I always wished Make Haven would put a small one in, but unfortunately they have to maximize utilization of space, and there is a concern a Dark Room just wouldnt get the use.

That being said, I develop film in my bathroom. Found out when I was moving out that my neighbor in the apt next to me was developing in his closet with a small enlarger. Small world!

You need just a few pieces of equipment which I will enumerate on and link to when I can edit this on a computer in a bit. EDIT: I guess I take this all for granted, until I sat down and starting typing I was thinking "this is easy".

Update: First, let me say this, I am not a great photographer. I am not some artist with a lens, I am just a guy who enjoys taking photos with old cameras and developing them when I get a chance. My advice is probably terrible, incorrect, and may lead to death. Developing with film, is playing with chemicals. Which is fun, when done safely. You decide your comfort level.

So there is three steps I guess you could say to this process (Assuming Black and White 35mm Film).

Step 1:Take pictures (I know, obvious). Hardware Required: Camera, Film Camera: I wouldn't recommend buying a camera online, it will probably be overpriced. Hit up family members, friends, grandparents, whoever. Someone has a film camera sitting around. If that doesn't work out, hit the thrift shops. You can almost always find dime a dozen 80s/90s point and shoot cameras, but sometimes you get lucky and find a 60s/70s metal bodied "Real" camera. If you would like, I can talk more about Cameras in a follow up comment.

Film: Debates will rage, smart people will comment, and trolls will flame. Tri-X, Ilford Hp5, Kentmere, Arista. It goes on and on. Don't buy this local. Buy this online. I love Milford Photo, I remember when its spiritual predecessor was Milford Camera. They have great gear, nice people, and charge top dollar. They have too, they have a whole building on The Milford Green. I am a FreestylePhoto guy. I like Ilford Hp5 when I am feeling Bougie, but I cant stress this enough: I am cheap, not looking to win medals, and I find AristaEDU, Fomapan, and Kentmere to be more then suitable for shooting.I would say Grab anything ISO 400 (Its okay at everything, but great at nothing) and 24exposure rolls.

Step 2:Develop the Film! What you actually came here for. This process isn't that difficult, specially for black and white. You can even (if you are careful) do this step in a brightly lit room. There are plenty of websites describing the process. This article from Format Magazine seems perfect.

The Hardware:

Developer Bag - The developer bag is light tight, with openings that seal around your arm. You can work with the film, load and unload, without exposing the Film to any light, even in a bright room. A must.

Bottle Opener - Film Canisters need to be opened, and most cheap bottle openers will do. Try to stick with the "Ring Style" opener, they work better for me. I feel they grab the canister lid better.Scissors - Film, once released from its canister, is attached to the spindle of the roll and needs to be cut off. I use a smaller pair of scissors, I don't know where I found them, you don't need anything big. Fiskars is overkill, but I think they are the right size.

Patterson Developing Tank - I have stainless tanks, Patterson tanks, and some strange enamel tank I got off Craigslist. I like the Patterson, and I like the plastic reel. The ratcheting action once you get used to it, is faster then the stainless reel. But this is something everyone has opinions about, and everyone is both right and wrong at the same time.

Graduated Cylinder - A Patterson tank requires 500ml of solution for two rolls of film, or 300 for one roll. This cylinder goes up to 500, so should hold all the solution you need. Grab two, one for Developer one for Fixer.

Thermometer - Developer Temperature makes a difference, you are aiming for a certain temperature. Just remember, you can't use this with cooking after.

And then all you need is just some jugs to store the chemicals in between developing. I use some of those old "True Blood" bottles that HBO released its awful syrupy drink with. It was a really fun idea, but now that I have a kid and I think about it, maybe it was a bad idea.

The Software:
When it comes to Black and White developing, the choices are nearly limitless. The developer used, its strength, and its time all leave an impact on the film. When I got the bug to develop film, I for some reason decided to jump in to Caffenol Developing after reading an article about it. If you want to do that, go for it. But I would recommend going with a real developer and fixer.

Kodak HC-110 -I recently (Time is flying, its been 3 years, ICK!) opened an old bottle of HC110 and developed a roll. It was 7 years old at the time, and worked like a champ.

TF-5 Fixer - Its just the fixer I have always used; I don't really know if there is any debate about it. It does not have a hardener, which I believe may be desired if you are looking for long term storage.

Thats all you need to develop 35mm Film. After that you can scan them with a 35mm Film Scanner, either on your own or bring them someplace, or print them in a darkroom. That bit I can't help you with, as I don't have a dark room and I don't know of any publicly available ones.

Every year for decades now, Hamden High School has had an adult-ed photography class where you learn to develop your own film using their darkroom. It's possible New Haven does something similar, or you could join Hamden's as a non-resident.

If you don’t get an answer here, check with Milford Camera, they might have resources to suggest.

Creative Arts Workshop on Audubon St possibly

Call Creative Arts Workshop. They have a full darkroom and (at least used to) offer regular beginner to advanced darkroom classes as well as renting out darkroom access at a very reasonable rate.

You could also probably pay to take photo 101 at gateway and would have access to their darkroom during your class

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I’ve tried to find one too. The closest seems to be Hartford, the places I was recommended in town didn’t have one. There’s a guy at Milford Photo who said about setting one up but I don’t know if he meant for public. It would be great if there was one, I’d be there all the time!

Thanks to everyone for the responses!