Bright Rooms

Bright Rooms is an open-access darkroom, offering courses for all abilities, talks & events. Based in Peckham, two minutes’ walk from Peckham Rye Station, Bright Rooms can be found on the fourth floor of the Peckham Levels.

✪​ Update: The Bright Rooms website has been hacked and their founder is no longer reacheable via email. I am yet to confirm on business’ health but please take additional precautions if you find their webpage.

The studio offers courses in darkroom printing and film developing every month, as well as specialist workshops with guest photographers and artists.

I was on their mailing list since before the studio opened. One of their emails advertised a volunteer position with free access to the space. I applied, and soon after got the job.

I value education and appreciate what Bright Rooms does for film photography. A lot of my peers shoot film, experiment with old and new practises; they create amazing works of art. Yet I still meet folks who know very little about photography, despite always having a camera in the pocket — their mobile device.

Just the other day I’ve met someone who didn’t know that you could get black-and-white film for a camera. Which is crazy to me. Film photography is such a beautiful practise; it deserves more recognition for the work that goes into producing a physical, hand-printed piece of work.

Bright Rooms brings analogue photography to the community. We host workshops where members can learn new techniques and develop photographic practice. For beginners, there are introductory lessons.

Bright Rooms has all the facilities to produce photographs in a single space. Use the studio with a full surround cover for a seamless background for portraits, fashion, and products. Develop your film at another room. Take it to the darkroom to print the images. Bright Rooms is one of the only studios on London that lets its members take control over the entire process and develop their own film rather than handling it internally.

Our members grow with a community of photographers and printers. We are here to provide people with a professional, accessible, informed experience. The Bright Rooms promotes intergenerational sharing of knowledge and provides excellent facilities to practice it.

Very happy to be a part of this collective, and I hope to see you here as well. We’re in London.