Low Light Darkroom Wants to Be San Francisco’s Hub for DIY Photography

Aficionados of film photography will soon be able to access a new photo lab opening in San Francisco. Low Light Darkroom, a nonprofit, volunteer-led lab opening in Union Square, will offer studio time for emerging and seasoned photographers to develop their own film and make their own black-and-white or color prints.

The darkroom is part of Moongazer Collective, a new community hub that includes a vintage clothing store from The Sunshine Prophecy and art shows put together by Orphan Gallery. The collective’s grand opening, on March 22, includes music sets by local DJs, libations by Madre Mezcal and art by Bay Area painter Charlie Ertola. Low Light Darkroom will showcase photography by San Francisco artist Minnette Lehmann.

Low Light Darkroom hopes to meet the needs of photographers familiar with developing film and making prints, and are ready for a more hands-on approach. Producing one’s own color prints is easier said than done these days; only a few photo labs in the Bay Area provide public access to color darkroom printing, like Photo Laundry in the Mission. (For off-site developing, Low Light recommends full-service film labs like Underdog, which has drop-offs at San Francisco’s Glass Key.)

Lor O’Connor, a founding member of Low Light Darkroom and a self-taught film photographer, said she’s been working for 13 years to bring her vision of a Bay Area collective darkroom to life. “There just aren’t a lot of color darkrooms left,” said O’Connor. “We hope to serve people who are looking for that — for a working studio.”

Visitors to Saturday’s grand opening will be able to explore the darkroom and collective space, which will operate on a membership model. Memberships to the darkroom are currently priced in tiers based on how many hours photographers anticipate using the space. O’Connor also hopes to start a residency program in the summer.

“We encourage people to experiment and learn from their mistakes, and learn from others,” said O’Connor. “I think that’s kind of the beauty of film … sometimes mistakes become the thing you want to pursue.”

Low Light Darkroom’s open house takes place Saturday, March 22, from 2–10 p.m. Details here.