Black and White Darkroom Printing Masterclass - 25th and 26th January 2025

In this two day workshop you will spend time with darkroom master printer and MIE founder Daniel Wheeler, learning how to explore tonality in the darkroom whilst making beautiful prints from your negatives.

This workshop was derived from Daniel's many years of working with his friend, photographer, teacher and master printer John Blakemore.

Much of the techniques and subjects covered in the workshop are directly taken, with permission, from the workshops Daniel and John ran together over the last decade.

Day one

- We will start by looking at a range of print examples from John Blakemore's archive. These are examples of Johns own prints and prints made by his students. They express the broad range of tonality that is possible when working in the black and white darkroom. 

- we will discuss the importance of the negative and proper development and exposure. We will also talk a little about the Zone System and how we might apply its concepts to your practice.

- After a lunch break Dan will demonstrate various printing techniques to give you a practical understanding of the theories discussed earlier in the day. We will then set up enlargers ready for you to print the next day.

Day two

- On day two you will have the opportunity to print from your own negatives using our facilities. We can accommodate negatives from 35mm half frame up to 5"x4". We will provide Ilford fibre based paper for you to work with.

- During the day Daniel will be at hand to assist you whilst you practice new methods of black and white printing and help you hone your skills. The idea is that you explore tonality through play in the darkroom. Quality over quality... if you make one perfect print or learn a new skill then the workshop will be a success!

- We will need to allow your prints to dry over night but will arrange postage of your prints the following day.

This is a rare opportunity to learn a totally different and more holistic approach to darkroom printing which combines technical understanding and expression through use of darkroom techniques. 

We ask that participants bring a range of developed negatives with them on the day so that we might choose one to explore darkroom techniques with.

It is also important to point out that this workshop (despite being a "masterclass") is suitable for most abilities. Having said that, a little darkroom experience will certainly ensure you get the most from the experience.

This workshop will run from 10am until approximately 4pm.

Please note that, as with all of our workshops, we need a certain number of attendees to run the event. If for any reason we have to postpone or reschedule the workshop we will inform you 1 week prior to the workshop date. We are able to either fully refund the ticket or move your booking to a rescheduled date.