Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn darkroom film photography
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Developing your own black and white film means loading it onto a spool in total darkness, then developing, fixing, washing and drying it to get your negatives. Printing in a darkroom adds enlargements, contact sheets and the old skills of dodging and burning.
Gentle£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsWith othersUK and US
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Developing versus printing
Darkroom courses split into two skills. Developing turns your exposed roll into negatives; City Lit's three-week course covers loading film onto a spool in total darkness, the chemistry (including more ecologically friendly options), developing, fixing, washing and drying, then an analogue contact sheet and ways to digitise negatives. It is listed as intermediate, so you need to be able to use a film camera and set exposures already.
Printing makes enlargements from those negatives. The Light Factory's course covers film basics for beginners and, for more advanced students, contact sheets, enlargements, filters, and dodging and burning, and students bring their own RC or fibre paper. The Harvey Milk Photo Center's film development class, by contrast, spends no time in the printing darkroom.
Some community darkrooms ask newcomers to take an orientation first. In Philadelphia, The Halide Project runs a pay-what-you-can darkroom and asks newcomers to take an orientation class first.
Courses compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| City Lit, London | Three Tuesday mornings, 26 January to 9 February 2027; film developing and a contact sheet | £169, or £135 senior and £110 concession |
| Beginners Darkroom Photography, Edinburgh short courses | Evening course from 29 September 2026; developing, contact sheets and printing; materials not included | £320 |
| The Light Factory, Charlotte, North Carolina | Classes of up to five; film basics for beginners, developing and printing for advanced students; bring your own paper | $275 members, $325 non-members |
| Harvey Milk Photo Center | Basic Black and White Film Development, evening class (2026 runs); developing only, bring a shot roll | $50 |
Edinburgh asks learners not to buy materials until the course is confirmed to run, and The Light Factory has loaner 35mm cameras for students without one.
How to start
- Decide whether you want developing only, or developing and printing: some classes cover only the film, others take you through to enlarged prints.
- Book a darkroom course at an adult education college, a university short-course programme or a community photo centre, and check what materials you must buy.
- Shoot a roll of black and white film before the first class if the course asks for one; City Lit and the Harvey Milk Photo Center both suggest Ilford HP5 400.
Where to go
- City Lit: Learn to process black and white photographic film (London) UK
- Edinburgh short courses: Beginners Darkroom Photography UK
- The Light Factory: Black and White Darkroom (Charlotte, North Carolina) US
We opened these links on 13 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
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Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Can I learn to develop film at home?
The core steps of loading, developing, fixing, washing and drying film are what a course like City Lit's teaches, so a class is a sensible first step before buying kit. Printing enlargements needs a darkroom and enlarger.
Do I need my own film camera for a darkroom course?
Not always. City Lit can lend a 35mm SLR to students confident using one, and The Light Factory has loaner 35mm cameras.
How much does a darkroom course cost?
As last listed, from $50 for a film development class at the Harvey Milk Photo Center to £320 for an evening course in Edinburgh, with materials often extra.
What film should I use to learn developing?
Ask your tutor. City Lit recommends Ilford HP5 400, and the Harvey Milk Photo Center suggests Ilford HP5+ 400 or Kodak Tri-X 400.
Where this comes from: City Lit, Learn to process black and white photographic film; Edinburgh short courses, Beginners Darkroom Photography; The Light Factory, Black and White Darkroom; Harvey Milk Photo Center, Basic Black and White Film Development; 6abc, Philadelphia's only community darkroom sheds light on film photography hobbyists. Opened 13 November 2026.
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