Search Results

By Dan Pollack @ Dan Pollack Law It is hard to think of a legal issue that causes more confusion and headaches for photographers than model releases. The frustration is justified – there are few “hard and fast” rules and it can raise multiple legal principles that may vary depending on the country.  With that in mind, and with the usual caveat of recommending that you speak with a lawyer if you have specific questions, here are some model release FAQs to outline some general guidelines.  Note that I am using the term “model” to refer to anyone portrayed in an image. Does a model have a copyright in an image that I create? No.  You own the copyright in the image unless you have assigned it in writing to someone else.  The Copyright Act of Canada was amended in 2012 so that you own the copyright in the image even if it was commissioned by someone else. What legal rights does a model have in an image? In Canada, a model’s rights can be based on several legal principles.  Rights of publicity, or what is also referred to in legal terms as “misappropriation of personality”, is based on an individual having the exclusive right to market their image, name or likeness for financial gain.  A model can also claim that their rights of privacy were violated if there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.  A model could also have a claim for defamation if the publication of the photograph creates a false impression and harms their reputation. Do I need a model release for editorial uses? In general, no, so long as it is an image of a newsworthy event captured in a location where there’s no reasonable expectation of privacy.  But use caution if the event/issue is controversial.  For example, you would not need a release if you took a picture of someone speaking at a pro-marijuana rally and the image was used in connection with an article about legalizing marijuana.  You would need a release if the image was of someone smoking marijuana in their backyard for the same article because they would have a reasonable expectation of privacy.  You would also want to get a release for the same article if the image was of someone attending the rally.  They could claim that the use of the image is defamatory – maybe they were just passing by and do not want to be associated with the issue.  In similar situations, Canadian courts (particularly in Quebec) have held that people portrayed in an image have a reasonable expectation of privacy even though the image was captured in a public setting. Do I need a model release if I want to license the image or sell prints of the image? In general, yes.  If you plan on licensing images (either directly or through a stock agency) with models for commercial purposes, you should definitely obtain a release.  If you are only selling prints of the image you should also try to get a release.  For example, if you want to exhibit and sell prints of your images of street photographs at a gallery and a model raises an issue, you could assert that the images were captured in public and they are not defamatory.  However, the person in the image could claim that you are violating their publicity rights.  In the United States a release is generally not required if the work has artistic merit (which is construed broadly under the First Amendment), but that exception has not been recognized in Canada.  If you do not get a release in this situation you are taking a risk, but the potential exposure to damages is limited if the images do not harm the model’s reputation and the images are not being sold for large sums. Do I need a model release if I am commissioned by my client to photograph a corporate event and I want to use the pictures on my own website? Probably not, but you should have a written contract with your client setting out how you and your client are allowed to use the images (e.g., to promote your work, but not to license) and shifting liability to your client if a model raises an issue.  Your client should also prominently display/promote the fact that the event will be photographed and that the images will be published.  But from a practical standpoint, the potential exposure to damages is limited if you are only using the images on your website to promote your work and not licensing them for commercial use. What if you can’t recognize the people in the image? Probably not, but keep the sensitivity of use in mind.  For example, if the image is of a busy beach scene from a distance that happens to include overweight people and it is being used to promote traveling to that location, then it’s probably fine if no individual in the image is easily recognizable.  But if the same image is being used to promote a treatment for obesity, you would want to have a release if an overweight person could be recognized through something like a distinctive shirt or tattoo – especially if the individual is a minor. What should my model release include? You should work with a lawyer to prepare a standard model release, but some basics include your name and contact information, the name of the model and their contact information, and the date and location of the shoot.  I also recommend including a picture of the model with the release.  It should include a release of all claims relating to your use (and your licensee’s use) of the image and an acknowledgement that the model is not entitled to any additional compensation.  If you plan on licensing your images for stock purposes, I recommend including language about the model not being allowed to raise a claim even if the use of the image is objectionable to the model.  Also, if the model is a minor, you need to have a parent or legal guardian sign the release. Hopefully, this addresses some of your questions about model releases.  For my next article, I will attempt to tackle the even murkier issue of property releases. © 2015 Dan Pollack Law Dan Pollack is a Toronto-based lawyer who primarily focuses on copyright and contract law, helping creators such as photographers, filmmakers, musicians and writers protect and gain value from their work.  Dan is admitted to practice in Ontario and California.  He can be reached at dan@danpollacklaw.com and through his website at www.danpollacklaw.com. *This article initially appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of Gallerie Magazine, which is published by the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). You can learn more about the PPOC by visiting their website: www.ppoc.ca.

