Category Archives: Collodion

Collodion, wet-plate workshop in VillaRoquette

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We have just fixed the dates for the first photo workshop at VillaRoquette for the weekend of October 11-12.

The course will be run by the Internationally acclaimed photographer and tutor, John Brewer. Students will have the chance to make positive images on glass (ambrotypes), metal (tintypes) and acrylic plates of different sizes using a variety of cameras and lenses.

To ensure personal attention there is a maximum of 6 students, but we have accommodation for accompanying friends and partners. There is plenty to do and see in the region and as a residential course, the opportunity to share ideas and glasses of wine over a barbecue is not to be missed.

The course is for the two day weekend, but you can come earlier and stay longer using the darkrooms and facilities and access to all the equipment and cameras.

VillaRoquette is an established B&B and also offers individual, self contained apartments. You can come for as long as you like, attend the workshop and then use the facilities to develop your skills.

Costs depend on the accommodation required (single or double) and include meals  – from £475 for the two day weekend which includes accommodation, tuition, materials and a 30 page workshop manual plus many extras.

We are easy to find and easy to get to.

October is a beautiful month, the swimming pool will be full, but I don’t guarantee how warm it will be.

Contact me for more information

Ghosts and Shadows

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It is so long since I have written, anything, that I now have many thoughts and things I wish to say. A lot has occupied me during the last couple of years, perhaps working backwards from the strongest impressions may help slowly focus on a purpose.

Today is a good starting point – I wanted a pocket-sized book to read in a waiting room and picked up Ezra Pounds “ABC of Reading” – although I bought it over 50 years ago when I was an aspiring beatnik in the 1950s, I had never read it as it seemed heavy and was not his poetry – I remember buying the book (which was a large percentage of my Saturday jobs 25 shillings) because Kerouac mentioned it in the Dharma Bums (or was it On the Road) and I yearned to find their freedom.

Now, I find every page scintillating and concise, it seems an important book.

Already, the hope if some chronological voyage of my thoughts is lost – I jump to shadows – here I am immersed in the short book In Praise of Shadows, it is beautiful and helps me see images in my head I overlooked, I hope to find them through cameras – this led me to another book, Kusamakura –  so much to read – wonderful.

I have always (certainly since I was 7 years old at least) been influenced by Japanese expression and images – I am discovering fresh passions for many forms again – Butoh, Boro and some films.  the repeating interweaving of ghosts in life is a strong effect – look at Ugetsu monogatari (1953) – it is beautiful – I am tweeting about butoh so look there for links.

My love of photography strengthens and my understanding of ghosts and shadows grows, soon to be flowing onto a glass plate, I hope

And Now….

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For Something, but not completely different.

It is eighteen months since I last posted on this blog, or on any blog, or anywhere in fact.

I have been getting ready to do something I wanted to do when we first moved to France over a quarter of a century ago. – To work on my photography ideas. Simple it sounds, but I have found many many excuses to put off the day when I can get back into my darkrooms.

Actually not having a darkroom for most of the time is a fair excuse, but I had planned to start some basic photo courses here in VillaRoquette early in 2013 so I have been working on darkrooms and photo-labs and stuff.

But I got sidetracked – I looked at platinum printing and collodion techniques – it  seduced me and I have been learning new skills and building new equipment for the last year, setting aside my plans for silver-gelatine film and papers (for a while).

No excuse now – I am starting with this first posting to get the ball rolling for the services we offer in VillaRoquette for photographers. The darkrooms are open now and I have a good selection of classic cameras and lenses, in many formats, from 1860 to 1960 you can come and use. I have a good selection of chemistry, all collodion materials (OK, you can’t use my KCn, yet) and lots of odd stuff which should be in museums, but I love to work with it.

So where are all the pictures you ask – rightly so – they are coming, but voyages starting with steps and all that – this is the first step, to make the statement, now to add the poetry and images.

Come and join in.