :)

[@aows]

Thanks, Scott, I hope I do, I'd really love to print my images at home :) I've tried the phone accelerometer, seems to work mostly fine. Thanks again!

[@monkeysausage2404]

Such a neat and fun idea.

[@aows]

Thank you! Glad you like it.

[@Harlequin565]

Brilliant. Just tried my iPhone XR on my RB67 and it's a perfect fit. The enlarger was the one thing preventing me printing at home (we have no storage) but this is definitely within the realms of possibility... Thankyou! Any suggestions for us non-computer programmers to keep a dark screen?

[@aows]

Nice! Just keep in mind the resolution of the screen when making large prints. My iPhone has a resolution of 400ppi and a screen that is 3 inches wide, so if I "enlarge" that to 6 inches the print will have a resolution of around 200ppi. If that gets too low, the pixels might become visible. The XR has a lower resolution but a bigger screen, so I'd do the math to know what print size you could be looking at :)

[@kyledarrenhanson]

Genius, can’t wait to try this. Very appreciated

[@gustavoalmeida7772]

Hi, thanks for the excellent videos. Have you thought about using a small projector? They can be cheap and you can plug them straight from your computer, retaining the image's original resolution. Cheers

[@hjjhkkjhhjkxdf9184]

Awesome ! I was thinking about digital contact printing just today. You and the folks of the comment section have awesome ideas !

[@aows]

Nice! Digital contact printing is something I really want to try one day :)

[@FilipemcRaimundo]

Thanks for the video!!! This is very good having a portable darkroom. Will try to do the same.

[@aows]

Glad you like it, Filipe :)

[@AntonioMFerreira]

Man, great images and great process!!! Thanks for sharing

[@aows]

Thank you, Antonio! Glad you liked it :)

[@Rizmeister6518]

Follow up question(s) here: Do you lock the mirror up, and use the T mode on the lens to lock the shutter open after actuating the shutter? If so, how do you continue using a roll of film in a back without wasting a frame? I think I managed to waste a frame after trying out the project setup as you described. I may have messed something up there, but it seemed like the camera was wound and ready to fire as it was.

[@aows]

That's a good question, Aaron. I was using a back with no film at the time. That's correct, I was using mirror lock-up and T mode to keep the shutter open. To avoid wasting that frame, you might want to switch the multiple exposure lever before attaching the film back and winding. That way it won't go to the next frame. Take a shot as usual and then put the switch back to single exposure so it does wind. This should work?

[@Rizmeister6518]

@@aows I will have to give that a shot. Took me a bit to sort out how to get the T mode working. I may have moved the multiple exposure switch while the film back was on and not before. The image that projected from the lens was incredible though. Super sharp. Thanks for the help!

[@aows]

@@Rizmeister6518 it does look very good :) Good luck!

[@jasongold6751]

Great idea! Many possibilities!

Yes great! A lot of what I wanted to say was already in the comments, so I won't repeat the very good advise about using a grain focuser (in your case a pixel focuser hahaha), using the negative. What wasn't in the comments : - The app existed, was called enfojer. You snap your fingers, it goes dark, snap again, it exposes, it takes any picture and makes a negative and you can tweak contrast and exposure directly. The company (that proposed a dedicated mini enlarger) went bankrupt though. - The fumes happen when you use an acid stop that gets contaminated with developer. In my case I solved the problem separating the fixer in another doom - The contact print blur thing gets me depressed... I wanted to propose workshops to young people using exactly that :( - Is the focus field of your Bronica lens flat enough for the paper? Though a macro lens would solve the problem - Is the contrast of the iPhone screen enough? Is the definition enough for 8x10? Bravo for the project and your inventiveness :)

[@aows]

- Yeeees, I saw that project, it looked so cool! Didn't know about it and it definitely gave me some ideas like snapping your fingers to "navigate" the app. - Too bad about contact printing, I really thought it was going to be that easy. That'd be very cool. Oh, well. - About the focus field being flat, I think it is for the size I'm going for. I don't think it'd work well for big prints. - It's enough for 6x6, that's for sure. I will have to do more tests to see how big we can go with this. Someone else left a comment mentioning that they use their phone in an enlarger and 8x10 look good. Thanks for your comment and tips!