In case you missed our EDMONTON 2019 PHOTO INSPIRATION Pecha Kucha Event at the GARNEAU THEATRE - check out international award winning documentary photographer - Amber Bracken's moving presentation on how she navigates the world as a photographer. In case you're not familiar - Pecha Kucha is a format where speakers only have 20 slides X 20 secs/ slide to share their story. It's TOUGH. But really, really worth it. IF YOU LOVE DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY... Amber also participated in a panel discussion about ethics in photography in our PRINT edition. Get it - today! #womeninphotography #documentaryphotography #AlbertaPhotographer

Women’s contributions in history have often been dismissed. In terms of Canadian photographic history, these omissions have provided us with a somewhat one-sided vision of our country’s history. With the digitization of collections in archives across the country and the creation of easily searchable online resources, the work of female photographers has slowly but surely been unearthed and shared. It’s about time that these female photographers were acknowledged and credited. Born in England, Hannah Hatherly married Richard Maynard at 18 and moved to Bowmanville, Ontario. While Richard traveled around Canada as a prospector, Hannah learned photography. When the family moved to Victoria, British Columbia, she set up her own business as, “Mrs. R. Maynard, Photographic Artist and Dealer in All Kinds of Photographic Materials.” By 1880, Victoria’s growing tourist trade enabled Maynard to move into a larger studio and hire an apprentice. In 1897, she became Victoria’s official police photographer. Anyone arrested was taken to her studio for a mug shot. Besides operating a successful business and raising five children, Maynard experimented with her medium in a way that was not only creatively ahead of her time, but technically superior to the work of her contemporaries. Her signature works include photomontages, multiple exposures, and photosculptures. Her multiple exposures and montage images were revolutionary. She used various techniques to create new kinds of images. Her photomontages sometimes involved thousands of images. Maynard created The Gems of British Columbia series annually between 1881 and 1895. She made the final image into a New Year’s greeting card, sending it to all the mothers of the children she had photographed in the preceding year. She carefully cut out each portrait, pasted them together, and re-photographed the result on glass. To make a photosculpture, Maynard covered her subject with white powder and black cloth, took a picture, and then superimposed it onto an image of a papier mâché bust or figure. Maynard used mirrors and partial glass negative exposures to create unique narratives about herself and surreal tributes to the deceased. In 1969, Ron D’Altroy entered a weathered storage shed in Beaton, British Columbia. Inside the damp shed, among rat feces, he found something unexpected: 200 of Mattie Gunterman’s glass plate negatives. After months of careful treatment, the negatives were saved. The shed was revealed to have been Gunterman’s darkroom. Mattie was born Ida Madeline Werner in La Crosse, Wisconsin. At age 17, she moved to Seattle, Washington. While employed in a hotel, she met her husband-to-be, candy maker William Gunterman. In 1892, they had a son, Henry. A few years later, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis and the Guntermans headed north for a dryer climate. They purchased land in Thomson’s Landing (Beaton), British Columbia. The Guntermans and their dog Nero walked a thousand kilometres, hunting, trapping, fishing, and working as cooks in mining, logging, and railroad camps along the way. At the time, most amateurs used fixed-focus simple film cameras. Gunterman used a 4×5 inch glass plate camera. This gave her the advantage of a larger negative, more precise focus, and a choice of shutter speeds. Using an extra-long cable release, she would include herself in her photos. Once in Beaton, Gunterman spent winter months developing her plates and making prints. Her photographs show some of the difficulties of pioneer life and the joys of leisure time. She photographed the men at work in the Nettie L. Mine, including the deceased miners as they were being shipped back to their Nova Scotia homes for burial. Geraldine Moodie was born in Toronto, Ontario. Her entry into photography began when she photographed and hand coloured her mother’s flora drawings for her great aunt Catherine Parr Trail’s books. In 1878 Geraldine married John Douglas (J.D.) Moodie. They moved to Calgary in 1886 when Douglas became an inspector with the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) tasked with mapping a trail to the Yukon. As early as 1895, Moodie copyrighted her negatives, indicating