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1. Fishing line (nylon/acrylic thread) If you enjoy designing elaborate sets for still life objects or products, then thread is your best friend! Acrylic string contains the power of invisibility and optical illusion. With the right lighting and post-production techniques, it can make things appear as if they are magically floating in the air. 2. Magnets Fashion designers often use them to pick up stray pins and needles, but on set they can be used to hold up metal jewellery and fasten lightweight props onto upright surfaces. 3. Sticky tack and bubble gum This one’s for you improvisers and MacGyvers out there! When all else fails, these two adhesives are the most reliable. Imagine trying to photograph an upright pencil without string or tape. Chewing gum will solve that problem real quick. 4. Lucky socks “Dude, where’s my lens cap!?” is the age-old internal dialogue of a photographer. Critics may disagree, but I always bring a pair of socks with me on set in case I lose a lens cover or need to cushion it on a hard surface. Think about socks like a lens-cozy. Fuzzy socks or slippers can also be a great substitute for dirty sneakers on light-coloured, seamless backdrops. 5. Party horn (noise-makers) Not your conventional studio tool, but these can come in super handy when you’re trying to get toddlers and pets to focus on the lens. 6. Bristol board Whether you’re on a budget or on the go, buying some black and white bristol board from a dollar store will never fail you. This versatile paper board can become a reflector, flag, or even a backdrop. The options are limitless! 7. Binder clips Nowadays these nifty little things come in all kinds of colours and sizes, and they are perfect for fitting clothing to a model, attaching fabric backdrops to each other, or fashioning a bristol board flag to a stand. 8. Plastic wrap Another optically illusive tool, this kitchen staple can act as a protective lens barrier for spit-takes, wet dogs, or any situations where the camera can be exposed to splashes. Plastic wrap can also create some glaring effects, so you may need to use a polarizing lens filter to avoid those. 9. Mounting tape Regular tape does most jobs, but mounting tape has the added bonus of being double-sided and super strong! 10. Beaded jewellery Not a necessity, but definitely a surefire way of simulating lovely lens flares and beautiful bokehs when you’re feeling creative. 11. Water A friendly reminder to stay hydrated! But it’s also good to keep spray bottles of water handy for adding a dewy effect to products or to quickly wipe down surfaces. This story featured in our FASHION X FUTURE edition, a special curation by Djenabé! Order your print edition - HERE or read more in the DIGITAL REPLICA - HERE . Looking for more STUDIO stories... Enjoyed this free read?!  Consider supporting us! We need your support to continue producing great, original content for you to enjoy! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions

"Co lor is a power which directly influences the soul.” – Wassily Kandinsky Colour is not only one of the most fun and joyful elements to explore in photography, but colours can hold incredible significance as nostalgic triggers, and symbols for social change. Colour maximalism inspires me to no end. My eyes awaken when I see a building in my grey city where an architect has had permission to splash colour into their design; I feel hope when a brightly coloured wildflower pops through a crack in the sidewalk; and I am energized as I appreciate the work of artists who wholeheartedly embrace colour: Iris Apfel, Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama, David LaChapelle, Sarindar Dhaliwal, and Takashi Murakami, to name a few. Colours can be used to direct our navigation (red stop signs). They may be used to signify a social issue (Orange Shirt Day). They can signal corporate brand awareness (McDonald’s yellow) and encourage or repel our consumer choices on an emotional level. The artists in this edition work with colour in beautiful and intentional ways to open viewers’ eyes to the world around them, guiding gazes and analyses in bold new directions.  Editor, Rita Godlevskis The COLOUR issue IN PRINT • Cover image by Finn O'Hara • photo by Marie-Louise Moutafchieva Our Winter 2024/ 2025 edition features Leslie Hossack and Peter Owusu-Ansah, two artists who have quite literally zoomed in as close as one can get to analyze single pixel colours and have zoomed back out again to explore the emotional impacts of chroma combinations. Michael Seleski’s studio fashion work was inspired by the idea of light travelling through the colours in pride flags. Meanwhile, Patricia Parsons works to explore making images to describe how a person with achromatopsia (a form of colour blindness)  may see the world. This issue features:        Scarborough Made: Culture in Colour  by Sid Naidu Finn O’Hara: Conduits in colourIn conversation with Craig D’Arville Michael Seleski: After All  The Colourists: Peppa Martin reflects on the art of Leslie Hossack and Peter Owusu-Ansah Brianna Roye + Wanna Thompson Portraits of Mas: For She/For He/For Them by Corinna vanGerwen  A Vibrant Vision by Djenabé Edouard  Patricia Parsons: Perceptions of Colour An interview by Rita Godlevskis   A Whole String of Pearls: The Hand-Tinted Lantern Slides of Mary Schäffer Warren by Mina Markovic This edition also features, our Books + Resource recommendations for further explorations, and our PORTFOLIO featured artists: Amanda Devison Manfred Mueller Stephane Alexis Daphne Faye Boxill Eva Kolcze Monica Rooney Paul Gravett Trina Turl Vanessa Pejovic David Dorrance Ryan Puchalski Marie-Louise Moutafchieva and Tessy Morelli, our TAMRON Award winner + More Find our playlist of COLOUR inspired tunes on SPOTIFY! Follow us on Patreon and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures! Consider supporting us!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions

At 82 years of age, Geoffrey James is no newcomer to making photographs of the built environment. Whether it has been manicured European gardens, the carefully designed parks of Frederick Law Olmsted, the poured concrete maze of Toronto, or cell interiors during the last days of the Kingston Pen, James has turned a practiced eye on the stories that places tell about themselves. And he has been recognized for his work along the way, being the subject of a major retrospective at the National Gallery of Canada in 2008, receiving the Governor-General’s Medal for Visual and Media Arts in 2012, and being named Toronto’s first Photo-Laureate in 2016. In short, he has been exhibited, published, celebrated and written about—an enviable career for any photographer in the country. I was glad to have the chance to interview Geoffrey James recently about his beautifully produced new book, Canadian Photographs , released in October 2024. The volume benefits from the inclusion of an in-depth conversation with Peter Galassi, former chief curator of photographer at MoMA, and James sees the whole as “very much a book for its time, and one that I hope becomes more interesting over time.” Time is certainly a major visual player across the photographs, many of which appear to have been made in locations that are in transition or are, frankly, rundown. This is not always the perky Canada of the calendars that fill bargain bins in big box stores. Instead, there are often pictures of tired people and tired locations. As the photographer has said, he is trying “to make a portrait of a friend who is not perfect.” So, it is perhaps not surprising that James’ title is an allusion to the Walker Evans’ 1938 MoMA exhibition and catalogue, American Photographs , a study of the Depression-era U.S. through its people and small towns. “I made these photographs as more of a diary in a way,” says James, “while Evans’ book came directly out of commissions and people like Robert Frank had a project with a shooting script. I didn’t have that.” There are some important points of affinity between the two books, however. For example, a quote on the dustcover of Evans’ first edition labels him “a kind of disembodied, burrowing eye, a conspirator against time and its hammers,” an observation that fits Geoffrey James’ own work in Canadian Photographs . The photographs are busier, looser and more peopled than much of his earlier work, and his eye flits from the city to the rural, often by way of a landscape caught half-dressed in a changing room—recent countryside putting on its new suburban clothes. Some of the sense of movement no doubt comes from James trading in his slow view camera for a snappy, digital Leica. And some of it can probably be traced to the origins of the 14-year project: photographs made through the windows of VIA trains. But the most important change in this collection of images is perhaps one of tone or mood. It often seems wistful, a suggestion that James denies: “It’s not wistful, it’s just questioning; photographing things as they are.” Nevertheless, as the photographer explains what he means by “things as they are,” it is hard to escape a sense of loss, or even lament: “I don’t know if I can characterize those emotions that clearly. Some of them are about what we’re doing in Montreal, Ottawa, or Toronto. You live in all these places, especially in the 905 where we are compounding errors of development that continue to this day.” In one location, he remembers, “I came across an entire huge orchard with every tree chopped down. The Europeans now look at us and study what not to do. There, there’s a plan to it; here, there’s sprawl.” Turning from the urban to the rural, James is concerned about the decline of arable land: “about 50% of the best land is visible from the top of the CN Tower and we’re just paving it over.” As the interview draws to a close, James rightfully points out that this is far from being the only theme in his new work: “This is not a book about bad town planning, because there are wonderful things to see too. There is always an element of chance, and I didn’t really choose specific locations. I shot as I wanted.” And perhaps that is characteristic of a real visual diary, or of any honest diary. Some entries we make on good days, and others on not so good days. It’s a long conversation between time and us, and it is all the stuff of life.       Canadian Photographs  — Geoffrey James Hardcover, 2024, 144 pages CDN $45. plus shipping Figure 1 Publishing Also available from online retailers   Did you enjoy this FREE read? Consider supporting us!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions Follow us on Patreon and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures!

