I am excited to offer the One Day Black and White Fine Print Boot Camp, a fun but intense day of activity designed to quickly and efficiently provide participants with the knowledge and tools necessary make great black and white prints in the darkroom. The workshop will provide a unique experience in a friendly and supportive environment for photographers of all skill levels who wish to make satisfying images using black and white film, traditionally printed on silver gelatin paper to the highest archival standards. The workshop will benefit beginners, as well as advanced students looking for a refresher or new approaches to improve existing skills.

I know that there is a lot of mystery and disinformation about traditional darkroom processes, equipment requirements and the difficulty of producing gorgeous black and white prints. The secret is that it really is not difficult at all and equipment requirements are not onerous.

We will kick off with a constructive evaluation of participants’ prints, participant description of original concept, objective, approach taken, equipment, materials and methods used, and finally printing methodology and procedures employed, along with participant discussion concerning alternative approaches or possible changes in emphasis that could be considered.

This will be followed by a tour of my Workroom and Darkroom, along with an in-depth discussion of equipment, materials, chemistry and other considerations for making Fine Prints. We will then discuss the importance of proper negative storage and making of proof sheets.

Next, I will demonstrate how to easily create handcrafted black and white prints with a minimum of difficulty — and no mystery. We will start by looking at proof sheets. Then we will select one of my negatives to print, determine proper printing exposure time for high values and paper contrast for low values. We will establish and follow repeatable steps to arrive at the final “fine print” as quickly and easily as possible, including application of burning and dodging procedures and use of selenium toner for subtle tonal shift and archival permanence in the final product. Workshop participants will work with the same negative I used to obtain the same results. Finally, I will also demonstrate how to spot, mount and mat the finished print, as well as discuss other considerations including overmatting and framing.

The result is that participants will be able to leave with the knowledge and confidence necessary to be able to print and display meaningful personal images back at home.

Attendees can bring up to three prints for instructor review. Be prepared to learn a lot and have fun!

Workshop Dates:

November 4, 2017 (8:30am – 5pm)

December 9, 2017 (8:30am – 5pm)

February 10, 2018 (8:30am – 5pm)

April 14, 2018 (8:30am – 5pm)

June 9, 2018 (8:30am – 5pm)

August 11, 2018 (8:30am – 5pm)

October 6, 2018 (8:30am – 5pm)

December 1, 2018 (8:30am – 5pm) 

Workshop Fee: $250  

Personal One Day Workshops are also available for $350 (for one person)

The deposit for each workshop is $100. Final payment is requested 3 weeks prior to the start of the workshop. The deposit is non-refundable. If a workshop is cancelled for any reason, your deposit will be returned in full.

Please contact me by email or phone to reserve a spot or discuss these workshops.

info@michaelmarksphoto.com           (215)-348-9171