her awareness of their importance. That same year, she documented the annual Cree Sun Dance and Prime Minister Mackenzie Bowell commissioned Moodie to document locations relating to the Riel Rebellion. While her husband’s career advanced (he became the governor of Hudson Bay in the eastern arctic district), Moodie did not sit idly by. She worked as a professional photographer for over a decade. She ran studios in Battleford and Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, and in Medicine Hat, Alberta. She operated this successful business while raising five children. In 1904, Moodie travelled to the North West Territories with her husband aboard the ship Arctic as a secretary. Her husband attempted to acquire official photographer status for her. The request was denied but her photos continued to be sent with reports, including correspondence to Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. In 1911, Moodie photographed a NWMP contingent leaving for the coronation of King George V. When her husband retired, she continued her photography in Maple Creek. To date, more than 600 of Moodie’s photographs have been collected. They can be viewed online thanks to the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta. Gladys Reeves was born in England. Her family settled in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1904. One year later, 15-year-old Gladys Reeves worked as a receptionist, then a retoucher, and then a photographer, in Ernest Brown’s photo studio. Reeves hadn’t intended to become a photographer. The original job was meant for her older sister. But Brown and Reeves ended up working together for nearly 50 years. In 1911, Brown, motivated by a decade of success, built and moved into a new building complete with studio, office, store, and rental units. As the economy sank during World War I, Brown’s business deteriorated. In 1920, he was evicted. Everything except his photos were seized. He stopped photographing for about seven years but helped Reeves establish her own business. Disaster hit Reeves when a fire ruined her studio. Roughly 5000 prints, including many of Brown’s, were destroyed. Brown helped Reeves open another photography business. This one operated until about 1950. Brown and Reeves were interested in increasing awareness of pioneer life. In the 1930s, they created the Birth of the West photo series for use in public schools. Brown willed his photographs and his collection to the Province of Alberta. Reeves was hired to organize and document its contents of over 10 000 photographs. Reeves’s photographs are in the Brown collection. Reeves has been recognized for her extensive contributions to the City of Edmonton. Beyond her photographs, she was interested in horticulture and worked tirelessly to beautify the city. A 2009 Edmonton Fringe Festival performance, The Unmarried Wife, was loosely based on Brown and Reeves. Photographer Elsie Holloway was in business in St. John’s, Newfoundland, for 40 years. In 1914, she photographed hundreds of enlisted men in the Newfoundland Regiment. For years, the Holloway Studio was also popular for children and family portraits. Holloway and her brother, Bert, learned photography from their father, a founder of the Photography Society for Amateurs. In 1908, two years after their father died, the siblings opened the Holloway Studio. Elsie took most of the studio portraits while Bert focused his attention on outdoor scenes. Holloway continued the business after her brother died in World War I. As business increased, her staff included eight assistants. Holloway’s career highlights included meeting and photographing Amelia Earhart in 1932 at Harbour Grace. In 1939, the photographer’s presence was noted when King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stopped on their royal tour. Some questions remain as to who took which pictures: Elsie, her father, her brother, or other photographers. Most are simply stamped “Holloway.” For a time Holloway’s glass negatives had been incorporated into a greenhouse. Those that survived are in the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador. ---------- Our CELEBRATING CANADA issue #49 / Spring Summer 2017, featured these stories and more women in Canadian photo history. Check out the full DIGITAL edition: HERE. #LauraJones #womeninphotography #canadianphotography #photohistoryincanada #HannahMaynard #MattieGunterman #GeraldineMoodie #GladysReeves #peoplephotography #portraiture #analogfilm #blackandwhite #doubleexposurephotography #filmexploration #BritishColumbia