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it” This well-known Ansel Adams (1902–1984) quote would have had a very different audience and intention given the image-making technology of his time. Adams challenged the then mainstream idea that a photograph was a document and confidently stated that the tools he used to record scenes were tools of a fine art craft rather than instruments of factual recording. Issue #73 - MELD - Cover image by Sarah E. Fuller , photo by Margaret Mulligan Photography purists still applaud Adam’s proclamation that photography should be considered an artform; but this quote takes on a bold new meaning now, given the limitless technology options available today to creative practitioners. From historical processes to AI, the “making of photographs” has never been a more diverse and contentious landscape. New combinations and previously unheard voices present us with truly exciting, fresh conversations. Cameras are no longer even needed to create hyper-real images. “Photographs” are “made” every day at a rate beyond anyone’s comprehension with AI. With the volume of images being “made,” my question is “What are they saying?” What are we visually breathing in from beneath this avalanche? Issue #73 celebrates photo-based artists that dare to meld technologies to craft powerful creative statements. Emma Nishimura feature story by Corinna vanGerwin Emma Nishimura ’s multimedia works are a tribute to her family history. Her use of photographic documents in crafting intricate, delicate, beautiful pieces connects the viewer with a very real family immigration story. The images she “makes” blend her story with that of her grandmother’s. All the artists in this edition share practices that are slow, arduous, complicated, and layered. Works presented in this issue offer disruptions and diversions from the high-volume digital life quips that we have gotten used to streaming endlessly on our screens. Prolific outsider artist Martha Davis ’ dioramas and greenscreen projects are vivid, quickly made sketches that demand attention and slam down really hard conversation ignitions about genuinely important topics: community, seniors, children, our environment, social justice, and more. Natalie Hunter ’s work takes a gentler approach, inviting viewers into a physical experience of quiet light and joyful colour. Her work asks us to pause and breathe as we enjoy a rare analog experience. Natalie Hunter feature by Bart Gazzola In the context of mainstream conversations arguing the virtues and warnings of AI, Benjamin Freedman ’s work questions, and mirrors Adam’s quote directly. Benjamin’s fabricated camera-less narratives in the context of contemporary art ask us not to challenge the truth of an image (those days have passed) but present us with a new tool for storytelling our memories, and other narratives that may or may not exist. Duane Isaac ’s work combines the physical craft of mask-making with photography to present viewers with an Indigiqueer perspective that explores identity, culture, and sexuality. ( Read more here ) The PORTFOLIO pages in this edition are especially exciting for us, as the artists we present here have been selected by our curatorial team from our first-ever international open call. Trina O’Hara (Australia / Italy) PORTFOLIO featured artists Trina O’Hara (Australia / Italy) Sarah E. Fuller (Canada) Pavlo Fyshar (Ukraine / Germany) Maryam Firuzi (Iran) Rosemary Horn (New Zealand) Diego Fabro (Brazil / Dublin) Monica Rooney (Canada) Christine Germano (Canada) Zelda Zinn (USA) Ralph Nevins (Canada) AND, Check out the GuruShots Pure Minimalism showcase in print or online HERE. Find our playlist of MELD inspired tunes on SPOTIFY! Consider supporting us!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions

Duane Isaac, Snake Series, 2023. AS I AM AN  Ojibwe and Wasauksing First Nation (Eagle Clan) member, my curatorial interests explore many facets of identity, including discussions of queerness, gender, and the importance of cultural representation in art. I have always focused on rising artists who push boundaries and align with the themes and concepts I research.  Duane Isaac is one of those artists. They are of Mi’gmaq descent from rural Listuguj, Quebec. From studying at Dawson College to exhibiting in various galleries and publications, their practice catalyzes discussions of indigeneity and queerness, woven into themes of masculinity, femininity, and the power of camp.  Duane Isaac, “Bloom,” 2018. Duane states, “My Indigiqueer perspective shapes my artistic practice by exploring the intersectionality of identity, culture, and sexuality.” Duane creates surreal, fantastical masks inspired by ideas around their identity, made of found objects and recycled supplies. Their fabrication process involves forging every mask with a base layer of aluminum foil applied to a mould to create a smooth, seamless form. When pleased with the mould prototype, the mask gains a layer of foam clay, filling any gaps and creating stability. Once the foam clay has congealed, the mask is ready for protruding forms and embellishments. Duane’s masks are fabricated in an organic flow in which mistakes and anomalies  are embraced. These moments push the creative work in new directions throughout the process. The creative process continues through the camera lens and later in post-production. Duane works with models, friends, and strangers to embody archetypes that comment on the ongoing glorification of the ideal body. The photographs are narrowed down to four or five for the editing process. Duane uses Lightroom and Photoshop to layer in otherworldly environments to create an eerie playfulness. Ultimately, mask-making has been the most important part of their photography journey. I first became aware of Duane’s practice in 2018 when I came across "Bloom" (2018). This image specifically spoke to the concepts and themes I research, queerness and gender. Queer identity holds many complex states of fluctuation. The embodiment and notions of masc and fem are never in a fixed state and always waver. Often, our desires, relationships, and interactions are subjected to scrutiny, and expectations are made around sexuality and gender identity to fit a pre-manufactured mould. "Bloom" (2018) presents a traditionally masculine body that evolves past colonial ideologies surrounding sexuality and gender.   Duane Isaac, Snake Series, 2023. Celestial Bodies / Corps célestes /Enangog Bemaadzojig , exhibition at daphne Gallery, Montreal, in collaboration with articule, photographed by Guy L'heureux, 2023. Duane and I worked together in 2023 at daphne x articule in Montreal. Celestial Bodies  became a travelling exhibition that stemmed from my residency there. This group exhibition explored the experience of Indigenous Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer identities. Our work presented the audience with the statement: We are celestial bodies, and we transcend. Duane Isaac, Snake Series, 2023. Celestial Bodies / Corps célestes /Enangog Bemaadzojig , exhibition at daphne Gallery, Montreal, in collaboration with articule, photographed by Guy L'heureux, 2023. The Snake Series , consisting of three photographs and three sculptural masks’ were pieces created specifically for Celestial Bodies . This work challenges the traditional way we view photographs as art by allowing the viewer a new dimension to their experience. The handmade masks on display share the artist’s hand and challenge the connection with the subject in the image. In this series, Duane presents concepts of the queer gaze through myth and fable iconography crafting a sense of the forbidden. Apples, pills, and snakes embody temptation, caution, and consequence, cloaked around the ideals of traditional beauty.  Duane Isaac, “Untitled 3,” 2023. Duane’s practice is ever-evolving. A recent outdoor exhibition of their work in Quebec featured large-scale images printed on transparent sheets pressed into blocks of ice. New presentations such as this push their ideas around encapsulating the surreal, while continuing to propel viewers to question beauty and identity through ethereal, strange, and heavenly works. See more work by Duane Isaac: duanedisaac.com This story appeared in issue #73, the MELD edition. This issue showcased photography as a creative blender, presenting artists who work slowly and carefully crafting considered, intentional, layered, and complicated works. Follow curator and artist Jesse King, HERE Did you enjoy this FREE read? Consider supporting us!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   READ our digital editions  Follow us on Patreon and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures!