[@michaele.5170]

Just came across this. Great idea. How do I get your app for my iPhone! Thanks!

[@paulo15581]

What do you think about a digital negative for contact printing?

[@aows]

I'd love to try it. I'm going to be experimenting with an old printer I have, and see what I can get.

[@j---land]

Nice work! Since you're probably using multigrade paper, you could also experiment with applying color to your negative image. For example more blue light in the shadows and green in the highlights will increase shadow contrast and decrease highlight contrast. This could be applied using a gradient map (photoshop) or with toning controls.

[@Zaboonfilm]

I am eager to try it. I also have a bronica sq-ai. How do you keep the shutter open, not bulb mode, right? Great idea :)

[@jeanninems]

Hi! I love your video! May I ask how I find the app you made? Thank you so much!

[@DonKittle]

Absolutely brilliant, Adrian, I’m going to try it out this week!

[@aows]

Let me know how it goes!

[@ejmphotodotcom]

Hi! Can you share the dimming image app you created?

[@ivopetko2162]

Great idea for art project. Can't you just use a grain focuser, like the one they normally use in in darkrooms to focus the enlarger?

[@_MattyG_]

You need a grain focused, which is like an offset loupe. So you can properly focus.

[@aows]

I will take a look at those, thanks for the suggestion!

[@LFarinas19]

Great job and thank you for sharing the process!

[@aows]

Glad you like it!

[@p8blr]

Any chance you’d consider putting your app in the AppStore? I saw your video and immediately went to download the app but only found Enfojer, but it’s not compatible with the latest iOS 😢. I’m sure there’s others who’d be interested and would gladly pay a dollar or two for it!

[@aows]

No plans for now, we will see in the future if I can refine this process a bit more. Thanks for the interest, though!

[@Havetin]

it is really cool. always wanted to haev a process when my art is more physical in process. However have you tried to enlarge print? If you need picture bigger than 20cm x20cm the enlarger must be fixed really far from paper?

[@jakobhovman]

Very creative process...! Get yourself an easel + a grain focuser, to stand on it. (Its a focusing loupe for the darkroom.)

[@mjones410]

I have used my Android phone with snapseed in my enlarger to print images captured on slide film (converting a positive image to a negative). One thing that might help is to make sure the screen resolution of your phone is set to the highest quality, with various power saving settings on the phone you sometimes end up with the phone not using it's highest resolution. Your results are great, silver gelatin is much more fun than inkjet :)

[@aows]

Hey Matt! Yup, I will have to take a look at that, to make sure it's at max resolution. It's still not enough to make large prints, but for the size I'm looking for is just fine :) How do you use your phone? As a light source? Or use snapseed to convert the image? Thanks for your comment!

[@mjones410]

@@aows Hi Adrian, when I put the phone in the enlarger I project the negative from the phone. So the phone is the light source. I am using snapseed to make the negative and convert the colour image to BW. For timing/shutter I just use a piece of cardboard under the lens. It seems to have enough resolution for 8x10, the phone is on max brightness and has a resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels.

[@richhaytonNZ]

Brilliant 👏 great work I love the enthusiasm 📷👍

[@aows]

Thank you, glad you like it!

[@RWpaintball]

Amazing work! Really want to try this now.

[@aows]

Glad you like it, Robert! Just keep in mind the resolution of the phone and that this only works for relatively small prints. Otherwise the pixels will become visible. Thanks for your comment! :)

[@jackdeangelis6585]

Adrian, very creative! Seriously, you need to file a Patent ASAP. A couple of suggestions - as you say some of the focus issue is the paper. You might try laying a small piece of glass over the enlarging paper to flatten it out. Also, the paper needs to be perfectly parallel to the plane of the light source. You might try focusing on a reference target of some kind first to ensure that the corners and center are all in focus. Have you considered using a small, portable light-table as a light source and printing from the original negative? Finally, there's an active group of folks making digital negatives on transparency film for alternative processes such as platinum/palladium that you might want to connect with. I think there's even a Yahoo group. Again, great idea!

