Feature: Dako Darkroom

This is a guest blogpost from our resident Darkroom team, Dako, who run a fully operational community darkroom space in our studios here in West London.

The darkroom is available for self-guided working, as well as workshops, classes and other events. They can also develop your film!

Dako are running some workshops for the 2026 MANUFACTORY event in Park Royal, an arts festival and community get-together bringing together all sorts of creatives and makers in the area. Check it out via the Park Royal Design District website. There's a whole lot of creativity happening here!

A DAY IN THE DARKROOM

Writer: Leanne Wiggers

There’s a unique kind of magic that happens the moment you step into the darkroom, it almost feels like a total reset. As soon as that door shuts and the red light takes over, the noise of the outside world just stops. Your eyes slowly adapt, the music kicks in, and time completely loses its meaning. Before you know it, hours have slipped by, and it’s just you, the darkroom, and the image taking shape in front of you.

If you’ve never been inside one before, darkrooms can seem a bit mysterious, or even intimidating. But a normal day at Dako is actually pretty grounded, relaxed, and deeply rewarding.

Every morning starts with a simple ritual. We open up, check the chemistry to make sure it’s fresh, and map out the day. Sometimes we’re processing film and scanning files for clients. But mostly, we're prepping the enlargers and setting up chemical trays for people coming in to print, or getting ready for a workshop.

The real heart of Dako, though, is the printing process itself.

Making a print by hand is a wonderfully slow, trial-and-error craft. You pick your image, set your enlarger, and make a test strip to figure out your timing. Then comes the first full print. You carry it over to the light, get temporarily blinded while your eyes adjust from the red glow, and inspect the details. You look and think: ‘Needs a bit more contrast. Maybe burn this corner a bit more, and increase the grade.’ You go back into the dark, tweak your timing, and run it again until you hit that perfect print.

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You lose track of hours here. You stop noticing the smell of the chemistry after ten minutes (though it definitely follows you home until you take a shower), and you get completely hooked on watching a photo slowly appear in the developer tray right before your eyes. It’s a feeling that never really wears off, and honestly, it’s a feeling we think everyone should get to experience.

We built Dako Darkroom specifically to be a super friendly, beginner-welcoming space. You don’t need a degree in photography, years of experience, or fancy gear to print here. Whether you’re a local photographer looking for a dedicated workspace or you've literally never touched photographic paper in your life, our doors are open to you.

Ready to give it a go and make your own physical prints?

Book an enlarger with us or drop into our next Intro to the Darkroom Workshop. We’ll handle the chemistry, set up the equipment, and guide you through the full process.

You can learn more about Dako, and see availability, at their website: https://www.dakodarkroom.com/