In case ya missed our TORONTO 2018 PHOTO INSPIRATION Pecha Kucha Event - or want to see it again - underwater photographer + artist Meaghan Ogilvie talks about the challenges and the beauty of shooting underwater. In case you're not familiar - Pecha Kucha is a format where speakers only have 20 slides X 20 secs/ slide to share their story. It's TOUGH. But really, really fun... WANT TO SEE MORE? Meaghan was featured in our FALL 2018: CANADIANS ABROAD issue - which SOLD OUT in print, but is now available as a replica (with BONUS content!) on the ISSUU platform: HERE. #womeninphotography #emergingartists #fineartphotography

In case you missed our CALGARY 2020 PHOTO INSPIRATION NIGHT event - check out our video featuring #yycartist Megan Conley. Megan uses photography as a tool for creative therapy. Hear the story behind her work and dealing with 10 years of facial surgery trauma, “My mouth, chin, gums, and jaw now have 25 plates and screws that will keep everything intact for the rest of my life,” she explains. Check out her live presentation to an audience of over 350+ Calgary photography lovers in Pecha Kucha format. If you are not familiar - Pecha Kucha is a format where speakers only have 20 slides X 20 secs/ slide to share their story. It's TOUGH. But really, really worth it. #mentalhealthmatters #artastherapy #womeninphotography WANT TO SEE MORE?! Check out the more videos from our PHOTO INSPIRATION nights HERE. + We featured Megan's work in our SPRING/ SUMMER 2020 - Photography + #Mental Health edition. GET IT DELIVERED IN PRINT or Check out the DIGITAL EDITION

Sometimes I cry so hard I think the tears will never stop. ​ Sometimes I feel so tired I want to lay my head down and sleep forever. ​ Sometimes I feel absolutely nothing and wonder if I will ever feel happy again. I wrote those words in a workbook when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed and vulnerable a few weeks after a health crisis in my family. No matter who we are, we all face life challenges. No matter what crisis we face, we all struggle with a range of feelings. Through images and words, I wanted to share my journey with others, in hopes that it may help someone else deal with their own struggle through difficult times. In the weeks and months following my husband's stroke, I spent most of my daytime hours at the hospital. When I returned home in the evening I would sit in an exhausted daze, my mind alternating between frantically racing around, or totally void of emotion. In an effort to turn off my worry and feelings of helplessness, I turned to photography. I wasn't up to shooting with my camera, but I used my own photographic library to create images that depicted my feelings. An introvert at heart, I am not usually one to talk about my feelings with other people, so I used my artistic process to express my feelings and help myself heal. Some of the images are composited self-portraits, pictures of myself inserted into situations of my own creation. I call this series "Stroke of Emotions". This series was inspired by the work of photographer Brooke Shaden. Some of the images are composited with pictures of trees and birds, a more symbolic representation of similar emotions. I believe trees represent growth and strength, with roots to ground us in our traditions. I see birds in flight as symbols of freedom, with the power of dreams and life renewed. Together, trees and birds create powerful images of inspiration and tools to heal the soul. I call this series "Roots + Wings". This series is comprised of 14 images and includes verse to pair with each image. We featured Sara's work in our SPRING/ SUMMER 2020 - Photography + #Mental Health edition. GET IT DELIVERED IN PRINT or Check out the DIGITAL EDITION See more of her work online: www.saraharley.com Instagram: @saraharley.photos #novascotia #womeninphotography #photomanipulation #experimentation #photographycanada #fineartphotography

Photographer Vicky Lam has a pretty sweet job creating eye candy for clients By: Briar Chaput Photographer Vicky Lam's work can easily be identified by its carefully crafted, detail-oriented, and graphic style. From large corporate advertising campaigns to colourful creative projects, Vicky creates images that have an impact on a national audience, all from her Toronto studio. Early on, Vicky considered photography "a cool way to travel the world and meet new people." But, once she began creating images in the studio, the meditative nature of the work, as well as the control she had over her environment and subjects, helped her discover her love for a more illustrative form of photography. As a commercial photographer, Vicky must produce work that satisfies not only her but, more importantly, her clients. When speaking about the challenges that come with this type of work, Vicky says that the clients are usually great to work with once the project's concept is settled on. Most "demands" are only small things, such as a client wanting an excessive number of props in a shot or additional shots that weren't initially agreed on. If any larger issues arise, Vicky takes comfort in the fact that she can reach