The Darkroom City Tour: Seattle 2025 Recap!

Our Darkroom City Tour: Seattle 2025 meetup was our best yet. After eight years of hosting meetups around the country, finally bringing the tour to the Pacific Northwest felt special. Seattle has long been one of the most requested cities, and it quickly became one of our favorites.

This stop was uniquely memorable thanks to a Ferries on Film meetup led by Anna Starr. Just over 100 photographers gathered in the Seattle Ferry Terminal and boarded the Bainbridge ferry together—meeting new friends, shooting along the crossing, and connecting with the Tacoma Photo Club and folks who traveled from across Washington, the U.S., and even Canada.

On Saturday, October 18, we hosted the main photo walk, sponsored by Pentax. Despite classic Seattle weather, well over 200 people showed up. We brought Pentax 17 loaners so more than 25 attendees could try the camera during the walk along the waterfront and into downtown. The energy and enthusiasm were unreal.

We wrapped with a Beers & Cameras meetup at Stoup Brewing in Capitol Hill, sponsored by Ilford. The evening featured conversations, community, and a stacked raffle including a Pentax 17, Canon AE-1s, Ilford film, and more.

Thank you to everyone who joined, welcomed us, and helped make Seattle unforgettable. If you attended, tag @thedarkroomlab and use #thedarkroomlab so we can see and share your work. We host at least one major City Tour meetup each year, so tell us where we should go next.

Ferries on Film Meetup

We met at the Seattle Ferry Terminal, grabbed tickets, and boarded the 2:05 pm Bainbridge ferry together. It was the such a great meetup – time to shoot, chat, and watch the skyline stretch out behind us. Thanks to Anna Starr from the Ferries on Film photo group for leading and to everyone who made this floating meetup so welcoming.

Sculpture Park Photowalk

Sponsored by Pentax, our waterfront route delivered beautiful Seattle views. The Pentax table was a hit with more than 25 attendees taking a loaner Pentax 17 for a spin. Rain couldn’t dull the mood; with over 200 people showing!

Beers & Cameras at Stoup Brewing

We closed the weekend at Stoup Brewing in Capitol Hill, sponsored by Ilford. Great conversations, a full house of 175+ people, and a raffle headlined by a Pentax 17, Custom Pentax ME, Canon AE-1s, and stacks of Ilford film made for a perfect finale.

Community highlights

Tag @thedarkroomlab and use #thedarkroomlab. We’ll continue adding attendee images here.

The Darkroom Film Crew

Sissi Lu — IG @sissi_lu YT @sissi_lu TikTok @sissi_lu

A New York-based photographer whose work explores the themes of memory, family, and human connection through analogue photography. Sissi shares her passion and insights with a diverse and engaged community through videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Jason Kummerfeldt — IG @50_shades_of_jason YT GrainyDays

Beloved by few and hated by most, Jason Kummerfeldt is a California-based YouTuber and “photographer” with almost a decade of film photography under his belt and nothing good to show for it. He also owes me money.

Caleb Knueven — IG @calebkneven YT Bad Flashes

Caleb was born on the fringe of society, destined to explore the abandoned world around, longing for the stories that seep from the peeling painted walls. Photography is exploration, is freedom, is life. He loves long walks on the beach with his M6, a finely crafted cup of coffee, atomic fireball candies, and BBQ.

Jonathan Paragas — IG @kingjvpes YT kingjvpes

Also known as KingJvpes, Jonathan is a Bay Area film photographer who started shooting in 2016 and built a channel to help others learn film. Focused on documenting current life, he leans into street photography to build a long-term body of work.

Juan Martinez — IG @beersandcameras

Juan Carlos Martinez is a passionate photographer who rediscovered his love for the craft after the birth of his kids. He founded Beers and Cameras after organizing casual meetups with friends at breweries. Now with chapters across the U.S., B&C has become a community for photographers who love connecting with like-minded individuals.

Trev Lee — IG @trevlee / @thedarkroomlab

An Ohio-based photographer who enjoys documenting everyday life on film. Trev is the Director of Marketing at The Darkroom and has spent the past nine years helping grow and connect the film community. Through personal work and his role at The Darkroom, he’s passionate about keeping film photography alive and accessible.

Follow @thedarkroomlab and @beersandcameras for the next City Tour announcement.

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