Basics of the B&W Darkroom

Basics of the B&W Darkroom in a Weekend —

2-Day Class
Saturday & Sunday, June 29 & 30, 2024: 10am–4pm

Many of us spend a good portion of our day staring at a computer monitor, whether it be for work or for fun. The darkroom can be a peaceful, relaxing, magical retreat from that.

We’re condensing the guts of a semester-long darkroom intro course into one fun-filled weekend. Here’s what we’ll cover :

Darkroom safety and equipment operation.
Films, papers, and chemistry.
Film processing and contact sheets.
Printing with contrast filters.
Localized exposure control with burning and dodging.
Demonstration of print toning.

This class is highly recommended for those people without prior darkroom experience who would like to rent our darkroom and for those who just want a taste of the darkroom without enrolling in an expensive semester-long course. Participants should have the use of a film camera, and are asked to bring at least one roll of exposed black-and-white film to class. This should be traditional black-and-white film and should not be designated as “C-41 Process.” If you need guidance in operating your film camera, please consider enrolling in our inexpensive 90-minute film camera class on the weekend preceding this darkroom class.

Class fee includes one package of 8×10 paper (25 sheets) and one month of darkroom use at course conclusion at the member rate of $5 per hour plus chemistry. Film is not included.

Non-members: $250.00
PhotoSynthesis Classic Member: $225.00
Burnside Darkroom Collective Member: $212.50
Course Enrollment: 2–3
Instructor: Chris Huestis

Please review our Workshops Policy.