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St Pauls Darkrooms – Facilities, Membership and Bookings

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St Pauls Darkrooms are spacious and well-equipped, with black and white printing and processing facilities suitable for beginners or advanced photographers, plus a small colour printing unit. The Darkrooms are fully accessible, and available 7 days a week for individual or group hire, with free inductions and a low-cost membership scheme. 

 

Darkroom Facilities:

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  • 10 enlargers: 35mm, medium format, and 4 x 5 inch 

  • Floor standing enlarger with height adjustable printing surface

  • Black & white printing room

  • Black & white film processing room

  • Durst Printo colour printing unit - 12 x 16 inch

  • Daylight film and print drying and finishing room with light box

  • Large UV exposure box for cyanotypes and alternative processes

 

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Darkroom Membership, Sessional Hire and Fees:

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Darkroom Membership gives you reduced sessional hire - click on the button for the Membership Form and Payment:

Membership: 

  • £50 annual fee

Darkroom Sessional Hire per person:

  • Members - £12 per 3 hour session  /  Non-members - £20 per 3 hour session

Young people under 18 may become Darkroom Members and should be accompanied by a parent or guardian when using the Darkrooms.

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Booking Darkroom Sessions

To book your session in the darkroom please contact St Pauls Learning Centre Reception: splcbookings@ethicalproperty.co.uk or call 0117 914 5470. You can check availability first via St Pauls Learning Centre booking system. Please note, the Darkrooms are a shared space and your darkroom session may overlap with other peoples' bookings. If you require an exclusive booking please email for a quote. If you are doing colour printing we will give you exclusive access to our small darkroom with colour printing module at no extra cost.

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Darkroom Chemistry

All black and white darkroom chemistry for developing film and making prints on photographic paper is included in darkrooms fees, colour darkroom users are required to bring their own. You should also provide your own photographic paper and negative filing sheets. 

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Opening Hours

The Learning Centre operates a flexible booking system allowing you to book any 3-hour session within opening hours:

  • Monday to Thursday -  9am to 9pm (Last session starts at 6pm)

  • Friday – 9am to 5pm (Last session starts at 2pm)

  • Weekends  - 10am to 5pm (Last session starts at 2pm)

 

Free Inductions

All new darkroom users are required to attend a short free Induction for health and safety, to ensure correct use of equipment, how to make up and dispose of chemistry, and to show you where everything you will need for your session is kept. This applies to all new Darkroom users, and anyone who feels in need of a reminder if you haven't been to the Darkrooms for a while.

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Group Bookings:

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Your group or organisation can book the entire darkroom facility exclusively on a regular or one-off basis for projects, workshops and courses. Our darkrooms can accommodate groups of up to 10 participants, and are perfect for professional photographers, youth and community groups, schools, universities, or other organisations who want to enable participants to work together on photographic projects. Photography is a great medium for teaching numeracy, science and creativity; we also offer fascinating illustrated history of photography sessions.

 

We can provide technical support, and tuition at all levels with fully qualified and experienced photography tutors, and ensure you have the best equipment to make your course or workshop a success.

 

Book your group for a one-off workshop or course, or make a regular booking by contacting us via stpaulsdarkrooms@gmail.com

 

Darkroom Hire Fees*

Book a half day (three hours) or a full day (six hours)

 

School and Community rates - includes black & white processing chemicals**

Half day including induction: £70

Full day including induction: £120

Half day including induction and technical set-up: £95

Full day including induction and technical set-up: £145

Half day including tutor and technical support: £200

Full day including tutor and technical support:  £300

 

Commercial and Corporate rates - includes black & white processing chemicals**

Half day including induction: £100

Full day including induction: £190

Half day including induction and technical support: £180

Full day including induction and technical support: £350

Half day including tutor and technical support: £280

Full day including tutor and technical support: £550

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* We can work with your group to obtain funding in order to implement imaginative and exciting photography projects – contact us via stpaulsdarkrooms@gmail.com to find out more!

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** We can also provide black and white film and photographic paper for your group at cost price, or you can provide your own.

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