New Courses!!

Hi Everyone,

It's that time again the courses are back up and running in January yay! This time around, as well as the wonderful darkroom courses, we have Introduction courses to Digital and Film Photography and a weekend workshop on Pinhole and Creative printing techniques.

To book darkroom courses and creative workshop email : info@blockt.ie

To book the introductions to digital and film photography
email: photocoursesbt@gmail.com
call: 0876409455

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

DPD01

Introduction to the Black and White Darkroom

This course is a basic introduction to printing and film development.

Block T will provide all chemicals needed for the duration of the course and paper for the first two weeks.

Course Pre-Requisites

Must be able to use a manual or automatic analogue camera to produce a well-exposed black and white film. (35mm or 120)

Course Overview

You will learn:

Darkroom safety, how to use equipment and mix chemicals

Creating photograms

How to develop and store black and white film

Creating contact sheets

Black and white basic printing

Creating test prints

Using multi-grade filters

Course Format and Duration

4 x 3 hour sessions. There will be two separate courses running mornings (11am to 2pm) and evenings (6:30pm to 9:30pm). Six students per class.

Course Dates: Mornings – Jan 30^th, Feb 6^th 13^th and 20^th

Evenings - Jan 30^th, Feb 6^th 13^th and 20^th 

Course Fees: Day Time course €155

                        Evening course €165

                            _______________________

DPD02

Intermediate Black and White Darkroom Techniques

Block T will provide all chemicals needed for the duration of the course and paper for the first two weeks.

Course Pre-Requisites

Completed course DPD01 or have a basic knowledge of developing film and black and white printing

Course Overview

You will learn:

  About “pushing” and “pulling” negatives in the developing stage and develop a “pushed” film

How to enhance your black and white print through dodging, burning and split-grade printing

This course will enable students to create a fine art black and white print

Course Format and Duration

4 x 3 hour sessions. There will be two separate courses running mornings (11am to 2pm) and evenings (6:30pm to 9:30pm). Six students per class.

Course Dates: Mornings – Feb 1^st , 8^th, 15^th, and 22^nd

Evenings - Feb 1^st , 8^th, 15^th, and 22^nd

Course Fees: Day Time course €165

Evening course €175

                              _______________________

ADP01

Advanced Darkroom Printing

Block T will provide all chemicals needed for the duration of the course. Ilford 8x10 fibre based papers will also be provided for the course. You will be introduced to different makes and types of fibre base paper but if you have a preference for a certain type or make of paper you should bring it to the class.

Course Pre-Requisites

Completed course DPD02 or have advanced knowledge of black and white printing

You will learn:

How to use different fibre based papers

Selenium toning

Sepia toning

Single colour and multi-colour toning

Course Format and Duration

Weekend course consisting of 2 x 6 hour sessions (10:30am to 5:30pm, Sat & Sun). Six students per class.

Course Dates: 28^th and 29^th January

Course Fees: €200

                                                       _______________________

CDP01

Creative Darkroom - Making Pinhole Cameras and Photograms 

This course is for photographers and non-photographers alike; participants will be introduced to the darkroom and learn how to create images without using a camera. The emphasis will be on creativity and fun.
There will be two lecturers running this course resulting in a lot of practical one-on-one time.
Block T will provide all chemicals, paper and material needed for the duration of the course.
 
Course Pre-Requisites:No photography or darkroom experience is required.
We encourage participants to bring along an empty box of some sort with which to make their own pinhole camera. Shoe boxes are ideal.
 
You will learn:

Darkroom safety.
How to make photograms.
How to make a pinhole camera (which you will get to take home at the end of the course).
How to take and develop a photograph using a Pinhole camera.
Some creative development techniques.

Course Format and Duration:
Weekend course consisting of 2 x 6 hour sessions. 11:00am to 5:00pm, Sat & Sun with a break of an hour for lunch.
Eight students per class.
 
Course Dates: Feb- 4^th and 5^th

Course Fees: €105

                                                       _______________________

DIG01

Beginners Digital Photography

Course Pre-Requisites

Digital Camera, Laptop and some digital editing software (preferably Photoshop Elements)

You will learn:

Camera functions and modes

Introduction to exposure (aperture and shutter stops as well as understanding ISO)

White balance

Introduction to composition, portraiture, landscape and night photography

 

During the course the class will be taken out on a night shoot in Dublin city centre

Introduction to Photoshop Elements (workspace, Quick Fix, downloading and tagging images, basic editing)

Course Format and Duration

Night time Course consisting of 6 x 2 ½ hour sessions (7pm to 9.30pm)

