Black and White Film Photography - An Introduction - 5 week course (£160)

John has many years experience as a tutor at what is now Leeds Arts University. Specialising in portrait and landscape photography, John worked at the BBC Television Centre for 10 years before freelancing for various charities and his work has appeared in various publications. A resident of Yorkshire for 20 years, he has produced a large body of work that he has been told 'redefines the English landscape'. He has an MA in Creative Practice from Leeds Arts University and has work in the permanent collections of the V&A, National Portrait Gallery, Cecil House, Friends House London and private collections worldwide.

Monday evening 6.30 - 9pm

Age Requirement: This is an adult education course - you must be aged 18 or over to enrol.

Cancellation of Course: We reserve the right to cancel this course if necessary. In the event of cancellation we will give as much notice as possible and refund the course fee in full or credit that amount against a later course if you prefer that alternative. If you have to cancel your place on the course then, provided you give us reasonable notice, we will refund your fee less the commission charged by Eventbrite

Required: You will need your own 35mm film camera for this course.

Provided: 1 roll of 35mm B&W film and 25 sheets of 5x7 inch photographic paper

You will learn how to use your camera and understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and film speed. This course will enable you to achieve perfectly exposed negatives, learn how to process your films and master basic printing techniques.Discover the magic of Black & White Photography and learn some of the secrets the masters use to make stunning photographs. Explore the fundamentals of light and time. Master the manual functions of your 35mm SLR film camera and unlock its true potential. In a nutshell learn everything you need to know to produce photos you can be really proud of.Perfect for those with no experience or those looking for a full refresher. The course will run for 5 consecutive weeks from the start date and needs a minimum of 2 people enrolled to run.

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 your 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.

Week 2 Film processing:Learn how to process B&W film by hand in our darkroom. We will discuss different film types and chemistry, as well as best practice procedures for film handling. This week we will look at others work and stand on the shoulders of giants.

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

Weeks 4 & 5 Darkroom printing:The last 2 sessions 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.

Host or Publisher Aire Street Darkroom - independent, black & white analogue darkroom Leeds