[@aows]

Leveling the camera and paper is definitely one the biggest challenges here. I have considered using the camera as a regular enlarger and use a traditional negative, but there are many reasons why I decided not to go that route. I wanted a process that works for both digital and film images, the bathroom doesn't have proper ventilation so I don't want to spend a lot of time in there for every print (if I have to do dodging, burning and those traditional techniques, it might take a while...), and I'd need extra tools (at least a brush to fix dust and imperfections from the final print). Digital negatives on transparency film would definitely be ideal, and the platinum palladium process always looked really cool to me. The problem is that I'd need to print the actual negative, so I'd need a printer. We will see how this turns out, if it doesn't work then I will have to go the printer route and either do inkjet prints or digital negatives. I still hope I can make this mobile darkroom work :) Thanks for your comment!

[@jackdeangelis6585]

@@aowsSorry, my comment regarding digital negs was not clear. The alt folks are figuring out how to use Photoshop curves to adjust their digital negs to get negs that print well. You are doing essentially the same thing but printing directly from the digital image. Perhaps you could use their ideas about applying curves to the negs prior to your printing. Have you set up the meeting w/ ILFORD yet :).

[@aows]

@@jackdeangelis6585 oooh, I see! True, I seem to have the same problem when using the screen, you have to adjust the curves a little bit. I will take a look :) I haven't talked to them yet haha

[@giuseppebertolini6705]

That could really work even with a 35mm camera, a real negative and the iPad/iPhone as a simple light source niiice! Also if you want a simple way of building an “app” like that take a look at the Shortcuts app from apple ! Great video!

[@aows]

Totally! Some people have shared this app with me jakubkotrc.com/paper-exposer/ that does exactly that. It looks pretty cool :) And I didn't really think about the Shortcuts app, that could work! I'm more comfortable programming it myself, but I will give it a try. Thanks for the idea!

[@eugenuku]

Hi! I thought I am the only one that had this idea. Man, I did exactly what you did, but my results were worse. Two days ago I found the box with the papers and chemicals. I am still thinking that there should be a way. I see that are thereTVs with transparent screens.I am thinking how that will work.

[@yasha8951]

Great idea, any plans for maybe open sourcing the app?

[@aows]

Not as of right now, since it's a very, very specific use case. It's literally just a few lines of code doing exactly what I need, on my exact iPhone model. As I experiment more with this, I might change my mind, polish the app and make it adaptable to any iPhone and more customizable (exposure time, choose a photo from the gallery and what not).

[@RubenRobles]

Omg! This is genius! I have to try this!

[@larryhayes3040]

Daily Phoblographer. Really enjoy your film philosophy.

[@aows]

Oh, thank you! And I'm glad you like it :)

[@marcisaacs9407]

What diameter lens are you using?

[@zguy95135]

Great idea! How big can you enlarge before pixels start showing up? Even if it is just for small prints it's a great idea and there's so much you could do with it. A Bluetooth timer that could control the exposure time, digital contrast filters etc would be awesome. I rarely print larger than 8x10 in the darkroom anyway, and if it gets people printing more it's a win win. I'd love to see even digital only shooters darkroom printing if possible

[@aows]

Thanks! Not sure, 6x6 looks pretty good so far, and someone else mentioned they've tried with a phone in an enlarger and they say 8x10 looks good as well. I will have to do more tests. About the bluetooth timer, that's an awesome idea! Yup! The idea is to get a darkroom as minimal as possible to start making some prints. Then we can build up from here and even print from negatives :)

[@PhotogAbby]

Goodness! Do you take all those tools with you every time you move?

[@aows]

I only take my camera gear and computer :) I try to be as minimal as possible with everything else so they have to be tools that are easy and cheap to replace. Trays, tongs, and stuff like that should be easy to find everywhere for very cheap.

