Skip to content
Halide House
Est. 2019 · Neukölln, Berlin

Make photographs
by hand.

Halide House is an independent community darkroom in Berlin-Neukölln. Six enlargers, deep chemistry, warm light, and a room full of people who care about the print. We teach the craft from the first test strip and keep the doors open for the years that follow.

What you will learn
Workshop
€65
Members
€49/mo
Enlargers
6
Two hands lifting a freshly developed silver gelatin print from an amber developer tray under safelight.
Test stripsFibre & RCSplit-gradeContact sheetsOpen DarkroomCritique nightsPrint exchangeSince 2019Test stripsFibre & RCSplit-gradeContact sheetsOpen DarkroomCritique nightsPrint exchangeSince 2019Test stripsFibre & RCSplit-gradeContact sheetsOpen DarkroomCritique nightsPrint exchangeSince 2019
§ 01Workshops

Intro to Black-and-White Printing

A three-hour Saturday session for anyone who has held a negative and wondered how it becomes a print. No experience required — only that you show up curious and willing to get your hands wet.

  • WhenSaturdays, 11:00–14:00
  • Price€65 · materials included
  • Group sizeSix people, one instructor
  • LevelAbsolute beginners welcome

Upcoming sessions

  1. 01Saturday, 8 March · 11:00–14:00
  2. 02Saturday, 22 March · 11:00–14:00
  3. 03Saturday, 5 April · 11:00–14:00
  4. 04Saturday, 19 April · 11:00–14:00
i

What you will learn

  • Setting up an enlarger and finding critical focus with a grain scope
  • Making a proper test strip and reading it honestly
  • Multigrade paper, contrast filters, and split-grade printing
  • Dodging and burning with your hands and cut cards
  • The full four-tray workflow: developer, stop, fix, wash
  • How to archive, dry, and flatten a fibre print
ii

Who it suits

  • Film shooters who lab-scan everything and want to close the loop
  • Digital photographers curious about a slower, tactile process
  • Art students, hobbyists, and returning printers
  • Anyone who likes rooms lit in orange
iii

What is included, what you leave with

  • All paper, chemistry, negatives, and archival sleeves
  • A curated pair of test negatives (35 mm and 120)
  • Two 18 × 24 cm resin-coated prints, dried and sleeved
  • One 24 × 30 cm fibre print of your best frame
  • A written cheat sheet you will actually reread
  • Twenty percent off your first month of membership
§ 02Open-Lab Membership

€49 a month.
Keep your hands wet.

Membership is how the house stays open. You get standing access to Open Darkroom, a shelf for your paper, and a room of people who will tell you honestly whether the print is finished.

Open Darkroom
Tue & Thu, 18:00–22:30
Solo bookings
Mon & Wed, by calendar
Included
6 enlargers, 4-tray line, print washer, dry-mount press
Bring your own
Negatives, paper (or buy from the shelf)
Term
Month-to-month, cancel any time
Community
Critique nights, print exchange
§ 04Instructor & Community
Mara Klein standing at an enlarger in the Halide House darkroom, wearing an apron.
Mara Klein · Lead instructor

Taught by a printer who still prints.

Mara Klein is a documentary photographer and printer based in Berlin. She trained at the Ostkreuzschule and printed for a Kreuzberg commercial lab for six years before opening Halide House with a handful of members in 2019. Her long-form work on housing and memory has been shown at C/O Berlin and Kunsthaus Dahlem, and she still prints every exhibition print herself, on this bench.

She teaches the way she was taught: slowly, with real negatives, and without shortcuts. Expect exact numbers — seconds, grades, dilutions — and expect to be asked what you actually see.

180+
Workshops taught
72
Active members
7 yrs
On Weserstraße

The community

  • First Thursday
    Open critique night. Bring three prints, leave with better questions.
  • Second Sunday
    Print exchange. Trade one print with a member you have never met.
  • Quarterly
    A visiting printer, a demo, wine on the table, questions until late.
  • Annually
    The House Book — an offset-printed edition of member work, mailed to every member.

I walked in never having touched an enlarger. Six months later I have a body of prints I actually stand behind.

Priya Anand
Member since 2023

Mara teaches the craft without any of the mysticism. It is patient, exact, and generous.

Tomás Ferreira
Workshop alumnus

The Thursday critique nights changed how I edit. I bring in ten, leave with two I believe in.

Kirsten Hoss
Member since 2022
§ 05Visit

Weserstraße 88,
12045 Berlin-Neukölln.

The entrance is on Weserstraße between a Späti and a bookbinder. Look for the small enamel sign — the door stays open on workshop days from ten past the hour before class.

Workshop hours
Saturdays, 11:00–14:00
Open Darkroom
Tue & Thu, 18:00–22:30
Solo bookings
Mon & Wed for members
Closed
Fridays and public holidays
Getting here
U8 Schönleinstraße, seven minutes on foot along the canal · Bus M29 to Hohenstaufenplatz · Ample bicycle racks on the street; there is a covered rack in the courtyard for members.
Accessibility
Step-free entrance from Weserstraße. One accessible WC. One height-adjustable enlarger bench. Please write ahead if you would like us to prepare anything specific.
First-time visitors, bring
A photo ID (once, for the member log), clothes that can take a splash, and — if you have them — a few negatives you would love to see enlarged.
Contact
hello@halidehouse.de
Ask about a tour
§ 06FAQ

Sensible questions,
honest answers.

If yours is not here, write to us at hello@halidehouse.de. We reply between prints.

01I have never developed a print. Is the intro workshop right for me?
Yes. Intro to Black-and-White Printing assumes no prior darkroom experience. We start with the enlarger, the four trays, and a single negative, and everyone leaves with finished prints.
02Do I need to bring my own negatives?
Not for the intro. We provide well-exposed 35 mm and 120 test negatives so you can focus on the printing. If you have your own negatives, bring them — we will print one at the end of the session.
03What should I wear?
Comfortable clothes that can survive a small chemical splash. We supply aprons; closed-toe shoes are strongly recommended.
04What materials are included?
Fibre and resin-coated paper, developer, stop, fixer, and archival sleeves for the prints you take home. Coffee and biscuits are on the shelf.
05Cancellation policy?
Full refund up to 72 hours before your session. Inside 72 hours we will happily move you to another Saturday within eight weeks.
06How does membership work?
€49/month, month-to-month, no minimum term. Members get access to Open Darkroom Tuesday and Thursday evenings, a locker, and a discount on paper and chemistry ordered through the house.
07Can I use the darkroom outside Open Darkroom hours?
Members can book solo sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays through the shared calendar in the entryway. Weekends are reserved for teaching.
08Is the space accessible?
The entrance and darkroom are step-free from Weserstraße. There is one accessible WC and one adjustable enlarger bench. Please tell us in advance about any specific needs so we can prepare.