You might have assumed that dark room lights were obsolete in the age of digital photography, but this is far from the case. Some photographers still prefer to develop their prints the traditional way, whether for a love of the craft or because they want to achieve certain effects and have more control over the whole process.

What are dark room lights?

Dark room lights are designed to produce specific colours of light that don’t damage or overexpose the photographic film or paper. Most of these specialist lights are red or amber in colour because these hues are outside the spectrum of sensitivity for photographic materials. 

Lights are obviously necessary to allow the photographer to see what they are doing, hence the rather contradictory term ‘dark room lights.’ However, regular lights and spectums such as blue or green would ruin the developing process, producing very overexposed images or completely destroying the materials altogether.

Features of darkroom lights

Red lights are most commonly used, although amber may be used for more specialised work. LED lights are popular because they are energy efficient and provide a consistent quality of light, and some LED bulbs can even have adjustable colour spectrums.

It’s also possible to fit coloured light covers over standard bulbs to achieve the required spectrum, which may be adequate for straightforward and small scale photographic projects.

The filter should be kept clean and in good condition, with no fogging or build up of dust and dirt. 

It’s important to check that the type and colour of light you are using is compatible with the photographic film or paper you are using.