[@PhotogAbby]

Actually I was looking at the impressive collection on the wall behind you. I guess they are not yours 😃

[@aows]

Oh lol, no those are not mine haha

[@paul-green-photography]

Great work. I'm confused though. When the image is in focus, how come you dont see the pixels in your enlargement?

[@aows]

You will if the print is big enough. At the sizes I'm printing, you can't see them. If you use a loupe, though, they are there.

[@MichaelJames237]

make a mount to fit the camera into the drill press, which is on your table, voila, modular copy stand

[@sheartlord]

may i ask which app did you use? thank you!

[@custodialmark]

i studied sum since 73, want to do darkroom in traveling tent on bicycle, bot graflex 4x5 i used in college. tryd designs to do similar, may buy rest of gear, TOo many negatives, wish cud do full darkroom and print old memories...like ideas have moste suff sitn here, next chems, paper, changing bag, i want all done in folding box to do on lil table.

[@FrankWalsh]

Cool idea, very clever!

[@aows]

Thanks, Frank, glad you liked it!

[@paulomoraissantarosa1684]

Ok it’s five years ago and I didn’t read all comments but I suggest you try to have a 3D printed adapter to put the iPhone in the back of your Bronika

[@aows]

That's a good idea. I don't have the Bronica anymore but something to keep in mind for the future!

[@MrJimEckert]

If you’re using a multigrade paper then you are going to want to reduce the blue light on your phone screen, more blue light will be very high contrast

[@expatriatechronicles6915]

Couldn't you do this more directly with a digital projector, of the kind used to project movies etc? It seems to me that the iPhone screen is the weak link here.

[@aows]

I thought about that, I'm sure you could do it! The quality might be worse though, the resolution is lower as far as I know. But something that might be worth trying if you already have a projector around :) Thanks!

[@JazzBrass421]

What a great idea. Imagine having an app where you can not only set the exposure time, but even dodge & burn areas with your finger ahead of time?

[@aows]

That could be cool, but more complicated to do. Maybe in the future! :)

[@mateoguevara1153]

Ive never used bronica lenses, but i would say that if you make bigger enlargements you are going to struggle with keeping the focal plane flat, as well as seeing pixels. Great results with the small prints though!

[@aows]

Yeah, for sure, this method will definitely not work for large prints. I'm hoping to get good results for 6x6, though. We will see :)

[@oyarzabale]

This is great. Wow, I was just thinking about doing something like this for color prints or even projecting a positive image onto a tintype or a negative image onto a cyanotype. For color I believe you mainly have to filter your negative in the cyan, magenta and yellow range on color photo development paper. It is funny that this digital to analogue technique is catching so much traction. Maybe make a company that uses a small OLED back mounted to a billow with a simple lens and compete against the Poloroid Lab which produces far less quality prints at an outrageously expensive price.

[@Tinderchaff]

This is the sort of thing that would really get me into the darkroom. Shame all my rooms have windows in! My bathroom has a skylight and it would be a bit odd if I covered it up. Plus annoying that I would have to cover and uncover it. Like others have said, would be great if you could release this app. Make an Android version of it as well?

[@aows]

I hear you, that skylight sounds like a nice thing to have but a pain if you were to use the bathroom as a darkroom. About the app, we will see, that'd require a lot of work. If I finally go for it, I'd do it for Android too yup :)

[@charlesdarwin1523]

Wonderful .Less is more. Use what you have creatively . Maybe if you set phone screen to display then use bulb mode and cable release .

[@michelroy3045]

Brilliant, I’m a darkroom photographer. Maybe add some multi grade contrast filters. They are inexpensive used. Maybe a 2,5. This is inspiring. Let me know if that helps. Thx

[@aows]

Thanks, Michel! Awesome to know you make your prints in the darkroom. And thanks for the tip, it sure helps!

