WORKSHOP | No current dates available, but please contact me if you are interested in future dates for 2024
Come along and learn how to make your own colour prints!
Film processing is NOT included, you have to bring your own negatives
No darkroom experience necessary, but you do need to understand apertures and exposure
Processing is done in a machine – you won’t be near any nasty chemicals
Paper is available at £0.70/sheet of 12×9.5″ Fujicolor matt
WHAT WE WILL DO:
– Learn all the technicalities of the enlarger
– How to work in complete darkness
– Create a contact sheet of your negatives so that we can see them properly
– Make test strips to figure out the correct exposure time
– Colour correction
– Final print
Colour printing is slow work in the beginning, so we aim to get one final print done per person in each session
You will also receive a PDF of notes to read up on afterwards – there is a lot to remember
WHAT TO BRING:
Your own colour negatives and a folder to take prints home in
Other useful items are a black marker pen, masking tape, pen and notebook
WHERE WE ARE:
Four Corners, 121 Roman Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 0QN
Nearest Tube is Bethnal Green on the Central Line, otherwise use bus 8 or D6
WHERE TO BUY & DEVELOP COLOUR FILM:
You can buy various types of film (and sheets of paper) from Labyrinth Photographic who we share premises with in Bethnal Green
They also develop film on a 2 day service
Film processing can also be done at Eye Culture, 225 Bethnal Grn Rd, London E2 6AB (no website)
Other places to go are Rapid Eye (Shoreditch) who also sell boxes of paper, Pro Centre (Shoreditch)
For crazy looking films take a look at Lomography
NOTES ON COLOUR FILM:
– Any film is good enough, even the cheap ones. The best results come from properly exposed film, and even a bit of over exposure. More is more in this case! Highlights don’t get blown on film, that’s a digital issue.
– Expired film is ok, but will need 1 stop extra exposure per decade, maybe more if it’s been stored incorrectly.
– The main difference between pro and consumer film is colour consistency across rolls, and the colour balance of the film at a given time. All films change colour over time. Pro films are meant to be stored in a fridge and used immediately, so they are made with their colours looking correct at the time of sale and all rolls look the same. Consumer films are usually kept for months and are made to look their best some time after purchase, and there might be colour variation between rolls.
– Contrast can NOT be increased on the prints like it can with B&W. For higher contrast you can have your film ‘push processed’, this is where you under-expose by one stop and then ask to ‘push’ (over-develop) by one stop. This will give you harsher blacks and stronger colours. The main thing we do in the darkroom is adjust colour balance and exposure.