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Welcome

The Dave Butcher Black and White Photo Library contains tens of thousands of images as archivally processed silver gelatine film negatives, mostly medium format 7x6cm and 6x6cm. These can be printed directly onto traditional darkroom materials or scanned for use in many different applications.

Working exclusively in black and white with Mamiya 7 film cameras and Ilford film to produce stunning landscape photographs and striking city shots his work is widely published in books and magazines. He is the author of 6 books. His images can be seen in numerous advertising and PR projects, and Dave’s original black and white pictures are popular with interior designers, businesses and homeowners alike.

about dave butcher

Dave Butcher has over forty years experience in photography and the photo industry, including working for Ilford between 1981 and 2002.

As an Ilford Master Darkroom Printer, and probably the last active professional darkroom printer trained by Ilford Photo, he combines his creative talent with an in-depth technical knowledge of the processes involved in black and white film developing and darkroom printing to produce distinctively unique prints using traditional darkroom methods and materials.

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Browse the Photo galleries

uk cities

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uk landscapes

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world cities

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world landscapes

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Courses

landscape Courses

dave butcher runs black and white landscape photography courses for film camera users, with his wife Jan, in the beautiful English countryside of the Peak District National Park.

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darkroom workshops

Come on one of Dave’s darkroom workshops to learn the easy way to make black and white prints. Particularly suitable for beginners and those wanting to improve their skills…..

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masterclasses

Dave is an Ilford Master Darkroom Printer and gives black and white darkroom printing masterclasses to colleges and universities on behalf of Ilford Photo…..

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Dave Butcher is supported by Ilford Photo and Harman Technology to encourage the use of Ilford film and paper products for photography courses using film cameras, darkroom workshops, professional masterclasses, lectures and exhibitions.

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Newsletter

You can read the latest edition of my “News in Black and White” newsletter and sign up to recieve them in future as emails by using the form below.

You can also read all my previous email newsletters as PDFs from the archive.

Blog

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  • Monday 24th June 2019 A very wet day from start to finish. Drizzle in the morning, low clouds on the hills and torrential rain, as in stair-rods rain, in mid-afternoon. The day started with several miles along the canal from […]

  • I decided last year that it would be good to walk from Milngavie (start of the West Highland Way) and Kirk Yetholm (end of the Pennine Way). I walked my version of the West Highland Way (WHW) in 2003 and […]

  • Friday 24th May 2019 After a good breakfast at the Lindisfarne Inn we headed off on the short distance to the coast. It was another warm day, lots of sunshine but breezy. Most of the 12 miles to the end […]

  • Thursday 23rd May 2019. The title was a bit of a misnomer today, mostly we were walking inland a few miles from the coast. It was a short day today, just 8 miles, so we didn’t leave until 10am. Wall […]

  • Wednesday 22nd May 2019 It was a delayed start as breakfast was in a cafe opposite our hotel and the chef turned up late. It was a bright day with a cool breeze as we walked along the top of […]

Testimonials

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  • Hello Dave and Jan. Thank you both very much for my darkroom day. You provide, as always, great hospitality, a relaxed atmosphere and a great deal of helpful tuition, just hope I can retain a high percentage of it. I also found that turning over negative holder, as yours, made it sit down better and eliminated the bit of stray light that I was having to block out. The small bits like that all add towards a smoother workflow. Thanks again,
    BF
    -
    Creative Space Inc.
  • It is a good thing as an artist to continually train, push forward, develop and improve, so I set myself a challenge to book a course with an Ilford Master Printer. Dave Butcher, who is based in Derbyshire, worked for Ilford Photo for 21 years, including running the photographic printing department and more recently has become a genius teacher. The course was split over two full days and time was spent working from my own medium format 6×6 negatives and included using all four different enlargers in the darkroom. The experience of using this range of equipment, although confusing at first, was invaluable. Now it is time to put all I’ve learnt into practice and disappear back into my own darkroom enlightened and much improved.”
    APT
  • A good Sunday to you both, hope you have enjoyed some rest and relaxation since I left on Wed afternoon. The journey back was horrendous. I didn’t make it to my sister until 10.50pm and between pelting rain, huge HGVs, gusting wind and Manchester in the rush hour felt a nervous wreck. Next time I will fly/bus it. However the days tuition has been of great help. I thought you would like to know Dave that after a day in the darkroom, using split grade I have produced A print I can 95% say I am pleased with – a dappled sunlight in woodland. Thank you. The photographer I was trying to remember for his Japanese prints is Michael Kenna and the reason I couldn’t shoot the winter tree further to the right is of course a whopping pylon! Is April 18th/19th any good for a two day location/darkroom tuition booking?” JR, Scotland, 20-October-2013
  • Hi Dave, good to hear from you and pleased to hear you are planning to reprioritise in 2014. I continue to benefit from my time with you – more confidence in the darkroom. Unfortunately I have been quite unwell since I returned. I am keeping my schedule for the beginning of the year clear at the moment until I see a significant improvement in energy levels. I will be back in touch in January to see what time you still have free for a weekend with you. I am looking forward to some snow and have the film loaded in readiness. In the meantime all the very best to yourself and Jan”,
  • Dave, Many thanks again for a brilliant day last Saturday. Got home at 8.30 and relieved I did not have to attend the bowls club social as Christine was at least as tired as myself! I had a flash of inspiration about the lost negatives and found them where I guessed, still held in the contact printing box where last used. I wonder if you can comment on my enlarger, as I recalled it is indeed a Durst F30 with 75 watt bulb, (can take 150), condenser lens and F 4.5 x 50 mm Minolta lens. I have attached a few pics. The negative tray looks straightforward. The condenser lens is removable and it looks like there is provision for a filter above it in the holder. Does this make sense? The filter would be 65 mm square to fit. i.e. your style of filters with the projecting handle would not fit. Saw some filters like yours on eBay( new, £55) but looks like I need to research further options. Very best regards to Jan and thanks again to her for a tasty and attractive lunch. Regards”,