LIGHT IS THE BASIS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY. As photographers, our craft is about documenting it or manipulating it to shape a narrative. THIERRY Du BOIS • From the Edification of Light series OUR 70TH PRINT EDITION shares contemporary visual depictions of electromagnetic radiation and its unique qualities, opening our eyes to the power of light through a new lens. The LIGHT issue IN PRINT • Cover image by THIERRY Du BOIS • photo by Margaret Mulligan #MadeWithAffinity The artists in this issue work with light as the basis of their photography, taking their explorations to new levels. “In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary." — Aaron Rose Ann Piché crafts her images featuring light as her central subject; while Thierry du Bois creates abstract visions from the glow of urban architecture at night; and Vicki DaSilva uses light as a tool to create graffiti only visible with a camera. Ann Piché • fractured Vicki DaSilva • I am Malala • Light graffitti Meanwhile, Adam Swica, Rita Leistner and Don McKellar play with light to create visual narratives for viewers to question. “She Is Tangled In The Light" ©Rita Leistner and Don McKellar, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery and FFOTO.com This issue features:        SCARBOROUGH MADE Community Spotlights By Sid Naidu RITA LEISTNER & DON MCKELLAR  Searching for light in dark times By Craig D’Arville THIERRY Du BOIS  Lit from within By Alan Bulley THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF ANN PICHÉ By Darren Pottie VICKI DA SILVA  Running with Light By Rita Godlevskis SOFT-FOCUS AND SERENDIPITY: PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY By Peppa Martin ADAM SWICA  Rendering Light By Corinna vanGerwen Minna Keene & Violet Keene Perinchief By Mina Markovic Chasing Light is Chasing Life By Rocio Graham This edition also features, our Books + Resource recommendations by Alan Bulley for further light-based photography explorations, and our PORTFOLIO featured artists: Henry VanderSpek Monica Rooney Amy Friend Grant Withers Nikki Baxendale Jennifer Gilbert Felicity Somerset Alan McCord Pablo Villegas A Canadian photo history highlight by the phsc.ca Find our playlist of LIGHT inspiration tunes on SPOTIFY! Follow us on Patreon and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures!

Photos by Andrew Rees (@andrew_rees_photography) Ok, let’s do some math: take eight photographers, multiply them by 36 exposures each, add one model and a rack of costume options in a beautiful house near Mont-Tremblant, then divide by just 30 minutes per photographer to make one outstanding image to be judged by a panel of seven. What do you get? A lot of fun and learning, all while raising money for a worthy cause. Photo by Andrew Rees (@andrew_rees_photography) Organized by Toronto photographer Michelle Quance, the Thirty6Xposures project encourages friendly competition and channels support for research on Rett Syndrome , a genetic neurological disorder that is more common in females and has a broad set of impacts on movement, speech and breathing. Those of us who weren’t in on the adventure can follow along thanks to a good- humoured movie that documents the process each photographer went through to make images and select the best one for printing. The film was directed and narrated by Quance, with excellent technical work from Rachel Bower (Cinematographer) and Shawna Eberle (Editor, and one of thie challenge participants). The Thirty6Xposures name hints at one of the challenges participants face: being limited to 36 frames, just like in the old days when shooting a roll of 35mm film was not an esthetic choice. Some of the other challenges include the time constraint, having to photograph indoors at a given time of day, and working with a live model when most participants are not used to giving direction in a fashion session. A tough assignment! Experienced photographers will sympathize—and often laugh along with—their onscreen counterparts and imagine how they might have done it differently. For less experienced viewers, the movie is punctuated with brief but helpful explanations of some of the tech-speak that peppers the dialogue. Clips of the film are being released on YouTube and anyone who wants to stay up to date with where the project is heading next can follow @Thirty6Xposures on Instagram. Additionally, an exhibition of personal work from the eight photographers featured in the 36 Xposures Photography Challenge takes place as part of the CONTACT Festival of Photography until June 28, 2024. Styles range from fine art, wildlife, celebrity, portrait, street and live music photography. Each photographer has chosen one image from their personal portfolio to be featured. @traceybielphoto @alioopphotography @skin_mf @johanna.carlo @fabricefotoartprojects @freddykoops @michaelhurcomb @shawnaeberle Enjoyed this free read?!  Consider supporting us! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions

Stephen Brookbank, Roller Rink at the waterfront, Hamilton, Ontario “The grey warm evening of August had descended upon the city and a mild, warm air, a memory of summer circulated in the streets. like illuminated pearls the lamps shone from the summits of their tall poles upon the living texture below which, changing shape and hue unceasingly, sent up into the warm grey evening air an unchanging unceasing murmur.” —excerpt from“Two Gallants “ by James Joyce Inspired by Irish novelist James Joyce’s short story “Two Gallants,” Stephen Brookbank explores after-dark and before-dawn urban, suburban, and industrial environments. Using a large format camera, he uses long exposures and available light to create images that aim to illustrate the “truth” of a scene. Stephen Brookbank, Greenhouse, Gage Park, Hamilton, Ontario Stephen’s environmental portraits in home, work, and play settings look to document the resilience of people in the midst of a challenging period in human history. “North America is in a phase of deindustrialization,” he says. “I’m interested in creating work that supposes allegories representing flexibility and adaptive strength.” One of Stephen’s key influences is the New Topographic movement of the 1970s, in which photographers worked to identify a critical view of the state of America. “I am interested in looking at the everyday urban and suburban landscape with a sense of awe and respect, coloured with the mixed-up night-time lighting situations from available light sources,” says Stephen. “This work is intended as a document of our time.” Stephen Brookbank An inherent analog aficionado, for this project Stephen used Toyo View G, a 4×5 large format studio camera, with Rodenstock Apo-Sironar lenses and Kodak Portra 400 film. “My reasons for shooting analog are purely personal,” he says. “It works for me and what I’m trying to achieve. Shooting with such a large camera forces me to work slowly.” Rather than taking lots of photographs of a scene, Stephen takes time to decide on an ideal composition and takes one shot. “I may only make two negatives. A successful night of shooting may only yield a couple of photographs. The process and ritual of making a picture on a large format camera appeals to me. The richness of a well-made negative contains such beautiful, smooth clarity and detail,” says Stephen. Stephen Brookbank Stephen follows a few self-imposed rules when photographing. One of these rules includes not adding any light to a scene, including after dark. “I rely on street lights, window light, and low clouds to light scenes for me. One of the challenges this creates is that when I am photographing people in their work, home, or recreational environments, my exposures have to be quite long. It’s not unusual to have people posing for up to a minute.” Stephen Brookbank “I’ve figured out a trick,” he says. “During a long exposure, one of the things that makes a person jittery is an effort to keep from blinking during the exposure time. I’ve found that if a person blinks comfortably they are more relaxed and able to keep still — even little kids. In the photograph their eyes are still clear and sharp.” He does very little in terms of posing people, as they are to look relaxed, comfortable, and like themselves. “Another challenge is the skepticism I encounter,” says Stephen. “People are typically proud of their neighbourhood, so after a short conversation I try to demonstrate that I am there out of respect. Then their guard goes down. Of course, the curiosity of my big, old fashioned—looking camera also seems to help diffuse any tension.” Stephen Brookbank, Families at Roosevelt avenue, Hamilton, Ontario Stephen’s laborious process influences not only how his images appear, but also his audiences. When people slow down to understand the technical factors involved in his work, they gain further insight into the narratives he creates and presents as documents. This story originally appeared on the RESILIENCE OF ANALOG #FilmIsNotDead edition. We share this incredible work now as tribute to our late friend STEPHEN BOOKBANK . As per his wishes, please make a donation to QEII Health Sciences Foundation or the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. Enjoyed this free read?!  Consider supporting us! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital edition S

