6-week Darkroom Course
with Joachim Froese
Designed for photographers who have some familiarity with black-and-white film or darkroom printing and want to build their skills further. Previous formal darkroom experience is helpful, but not a prerequisite.
Over six weeks, artist and educator Joachim Froese will guide you through advanced film development, tonal control, refined printing techniques, retouching and the final presentation of finished prints.
course snapshot
Level – Some previous black-and-white film processing or darkroom printing experience is helpful, but it’s not a prerequisite.
Format – 6-week evening course, 2 hours per session, Tuesdays 6-8pm.
Cost – $1200, incl. materials
Starts – October 6, 2026
Group size – Max 4 people. Small group for plenty of one-on-one support
Tutor – Joachim Froese – artist, educator, darkroom specialist
Location – The Darkroom @ Queensland Centre for Photography, 6 Maud Street, Newstead, Brisbane
Experience – Some familiarity with black-and-white film processing or darkroom printing is helpful, but not essential. The course begins with a recap of core film processing and printing techniques.
Week 1 – Film Processing and Printing Recap
We begin with a review of film choice, developers and essential darkroom printing techniques. The session covers pushing and pulling film, methods for suppressing or enhancing grain, experimental film developers and a recap of printing fundamentals.
Practical
During the practical session, students will refresh their basic printing skills.
Homework
Shoot one roll of black-and-white film, exposed for development during the following session.
Week 2 – Film Processing
This week focuses on refining film development to achieve specific creative and technical results. We will examine how the choice of film and developer affects the negative, along with pushing and pulling film, controlling grain and using experimental developers.
Practical
During the practical session, students will adjust their film-processing approach to suit their own negatives and intended printing outcomes.
Week 3 – Black-and-White Printing
This week introduces fibre-based photographic papers and the techniques needed to print with greater precision. We will review enlarger operation and accurate focusing, then create exposure tests to examine the effects of overexposure and underexposure.
Practical
During the practical session, students will make their first fibre-based print.
Week 4 – Printing Fundamentals – Contrast & Washing
Explore contrast control using filters or colour heads and learn proper archival washing and drying so your prints last.
We refine your printing by learning to control contrast and to finish prints properly.
Topics
Introduction to contrast control: contrast filters and colour-mixing heads
How contrast affects the mood and readability of an image
Archival washing and drying: making prints that last
Practical
Practice basic printing skills using your own negatives
Make prints at different contrast grades and compare the results
The focus this week is on clean, consistent prints and good technical habits.
Week 5 – Printing Fundamentals – Dodging & Burning
Shape light more deliberately with dodging and burning, fine-tuning local contrast and guiding the viewer’s eye through the frame.
With a solid base print, we can now shape light more precisely.
Topics
Contrast control 2: fine-tuning overall contrast
Introduction to dodging and burning: lightening and darkening selected areas
Using simple tools and hand movements to guide the viewer’s eye
Practical
Continue to practice basic printing skills
Apply dodging and burning to one or two key images, working towards a more expressive final print
Students start to see how subtle adjustments can transform a straight print into a considered one.
Week 6 – Printing Fundamentals – Final Prints
Bring everything together by making a small set of final prints, matching tones and contrast across images and finishing them for presentation.
The final week is about consistency and finishing a small set of prints you’re proud of.
Topics
Consistency in black & white printing: matching tonal values and contrast across several prints
Evaluating a final print: checking shadow and highlight detail, mid-tones and overall balance
Simple options for presentation and storage
Practical
Ongoing practice of core printing skills
Produce one or more final prints, applying everything learned: exposure, contrast, dodging, burning, washing and drying
By the end of Week 6 you’ll have a clear, repeatable printing workflow and a set of finished gelatin silver prints made entirely by you.
The Tutor:
Joachim Froese is an art photographer and educator who holds a PhD/Art from RMIT in Melbourne.
Joachim works across a range of platforms from digital capture to historical printing processes. His photographs are renowned for their technical brilliance and their conceptual depth. He has shown his work for almost 30 years in major solo, group and travelling exhibitions across Australia, Europe, Asia, and North America and his images have featured in many national and international art publications. A number of his works are held in public collections such as the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery of Australia, and the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA).
Joachim is a highly experienced educator who has held regular teaching appointments and guest lectures on photography at universities in Australia and Germany since 2001. He teaches from a practitioner’s point of view and enjoys sharing his unique knowledge across a broad spectrum of photographic processes.