Our second Community Focus highlights Lakeside Darkroom, a London-based community interest company with a strong feminist ethos. Keep reading to explore their facilities and what they have to offer!
Lakeside Darkroom (LKSD) is a Community Interest Company (CIC) with a strong feminist ethos. Established in August 2022, its primary aim is to provide a safe, welcoming, and empowering space where photographers of all levels can learn and create.Our approach is built on collaboration, experimentation, and embracing mistakes as essential learning opportunities. We believe in pushing creative boundaries, guided by the philosophy: "When there is a good reason for breaking a rule, do not hesitate to do so." — Berenice Abbott At LKSD, we strive to foster a supportive and inclusive community where people of all genders feel comfortable engaging in both group and individual projects. As a feminist organisation, we actively promote openness, inclusivity, intergenerational dialogue, and collaboration, while standing firmly against racism, misogyny, colonialism, and any form of discrimination. If you're passionate about analogue photography, come and explore the darkroom in an environment that encourages both artistic and personal growth.
We’re in South East London, specifically Thamesmead, SE2 9AN.
We are a fully equipped black-and-white darkroom with six to seven enlargers, accommodating formats from 35mm up to large format 5x4. The space is designed for both experienced printers and those new to the craft, with all the essential equipment and chemistry provided.
Never cut corners in the darkroom. It might seem tempting to rush or take shortcuts, but patience and attention to detail are what make a truly great print.
Lakeside Darkroom is open to both members and non-members, as well as our interns.
You can reach us via: Email, our website & Instagram (@lakeside_darkroom).
Everyone is welcome at Lakeside Darkroom! We are a relaxed, experimental, and creative space where respect, curiosity, and knowledge-sharing are key. If you’re completely new to the darkroom, we offer beginner-friendly workshops, including one-to-one sessions, to help you get started. For membership access, you’ll need some prior darkroom experience—if you don’t have any yet, you can easily gain it through one of our workshops. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned printer, you’ll find a supportive and inspiring environment here.
Yes, but we keep our rates as affordable as possible. As much as we’d love to offer everything for free, the membership fees help us maintain the space and keep it accessible for everyone.
Because here, we truly enjoy the process. We experiment, embrace mistakes, and even dance under the safelight! It’s a space where you can grow your skills in a fun and supportive community.
We primarily use Ilford supplies, including: Ilfosol film developer, ILFORD paper developer (Multigrade or PQ Universal) and fix (Rapid Fix or Hypam), ILFORD Multigrade RC and FB paper (mainly pearl finish for workshops), ILFORD contrast filters for printing. Our go-to films are Kentmere 400 (which we like to push a little) and HP5+ & FP4+.
We all need a bit of inspiration and love so this is your chance to tell the community about yours – from the darkroom printers whose work inspires you, the labs you trust with your film, your ‘go to’ film photography stockists, your favourite community darkrooms or just anyone in the community who you feel deserves a special mention.
Parallax Coop and Process Supplies are my go-to places in London—they never disappoint!
I admire anyone who is open to experimentation and willing to push themselves to grow as a printer. Confidence in the darkroom comes from practice, and open-minded printers are the best printers.
Nothing beats hands-on, face-to-face darkroom experience! While YouTube is great, there's something special about learning in person, where you can see, touch, and experience the process first-hand.
The Darkroom at Beach Creative
Naroa Pérez (b. 1978, Barcelona)
Since founding Lakeside Darkroom, Naroa has been committed to providing a safe, affordable, and welcoming space for analogue photographers. With experience as a photography technician at Photofusion (Brixton), Darkroom London (Camden), and Chan Photographic (Shoreditch), as well as volunteering at E5 Darkroom (Homerton), she built the confidence to establish her own studio. Most of the equipment at LKSD was donated by other darkrooms, and the space was developed with support from friends and colleagues in the field.
With essential backing from Bow Arts, Naroa transformed an empty studio into a fully functional darkroom. Today, LKSD hosts workshops, events, and PHOTO BITES, a gathering where photographers and visual artists discuss their work in a relaxed and welcoming setting.
In early 2024, Naroa launched the Intern Programme, offering free training, workshops, and darkroom access in exchange for help with admin and marketing tasks. This initiative is building a vibrant community where artists can grow and collaborate.
Personal Practice: Naroa Perez is a London-based photographer whose work explores touch, nostalgia, and fear. She is passionate about the darkroom process, with a focus on mistakes, chance, and repetition as essential elements of creation. Her interests include liquid emulsion techniques, colour printing, and E6 transparency processing.
Her photography is held in collections such as: The Victoria and Albert Museum Library (London). The Bodleian Library’s Rare Book Collection (Oxford University). She earned a BA in Photography from the London College of Communication (UAL) in 2017.
The images included are from one of our interns: https://anamariamolnar.com/bw
