WORKSHOP: Iron Based Techniques at f295

By popular request, the f295 Symposium 2008 has announced a one-day intensive workshop on cyanotype and van dyke brown techniques. Titled "Iron Based Techniques, or Poor Man's Alt-Process," the workshop will be led by photographer, educator and author Jo Babcock, who will teach the fundamentals of chemistry in photography, paper selection, and proper use of specific tools. Babcock describes "toning recipes" the photographer can use to achieve surprising variations in the color of the final image. The workshop is open to beginners in these money-saving processing techniques, and professionals as well.

The f295 Symposium 2008, running May 29 to June 1, 2008, is the only event of its kind, exploring the alternative methods in which photographs are created, and the impact of such methods on contemporary photography. Gallery receptions, lectures, and seminars set to take place during the event are made possible through collaboration with the Center for Arts in Society at Carnegie Mellon University. Workshops are presented with the cooperation of Pittsburgh Filmmakers. A full list events is available at the f295 website.

The workshop takes place May 31, 2008, and costs $200 for participation. Click here for more information.

WORKSHOP: Advanced Photography in San Francisco

From May 5 to May 8, 2008, Photographer and Digital Expert Mark Nelson will present advanced workshops on platinum/palladium printing and conversion to precision digital negatives. Taking place at Ed Carey Photography in San Francisco, this workshop will give photographers a chance to go hands-on using Nelson's own workflow techniques. Quality takes precedence over quantity, however, and Nelson will teach participants how to get the most out of their digital negatives. Workshop activities encompass the down-and-dirty process of printmaking, with lectures and demonstrations mixed with, hopefully, time for everyone to wash their hands before they sit down in front of their workstations.

Curve Calculator II will be used for all curve calculation and calibration, and Nelson will teach participants the ins and outs of this and other workflow applications for either Windows users or Mac addicts. A gallery visit will also take place. Gallery 291, in the San Francisco Shopping District, was recently started by workshop hosts Ed and Holly Carey, and is currently exhibiting works by CameraArts cover photographer Beth Moon (CameraArts March/April 2008).

Mark Nelson is also the founder of Precision Digital Negatives (not to be confused with the other PDN) and is currently hosting March workshops in Texas for both beginners and advanced photographers.

Workshop fee is $750. Click here to learn more about this workshop.

WORKSHOP: New Orleans Photo Alliance and New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts

A Wet Plate Collodion Workshop will be hosted over the weekend of March 22-23, 2008 by Ellen Susan, photography instructor and wet plate collodion specialist. Her most recent series, "Soldier Portraits," uses this traditional process to deptict soldiers of the Iraq War in the same sharp detail as in the Civil War photographs taken using the same process more than a century ago. The fruits of this labor-intensive, messy process should be greatly appreciated by fine art photographers and enthusiasts of archival photography preserving American History. Equipment or prior experience with this medium is not required, only an old set of clothes since this medium is a messy one.

Workshop fee is $325 plus a lab fee of $95. Deadline for registration is March 1, 2008. Enrollment is limited to 9 students.

From the New Orleans Photo Alliance website:

"In this workshop, you will learn how to create wet plate collodion positives, making both tintypes and ambrotypes (glass plate positives). Through a combination of discussions, and hands-on group shooting and processing sessions, each participant will have the chance to create several unique plates and will leave the class with sufficient knowledge to start their own wet plate collodion practice if desired."

Ellen Susan's Soldier Portraits exhibition ends February 5, 2008, but you can view a superb gallery of this medium in action here. Read more about the workshop here.