How to learn darkroom photography
How I did it: Due to some interesting circumstances, I bought a Photography class at the local Art Center through a charity silent auction. To my surprise, darkroom photography was the main thing we learned to do. The techniques were a bit old but I actually learned to develop black and white film and then develop various prints. I had to buy a film camera to get started so I chose the Nikon FM10 and got a great deal off ebay. I got the basics down fairly quickly, but did not have as much time to spend in the dark room as was necessary to get very good.
Lessons & tips: Darkroom photography is very expensive and time consuming, yet essential to learning photography. In my opinion it is good to know how to do this even if you just use digital. Invest the minimum amount of money to learn and then reevaluate if you want to continue once you finish the class.
As materials and dark rooms are difficult to come by, the best thing to do is to take a class first to try it out and then possibly build a makeshift darkroom for yourself. Beyond Basic Photography: A Technical Manual by Horenstein is a good book for that.
If you are trying to decide on where to take a class, pick a place in close proximity to your home or work, as long hours in the dark room are necessary to learn and achieve good results.
Make sure to study your camera manual carefully and to learn how to properly load and unload film before going out to shoot. A classmate lost a whole day of shooting after realizing that the film was not loaded correctly.
Resources: Hyde Park Art Center, Central Camera (in chicago), Ebay,
Nikon FM10, Black and White Photography by Horenstein