[@mattbray_studio]

A couple of ideas... maybe you could link the ipad to the phone and use it as the trigger, you could have a small UI that lets you set the exposure time and start and stop, to give you more time and control in placing the paper etc. Or you could have the phone on continuous then have something cutting the beam of light from phone to paper that you then remove and replace to create the exposure (like with a pinhole camera), so just a piece of card, or something attached to the 'enlarger' that swings round maybe.

[@aows]

Those are good ideas, thank you, Matt! I haven't played with this in a while, and I don't have access to the chemicals while in quarantine. But I'll definitely try to experiment a bit more in the future. Thanks!

[@cameronjones8400]

This is amazing! If you develop the app and put it out there, I would gladly pay to use it. Just got a Bronica ETRSi and I think it would be so fun to try out. It also makes me think that there's a possibility to make a cardboard or wood light box to use on real film while using the camera for film printing. Much cheaper for those with medium format film cameras. I'm a traveling nurse, getting into film right now. Having camera gear is so difficult to carry around. Something like this is really promising. Plus, I don't have a house with spare rooms. This could all be done even in a studio apartment

[@aows]

Hey, Cameron! You are describing a very similar situation to mine. I don't have space for an enlarger or even all the tools necessary for traditional darkroom printing, and that's why I was so excited about this. It's not perfect and it only works for small prints, otherwise the pixels will become visible. But hey, I love to be able to create prints in my bathroom with the tools I already have :) You could use the medium format camera as a regular enlarger with real film, for sure. That'd work nicely. Some have pointed out to an app that lets you use your phone as a light source, you should check it out! I needed something that works for both film and digital, though, since I shoot both and want to be able to create prints from both mediums. Thanks for your comment!

[@edipofederle]

could you provide us the app you built ? (even just the source code would be nice :D). Great work. Cheers from Brazil.

[@vroman809]

Any updates on this process?

[@aows]

Unfortunately, nope. I've been away from home for a while and haven't had a chance to experiment with this more. Soon, I hope.

[@placidus_v]

Hi Adrian! It's a good idea, there is even app for iOS from Berlin-based (I believe) film photographer with exposure timer etc. for using through the camera, as you did. But still I suggest you at least to try using true enlarger - it's just much better suited thing for such a creativity. Not sure about Spain, but I visited one store in Porto, Portugal and there were lots of good enlargers priced 70-100 EUR or smth near. Anyway, great to see you evolving in analog! P.S. I found the app - check out Paper Exposer app for iOS from Jakub Kotrc, it even has split-grading filter approach inside.

[@aows]

Yup! That app is cool, but it's to use with regular negatives so it wouldn't work for my digital images. I'd love to have an enlarger, getting one wouldn't be a problem, but I don't have the space. Eventually, if I ever settle down somewhere, I will have one. But for now... Thanks for the comment and sharing that info!

[@denissandmann]

Very cool idea!

[@ulyssessegatto9759]

My two cents: you need to flip your images because the notification in one of the photos is inverted, and a small piece of red plexiglass in front the lens so you dont need to hurry putting the paper in place on the easel.

[@MrQqshonok]

Hi! I've got an idea for you! I know there have been many similar to mine, but stick with me for a while! When you use phone screen to get picture - you are limited by tonality and resolution of iphone which is not so perfect. When you use negative - you lack that creativity lightroom gives you. Why not combine both? How about this idea: expose as you did with your iphone, but put your negative under it. In order to get picture like in lightroom - image on your phone should be modified - actually representing your adjustments. Burn and dodge is just different levels of exposure which can be all fixed in one picture on the screen of your phone. You can do it as separate layer in photoshop when you edit new negative scan. Or you can play with ps tools to get difference between end result you already achieved in your previous work and raw negative. Hope this does not sound too complicated. I believe you are on the right way unless you are not inventing just another enlarger. That would be a waste of time. Haha

[@aows]

That's actually a pretty cool idea! I do think burning and dodging are totally possible that way, and it'd be easier to do as layers in PS like you said. I guess the challenge here is to align negative and phone perfectly, but it's doable! Thank so much for sharing, I will definitely be trying this!!!

