Make photographs
by hand.
Halide House is an independent community darkroom where analog photographers at every level mix chemicals, expose paper, and hold finished prints. Workshops on Saturdays. Open lab Tuesday & Thursday evenings.
Intro to
Black-and-White Printing
Who is this for?
This workshop is built for photographers who have never set foot in a darkroom, as well as those who have some digital darkroom experience and want to understand where it all came from. You bring your 35mm or medium-format negatives — we handle everything else.
No experience necessary. No equipment to buy. Just bring curiosity and a roll or two of previously exposed film.
What you leave with
- →Up to 6 finished 8×10 gelatin silver prints
- →A contact sheet from your negatives
- →Working knowledge of the development process
- →Confidence to return for open lab sessions
- →A 10% discount on your first month of membership
- ✓All chemistry — developer, stop bath, fixer
- ✓Ilford RC paper (up to 6 prints, 8×10)
- ✓Access to two Durst M605 enlargers
- ✓Loupe, timer, tongs, dodging tools
- ✓Small-group format — max 5 participants
- ✓Post-workshop notes PDF
Darkroom Orientation
Learn the layout, the safety rules, chemical handling, and why the safelight is amber.
Reading Your Negative
Understand density and contrast before you touch the enlarger. Good prints start with good reading.
Setting Up the Enlarger
Focus, compose, and set exposure time. You will make a test strip and a contact sheet.
Developing the Print
Tray sequence — developer, stop bath, fixer — and watching the image emerge under safelight.
Washing & Drying
Archival washing times, the print washer, and hanging your work to dry on the wire.
Critical Looking
Evaluate your prints with Mara. Learn to read tonal range, burning and dodging next steps.
Open Darkroom
for working photographers
Drop-in or pre-book an enlarger station via the member portal. Sessions run four hours. Last entry at 21:00.
- →Unlimited Tuesday & Thursday evening access
- →Use of all enlargers and wet-side trays
- →Base chemistry always stocked and fresh
- →Locker for personal chemistry and paper
- →Access to the critique-night archive
- →Member Discord with print-exchange board
- →10% off workshop seat bookings
- →Invitation to monthly print exchange
- 1.Complete Intro Workshop
All members begin with the Saturday intro. It covers darkroom safety and technique.
- 2.Choose your plan
Month-to-month, cancel any time. No setup fee.
- 3.Collect your key
Pick up your access card at the studio on your first open session.
Chemistry stewardship
Top up trays before and after each session. Never pour exhausted developer back into the stock bottle.
Light discipline
Always announce before opening the film-loading cabinet. Ask before switching on the white light.
Clean as you go
Wipe the enlarger baseboard. Drain and rinse trays. Sweep the paper scraps. Leave it better than you found it.
Shared equipment
Book an enlarger in advance for busy evenings. First-come, first-served for walk-ins.
Start with the intro workshop.
Membership follows.
Prints from the
community
All work shown is made by Halide House members and workshop alumni, printed in our darkroom on Weserstraße.
Critique Night
Members pin ten prints to the board. Mara leads a structured group review: what works, what doesn't, and what to try next time. Free for members, €8 for guests.
Documentary photographer
and master printer
Mara Klein spent a decade working as a documentary photographer across Germany, Poland, and the Balkans before returning to Berlin in 2018. She learned to print at a community darkroom in Leipzig that has since closed — and opened Halide House the following year so the same knowledge would have somewhere to live in Neukölln.
Her own work focuses on labour, industry, and the material world. She uses a Leica M6 and a Mamiya RB67, prints almost exclusively on fibre-base paper, and keeps two Durst enlargers in the studio. Her prints have been exhibited in Berlin, Warsaw, and at the FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby.
Mara teaches the way she was taught: by making you do it yourself. She dislikes demonstrations that end with the instructor's print hanging on the wall. In her workshops, every print that hangs belongs to the person who made it.
Monthly Critique Night
Last Wednesday of every month. Ten prints pinned. Group review led by Mara.
Quarterly Print Exchange
Members each contribute a print. Everyone leaves with someone else's work.
