Sure, traveling to Tuscany even with just a cell phone camera will probably result in some photos that will, at the very least, make your Instagram followers a little jealous. But imagine traveling through the picturesque northwestern Italian landscape with an internationally recognized tintype artist.
Join Phoenix-based photographer David Emitt Adams for Alchemy Studio's Wet Plate Collodion Tintype Workshop, an eight-day excursion into Tuscany where participants will have the opportunity to develop a portfolio using the in-camera wet plate collodion process.
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Usually, The Italy Workshop, created in 2007 by photographers Carol Panaro-Smith, who is also a curator at Art Intersection, and James Hajicek, uses the region credited as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance as the inspirational setting to explore several mediums of artistic expression, including writing, bookmaking, and cyanotype printing.
But in this special edition of the trip, participants will specifically focus on learning the process of using wet plate collodion tintype with metal as the substrate (instead of the usual paper or canvas) from Adams and photographer Claire A. Warden. Panaro-Smith says creating a workshop specifically for photography was a "natural path" for she and Hajicek.
This analog type of photography involves covering the plate of a camera with a collodion solution before exposing the plate to light, requiring the photographer to essentially carry a portable dark room with them in the field but also shortening the amount of exposure time necessary when the photo is taken.
Along with other forms of analog photography, tintype, which was especially popular during the American Civil War due to its low relative cost and the durability of the cameras, has seen a resurgence recently.
Workshop participants will stay in an 11-bedroom Villa San Rocco in a small village in the Garfangana region of Tuscany. Panaro-Smith says it was the dream of the Villa's owner for it to be an artist retreat, so the setting is perfect to inspire both novices and those more experienced with alternative photographic processes.
Shared room accommodations, meals, transportation to and from the airport, and all workshop materials are included in the $3,075 price for the workshop. Airfare and travel insurance are not included.
The Wet Plate Collodion Tintype Workshop with David Emitt Adams is from June 2 to 10, 2015. Those interested are required to complete an application, which includes a $200 deposit that will be refunded if the applicant is not chosen. Applications will be accepted until all available spots have been filled. For more information about the workshop and to receive an application, email [email protected] or call 602-326-9306.
Editor's note: This post has been corrected from its original version, which incorrectly stated that Carol Panaro-Smith is the owner of Art Intersection. Alan Fitzgerald is the owner of Art Intersection, and Panaro-Smith formerly served as its program director.