An excerpt from: Anthotypes – Explore the darkroom in your garden and make photographs using plants . Anthotype made using Beach rose (Rosa Rugosa) • “Gather ye rosehips” by Alison Bell, St. Catharines, ON What is an anthotype? Utilizing nature’s own colouring pigments from flower petals, berries or other plant parts, images are produced by crushing and mixing them with alcohol or water to make a light-sensitive emulsion. Ordinary watercolour paper is coated with the emulsion and a photogram can be created by placing objects on top of the paper. An image can also be printed using a positive transparency (not a negative) in a contact frame. The print is then exposed under the sun. No further developing or fixing of the print is needed. The focus of this book is to show the many different types of emulsions that can be created from an infinite number of plants and pigments. Anthotype made using Lavender (Lavandula), Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), Blue butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea)and Basil (Ocimum basilicum) • “Lavande” by Émilie Léger, Montréal, QC The benefits of anthotyping An environmentally friendly and sustainable process—very little impact on the environment. A great way to spend time in nature. Wonderful smells when picking petals—most of the time. A fun way to experiment with photography. A great way to get children involved without hazardous chemicals—though take extra care to avoid poisonous plants! No darkroom is needed; can be done at home. You can grow your own plants for creating the emulsion. A de-stressing process of “slow photography”. Anthotype made using Sulphur Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) • “Summer Sunshine” by Janice Kamide, Richmond, BC Some things that may be less perfect The image can be somewhat faint or have low contrast. The exposure times are very long—it can take days or even weeks. The prints are monochrome and thus limited to one colour. It is hard to know the final colour of the print; for example, blue petals do not necessarily yield a blue print. Some plants are VERY poisonous; be sure to look this up before using them! Some pigments cause stains on clothes and surfaces. The result can be unexpected—that is not necessarily a bad thing. The image is not permanent. It will fade over time. Anthotype made using Turmeric (Curcuma longa) • “Grandma’s House” by Kirsten Murphy, Yellowknife, NT A brief history Using plants to colour cloth or paint is ancient—with evidence of the use of plants ranging from Neanderthals to Egyptian Pharaohs and Japanese tattoo masters. The discovery and use of plants in photography is more carefully mapped. Like many other discoveries, it required a whole ensemble of people to make it happen, starting with Henri August Vogel who, in 1816, discovered that plant juices are sensitive to light. A number of people did extensive research, such as Theodor Freiherr von Grotthuss , and Sir John Herschel who published his discovery in 1842. Rather unfairly, Mrs Mary Somerville was a main player but was not able to publish her research on ‘the action of rays on vegetable juices’, since she was a woman(!!!). There are more names, such as Robert Hunt and Michel Eugene Chèvreul , who extended the research on their own accord. “Anthotypes show us just how much early photography is a kind of natural magic. Malin Fabbri’s book is a real gift – a much-needed manual on this beautiful and almost-forgotten process.” - Dan Estabrook, Artist and educator. Enjoyed this free read?!  Consider supporting us! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions  •

IN CONVERSATION WITH CRAIG D’ARVILLE “She Is Tangled In The Light" ©Rita Leistner andDon McKellar, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery and FFOTO.com CAST YOUR MIND BACK TO 2020 and, if you dare, recollect how you spent your time during the lockdown days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some artists chose to focus on studio-based practices, while more rebellious types, such as Rita Leistner, went out into the world, masked and under the cover of darkness, with camera in hand. Renowned for her work in photojournalism and projects such as Forest for the Trees , Toronto-based photographer Rita Leistner, succumbed to the restlessness of lockdown along with her friend and collaborator, filmmaker Don McKellar. Together they created an astonishing series of photographs that are in turns playful, poignant, nearly feral, and experimental. The result is Infinite Distance - Nocturnal Pandemic Urban Dreams. Curious to know more, I invited Rita to talk about these collaborative compositions. “They Reach Across An Infinite Distance" ©Rita Leistner and Don McKellar, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery and FFOTO.com CRAIG: What was the genesis of Infinite Distance - Nocturnal Pandemic Urban Dreams that brought you and Don McKellar, a film director, screenwriter, and actor, together? RITA: We’d been friends for decades and we were neighbours at the time. It began with me bemoaning my purposelessness as a portrait artist in a world under lockdown where I wasn’t allowed to go near anyone with my camera. I was paying close attention to the photography being made in the early days of the pandemic. There were a lot of haunting photographs of abandoned public spaces around the world. But Don knew I wasn’t interested in wandering the city alone and (wanting to get in on the adventure) he volunteered to be my photographic subject. I thought over his proposition and called