Dark Room Printing

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Why do I still print photos in the dark room, its 2021?

Photography is an art form, some think its science and others say magic. Dark room printing I believe, is solid combination of those things with a whole lot of organisation mixed in.

To make a print in the Dark room you will require:

• A Dark room (hahaha, no kidding!) with an enlarger, chemicals and a sink; I go to Photo Access as a part of their After Dark(room) Program each week (when lockdown permits). It offers low cost access to excellent facilities, a place to meet and collaborate with other artists, an array of equipment , books to get inspiration from, high quality scanners and much more.

• Some black and white negatives to make prints from.

• A lightbox.

• Photo paper.

• Scissors.

• Daggy clothes and covered shoes.

• Water.

• Notebook and pencil (to record findings).

• A groovy playlist.

• Patience.

I will tell you the last item on the list must be packed and is maybe the most essential (as advised by Photo Access employee/contemporary artist Wouter). If you are not in the right mindset you could easily waste 40 sheets of paper, which is not great for the environment, your soul or your wallet. The saying #shootfilmstaybroke is sometimes a reality.

Below are some prints I made:

Findings after being a member of the After Dark(room) program since February 2020:

- Printing a test strip that comes out wonderful first go is one of the most satisfying feelings ever.

- Just like a painting, no two prints will ever be exactly the same.

- Practice makes progress.

- Sending prints to couples is something that is not mentioned in my package inclusions however there may be a few surprises as a part of your package delivery.

- I am a big believer that photoshop cannot fix a poorly shot photo and just like that there is little you can do to fix poorly captured negative. This is why I keep my settings in my digital camera the same as my film camera so I know what sorts of results to expect.

Film processing a contact sheet of Holga 120mm negatives

The process is extremely soothing and 3 hours a week, I get to truly unwind and hone in on the craft of photography. I do share clips like the above on a weekly basis on my Instagram, so follow along if you’d like to learn a little more or have any questions.