As camera technologies take more and more control over the photographic process it may seem that the magic is disappearing. Spend a weekend with Nancy Breslin putting the magic back into photography.
We will start with the simplest description of a camera: a light-tight box with an aperture. In this case a pinhole. With it we will create images on paper and film.
After learning how you can build your own camera from any light-tight container, we will photograph scenes near the Pajama Factory using some of Nancy’s homemade cameras and develop the paper negatives to get a basic feel for the process. From there we will move on to shooting 120 roll film in pinhole cameras to compare the exposure considerations and resulting images. Using the Lycoming County Fair as a backdrop we will spend the afternoon with Nancy shooting on location. You can see more of her pinhole shots of rides at www.nancybreslin.com/rides.html.
For those who simply can’t part with lenses and mechanical shutters we will also explore using plastic toy cameras to create fine art images. Some of these cameras such as the Diana F+ are able to do double duty and offer the choice of removing the lens for pinhole images.
A public presentation and lecture on the artist’s work will be included on Saturday evening.
On Sunday each student will process their own black and white film and print contact sheets of their own images for critique. No experience required. All materials are provided. Participants are encouraged to bring their own light meter and camera or purchase a Diana F+ with their workshop registration. We will have a couple volunteers with light meters to help you with exposures if you do not have your own. Acceptable cameras are Holga, Holga Pinhole, Diana, Diana F+, Zero 2000 or equivalent pinhole cameras that use 120 roll film. Film will be provided.
Workshop Itinerary:
Friday – Meet & Greet reception for those who can make it. 5 to 8 PM. PPW Studio.
Saturday – Light breakfast provided at the PPW Studio 8 to 9AM. Workshop with Nancy Breslin. Lunch provided.
Public lecture with Nancy Breslin. 7 PM.
Sunday – Light breakfast provided at the PPW Studio 8 to 9AM. Workshop with Nancy Brelin. Lunch provided.
An optional darkroom session will be available for students who wish to print from their negatives on Sunday evening from 5 to 9PM.
Cost $350.00 Register online at www.keepmeinthedark.com or email paphotoworkshops@gmail.com for more info.
Nancy Breslin is a fine art photographer in Newark, Delaware. After spending her first career as an academic psychiatrist, she decided in 1997 to leave medicine to pursue a second career as an artist. She completed an MFA at the University of Delaware in 2000 and received Individual Artist Fellowships from the Delaware Division of the Arts in 2003 and 2008. She has taught photography part-time at the University of Delaware (darkroom, digital, alternative process and video) and given talks and/or workshops at a number of regional schools, colleges and art centers.
She has had solo or two-person shows in Wilmington and Dover (Delaware), Philadelphia, Arlington (Virginia), Elkton (Maryland), and San Antonio. Her photography has also been in over 60 group shows, including exhibits at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, the Delaware Art Museum, the NJ Center for Visual Arts, the Maryland Federation of Art, Nexus Gallery and Viridian Artists Gallery (NYC), Historic Yellow Springs (PA) and Gallery Imperato (Baltimore). Her videos have been shown in Wilmington, Dover and San Antonio.
In April 2013 she will exhibit work from several of her pinhole series at The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center (Frederick, Maryland) and will have a show in Wilmington stemming from her artist residency at Winterthur Museum.
Her work has been published widely, both in print (including The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, Light Leaks, and Shutterbug magazine) and online (including Square Magazine, Without Lenses, and The Pinhole Camera Blog). One of her toy camera images was selected from over 60,000 as a finalist in the Smithsonian Magazine 2012 photo contest. You can see work samples and learn more about her at www.nancybreslin.com.
The address is:
Pennsylvania Photographic Workshops
1307 Park Ave, Studio Six
Williamsport, PA 17701
570-971-2571
www.keepmeinthedark.com
One Comment
I left out one important detail in the description. This workshop will be held in Williamsport, PA, USA.