Real Photography Company

We invite you to explore the exciting world of experimental image making throughout the summer, using processes that are easy to follow at home, with a minimum of specialist photography materials and equipment. Although our Online Workshops held each month are now fully booked, with waiting lists, everyone can participate in the Summer School using our video tutorials and downloadable information in pdf format available in our Resources section - to be regularly updated with new material throughout the summer.

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We also have free packs of materials available - with a few sheets of photographic paper and cyanotype paper. All other materials you can make yourself, or buy cheaply. If you'd like a pack please email us with your address, and we'll put one in the post for you. See below for an outline of our programme of activities:

June

Solargraphy and Room Obscuras 

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In June we concentrated on making pinhole cameras from drinks cans and Tetra Packs, then showed you how to load the camera with photographic paper and make a pinhole exposure over a day, a month or even 6-month duration. We also encouraged you to construct a camera obscura in a room in your house, where images from the outside can be projected inside the room to create exciting effects you can then photograph.

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See our Solargraphy and Room Obscuras video tutorials and presentations from our Online Workshop, plus downloadable information in pdf format.

July

Sun Printing 

 

Using photographic and cyanotype paper, provided in our free materials packs, we show you how to create beautiful lumen prints and cyanotypes using the action of sunlight.

 

We also explored anthotyping, making images using light sensitive plant extracts coated onto paper, and chlorophyll printing which involves placing items directly onto leaves to create a sun print.

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See our Sun Printing page for video tutorials on each process, downloadable information, with two presentations from our Sun Printing Online Workshop.

August 

Paper Negatives 

 

Create an analogue photographic image without specialist darkroom equipment or processing, using photographic paper inside a film camera. If you haven't got a camera we will help you make one! We will provide a simple lens and photographic paper for each participant who emails us with their address to receive a free materials pack in the post.

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Video tutorials and downloadable info coming soon in our Resources section.

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September

Caffenol and Chemigrams 

 

We will try different recipes to replace traditional develop, stop and fix by experimenting with coffee and other household ingredients to develop film and prints. Film camera and developing tank optional.

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Video tutorials and downloadable info to be published in our Resources section.

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The Alternative Photography Summer School is supported by the Arts Council Emergency Fund.