out to the team at Westside Studio, her home base, to discuss ways to solve the issue - one of the perks of working in a shared studio space. In Vicky's words, "commercial photography is a lot of problem solving, but it's worth it to see my efforts out in the real world in a tangible form that I can share." One of her most recent and largest accomplishments was creating images for a Google product launch. Vicky's photos were featured in a public campaign that included images taking over Toronto's Yonge-Bloor subway station and the stories-high digital screens at Yonge- Dundas Square. Contributing to a billboard was one of Vicky's goals when starting out, and accomplishing that goal means that her work is truly out there for the world to see. When asked about what advice she would give to new and emerging photographers, Vicky says, "hang on! There will be moments where work is slow, where you might feel isolated (especially working in a studio), but keep going. Get outside, meet new people, explore artists and different types of art from your own, be persistent, and be patient. The work will come." Vicky especially loves art gallery experiences and illustration work, and it shows. For inspiration, she often looks to artists outside photography, such as large-scale installation artist Olafur Eliasson. This Icelandic-Danish artist creates work that suspends audience attention by using simple elements to produce spatial experiences for all the senses. Looking ahead, Vicky is experimenting with stop-motion animation and is excited to keep giving everyday objects a new and exciting life, crafted in her Toronto studio, before being ready for the world to see. Find this feature and more in our STUDIO MAGIC - ISSUE #54 We SOLD OUT in PRINT - but you can get the goods in our DIGITAL ISSUU

In case ya missed our TORONTO 2018 PHOTO INSPIRATION Pecha Kucha Event - or wanna see it again - photo-based emerging artist Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart talks about how tv shows like Jackass inspire her to create images to stop viewers in their tracks. In case you're not familiar - Pecha Kucha is a format where speakers only have 20 slides X 20 secs/ slide to share their story. It's TOUGH. But really, really fun... If you're a Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart fan (as we are!) you'll LOVE the RISK-TAKERS issue - IN PRINT! GET YOURS TODAY! (we don't have many copies left!) #womeninphotography #emergingartists #fineartphotography

Jean François Dupuis’s visions come to him in dreams. He is passionate about producing art, and his images sing of mystery and colour, and celebrate creation and the human form. Dupuis takes us into another realm and leads us to question reality, as we know it. His images are “no longer a crisp representation.” They hint at the familiar but introduce a world beyond what we can normally see. The Sherbrooke, Quebec–based photographer embraces experimentation. He is also an abstract painter and melds photographs and paintings to create intangible and alluring dreamscapes. “An intimate three-dimensional world of detail on the surface of the image belies what we are taught to experience within the two-dimensional language of the camera. A visual tension is born, as glimpses of a ‘photographic reality’ slip in and out of view, toying with what is known, perhaps reminiscent of a dream, a place of timelessness,” he says. The viewer is transported into a world of memory and colour. Particularly alluring are Dupuis’s multiple exposures and combined images. Symphonie Urbane explores the rush, noise, and movement of the city by looking at New York’s architecture, street scenes, neon signs, lights, and road and pedestrian traffic. Multiple exposures and slight movements of the camera repeat elements in the scenes to create movement in each frame. Dupuis works digitally, but he shot the frames that make up Symphonie Urbane in-camera, on film. There is an echo of Harry Callahan’s “Detroit (1943)” in these images, but the exploration in-camera has extended to a significant body of multiple exposure work, rather than just one fantastic iconic frame. Part of Dupuis’s vision is to push the boundaries of what we recognize as photography. He wants to transport his audience out of its everyday reality. The tools at his disposal, whether they be in-camera experiments or the use of digital postprocessing, allow him to share what he sees in his mind. For this self-professed “colourholic,” the creative life is endless. His imagination has no boundaries thanks to his photographic knowledge and the new tools available to him. Dupuis studied photography at Matane for three years. He graduated in 1993 and then moved to Montreal, where he worked as an assistant to Louis Cantin and Patrick Lessard. Dupuis now teaches photography in Sherbrooke, Quebec, where he does