Photography Facilities & Equipment

The photography studio at The Banff Centre consists of:

Each darkroom is equipped with a Devere 504 enlarger capable of handling film formats from 35mm to 4" x 5". All enlargers are equipped with dichroic colour heads. Cold light and condenser heads are also available. Lenses are exclusively Rodenstock Rodagon. Each darkroom is fully outfitted with a paper cutter, focus-finder, compressed air and contact printer. Film and paper are the responsibility of the artist.

Colour Darkrooms

Colour printing from negatives is supported by a 32" Colex colour processor (RA4 chemistry). There are three individual darkrooms in the colour printing area:

  • two darkrooms are set up for printing 30" x 40"
  • one darkroom is set up for printing up to 20" x 24"
  • panoramic or large format negatives can also be printed up to 5′ in the Special Processes room with our Durst 8" x 10" enlarger

Black and White Darkrooms

The standard black and white darkrooms are designed for tray printing up to 20" x 24". An adjacent shared print-washing area is equipped with archival print washers.

Special Processes Darkrooms

The special processes darkroom is designed for large scale black and white printing. Prints up to 42" x 60" can be produced and larger prints, depending on film format and other variables, are also possible. It is equipped with:

  • A freestanding DeVere (4" x 5") Enlarger with dropping Baseboard and wide angle lenses
  • A roll-paper safe with rotary cutter and larger work surface
  • Stainless steel processing sinks with built-in ventilation
  • Large wash sink (46" x 120") and drying racks
  • A freestanding Durst 8" x 10" enlarger with colour head for large format colour and black & white prints

The Crich Studio

The Crich Studio is a combined studio and darkroom space with a spectacular view down the Bow Valley. The studio comes complete with a black and white darkroom for printing up to 16" x 20", an office space, and a small kitchenette. The Crich Studio is part of the Leighton Artists' Colony.

The Lighting Studio

The Lighting studio comes equipped with:

  • Two large north facing windows for natural light capacity with retractable shades.
  • Three Bowens electronic strobes (750W) with soft boxes, reflectors, etc.
  • Seven Mole-Richardson tungsten lights (max: 750W) four softlites, and three spots.
  • A copy stand, various tripods, light stands, and accessories.

Print Finishing Area

The Print Finishing Area is located in the basement of the Jean and Peter Lougheed Building, adjacent to the darkrooms and the print washing area. It includes:

  • A large light box for viewing negatives and transparencies.
  • Compressed air
  • Two Seal Dry Mount Presses (16" x 20" and 30" x 40") 

Cameras and other Equipment

In addition to the areas listed above, artists can enjoy access to the following equipment while in residence at The Banff Centre:

  • 4"X5" Cambo studio camera with Polaroid back and two lenses (Nikkor-W 150mm and Schnieder
    G-Claron 210mm)
  • Nikon D300 SLR with a Nikkor 17-55 mm lens F2.8.
  • Hasselblad 503 CW kits with 80 mm lens
  • Nikon F3 with 55 Macro and 35mm lenses
  • Minolta Flash Meter IV
  • Sekonic Digi-Spot meter
  • A selection of three Manfrotto tripods

Digital Studio

Large format archival inkjet prints can be output in the Visual Arts Digital Studio. This studio is a bookable facility that provides equipment and software for image scanning, preparation, and output of archival inkjet prints. The Digital Studio operates in conjunction with the printmaking and photography studios, enabling the possibility to combine established print media with current digital printing technologies. See Visual Arts Facilities for more information.

If you require access to the Digital Studio, please note this on the Resource Request Forms provided in your Application Package.

Please Note: Digital Film & Media Production also operates an Epson Stylus Pro 4880 17” wide and Epson Stylus Pro 11880 60” wide, archival inkjet printers. These printers are full color (pigment based) digital printers that output onto roll or sheet papers. The Epson Stylus Pro is archival and prints are guaranteed for 100 years, but only when printed on specific Epson papers. Participants in the Visual Arts Residencies may access the Epson Stylus Pro printers subject to booking times and availability. Artists who require significant use of either machine must request the Epson Stylus Pro 11880 or 4880 in their Application Package, through their project proposals resource request forms. Please contact the Photography Facilitator for more information.

For more information contact:
Sarah Fuller, Photography Facilitator
Email: sarah_fuller@banffcentre.ca
Phone: 1.403.762.6611
Fax: 1.403.762.6665