Course Dates: Tuesday nights starting 31^st Jan until the 6^th of March

Course Fees: €195

                                                     _______________________

CPF01

Beginners Film Photography

Course Pre-Requisites

Film SLR Camera

You will learn:

How to operate your manual SLR camera

Loading film

Using internal light meter

Exposures – Relationship between F-stops, shutter setting and ISO speeds

Depth of field

How to use F stops and shutter speeds to be creative in your work

Introduction to Composition

Introduction to Lighting for portraits

Course Format and Duration

Night-Course consisting of 6 x 2 ½ hour sessions (7pm to 9.30pm)

Course Dates: Tuesday nights starting 31^st Jan until the 6^th of March

Course Fees: €195

DUBLIN FLEA & BLOCK T'S GIANT CHRISTMAS MARKET - 'CHRISTMAS CRACKER 2011'

Hi Everybody!!

Block T and Dublin Flea Market have teamed up for a HUGE Christmas market this Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.

We will be selling vouchers for our upcoming courses beginning in February woo! We will also be selling vouchers for our 'Introduction to the Darkroom' days running throughout January, which we think will make the perfect Christmas pressie for the photography enthusiast.

Hope to see ya there!

Our dark room courses are starting again at the end of Oct. We have added a new creative darkroom weekend course which is for everyone, photographers and non-photographers.
Below is a list of our courses and their dates
To sign up e-mail smithfieldarts@gmail.com

DPD01

Introduction to the Black and White Darkroom

This course is a basic introduction to printing and film development.

Block T will provide all chemicals needed for the duration of the course and paper for the first few weeks.

Course Pre-Requisites

Must be able to use a manual or automatic analogue camera to produce a well-exposed black and white film. (35mm or 120)

Course Overview

You will learn:

Darkroom safety, how to use equipment and mix chemicals

Creating photograms

How to develop and store black and white film

Creating contact sheets

Black and white basic printing

Creating test prints

Using multi-grade filters

Course Format and Duration

4 x 3 hour sessions. There will be two separate courses running mornings (11am to 2pm) and evenings (6:30pm to 9:30pm). Six students per class.

Course Dates: Mornings – 24^thOct, 31^thOct, 7^th Nov and 14^th Nov

Evenings - 24^thOct, 31^thOct, 7^th Nov and 14^th Nov

Course Fees: Day Time course €155

Evening course €165

DPD02

Intermediate Black and White Darkroom Techniques

Block T will provide all chemicals needed for the duration of the course and paper for the first few weeks.

Course Pre-Requisites

Completed course DPD01 or have a basic knowledge of developing film and black and white printing

Course Overview

You will learn:

About “pushing” and “pulling” negatives in the developing stage and develop a “pushed” film

How to enhance your black and white print through dodging, burning and split-grade printing

This course will enable students to create a fine art black and white print

Course Format and Duration

4 x 3 hour sessions. There will be two separate courses running mornings (11am to 2pm) and evenings (6:30pm to 9:30pm). Six students per class.

Course Dates: Mornings - 26^thOct, 2^nd Nov, 9^th Nov, 16^th Nov

Evenings - 26^thOct, 2^nd Nov, 9^th Nov, 16^th Nov

Course Fees: Day Time course €165

Evening course €175

ADP01

Advanced Darkroom Printing

Block T will provide all chemicals needed for the duration of the course. Ilford 8x10 fibre based papers will also be provided for the course. You will be introduced to different makes and types of fibre base paper but if you have a preference for a certain type or make of paper you should bring it to the class.

Course Pre-Requisites

Completed course DPD02 or have advanced knowledge of black and white printing

You will learn:

How to use different fibre based papers

Selenium toning

Sepia toning

Single colour and multi-colour toning

Course Format and Duration

Weekend course consisting of 2 x 6 hour sessions (10:30am to 5:30pm, Sat & Sun). Six students per class.

Course Dates: 26^th and 27^th November

Course Fees: €200

ICD01

Introduction to 35mm SLR film cameras

This course is highly recommended for anyone who has not used an analogue camera for a long time or for anyone who has never used an analogue camera prior to taking the darkroom printing course. Block T will provide black and white film for this course.

Course Pre-Requisites

It is recommended that you bring your own 35mm SLR manual camera.

You will learn:

How to operate a 35mm manual SLR camera

Loading film

Using internal light meter

Exposures – Relationship between F-stops and shutter speeds

Depth of field

Composition

Course Format and Duration

One-day course consisting of 5-hour session (11am to 5pm Sunday) 9 students per class

Course Dates: 23^rd Oct

Course Fees: €65

CDP01

Creative Darkroom- Making Pin Hole cameras and Photograms

This course is for photographers and none photographers; it’s about using the darkroom to create image with out using film.