commercial work, while also maintaining his art practice, his first passion. Dupuis admits that he is more in love with photography now than he was when he started. He remembers being fascinated with his father’s camera, a magic image box he was not allowed to touch. As well as being a photographer, Dupuis spends a great deal of time on abstract paintings, which he sometimes fuses with his photography, creating digital art. Médium Mixtes is a collection of work that includes painting, fractal art, and digital art. The striking image of a woman is a prime example of everything Dupuis embraces and reiterates in this series. This work fuses pure white, red lips, red paint, and just a streak of rich yellow. In this and many of his images is the hint of the sensuality that Ralph Gibson also imbues in his work. The audience of this image observes the artist’s reverence, appreciation, and respect for the female form. Dupuis clothes the woman with colour. Dupuis also produces posters, reproductions of mixed-media pieces incorporating photographs and painting, that are much more commercial in nature than his fine-art work in Symphonie Urbane and Médium Mixtes. “Imagine a world with no visual information. A world void of pictures, a world where communication is restricted to speech and the written word. Imagine this and the power — indeed miracle — of photography becomes apparent, a tiny fraction of a second captured, frozen and preserved for the enjoyment of many,” wrote Dupuis in his artist statement. “As a photographer I am privileged to have the opportunity to harness and share this power.” www.arts.jfdupuis.com We published Jean François Dupuis’ work in our 2010 PHOTO ART issue. If you're up for checking out more creative Canadian content - Get the RISK TAKERS edition in PRINT! #photoart #JeanFrancoisDupuis #canadianphotography #experimentation #fineartphotography

As dedicated black and white darkroom-based artists since the 1970s, we’ve witnessed the zenith, subsequent near-digital death, and unbelievable renaissance of our medium. Back in 2004, as Ilford Photo sank into receivership, we panicked, emptied out our local photo stores, and hoarded supplies in our giant freezer. Today, Ilford is thriving and introducing new products. Offbeat materials manufactured in Eastern Europe and Asia help us live without faded giants Agfa, Kodak, and Fujifilm. Boutique shops provide raw ingredients for inventive homebrew chemistries. The film/darkroom department at our favourite store in Vancouver (Beau Photo) is growing. Gently used equipment is cheap and plentiful. Incredibly, we have never seen a better range of available cameras, films, papers, and chemistry. In 2013, almost by chance, Langara College recruited us to reboot their languishing black and white darkroom program. We were surprised to learn that most institutions in Vancouver were tearing out their darkrooms. Langara was threatening to follow suit if their darkrooms couldn’t be better utilized. Thankfully, we were given that chance. Our vision is to take the darkroom arts to places far beyond traditional imaging, to find the nooks and crannies where digital can’t go. Today, our black and white program is expanding: our entry-level course was waitlisted this past spring for the first time in over a decade, and our students are continuing on to advanced courses for the first time in years. Most of our students are young people, rebelling against the perceived automated, touchless, bland flavour of digital photography. We have found them to be highly creative, experienced digital photographers turning to the darkroom because they want to be more directly involved in the process of image-making. Our mature students include art teachers upgrading their skills in response to demands at work, art school grads seeking more proficiency in this medium, professionals from outside photography desiring a hands-on creative outlet, and even self-taught darkroom workers wanting to up their game. The steampunk nature of film and the darkroom is fun and tactile, but extremely demanding. Mistakes have real consequences. There is no “undo,” no “chimping,” and every exposure costs money. We emphasize the need to create taut, repeatable, personal processes within a huge scope of possible chemistries and materials. The prize is worth it: prints with a unique and hard to copy identity. Of course, getting to unique takes time, energy, and the expenditure of much film and paper. It is no surprise the best results come from students who spend the most time shooting and working in the darkroom. Fortunately, Langara is generous with darkroom access, and our best students use the darkrooms every chance they get. We tell all of them, “1000 prints is what it takes to get really good at this.” The subtle characteristics of films and silver-gelatin prints remain impossible