Technical Reading Group
Alternate months we work through a chapter of The Darkroom Handbook. Optional.
Guest Printer Evenings
Visiting photographers share their process and answer questions. Free for members.
I had tried to teach myself from YouTube for two years. One Saturday with Mara and I understood more about tone and contrast than I had in all of that time. The pace is gentle but there is no hand-holding — you actually make the prints yourself.
The open lab evenings feel like a proper community. People share chemistry notes, help each other with exposures, and stay late debating developers. Mara created that culture intentionally, and it shows.
I am a working photojournalist who always shot digital. Coming back to silver gelatin changed how I see. The critique nights are rigorous without being unkind — exactly what I needed.
Weserstraße 88,
Berlin-Neukölln
Weserstraße 88
12059 Berlin-Neukölln
Germany
U8 Hermannstraße
Exit front of the train heading south. Take the Weserstraße exit. Turn left on Weserstraße — we are approximately 250m on the left, in the courtyard behind the rust-orange door. 7 minutes from Hermannplatz.
S41 / S42 Neukölln
From S-Bahn Neukölln: walk south on Karl-Marx-Straße, then right on Weserstraße. About 12 minutes on foot. Alternatively, take the M41 bus two stops to Weserstraße / Donaustraße.
Bike parking in the courtyard
There is a covered bike rack in the Hinterhof. Press the buzzer labelled “Halide House” and we will open the gate. The studio is a 10-minute ride from Tempelhof and 15 minutes from Kreuzberg.
Partially step-free
The courtyard entrance and wet-side darkroom are step-free. The film-loading cabinet is on a raised platform (one 15 cm step). Please contact us before your visit if you have specific access requirements — we will do our best to accommodate.
- →Your exposed 35mm or 120 film
- →Old clothes or an apron (chemistry stains)
- →Closed-toe shoes (required)
- →A notebook — notes survive the darkroom
- →Water bottle with a lid
- →Confirmation email with session time
Common
questions
If your question isn't answered here, write to us at hello@halidehouse.de. We reply within one working day.
No experience is required. The workshop is specifically designed for people who have never been in a darkroom. You do need to have some exposed film — shot on any 35mm or 120 camera. If you don't have negatives yet, let us know when you book and we can arrange loaner film to shoot beforehand.
You are welcome to borrow a Pentax K1000 from our studio loan cupboard for the week before your workshop. Contact us after booking to arrange this. There is no rental charge for workshop participants.
No. The €65 workshop fee includes all chemistry and up to 6 sheets of Ilford RC paper at 8×10 inches. You only need to bring your exposed negatives. If you want to print larger or use fibre-base paper, there is a small supplement of €3 per sheet.
Wear old clothes you don't mind staining — developer and fixer both leave permanent marks on fabric. Closed-toe shoes are required; sandals and open shoes are not permitted in the wet area. We have aprons available if you forget.
You may cancel up to 72 hours before your session for a full refund. Cancellations within 72 hours receive a credit note valid for 6 months. If Halide House cancels a session due to equipment failure or low enrolment, you receive a full refund or a direct transfer to the next available date.
No. The Intro Workshop is a prerequisite for membership and open lab access. This is primarily a safety requirement: working with photographic chemistry in a shared space requires that everyone understands the handling and disposal protocols. No exceptions.
We have two Durst M605 enlargers, one Durst L1200 for 4×5 work, three wet-side trays per station, a Nova slot processor, an RC paper dryer, and a Nova FB print washer. All chemistry is stocked and replenished by Mara. Members may store personal chemistry and paper in named lockers.
Yes. Members are welcome to bring their own paper and chemistry. Please check with Mara before introducing an unfamiliar developer or fixer — some combinations require tray preparation or different disposal procedures. Selenium toner and bleach-based processes are available by arrangement only.
Month-to-month, with no minimum commitment and no setup fee. Cancel any time before the billing date and your access continues until the end of the paid month. We do not offer refunds for partial months.
Observers are welcome at workshops with prior notice — contact us when you book. In open lab sessions, active participants only: the space is limited and each station needs to be in active use. Guests may attend Critique Night for €8.