FAQ

Do you have a darkroom I can visit?

We are based in Sydney but don’t have a bricks and mortar darkroom space. You actually don’t need a darkroom to process film (though you do need one to make prints) so we teach our workshops out of other spaces (so far this has included the tap rooms of local breweries, cafes and a distillery, even from Remi’s car boot in a scenic carpark). We love processing and teaching workshops outdoors and in a variety of venues.

What is eco processing?

In our work and research for TDS we have been using organic materials (e.g. coffee, seaweed, invasive weeds and industry waste) to make developers to process film and paper. These working developers can be made from a few easy to purchase ingredients and organic additions. We refer to this way of working as “eco processing” or “eco developing” as the homemade chemistry is less toxic to work with and has a lighter footprint.

Can I process film at home?

Yes you absolutely can! With a few bits and pieces (a tank, change bag, thermometer, access to water and some easy to get ingredients) it’s possible to do the process almost anywhere! We sell most of this starting equipment on our store to get you started.

Wherever you are processing film, make sure you are working in a well ventilated area (outdoors, by an open window, etc) and be cautious when using chemistry around food prep surfaces.

What is caffenol?

Caffenol is an instant coffee based developer, and is usually most people’s entry point into alternative and home-made film developing. If you are new to alternative developing we recommend giving caffenol a try before diving into other eco developers, as there are many resources (such as the caffenol Facebook group and caffenol cookbook) and recipes that you can access.

What are my options for scanning negatives?

You have a couple of options here. If you’re just getting started with processing yourself, you can take your negatives to a local lab and they can scan them for you. If you are wanting to invest in a scanning system the two main choices are between a flatbed scanner (such as an Epson) or a camera scanning set up (like a Valoi easy 35 or a copy stand set up with a lightbox).

There are pros and cons to each scanning set up (in terms of image quality, time, cost and space) so it’s worth thinking about where you want your images to end up, your budget, etc.

How can I learn how to process film?

We run workshops teaching people how to process film so this may be a good place to start if you’re in Sydney and able to make an event. There are also a lot of good resources online that can help you get started. We sell the basic equipment that you’ll need to get started in our store (like a change bag and a tank).

I’m not in Sydney, do you ever run workshops elsewhere or is there a way I can learn from you?

We would love to expand where we run our workshops from and in future are definitely planning on coming to some other states - we will keep everyone posted on our socials and through our newsletter when we have anything to announce!

We also offer one-on-one mentoring sessions if you can’t make an in-person workshop, want to learn anything specific or receive technical advice/support for a project. Please reach out if you’re interested in this and we can figure out how best to support you.

Can I make all of the chemicals that I need to process film?

We make our own developers but we still use a conventional fixer (we like Ilford fixer like Simplicity Fix). We do this when making work where stability of the final image is important. We recycle and reuse the fixer for as long as we can before it goes through a silver reclamation process (if you’re in Sydney and need to dispose of fixer, we run a collection every second Friday of each month - email isobel@thedarkroom.social to book in).

Alternative or “eco” fixers are possible to use, however the chemical issue with fixer is that the resulting solution is loaded with heavy metal silver that clears out of the film, so any fixing solution must be treated properly before it is returned to the environment.