Introduction to Black and White Photography

Course Outline

Intro to black and white Photography

“Any good photography is a successful synthesis of technique and art.” Andreas Feininger

Discover the magic of Black & White Photography and learn some of the secrets the masters use to produce stunning photographic prints. Artist tutor, Morwenna Kearsley takes you on a journey of discovery through four enlightening modules. Master the Manual functions of your 35mm SLR camera and unlock it and your true potential. Get to grips with the complete darkroom workflow from processing film to printing your own black & white photographs.
A practical and fun course designed to give you the confidence and skills to use Stills’ open access darkrooms independently. Perfect for those with no experience or looking for a full refresh

If you don't have a SLR camera we have a limited number of available for use during the course please call or email for availability

Week 1 Capture, technical notes, discussions, art context.
Understand the fundamentals of light and time in balancing an accurate exposure; No longer be a slave to the Auto setting! Know how to utilise the Manual functions of their 35mm SLR camera;Understand film types, film speed, depth of field, different lenses and how to use them creatively; Appreciate photography within an art context - Begin to look at the work of other photographers.

Assignment: You will be given a project and one roll of B&W film to be done for the second week

Week 2 Film processing:
Learn how to process B&W film by hand in Stills’ darkrooms. We will discuss different film types and chemistry, as well as best practice procedures for film handling.  Appreciate photography within an art context - Look at the work of photographer Nan Goldin

Week 3 Contact printing:
Gain an appreciation of general darkroom procedures; Experiment with photograms, learn contact printing and printing from negatives.

All paper and chemistry will be provided

Week 4 Darkroom printing:
This last session will allow participants to keep on printing with some one to one attention. We will also explore some basic dodging and burning and other printing techniques to get the most from your negatives.