Film photographer in Peru opens community darkroom

For me it’s the process, there’s an art to it. Every single choice has an outcome on the final image.

—  Peru film photographer Shanna Dugan

When film photographer Shanna Dugan first started her business seven years ago, she developed film in her kitchen and bathroom sink.

She moved into her current office in Peru because she wanted to have a darkroom where she could develop her film. Because of community interest and support from other local artists and photographers, she decided to make it open to the public.

“It just felt like a direction I needed to go and it was a goal I had for a long time to open a darkroom anyone could access,” Dugan said. “So I did.”

Dugan’s darkroom is the only community darkroom in Illinois that offers color film development, she said. There is one in Chicago, but it is limited to black and white development. Most darkrooms are through an arts collective or university — and there aren’t many private ones.

Dugan said people often go to Walgreens to get negatives they have developed, but Walgreens doesn’t return the negatives once they are developed. She said she keeps her negatives because they are physically there and can be redeveloped, compared to digital photography where the file can wear down or be lost over time.

Dugan said she prefers film photography because it requires more of her than just clicking and hoping she got the shot. Film forces her to trust herself, slow down the process and gives her more artistic control. For her, the appeal of film is it is real, and once the shutter clicks, the image physically exists.

As part of her artistic process, Dugan engages in a practice called film soup, a process even some film photographers are not familiar. Film soup is when extra chemicals are added to the development process to get unique looks. It takes some knowledge of chemistry to keep mixtures safe and to get a desired outcome.

Dugan said she likes adding different types of tea or the blue bai flavored water during the development process, which gives the image a purple tone. Dugan said salt also creates a unique effect.

“There’s lots of little quirks to film. For me it’s the process, there’s an art to it. Every single choice has an outcome on the final image,” Dugan said. “It takes some mastery, it takes a lot of creativity and a lot of imagination.”

Dugan opened the darkroom this May and said it is open to those interested to use it. There is an application people must fill out that serves as a screening process for liability issues. Because the chemicals used to process the film can be dangerous, a safety orientation also is required for anyone who gets approved to use the darkroom. Dugan also said she is working on getting a dropbox for people to drop their negatives so she can develop them.

Film photography, however, is more expensive than digital, especially in the past five years where Dugan noticed an increase in interest and cost in camera equipment and film.

Fujifilm raised their film prices by 40%. Kodak film, the film Dugan buys, is on backorder because the company doesn’t have enough metal for the spools. Fortunately, Dugan has a supply of film she hopes will last her until Kodak gets its film in stock.

“Film is always going to be more expensive than digital, but it’s worth it to me.”

Dugan is located in the Westclox building, 400 Fifth St. Call 815-780-2321 or go to https://www.photographybyshanna.com/ for more information.