Darkroom Design (let's Shed Some Light)

saurora

I have a small 10 x 10 room that is pretty much dedicated to computer/photography "stuff". I need to paint it so I was thinking about painting it 18% grey (not exactly a decorator's dream color). I understand it is helpful for viewing colored prints. I am having a lot of difficulty viewing my monitor for color corrections. Is this paint scheme helpful for monitor viewing as well or just prints??? I suppose it would make a nice background for hanging my work (some day!).

I also want to get some decent lighting into place...not in a decorative sense, but light to work by. I ran into a timely post last night in a thread dealing with monitor backgrounds. BillyVerdeen posted a shot of his darkroom monitor here and 2 links on Bias Lighting which he uses in his room. One is a do-it-yourself link and the other here is a link to a manufacturer of this type of lighting. I happened to have a 20 watt daylight flourescent bulb available so I put one behind my monitor and the results are fabulous. Immediate ease on the eye fatigue. :barb So, I am wondering what other good suggestions might be had for superior lighting in a digital darkroom? Any other great ideas that you might have that are helpful in your digital darkroom would be appreciated as well. I get some great ideas from other members, such as Billy, and thought my success with his idea was worth repeating.

(P.S. can't tell if these hyperlinks are working, so bear with me....) Hallelujah! They work!!

pathfinder

Saurora,

I recommnend you look around at Lowe's or Home Depot or a lighting store for a desk top Ott Light. They are easy to find on the web also, but I found several at my local Lowe's and the Hobby Lobby in my home town.

These are nicely daylight balanced. I was tripped onto them in an article by Micheal Reichman who is using them to proof his gallery prints by. That was a good enough recommendation for me. They are easy on the eyes, but they do cost a little more than a standard Daylight 13 watt or 25watt flourescent bulb.

You can use one of OTT'S lights for diffused lighting in your computer room also. I have not gone to painting my room 18% gray. That was a little obsessive for me. But then my walls are fairly neutral, and not a red or a blue or a green either.

While I DO look at the image on my calibrated Cinema Display, I tend to set black and white points by reading the numbers, not by looking at the colors.

photodoug

@ Wallgreens, $50, free shipping

@ Barnes & Noble, $40, free shipping better deal

saurora

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I'm doing some searching on this brand.

DigiGrin

I had no idea others have the same problem I do .. lol

A couple years ago I was with a model before a shoot at a 5 and dime store.
(they like the clothes there, they tear easy and we can get them wet without fear )
I saw this desk light, very old .. 15 watt (maybe less) about 4" round, 24" high, 5 bucks,
I thought this would be perfect to use behind my monitor. I have it facing the wall,
not so much me .. it bounces off an off white wall (my LCD monitor sits about 2' from the wall)

As someone else mentioned .. instant eyeball gratification! I can sit and edit for hours.
It's something you think the computer manufacture's would of could of should of thought about?

Tomi

saurora

Tomi - my light is used the same way........facing towards the wall (not me) behind the monitor like a flood light...it washes the entire wall. Now I understand why they went to putting lights behind bigscreen wall-mounted LCDS. I thought it was just decorative! Makes an enormous difference on eye fatigue!