Even as the digital age advances, nothing can compare to the elegance and visual impact of a fine black and white print, hand-crafted in a wet darkroom. If you have ever lost yourself for hours in pursuit of the perfect print, this course is for you.

Through a series of lectures and hands-on demonstrations, we will show you the technical and artistic techniques that will bring your printing skills to an exciting new level. You will learn how essential a properly exposed negative is to a good print, and how to work with, and enhance the less-than-perfect negatives we all sometimes produce.

Variable contrast control techniques including dodging and burning, flashing, split filtering and bleaching will be demonstrated and discussed until all of the “mysteries” and guess-work have been eliminated from your printing procedure.

The darkroom is a meditative, absorbing space where creativity can flourish unhindered. Interspersed with the technical instruction will be assignments designed to stretch your notions of what can be achieved in such a “low tech” environment. Sandwiching negatives, printing through textures, and solarization are but a few of the ideas we will explore. You will also be introduced to different papers, films, toners and archival processing, opening a world of creative possibilities.

Since all of you will be addicts by the end of the course, we will discuss the options and requirements for setting up your own darkroom.

Familiarity with basic darkroom techniques (Learn Photo or equivalent) is required for this course. Darkroom classes are available if you need a refresher session.