A community darkroom in Portland’s Saint John’s neighborhood opened its doors because two friends kept a years-long promise to each other. Bobby Abrahamson and Jason Kaplan had talked about a shared film-processing space for a long time. What finally made it happen was the sudden death of Abrahamson’s brother Franklin, whose inheritance funded the studio that now carries his name. Franklin Foto offers sliding-scale memberships, classes, and gallery space, and Abrahamson says he feels his brother’s presence in the room.
It’s part of a larger shift. Film photography has been experiencing a revival, especially among younger hobbyists, but darkrooms have always been expensive to run and hard to find. Sliding-scale pricing changes who can walk in the door, from students with secondhand cameras to retirees dusting off old SLRs.
For anyone on the Suncoast who’s ever loaded a roll and waited for the prints, the story lands close to home. Shared creative spaces are rare, and one built out of loss carries a particular weight. Abrahamson says members are discovering what people see in their own lives, and that’s the whole point of a darkroom, isn’t it? Have you been thinking about getting back into film photography?
