Natural Photography Workshop
Budding photographers got their hands dirty experimenting with innovative ecologically friendly techniques for a workshop on natural photography.
Artist photographer John Blythe began a project in lockdown, working with 42 other practitioners across the world to find ways to reduce the environmental damage caused by traditional darkroom photographic chemicals. Through this process he has developed a way of creating photographic developer from plants which is entirely eco-friendly.
In the workshop at Headington on Wednesday 9th March, pupils boiled rosemary and cloves to extract their phenols. They added vitamin C and eco-friendly washing soda to create their own plant based photographic developer.
They then carried out experimental mark making, applying the developer to packs of old photo paper, which would otherwise have had to be thrown away, upping the workshop’s eco credentials further.
The results were an exciting range of outcomes – and a fragrant smelling department!
