Hands-On Photography in Wilmington, DE: Join Our Community Darkroom | NCC Art Studio

Over the past year, I have had the privelegd to instruct at a community darkroom at the New Castle Cohttps://www.newcastlede.gov/259/Art-Studiounty Art Studio. I didn’t come to the darkroom as an expert, but had just enough knowledge to keep the program open, and a belief that these kinds of spaces matter. I have been happily learning alongside my students ever since; the beginners who may have never stepped foot in a darkroom before (or are new to photography altogether) and the working professionals refining their craft.

What we need in 2026 is less scrolling, especially as a photographic community. We need more time looking at each other’s wet prints, both literally and metaphorically-- this means vulnerability in sharing the messy work and our process with one another. This is how we grow together.

The darkroom I moderate is a shared space where knowledge is passed hand-to-hand. We learn by watching others, asking questions, and standing beside each-other as an image appears as if by magic in the developer tray. We troubleshoot, succeed, fail, and develop a photographic eye alongside our peers.

Community darkrooms and other shared creative spaces offer an answer to the erosion of real-world connection. They remind us that craft is communal, that learning is relational, and that photography is not just something to be consumed, but something we can practice together.

If you’re local to Wilmington, Delaware, feel free to join me in the darkroom this January on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the New Castle County Art Studio.

Or for our next session, April 14–May 7. Film Scans of images developed and printed in the darkroom of my favorite muses.