
Flexible classes
My beginner darkroom classes in Madison, Wisconsin are one-on-one instruction designed to teach you how to develop your own black and white film. The goal is to get you comfortable and guide you as you set up your own home darkroom. Developing film can seem intimidating but I take the mystery out of it in my darkroom classes. One-on-one instruction is custom tailored to what you already know and what you want to learn. I will also be available after the class to answer questions as well.
Developing film at home is simpler than you think and doesn’t even require a darkroom. It can be done in your bathroom or kitchen sink and you can scan the film with a digital camera or phone.
Starting with the basics
There is no experience or even a film camera required for the beginner film classes. I have loaner cameras to get you started and can help you select a film camera. If you have a camera I can test the functions of the camera. The first class is all about making sure you are comfortable with your camera and tips on metering and shooting film. If you are already shooting with a film camera and know it works we can skip this part and go right to developing.

Developing your first roll
Once you have shot your first roll, then you come to my darkroom and I will guide you through the entire process. While it is simple to do, there are many tricks of the trade to learned over the decades to get better results. I have decades of experienced with film photography and created many national award winning images.
Scanning
Once the film is developed there are simple and affordable methods to digitize your film to be able to share your film photos to the world online! I can walk you through my DSLR scanning system and help you assemble your own method of scanning film at your home.

Printing
Making your own silver gelatin prints in a wet darkroom is an amazingly rewarding experience. Watching a print slowly appear before your eyes in the developer tray under the red safelight is magical. This optional class is taught in my darkroom.
Other film classes
Intro to film photography
Pinhole photography workshop
Holga photography workshop

Experienced professional instruction
Cameron has been practicing film photography for 30 years now at a professional level as a national award winning photojournalist and as a fine art photographer with my pinhole and Holga cameras. He mentored for several years under Herb Nelson teaching his film classes. Herb is an educator with 50 years of teaching darkroom skills at the college level. Herb is now retired, but Cameron is proud to be carrying on his legacy of bringing people into the “dark arts” as Herb is fond of saying.
Cameron is also a published author of two photography books. The first is entitled Around Wisco: Hiking the Ice Age Trail where he documented his hike of the entire 1200 mile Ice Age Trail. His second book is Ristad Farms: Grain Farming in the Red River Valley. Cameron spent and entire season on a farm in Minnesota documenting life on a modern farm.
The pinhole photography of Cameron was awarded many awards at art festivals and his film photography zine Small Towns – Big Spaces was acquired by the National Art Gallery Library in Washington D.C.
Cameron also teaches digital nature photography workshops as well.