to digitally imitate, in part because no digital printer can reproduce the tiny features of film grain. Film grain can be hard-edged or fuzzy, oblong or round, big or small, regular or irregular, and no two film and developer combinations exhibit the same pattern. Film also has an extraordinary dynamic range: 14 or 15 stops is easily attainable. Further techniques enhance edges, exaggerate contrast, and make grain even more grainy. Our students celebrate these features and incorporate the unmistakable look of film into their personal visual languages. Silver-gelatin printing is ancient and beautiful, and remains the dominant darkroom-based black and white medium. Silver gelatin prints need not be black and white; in fact, it takes careful processing to get a truly neutral-tone print. Our students explore many different chemical toners to produce a huge range of colours from sepia to purple to red to blue … even shiny metallic silver. Toners can be applied serially or selectively to create multiple colours in a single print. The variations are endless. This is unexplored country, so diligent workers have a fighting chance at inventing something completely new. Out of the gate, we stress the importance of community, cleanliness, and precision in the darkroom. The Langara darkroom experience involves communal chemistry in communal trays. The fastest way to failure is sloppiness. So, we base 50 percent of final grades on work habits. We like to joke that it is possible to pass our class without shooting a single frame or making a single print — just so long as students are tidy. We pair students and assign each pair a chemical to prepare for the entire class. We’re always there to catch errors, but it’s amazing how precise and careful everyone is, knowing that a mistake will be a disaster for the whole class. We’ve experienced zero actual disasters and just about every student develops printable negatives on their first try. Of course, their steampunk equipment might misbehave, and we’ve seen quite a few problems with old cameras: chiefly, light leaks, inaccurate light meters, slow shutters, and non-functional aperture blades. We’ve had to advise a few students that their cameras will cost more to repair than they are worth. But, even as replacement is often inexpensive, valuable cameras can still be repaired in Canada by one of the world’s top mechanical camera techs, a Vancouver resident. Our students frequently remark how much their darkroom experience has helped their digital photography, as they learn to trust themselves and their decisions. They see firsthand how many of the tools in Photoshop come straight out of the darkroom and how the darkroom procedure is often faster and more forgiving than Photoshop’s equivalent; our classic example is dodging and burning. We show simple ways to do most dodges and burns with just a few basic tools and bare hands. With practice, the whole operation is accomplished in seconds. The last stage of our darkroom journey goes into the wideopen, unexplored spaces of experimental photography and homebrews. Our students examine offbeat ideas and chemistries, and some come up with entirely new imaging techniques. Russ is no stranger to homebrew, having invented a process that records a 25+ stop dynamic range on film for a project capturing the sun crossing the sky. Of course, we emphasize chemical safety above all else. It is amazing what homebrews can be made with supplies acquired from our local grocery and drug stores. Last semester, students made film and paper developers out of vitamin C and coffee, created a reversal-print process with limes and hair bleach, and amplified film grain with hot washing soda. Next year, we’ll explore a developer made with Tylenol; we like every class to be different. After completing our courses, a significant percentage of our students install personal darkrooms or join community darkrooms. We’ve helped them with darkroom designs and often place free equipment needing a good home. We see our community growing stronger every day. Digital photography has freed film photography from the chains of commercial production. The darkroom arts have finally taken flight as a pure art medium, with still-unimagined new horizons. The sky’s the limit. See more work by Rusell and Wendy Kwan at: www.NewMythographs.com Russel and Wendy are internationally awarded and published photographers and educators. Their prints have been exhibited in commercial, museum, and academic venues in Canada and the United States. They lead the black and white darkroom program at Langara College in Vancouver. If you're up for more amazing ANALOG... check out our RESILIENCE OF ANALOG edition - IN PRINT! #alternativeprocess #blackandwhite #filmexploration #experimentation #analogfilm #RusselandWendyKwan #darkroom #BritishColumbia #photoart #fineartphotography