A changing bag is not a darkroom

Monday, 4 May 2026

I spent too long trying to do everything in a changing bag before accepting that some jobs need real darkness. Loading reels is fine in the bag; anything involving open film and dust is not.

A windowless bathroom at night, taped around the door, gets dark enough once your eyes stop expecting to see. That is where I load sheet film and clear the odd jammed cassette.

The bag still lives in my pack for rescuing a roll in the field. At home it earns its keep for exactly one task and no more.