Darkroom Ghosts?

darin3200 · Sep 10, 2005

So I'm in the darkroom today, first time in a while. I am doing a test strip for a contact sheet. I set the enlarger to f/11 and expose the negs 5,10,15 seconds. I put it in fresh developer, comes out totally black. I'm confused and check the enlarger, ok, its at f/4 or something, so maybe I just forgot to set it and was thinking f/11. I make two contact sheets, a few 5x7s, and some test strips for an 8x10. I make the 8x10 and it looks great. I get out a pen and paper to make sure I right these settings down. I double-check the enlarger, f/11. I put a different neg in from the same roll, about as dense. I put the enlarger down to f/16, i hear it click once. I doulbe the exposure time. Well that's doing it exposing I hung up some prints to dry. Timer goes off and I put the print in developer. In 10 seconds its totally black. Its dark but I try to make sure the enlarger was set right, I try to stop down the lense, which I shouldn't be able to do because it was at f/16. I was able to go about 5 stops down before the lense stops. I turn on the lights, now it is at f/16. And making the second print was immediately after the first one.

Pretty weird...

Ghoste · Sep 11, 2005

What, huh, who, me?

darin3200 · Sep 11, 2005

Yeah, you, stop messing with my enlarger!

:lol:

akyiia · Aug 9, 2011

Funny..
exactly the same thing happened to me about 12 years ago..so I had a great idea to develop unexposed paper..and guess what, turned out that my little sister invited herself and her friend into my darkroom where they found mysteriously looking box (of photo papers) and they needed to find out what was inside..mystery solved..)