You will be able to push your creative and have great fun.

There will also be two lectures running this course so there will be a lot of one on one time, as the class will be split in two,

Block T will provide all chemicals, paper and material needed for the duration of the course.

Course Pre-Requisites

None, But if you have any empty boxes like a shoe box would be ideal, bring it along to make your Pin hole cameras.

You will learn:

Darkroom safety

Creating Photograms using different techniques eg. (Spraying developer and solarisation)

How to make a Pin Hole camera (which you will get to take home at end of course)

How to take and develop a photography, using the Pin Hole cameras.

Course Format and Duration

Weekend course consisting of 2 x 6 hour sessions (11:00am to 5:00pm, Sat & Sun). With a break of an hour for lunch.

Eight students per class.

Course Dates: 19^th and 20^th November

Course Fees: €105

Introduction to the Darkroom - Day One

Above are some shots of the students at work in the beginners' class. I have to say, all of the students were brilliant, it was almost too easy to teach them! We experimented with photograms and some of the ideas that people came up with were really creative and unique. I love how every person who begins making photograms will have at least one new idea to bring to the table. I'll post some shots of the results of day one soon.

Photography Shows Up in Ireland

'Photography Shows Up in Ireland': Check out this blog post from Source Magazine. The arts scene in Ireland has been enjoying something of a photography boom, including two highly successful festivals, PhotoIreland Festival and Belfast Photo Festival, this summer gone. BLOCK T's galleries were host to no less than 6 of the exhibitions on the PhotoIreland programme this year.

There really is a lot going on. Unmentioned in the article but well worth checking out, are Severed Head gallery in Dublin and Sirius Arts Center in Cobh, whose programmes have a strong emphasis on photography. Photography also has a good presence in this year's Westport Arts Festival, currently running in Mayo, with a flagship exhibition by Jackie Nickerson in the beautiful Custom House Studios, as well as several more photography shows around the town (including one by myself).

Back in Dublin, Draíocht in Blanchardstown are currently running 'My Way', an exhibition by photographer Garvan Gallagher about growing old with fashion. Well worth a visit. And tomorrow night, October the 6th, sees the launch of Gilles Perrin's beautiful show, 'People of The Sea', a gorgeous study of Irish fishermen (shot entirely on large format film) in the Alliance Française. I'll see you on Kildare Street tomorrow night for the opening!

from 'People of The Sea' by Gilles Perrin

David Kronn Collection at IMMA

There's only one week left to catch The David Kronn Collection currently being exhibited in IMMA. If you needed any convincing that a print made in a darkroom is something special,  you shouldn't after seeing this fantastic exhibition. Made up almost exclusively of gelatin silver prints (with some platinum-palladium and c-type prints thrown in for good measure) the show includes work by such photography luminaries as Diane Arbus, Annie Liebovitz, Daido Moriyama, Edward Weston, August Sander and many many more.

I finally made trip to Kilmainham this week and even though I had an idea of what was in store for me I was surprised and delighted by some new discoveries and very impressed by what was on offer.

Irish-born David Kronn's photography collection consists of over 450 prints by a wide variety of artists. This exhibition showcases a mere 165 from that collection which was recently donated to IMMA - a sign of more exhibitions to come perhaps?

Below are some of my own favourite 'new discoveries' from the show.

Brett Weston

Paul Caponigro

Dagmar Hochova

Alison Rositer

Kenneth Josephson

Peter Keetman

I'd strongly urge anyone interested in analogue photography to go to see the show, which closes on Sunday the 9th of October. The prints are exquisite and the images themselves beautiful, fascinating and often iconic. A perfect example of why darkroom techniques are enjoying a resurgence. Best of all, it's free...

About Us

BLOCK T is an organisation that provides a platform for visual and performing arts. The headquarters are located in a former tile factory and warehouse on Smithfield Square, in Dublin’s inner city.

This blog will contain news, updates and information on BLOCK T's newly built DARKROOM, as well as any photography-related news that we think is worth your attention.

We will be running courses and workshops for beginners and experienced darkroom users alike, as well as some very special weekend workshops on creative darkroom techniques. The darkroom will also be available to rent at reasonable rates.
             
We are extremely proud of our new space and excited about making BLOCK T's darkroom a hub for analogue photography lovers in Dublin.

www.blockt.ie

Darkroom Courses

 

Block T's new darkroom courses begin to roll out on the 17th of September. Find out more here. Book your place before they're all gone!