Matte Albumen

Matte Albumen 

Instructor Name: Jessica Somers

Date(s): September 17^th and 18^th

Time(s): 10:00 – 4:00

Location: Five Points Art Center Alternative Photo Lab

Ages: 18+

Cost: $275

Class Cap: 8

Workshop Description

Albumen, a printing process from the mid-1800s, was the first commercially viable photographic printing process. The process uses paper coated with an egg white solution and UV light in concert with a photographic negative to create a brown-toned image. In this workshop, we will explore a modern variation of the original Albumen process to create photographs that have a vintage appearance. During the workshop, participants will be guided through the basics of coating paper with an egg white solution, preparing digital negatives, and the printing and processing of Albumen photographs. At the conclusion of this workshop, students will come away with a selection of their own Albumen prints and will also be provided with written instructions, an Albumen supply list, and a digital curve file for printing Albumen negatives.

Required Materials:

Workshop participants will need to bring digital images with them to the workshop. Instructions on how to prepare them will be provided about one week before the workshop. All other materials will be provided by the Five Points Art Center and the instructor.

Instructor Bio

Jessica Somers is a photographer specializing in historic photographic techniques and self-portraiture.

Jessica has been in love with photography for most of her life. She was exposed to the act of picture making through her grandfather, an avid amateur photographer, and in the family bathroom-turned-darkroom after sunset. Here, she witnessed actual magic standing over the chemical trays watching an image appear where only a simple white sheet of paper was before. As a kid, she received a Kodak disc camera and fell in love with the act of expressing her individual view of the world from the 4 foot high perspective of a seven year old. Her height has since increased but her love affair with photography continues.

Jessica’s work has been exhibited nationally and has been published in various periodicals. Her research on alternative processes and select photographs are published in the 3rd edition of The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes by Christopher James. Jessica is a 2020 Connecticut Office of the Arts Fellowship Award recipient. She currently teaches photography throughout Connecticut and at Lesley University College of Art and Design in Cambridge, MA.

Instructor Website: www.jessicasomers.com