Darkroom Printing Workshop

  I was lucky enough to recently be among the first groups attending the Film Photography and Traditional Printing workshops at The Fox Darkroom. The studio space Tom has built here is crying out to be photographed, yet alone the beautiful surrounds of Kensingtons industrial past. The Wool store buildings in which the studio are set are a treasure trove of urban landscapes, still life studies and edgy portraiture back drops. Tom and his friends at The Fox offer a wealth of creative and technical know how shared through friendly and informative workshops. I would challenge anyone with an interest to spend the afternoon at a printing workshop and not be queuing for darkroom membership by the end of the day. Keep up the great work.

  Tom is an excellent teacher and the space/the whole building is just divine! Highly recommend

  A beautiful place to learn and build your skill set. You can take part in the workshops or attend the wonderful exhibitions there - a perfect location to get your friends to join you for any of the activities taking place. Tom & the crew are so welcoming and accommodating and you will find that you quickly become part of the Fox Darkroom community that they have built. I promise you will enjoy your time there.

  I received a membership for The Fox Darkroom as a present and it is the best present ever! Tom and the Fox crew are very welcoming and helpful. It's been great going in to develop film, print photos and have a place to discover and share the magic of film. As well as working on my own prints, it's nice to go visit the gallery and be inspired by other artists and be a part of a bigger community.

  What a wonderful space to fall in love with the fascinating art of printing your own vision, telling your story. Tom has a warm and nurturing way, he takes you on the journey of learning techniques of developing and printing, while encouraging you to explore and trail new things. I was so inspired after doing the "shoot and develop" workshop I went home and took 2 rolls the very next day! Anyone would love the easy going nature of the workshops - no experience necessary to attend, fun for all!

  Great space, amazing service and attention from staff. Looking forward to the next exhibition.

  I had a blast at the photography and developing workshop. The class was interesting and extremely hands-on, the darkroom was beautiful and well equipped, and Tom was a lovely, genuine guy with plenty of wisdom to share. I can't wait to go back again and again. And, to top it all off, the course was one of the cheapest of its kind I have ever found. Great value, great atmosphere, and great practical learning. The Fox Darkroom is a fantastic place to go to spend time with like-minded film enthusiasts.

  Brilliant facilities and facilitators who love their craft and have an exceptional ability to nurture those fascinated with (film) photography and prove that black and white is a whole lot more than just an image ♡

  Recently, I was lucky to experience the pleasure of utilizing the beautiful gallery space that is The Fox Gallery for my book launch and picture exhibition. I was very impressed by the professional and friendly service of Tom and his diligent crew. It was obvious to me that their sole objective was the success of my show. They worked tirelessly to ensure everything looked perfect and ran smoothly. Thank you Tom!!!

  I did the printing/developing workshop here and it was so much fun! Tom is a super easy going, lovely guy and a patient teacher. We all lost track of time, it was going so fast - that's how much fun we were having. I definitely recommend this workshop to anyone beginning analogue photography, as this workshop will be priceless in your learning. I cant wait to go back and do the film developing workshop! (p.s this is the backwards order, I recommend taking the film developing workshop first, then develop your prints you made in the printing workshop). I wish I lived in Melbourne to sign up as a member to use this funky darkroom all the time :).

  As a professional photographer that shoots the majority of my work digital now, I can still remember falling in love with photography in the darkroom many years ago, watching images magically appear in the developer!!! It's something that you have to experience Can't wait to do it again with The Fox Darkroom! Keep me posted!!! Keep up the great work!

  Great place run by great people. Great place to learn the skills or just to have access to use the darkroom. Highly recommended 🙂

  So friendly and welcoming to everyone who comes through those doors. I keep shooting just to come back for more 🙂

  I did both the Photography Developing and Printing workshops and thoroughly loved them both. The studio is a great set up, in a wonderful old warehouse. Our hosts Tom and Harriet are friendly and relaxed and have great advice and tips to share. They make you feel very welcome, unlike some other workshops I've done where the photographers can be a bit arrogant!! We came away from the 2 workshops with a perfectly developed roll of film and 2 framed prints. I highly recommend these guys to anyone wanting to get back to the basics of photography and there's nothing better than watching your pictures appear in front of your eyes. Thanks Tom and Harriet, can't wait to get back and print some more!

  The Fox Darkroom Hidden in the old Younghusband Woolstores in Kensington - a wonderful building housing every type of creative activity - you will find The Fox Darkroom run by photographer Tom Goldner. Tom provides short courses for those new to analogue photography, or those with prior experience but seeking a process refresh. Introduction to film cameras, developing your own B&W film, and printing and enlarging - the alchemy of the darkroom - are all covered in Tom's courses. The darkroom and equipment are also available for members and others who are seeking access to a well equipped lab to do their own thing! Tom is a wonderful teacher - enthusiastic, knowledgable, sensitive, patient and able to cater for course members with widely varying capabilities, group sizes are kept small allowing for personal teaching and the combination of shooting in a such a photogenic location and then working through the dark room processes in a such a beautiful surrounding is hard to beat! The physical environment at Fox is very special, but it is surpassed by the warmth and welcome and guidance of Tom Goldner! So arrange a time to visit the Fox Darkroom - make time to slow down and think about your photography - have a play with film and developing your own negatives. Very highly recommended. Bruce E

  So you get given this thing thats basically nothing (ok, its a roll of film). Some cellulose on a strip of plastic. Theres interesting furniture and a really dark room. Somehow though... this dude with an excellent beard calmly and simply explains to you how a camera works. Without your knowing he turns the conversation to why he is (and consequently you are) passionate about photography. Shortly after you're taking photos on a manual camera you couldn't use an hour ago in streets you didn't know existed. Shortly after, that the strip of plastic has turned into something you can look at and make oohh aahh noises at. You even get to pretend you're Walter White. It's awesome, do it.

  I attended the film photography/developing basics and darkroom printing workshops and they were excellent. The groups were small and the instructor (Jake) catered well to the different experience levels in the group and took a genuine interest in each person's work. The 4 hour length of both workshops was ideal - enough time to cover all the material without it being a long day. I left feeling inspired and ready to get back into printing my own photos after not doing it for 12 years. Two Saturdays well spent!

  I had the pleasure of attending The Fox Darkroom workshop over the weekend, and loved every minute. Tom has created something very special. A little photography haven in what can only be described as an inspiring location – an old wool store building. The location and Tom’s amazing set-up can only put you in good spirits when you take the workshop. Tom is a great guide, and will tailor the course depending on each individual’s goals. The negative making process was fantastic, being able to create something from scratch. The darkroom experience was something foreign to me, having come into photography in the digital age. I think it’s very important for us to go back and learn these techniques to understand how it was done prior to digital photography. And I really appreciate Tom creating workshops like this to preserve the process, and reinvigorate the film process in this modern tech-focussed age. At the end of the workshop I was also able to see some of Tom’s photography work that he had done over in Ghana for the Photo for Freedom project. I was blown away. Amazing work for a meaningful and important cause. I wish The Fox Darkroom all the best, and look forward to doing the printing workshop in the new year. James