“I am a large-format landscape photographer using both colour and black and white film. I wanted some help in dealing with some particularly difficult black and white negs, so I took some along to my day with Adrian. I was amazed how quickly he assessed the negs and proceeded to print without any recourse to test strips. He managed to get an ideal print quite easily from those contrasty negatives. Watching him in the darkroom was truly enlightening and I will go back sometime soon for a toning session.”
Roger Longdin, Berkshire.

 

 

“I’ve considered myself a half-decent darkroom printer for about 12 years, but I suppose I’ve known all along that I could get more out of my negatives. And Adrian Ensor was the guy to help me achieve those skills! I took with me several negatives (and my prints) that I had struggled with – the negs were either very thin or there were complicated dodging and burning issues. Adrian’s approach was eye-opening to me. He came to the printing process in completely the reverse to my own ‘learn as I go along’ experience. I made many notes as I knew I would never remember it all! What Adrian doesn’t know about printing nobody knows, and after my day with him, I’m glad to say that my skill levels have increased considerably. A great day, and worth every penny of it!”
Ted Kinsey, Buckinghamshire.

 

 

“Spent an enjoyable day in the London darkroom of master printer Adrian Ensor yesterday. This image of Niagra was my second favourite print of the day… from a very poor and thin negative that I doubtless would have otherwise given up on.”

Guy Bisson, London.

 

 

“To watch Adrian Ensor in the Darkroom is to see a Master at work.  His understanding of the printing process is a synthesis of  chemistry and artistry. The artist works beyond and within a protocol using a deeper understanding and intuition which has developed from experience. Adrian displays his expertise with humour and generosity so that time spent with him is a pleasurable learning experience.”
Name Witheld. Cardiff.

 

 

  

“The one day workshop with Adrian was a gift on my birthday. I met Adrian on Saturday and we spent the whole day working together. Many small details which I was missing or haven’t noticed before, became clear and obvious.

Adrian is very patient and helped me understand how to read and assess the print. I’ve learned how to do dodging and burning properly. I also learned plenty of things which are not possible to find in any book, and in a great atmosphere. Adrian’s approach helped me lift up my skills to the new level. Since then, prints made in my darkroom are far much better in every aspect. I’m really glad having that workshop – it was great birthday gift!”

Slawek Dejneka, Poland.

 

 

“Adrian is a real artist of black & white printing who got the feel of my work straight away. He gave me confidence in my own ability whilst showing me how to to refine my skills. Adrian doesn’t over complicate things and is really good company too. I can’t recommend the opportunity to experience a one-to-one with this master of the darkroom enough.”
Julie Moore, Sleaford.

 

 

 

 

“Being in the darkroom with Adrian has been a very helpful and joyful experience. I had the time to (more or less) understand how a fine art printer works. He was always open to answer to my doubts and thoughts about the photography practice

I definitely recommend to all professional photographers and amateurs to have a workshop with him. The studio is surrounded by all sort of black and white prints , due to his large working experience with loads of famous photographers during his career, between a print and another print we were having nice conversations about our own vision as photographers, talking about paintings and other inspirational stuff. Thank you.”

Luca, Italy.

 

 

“Doing the full weekend workshop with Adrian was eye-opening. After seeing him work, I gained an understanding of the print process that I was lacking before. It’s as if something finally clicked into place, not just printing technique, but also in the way to approach the print. Apart from being an excellent teacher, Adrian is also a delight to spend time with.

I wholeheartedly recommend to anybody with an interest in the printing process to take his workshop. You won’t regret it.”
Hector Izquierdo Seliva, London.

“I did a workshop with Adrian in February, 2017. His darkroom is very well equipped on a professional level. He has excellent teaching skills, and it was very impressive to work with him. Though I had experience as a large format photographer and printer for over thirty years on a hobby basis, I improved my printing routine through Adrian’s workshop. I now understand the practice of dodging and burning and I learned a new way to look at my prints, thinking more about the total impression than critical extreme tones. I have really benefited from his workshop. I did not throw away my densitometer and light meter, but I now use my eyes first, as Adrian said: Use your eyes and trust your eyes.”
RA Martin Wolters, Dusseldorf.

“Adrian is a fantastic instructor, his style is personal and he shares his years of experience of printing. He has a gift for knowing how to print each image perfectly. The toning workshop I did with him was very interesting and instructive.”
Jaume Blassi, Barcelona

“Thank you so much for the workshop. I have learnt a lot and it shows in the prints I did last Saturday. After your workshop, I have started to work faster and am able to know how to make better prints. Looking forward to more work with you in the future.”
Huda Alabdulmughni, Kuwait

“Thanks very much for your tuition and hospitality on Tuesday – I had a great day and left feeling that I’d learnt a lot as well as having the opportunity to talk about your work and that of other photographers – it definitely helps seeing top quality work!”
Richard Piercy

“It was such a pleasure meeting you and thank you again so much for all your patience and help! I thoroughly enjoyed the learning session, invaluable and will never be forgotten.

Just a little note from my tutor which l wanted to pass to you too:
Hi Sandra. Well done! You have made a great job of your practical work and I’m sure that you now feel really proud of your achievement. Images have a good tonal range and the contact sheet looks nice and strong…

So needless to say l was VERY pleased after all the hard work.”
Sandra Kent, USA

“Before I did a workshop with Adrian, I was a bit “all the camera gear, no idea”. I’d only been in a darkroom once or twice at school – decades ago – and was frequently disappointed with the results of my machine-printed photography. Adrian has opened my eyes as to how to get the best out of every print and my enjoyment of photography has increased exponentially. Adrian is a master of his craft and a fantastic teacher, who shares his vast experience in a friendly, easy-to-understand way. I would recommend his Black and White Printing Workshop to anyone from a beginner like myself to experienced professionals – if you have an interest in expressing yourself through photography, Adrian will help you do it better and enjoy it more.”
Chalky White, London

“Adrian is a “true master of the darkroom”. It was an amazing experience to spend a day in his darkroom watching him produce stunning prints from my negatives.”
Alex Kennedy, Wiltshire.

“I did a two-day, one-on-one Printing and Toning Workshop with Adrian in March 2018 after a friend recommended Adrian’s workshops to me. What can I say, these two days were more than worth it and definitely the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I have learnt way more about printing and toning in those two days than in the whole year since I’ve had my own small darkroom at home.

After going through my negatives, we picked a bunch that we were going to print. Some negatives were surprisingly easy to print thanks to Adrian’s magic hands, others required quite a bit of effort — but every print turned out to be something special. Among the prints were a lot of portraits of my dad who had passed away just months before the workshop, which also made the whole experience something special.

I’ve learnt how to properly dodge and burn, how to flash paper without any tools, how to mix toner from raw chemicals and get a wide range of toning results instead of having to buy toner kits, to name just a few things. Last but not least, I’ve also learnt that Adrian has an exquisite taste when it comes to music.

I really cannot recommend Adrian’s workshops highly enough for anyone who is seriously thinking about improving their darkroom routine.”
Marcus, Germany.

“What a great opportunity to learn alongside a master black and white printer. I am not an experienced photographer and a complete novice in the darkroom, but Adrian made sure I got the most out of our day together and the negatives I brought along, teaching me the entire printing process from making contact sheets through to dodging and burning. I’ll definitely be back to learn more.”
Francesca Umicini-Clark, London.