Darkroom 101 - An Introduction to B&W Film Photography

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 the making of the image to the processing of film and printing the images. With this weekend workshop series, the CPB Foundation is excited to welcome the community into our darkroom.

 Whether you're a seasoned photographer or a complete novice, this workshop series is designed to help you develop and expand your skills. The workshop integrates learning and feedback from previous batches into a new two-day format that includes a mentored photo walk for participants as well as making an analogue contact sheet of your rolls.

Darkroom 101 - Shooting & Developing Film 

Batch 13: Saturday, December 20 & Sunday, December 21, 2025

Workshop Cost - Rs 6,900 per person for Darkroom 101

Student Discount - 25% against valid student ID

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

Group Size - Minimum 5 up to a maximum of 12 participants. 

Venue - CPB Foundation, Kottivakkam, Chennai.

Number of Film Rolls - 1 x Film Roll of less than 16 frames for Day 1 + 1 x Full 36 Frame Roll for Day 2

Darkroom 101 - Schedule

DAY 1 : Saturday - Orientation & Exposing a first roll of film

10am to 12:30pm  - Welcome Note & Introduction to Film Photography

12:30pm to 2:30pm - Shot a half roll of film in the CPB neighborhood- solidify your understanding of metering and handling of film cameras

2:30pm to 6 pm - Develop & Scan your first film roll

6pm to 7pm - Individual Reviews

DAY 2 : Sunday - Photo Walk on Film

6am to 8:30am - Mentored Photo Walk 

8:30am to 9:30am - Breakfast with the group (costs included)

10 am to 2 pm - Lab Hours - Developing & Scanning your 2nd roll

2pm to 4pm - Individual Reviews

4 pm to 7 pm - Lab Hours - Scanning

4:30pm to 5:30pm - Group Slideshow & Final Thoughts

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop series is open to anyone interested in film photography over the age of 16. Students can write to darkroom@chennaiphotobiennale.com with their Student ID to received a 25% discount code for registration. 

Participants are required to have a film camera for this workshop. We offer a small number of rental cameras for our participants at an additional cost of Rs 600 for the workshop duration.

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.

Cancellation Policy

• Full Refund (100%): For cancellations made at least 14 days (2 weeks) before the event.

• 50% Refund or 100% Store Credit: For cancellations made 7–13 days before the event.

• No Refund: For cancellations made less than 7 days prior to the event.

Event Cancellation/Rescheduling

If CPB Darkroom must cancel or reschedule due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you will receive a full refund.