Hamilton Heights Darkroom Workshop | Fall 2025

Hamilton Heights Darkroom Workshops

Hamilton Heights Darkroom (HHD) is dedicated to preserving the timeless craft of traditional darkroom printing and film photography. Through hands-on experiences, students will learn the fundamentals of photography by shooting with film cameras and printing from negatives in the darkroom.

We offer workshops tailored to youth, teens, and adult printers of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced practitioners.

All classes limited to 5 students.

Fall 2025 Dates:

• September 27–Photograms for Parent & Child
• October 18–Family Photo
• November 15–Darkroom Open Printing
• December 20–Matting

Time: 12:00am - 2:00pm

Age Group: All 18+ (except 9/27 which is appropriate for parents and children aged 6+)

Workshops will be held at Children’s Art Carnival at 62 Hamilton Place, New York, NY 10031

Mask Requirement: All students must wear a quality mask (KN95 or N95)

General Admission: $12.16

Class Limit: 6 participants in all classes

Workshop Descriptions:

September 27 | Photograms for Parent & Child: This is a fun introduction to the darkroom class. Students place objects on photographic paper and expose them to light, then develop the paper in our darkroom.  The unusual combinations are personal expressions that utilize the student’s intuition.

October 18 | Family Photo: Everybody has an old box of photos or negatives of their family members. Students bring in negatives of past and current family and make enlarged prints. Multiple copies can be gifted to others.

November 15 | Darkroom Open Printing: Students can print what they like. They can print photograms again or combine enlarged negatives with objects for unique photographs.  Students who attend two or more of these workshops begin to see the potential of creating art in a traditional darkroom.

December 20 | Matting: Students provide their own work to be matted in preparation for framing and display.  This class is suitable for attendance by students from multiple disciplines.  A bevel edged window mat (supplied) is cut for each piece and students attach their work.  Photos, drawings, collage and old newspaper articles can be matted.  Students leave with pieces mounted and ready to frame.

About: Located in the historic Hamilton Heights neighborhood within Harlem, Hamilton Heights Darkroom (HHD) is dedicated to the preservation of traditional darkroom printing and film photography. Students use film cameras, and print from negatives in the darkroom as a basis to learn photography. HHD offers photography basics and darkroom printing for youth, teens and adult printers, from beginner level to advanced.

As darkrooms, photography and public school arts programs disappear, HHD strives to preserve both culture and photography in the Harlem community. HHD offers group printing classes, photography classes (film and digital) and discussion about current photography issues in a collegial setting. HHD collaborates with local community arts and culture organizations seeking youth and adults interested in photography.

Hamilton Heights Darkroom Workshops and all programs at The Children's Art Carnival are made possible with funding from West Harlem Development Corporation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Ruth Foundation for The Arts and donations from New York Film Academy and Hamilton Heights community and beyond.

To learn more about The Children's Art Carnival: Click here

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