Darkroom 101 & 102 - An Introduction to the B&W Film Darkroom

Come and experience the magic of Analogue Photography. Our two-part, hands-on workshops, explore the basics of Black and White film-based photography; from capture to the processing of film and printing the images. With this weekend workshop series, the CPB Foundation is excited to open its new community darkroom for the first time. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or a complete novice, this workshop series is designed to help you develop and expand your skills. 

For more details on the workshop visit our website here!

Darkroom 101 - Shooting & Developing Film 

Batch 1: Friday, May 26th to Sunday, May 28th 2023 - SOLD OUT!

Batch 2: Friday, June 2nd to Sunday, June 4th 2023 - JUST ANNOUNCED

Workshop Cost - Rs 3,500 per person for Darkroom 101

Rs 6,500 total for a combo of 101 & 102

Student Discount - 25% against valid student ID

Rent a Film Camera: Rs 600 for 48 hours (T&C apply)

Group Size - Minimum 4 up to a maximum of 10 participants.

Venue: CPB Foundation, Kotivakkam, Chennai.

Darkroom 101 - Schedule

Friday - May 26th - Presentation and Classroom Practice

4 pm to 7 pm - Welcome Note & Introduction to Film Photography

Each participant will receive 2 (two) half rolls of 35mm black and white film to shoot and develop. On day 1 we will help you load the first roll into your camera. You will have the following morning to step out and shoot the roll. 

Saturday - May 27th - In Lab Demo & Hands-on practice

12 pm to 12.45 pm: Demo on Film Development - 

[participants must complete shooting the roll before 11 am]

1 pm to 3 pm - Lab Hours - Developing - 1st roll  

3 pm - 3.30 pm - Demo - Scanning

4 pm to 7 pm - Lab Hours - Scanning

All participants will receive a 2nd half roll of film to load, shoot, develop and scan before 4 pm on Sunday. 

Sunday - May 28th - Lab Hours & Slideshow with Group Discussion

10 am to 5 pm - Lab Hours 

6.30 pm to 8 pm - Critique & Discussion

For more details on what each day will entail please visit - LINK

Dakrooom 102 - Contact Printing & Enlargements

Batch 1 - Friday, June 16th to Sunday, June 18th 2023

Workshop Cost - Rs 4,000 per person for Darkroom 102

Rs 6,500 total for a combo of 101 & 102

Student Discount - 25% against valid student ID

Group Size - Minimum 4 up to a maximum of 10 participants.

Student Discount - 25% against valid student ID

Venue: CPB Foundation, Kotivakkam, Chennai.

Darkroom 102 - Schedule

Friday - June 16th -  Lab Orientation & Demo on Contact Printing

4 pm to 5.30 pm - Welcome Note & Introduction of Concepts

6 pm to 7 pm - Demo on Contact Printing

Saturday - June 17th -  Introduction to Enlargements

10 am to 12 pm - Lab Hours 

12 pm to 1 pm - Demo - Making Enlargements

2 pm to 6 pm - Lab Hours - Making your first enlargement

Sunday - June 18th - Making Final Prints & Exhibition

10 am to 1 pm - Lab Hours - Fine-tuning prints

2 pm to 4 pm - Setting up of impromptu exhibition

4.30 pm to 7 pm - Open House - Exhibition open to guests

For more details on what each day will entail please visit - LINK

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop series is open to anyone interested in film photography over the age of 16. Participants are required to have a film camera to attend Part 1 of the workshop and/or developed film negatives to attend Part 2 of the workshop.

Participants should ideally have a basic understanding of photography including how to expose an image with manual settings - shutter speed, aperture and ISO to make the most of this workshop. If you are not familiar with this material or would simply like a refresh - consider signing up for a pre-workshop refresher course on Thursday, May 25th 2023 at no additional cost.

About the CPB Community Darkroom:

We are at a critical juncture in human history. With the birth of promptography, we are now in a new age of imagery generated by Artifical Intelligence where the sanctity of the photograph is in question. As if a billion images an hour made on millions of mobile phones was not enough, now a mere thought can generate high-definition images in just about any style you can imagine. In response, the desire to return to the roots of the photographic medium grows stronger by the day. 

The CPB Community Darkroom has been established at this critical juncture as a hub for the experimentation and practice of analogue photography in its many avatars. Serving a diverse range of interests from film and traditional darkroom printing to alternative printing processes, the Darkroom looks to attract varied audiences from across Chennai and beyond.

• The darkroom will be open to members as well as the public via a booking system and will be able to provide readily accessible stocks of chemistry, film and paper. 
• The darkroom will offer regular introductory and advanced workshops in all areas of film photography as well as alternative printing processes like cyanotype, van dyke brown and salt printing and many others. 
• The darkroom will serve as a research hub for experimentation in analogue photography and will put out freely available articles and videos on the subject.
• The darkroom will offer a range of products that include re-spooled film rolls, experimental film chemistry, alternative printing kits, pre-coated papers, digital negatives and more.
• The darkroom will offer commercial film development, scanning and printing services including alternative printing services.
• The darkroom will be available for resident artists to work on projects and experiment with historical photographic processes.