The Shutterstop van will first do courses in the Shoalhaven, before moving into other areas. Photos: Supplied.
Two South Coast photographers have gone old-school, launching a mobile darkroom within an 80s silver retro caravan that allows people to delve into learning the art of black and white film photography.
Oak Flats photographer Andy Zakeli and Berry photographer Katie Rivers have started Shutterstop to initially travel the Shoalhaven teaching the joys of analogue photography and film development, before expanding into other regions.
“We go on location and teach people black and white film photography and they get to develop their own film on the day and print photos in our mobile darkroom,” Andy said.
“We’re using some old-school hands-on techniques to get people back and interested in the fun side of photography.”
Andy said the traditional techniques they would be sharing were those he learned when he started his career as a newspaper photographer and now taught as a part-time TAFE teacher in Wollongong.
“I saw interest from people getting – pardon the pun – exposed to film because it was a hook, and then it still interests people once they get their first try at it,” he said.
“People have done vans before, but they generally do it for one or two people. Our van caters for eight students and two people teaching at once.”
He said the darkroom was housed in a 22-foot 80s caravan complete with mural on the back that he had gutted and refurbished.
“Everything’s recycled and renovated – the internals have been recycled and the equipment is recycled, because you can’t buy new anymore,” he said.
“I kept it as a theme, because it’s sort of a retro experience.”
He said the one-day workshops were catered to those interested in photography, from beginners with no experience to professionals who wanted to be reacquainted with what they learnt years earlier.
“The floodgates are opening for us to be at lots of places, but ultimately we just want to teach people photography and have fun,” he said.
“Photography has an issue where the technical aspects freak people out and they lose interest very quickly after they’ve bought all this fancy gear.
“This is hands-on and we’re there to help anybody who gets stuck, so they don’t have to worry about the technical aspects too much.
“They end up with a nice result to hang on their wall at the end of the day.”
Andy said with interest ranging from schools to arts organisations, the appeal was not only in all things retro returning, but the experience it created compared to digital where instantaneous images appeared.
“It’s that tactile experience and slowing down, because you have to slow down,” he said.
“You can’t see the photos once you’ve taken them, so you have to think about that process when you’re doing it.”
He said as a result, they didn’t rush students, allowing them time to concentrate.
“The biggest thing comes in the darkroom when they put their first sheet of paper in the chemical and an image appears, and there’s still a sense of wonder in that for a lot of people,” he said.
“There’s that anticipation of developing the negatives and, when there’s a result, there’s big smiles on their faces.
“I think the smells that come with the old-school photography as well – they’re not the greatest smells, but they’re very unique and they stick with you.”
Andy said the process also gave students the ability to problem solve when a photo didn’t work, knowing processing took time and cost money compared to digital, where people simply deleted and moved on.
He said he had seen the benefits of that process to improve skill levels through his TAFE teaching, being at one of only four TAFEs in NSW with darkroom facilities.
“Not every campus has the ability to teach that through their course, but luckily the one I teach at in Wollongong West has that facility … and it’s been very successful,” he said.
Andy said his earliest memories of learning film photography were at school, which also sparked his interest to become a photographer.
He said his older sister was in the photographic industry and connected him with a commercial photographer for work experience, where he was taught darkroom techniques.
“I started photographing at school and I won a photo competition with a black and white photo that really put me on the path of wanting to do this as a job,” he said.
He said much of his career was focused as a press photographer, which provided many of his career highlights, and as a commercial photographer doing work at a corporate level.
“A highlight for me was covering huge events like the Olympics, and international media things with political figures or the Pope were quite unique to press photography,” he said.
“Sadly, I was a paparazzi in London for just over six months. While I hated that job, it did teach me a lot about work ethic.”
With Andy and Katie working part-time for Shoalhaven Tourism, they are focusing initially on that region, with courses already booked in.
Learn more about Shutterstop courses.
Loading ...
