Real Photography Company

The Real Photography Company are a Bristol-based Community Interest Company incorporated in July 2017,

producing exciting photography projects, and managing Community Darkrooms  at St Pauls Learning Centre, Bristol. 

We aim to revive and refresh traditional and alternative photography, with a programme of workshops, exhibitions and events, plus we provide high quality Darkroom facilities available 7 days a week for photographers in Bristol and beyond, with a low cost Membership scheme.

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Covid News - Darkrooms are open!

Book Darkroom sessions via St Pauls Learning Centre, once you have completed a Covid-Safe Darkroom Induction. 

These have resumed, free of charge - book your place here.

Darkroom Memberships now available.

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Supported Darkroom Sessions are back!

Friendly and informal evening sessions with help and guidance available

New dates in October and November coming soon....

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For more details see Workshops

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Windrush Community Project 

This exciting community project combines photography, music and celebration with opportunities to meet the Windrush Elders in Bristol and find out more about this pioneering community.

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You are invited to attend one of our free Windrush Alternative Photography Workshops taking place at St Pauls Darkrooms. Booking will shortly be available for all workshops, more details on our events page.

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• Sat 25th Sept – Cyanotype Workshop with Wendy Leocque, on World Cyanotype Day:   Booking now available via eventbrite

• Sun 3rd Oct – Pinhole photography workshop with Justin Quinnell:   Booking now available via eventbrite

• Sat 16 Oct – Wet Collodion workshop with Tim Pearse 

• Sun 5th Dec – Chemigram Workshop with Sophie Sherwood

We are publishing a book about the Windrush Elders, and commissioning music to be played by the Bristol Reggae Orchestra at our Black History Month Event on Sat 23 October. More details coming soon!

Mr Roy Hackett with photographer Garfield McKenzie at St Pauls Learning Centre Café.

Coming Soon! 

Alternative Photography Exhibition at St Pauls Learning Centre and Online. 

We are gathering photos of the beautiful experimental images made during our recent series of Outdoor Photography Workshops to create a new exhibition at St Pauls Learning Centre this autumn. 

In a series of outdoor workshops taking place in St Pauls, St Werburghs and Eastville Park, Bristol, participants selected leaves, flowers, grasses and found items such as feathers, to make images. We made our own light sensitive paper using everyday kitchen ingredients, such as turmeric and home-made developer out of coffee and washing soda, and created images in sunlight, no cameras required. Selected images were contributed to Bristol Photography Festival Growing Spaces Project, and will be included in our forthcoming exhibition.

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For more details about the processes used see our Resources where there are downloadable info sheets, videos and presentations. Outdoor Photography Workshops are supported by Quartet Community Foundation.

My Bristol

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In Bristol at St Pauls Learning Centre, we have recently mounted a new outdoor exhibition, My Bristol; a selection of images made by participants of community photography projects, available now for everyone to see and completely Covid safe!

Other funded community photography projects include:

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• Chemistry Workshops 2019 - 20 with local schools, Cabot, Glenfrome, St Werburghs, St Barnabus and Evergreen, funded by the Royal School of Chemistry. 

• Photo-Social Project 2019 - 20 bringing people together for a variety of workshops, talks, exhibitions and other events, funded by the Big Lottery,

• Photography course, workshops and exhibition in 2019 - 20 for the Over 50's Inner City Photographers funded by Bristol Ageing Better,

• School Science Project with five local primary schools 2018 - 19, funded by the Ogden Trust,

• My St Pauls Community Photography Project, 2018 - 19 funded by Bristol City Council, working with local groups including Over 50's, refugees and asylum seekers and people recovering from addictions.

More info in our Project Archive

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Find out more about our facilities on the Darkrooms page, or email us with any enquiries.

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