Developing a black and white world

Black and white photography is reinventing itself in the analogue world. I had the opportunity to take part in an analogue photography day courtesy of PRISM Photography. The course was organised by Francesco Felcini, who has a studio in Stryx Gallery, where he has a darkroom set up. There were three of us booked onto the course with Francesco.

The day’s timetable started with a morning briefing and the preparation of our film cameras. I had brought along my Yashica 107 Multi Program camera, which has served me well over the years. With our black and white film locked and loaded, we headed off for a stroll around the Jewellery Quarter. There is always a certain anxiety when you know that you only have 36 pictures to shoot. We explored narrow alleyways, cemeteries, and the streets of the JQ. After an hour, we were back for the next stage.

Developing the film was not straightforward for me. In the darkness of the changing bag, my sweaty hands nearly made a mess of loading the film onto the spools. Francesco came to the rescue and we were soon ready to pour the developing chemicals into the canisters. All went well and we hung the films up to dry.

When you are on a course with Francesco, lunch is an important fixture in the timetable. We had delicious food at the Urban Café, sitting in the sun-drenched front window. This was followed by coffee and cake back in the hidden garden of the Stryx Gallery café. The black and white negatives needed time to dry and, on our return to Francesco’s upstairs studio, we cut the strips and loaded them into archival sleeves.

Now it was time for printing, test strips, and eagerly awaiting the development of the photographs. There was a lot to take in and learn. I had developed films many years ago and had forgotten much of the technique involved. Francesco was patient with us and showed us how the enlarger worked, how to use the filters, and how to ensure that we achieved sharp images.

The lights went off and the red safelight came on. Test strips were made to determine the correct exposure time for the paper. We settled on 10 seconds and then off we went: light exposure followed by immersion in the developer and fixer solutions. Magically, the black and white image slowly revealed itself. We could finally switch the lights back on and see the finished print.

The black and white photograph of Warstone Lane Cemetery was not one that I had initially selected, so I was pleasantly surprised by how well it turned out. My portrait of John, the volunteer at Key Hill Cemetery, also came out well. John had been wearing a cap, which cast a dark shadow across his forehead, but I was still pleased with the result. The results of the pictures are the subject of the next blog post which may be accessed here.

By this point, the day had almost run its course for me as I had to get back for a football match. Dom was still printing his black and white photographs from his newly purchased analogue camera. His results were terrific and made me think seriously about updating my own film camera.

This was a five-star course and one well worth attending if you are thinking about returning to the world of analogue photography. I would recommend joining the PRISM Photography mailing list so that you hear about future workshops and talks over the coming months. PRISM Photography encourages a different way of thinking about how you use your camera. Most importantly, everyone involved in the network is welcoming, friendly, and helpful.

My Blog covers different photographic techniques and you may want to try out oil and water or cyanotype photography.