him the next day: “Sure, let’s do it, but guess what Don? I’m going to give you a camera too!” “He And She Run Up The Hill" ©Rita Leistner and Don McKellar, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery and FFOTO.com CRAIG: There are expressionistic, cinematic elements and a ritualistic playfulness happening in these compositions, all complemented by long exposures and an experimental use of light. How did the conceptual approach you and Don came up with come about? RITA: At first, we went out at night to encounter fewer people, because we were afraid of contracting COVID-19. Later, it was for artistic reasons too. We could create a surreal, edgier, more apocalyptic world where we were the only two people left. Darkness was a condition for our lighting with flash and long exposures and the mysterious dream-like effects we sought to create for our fantastical worlds — magical spaces, underworlds, and mythological allusions (Orpheus and Eurydice), etc. — and painterly qualities — especially those associated with German Romanticism (“After Friedrich”) and depictions of saints and martyrs ( “After Sebastianus Patron Saint Of Plagues” ). It was also more fun and rebellious to be out at night: our private defiance against the virus. We shot in black and white because I couldn’t bring myself to think in colour, which I associated with my photography in the “before times.” Incidentally, I have not shot in colour since, despite being a “colour photographer” for most of my career. Lately, I’ve been sketching portraits in charcoal. “He Floats As An Apparition Above The Fire" ©Rita Leistner and Don McKellar, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery and FFOTO.com CRAIG: How did you settle on the sites where you chose to make these photos? RITA: We made a list of locations that were iconic Toronto, but also where green intersected with concrete, the way nature was encroaching on built-up urban spaces. Among them were the Bloor Street Viaduct, St. James’ Cemetery and Crematorium, the Don River (not by accident, the principal settings of Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion), the railway tracks on Dupont, Ontario Place, and Toronto Island, which we especially loved because we were able to incorporate fires and canoeing in the canals into our narratives. CRAIG: In these photos, the two of you sometimes seem like a couple of naughty kids. Was it intentional to convey a sense of urgency and adventure through these compositions? RITA: This project would never have happened if Don and I didn’t really like hanging out and having fun together. We were trapped in the city, but at night we experienced this extraordinary freedom and feeling of lawlessness in the empty spaces we explored. We were seizing the day! We did feel a real sense of urgency as artmakers too, because it was important to us to make something of this historic time. As time went on, we got naughtier and darker. We took to calling our alter egos “He” and “She,” and “They.” Theirs is a complicated relationship and, yeah, They were definitely up to no good. “She Floats In The Leaves” ©Rita Leistner and Don McKellar, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery and FFOTO.com CRAIG: Is this the first time you’ve collaborated with another artist? Moving forward, how do you think collaborative work will influence your practice? RITA: This was a unique situation created by the circumstances of the pandemic. Co-directing often doesn’t work, but with Don and me, we both enjoyed directing and being directed by each other. I think the success of Infinite Distance would be hard to repeat. Don was a fantastically cooperative muse and artistic partner in a sparse, depressing time. But in general, I’m not really drawn to collaboration. The lines of creation become too blurred. CRAIG: What’s next for you? RITA: Recently, my dad fell and hit his head on the sidewalk. He spent a month in the hospital, and I was there almost every night as part of his care team. He’s doing better today, but has a long, uncertain road of recovery ahead. My father’s accident changed my priorities, and it’s hard to think beyond the moment. But trauma is a catalyst for art. We never could have imagined Infinite Distance outside the pandemic. Likely, what’s next for me will be related to what I’m experiencing now. “They Are Divided By A Glow On TheWater” ©Rita Leistner and DonMcKellar, courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery and FFOTO.com Craig D’Arville is co-owner, along with Stephen Bulger, of FFOTO.com , an online platform that offers photo-based works by established artists, and is an incubator for emerging talent. Rita Leistner is represented by Stephen Bulger Gallery, with select works available via FFOTO.com . Don McKellar is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Enjoyed this free read?!  Consider supporting us! JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • READ our digital editions