Photography archive · Learning in Berlin

Workshops & Processes

Photography is not only the final image. It is also the hands, tools, questions and small decisions that make an image possible.

Explore workshops Photography archive

Darkroom technician handling a large film development tank at Berlin Photo Studio

Inside the processFilm development, inspection and shared learning.

Darkroom process

Developing by hand.

Film development is a sequence of preparation, chemistry, timing, movement, washing and cleaning. Much of the work is invisible once the negatives leave the lab, but every step shapes the final result.

Darkroom technician handling a film development tank at Berlin Photo Studio — Tank preparationAnalogue film development

Film developing tanks and chemistry at Berlin Photo Studio — Tools & chemistryPrepared for each batch

Film reels drying in the darkroom at Berlin Photo Studio — After processingReels drying between batches

Technician cleaning film development equipment at Berlin Photo Studio — CleaningPart of every process

Hands loading analogue film onto a development reel — Loading the reelHands, practice and attention

Negative inspection

Reading the negative.

A negative carries more information than a preview on a screen. Density, frame spacing, scratches, exposure and development marks are read under light before scanning and delivery.

Film lab technician inspecting analogue negatives on a light table — First inspectionNegatives on the light table

Technician checking negatives with a magnifier — Frame by frameLooking closely before scanning

Film negative quality check with a loupe — Quality controlDetails reveal the story

Polaroid emulsion lift

Lifting the image.

The image layer of a Polaroid photograph is released in warm water, separated from its original support and transferred by hand. Small folds and movements become part of the final piece.

Participant releasing the image layer from a Polaroid photograph in warm water during an emulsion lift workshop at Berlin Photo Studio — ReleaseThe emulsion loosens in warm water

Close-up of a participant separating the emulsion from a Polaroid photograph over a water tray at Berlin Photo Studio — SeparateThe image layer is lifted by hand

Daylight film development

Developing without a darkroom.

Film rolls can be processed outside a traditional darkroom with daylight developing equipment. Participants first learn how to guide film onto the reels, prepare the tank, follow AGO through the beginning of the development process, and then control the chemistry and timing.

Participant practising how to guide a strip of film onto a developing reel in daylight during a Berlin Photo Studio workshop — Learning to load the reelsPractising with film in daylight before loading the tank

Participants learning to load exposed film onto developing reels during a daylight film development workshop outside Berlin Photo Studio — Loading the reelsHands-on preparation before development

AGO showing participants how to begin film development with a daylight developing tank at Berlin Photo Studio — Starting development with AGOThe loaded reels enter the daylight tank

Participants measuring chemistry and controlling timing while developing film rolls in daylight outside Berlin Photo Studio — Chemistry & timingEach developing step is measured and controlled

Cyanotype workshop with Hannah Adam

Printing with sunlight.

During Hannah Adam’s cyanotype workshop, participants arrange plants, photographs and transparent materials into compositions, expose them to ultraviolet light and let the characteristic blue image appear through washing and drying.

Hannah Adam guiding participants as they build cyanotype compositions together during a workshop at Berlin Photo Studio — Workshop tableHannah Adam guides the group

Flowers, transparent images and photographic materials arranged during Hannah Adam's cyanotype workshop at Berlin Photo Studio — Build the compositionPlants, images and transparent layers

Participants hanging freshly exposed cyanotype prints to dry outside during Hannah Adam's workshop at Berlin Photo Studio — Drying outsideThe blue prints complete their transformation

Workshops & community

Learning together.

Workshops turn private knowledge into a shared table. Participants compare results, ask questions, test materials and understand photography by touching the process themselves.