[@ktor538]

Brilliant 👏

[@aows]

Thanks!

[@shelgerson]

Is this app available?

[@MakersTeleMark]

Do you have a screen protector on? I'm wondering if that might rob you of some sharpness. Nice sick inventing. I like the direction you are heading with this.

[@aows]

I do have one, I will get rid of it next time. I'm not sure how much it can affect the image, but it definitely doesn't help :) Thanks for your comment!

[@708photog]

Check this out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nofMZqaVpsRsjJY. He’s come up with a similar idea and has developed an app. And it features the capability to do split-grade printing (with any color of light you can dial in via your iPhone). It’s really nice … I’m using it to make 5x7 contact prints. But it was designed to use as a light source for 35mm and medium-format cameras.

[@aows]

That's pretty nice! It's a similar idea, and that approach will work much better for large prints. Using the screen to display the negative will make visible pixels at some point. I will be using some of his ideas for the holder and easel :) Thanks for sharing!

[@Waadee101]

Hi, is there a link for the app? is it for free or paid?

[@aows]

No link, I never released the app. Maybe in the future!

[@AvaSilvery]

You're truly fantastic! I'm glad I found your channel. Looking forward to seeing your results in the next video. My boring two cents: take care of your health and pay attention to proper ventilation (says the woman who mixes her color chemicals without gloves...) so you don't get lost in the fog (...there's good fog and there's bad fog ;). Also, if you want to save chemicals for the sake of flexibility while traveling developer and fixer alone will do the job, you can stop your prints with water only, no stop bath necessary. But you probably know that already 🏔️

[@aows]

Thank you, Ava :) Ventilation is something to be concerned about, definitely. The bathroom I've been using does not have proper ventilation, but since the whole process (exposing the paper and developing) takes literally less than 2 minutes, I think I should be fine. I keep the door and window open all the time so that fog doesn't build up in the bathroom :) About the stop bath, I didn't know that! I don't use stop bath when I develop my film, but I thought it was necessary for paper. I will have to experiment with that as well. Thanks!

[@FedericoHazama]

aows if you don’t use stop bath your fixer is going to get exhausted faster

[@tomarber6488]

Love it! Would love to be able to buy the app as well :)

[@aows]

Glad you like it! I don't think I'll be releasing it, it's a very specific case. But we will see! Thanks again :)

[@michelroy3045]

Yes, I have my own A state of the art Darkroom. But I like your mobile darkroom 👍🏻

[@aows]

Nice! Yeah, this is all I can aspire to for now :)

[@cyrilchubenko2657]

Why not to do it with the simple monitor instead of icrap?

[@aows]

Monitors usually have worse resolution than phones, as far as I know :)

[@Topsyrm]

That's a genius way of having a darkroom but not admitting it to yourself. TBH If you go to all the trouble you have to black out the room, prep chemicals etc an enlarger is not that much more trouble although granted you are then stuck with analogue only. That said don't take this the wrong way I think you are brilliant for what you have achieved and I offer a possible assist to your focusing issue, back when I used to print my own we used to have a bit of kit called a grain focuser or focus finder that you put under the enlarger and it allows you to accurately focus the negative using the grain. They are about £30.00 to buy and might allow you to accurately focus your digital negative. You do the focus before putting the paper in and the finder is set to allow for the thickness of the paper.

[@aows]

Thanks for the tip! I need to resume this project and see if I have more luck than last year. I know I could have an enlarger but the whole point was to use equipment I could travel with. I already have my tripod and camera with me, so I'd just need the chemicals and a few trays. Carrying an enlarger on my travels would be very difficult.

[@Topsyrm]

@@aows I take your point, I hope the focus finder helps. Keep up the good work on the channel I love your stuff particularly as a Bronica SQ-Ai user myself enticed back into it by your videos.

[@aows]

@@Topsyrm thank you so much!

[@rodrigocatano4401]

tnemos mucho trabajo para volver al cuarto oscuro muchas gracias por esa idea

[@aows]

Si, bastante trabajo :) Gracias y un saludo!