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Attitudes to photography have undergone a radical shift in recent times. Partly in response to these contemporary changes, historians, curators and photographic practitioners have begun to re-examine older forms of photography: exploring the wide variety of historical technologies and techniques, finding surprising ways in which images were manipulated and determining how an ideology of photographic realism was maintained. Yet there remains a need for scholars to explore questions of early photographic ‘authorship’, singularity and objectivity in much greater detail.

Scholarly studies of nineteenth-century photography have been heavily influenced by later theoretical constructions. As an alternative, Daniel Novak has posited a ‘Victorian theory of photography’. Yet this theory remains unelaborated. Similarly, Elizabeth Edwards and others have called for a move away from the traditional Art History model of analysing photography. This interdisciplinary conference will explore the question of what such an analysis, and such a theory, might look like. 

Possible questions and areas of interest for the conference include:

•           How do technological narratives influence our understanding of photography?

•           Photography as a business; photographers as workers.

•           The hegemony of nineteenth-century photographic realism, and resistances to it.

•           Can/should we do away with the Art History model of photography?

•           Alternatives to the photographer-as-author model of photographic exhibition and analysis.

•           To what extent can we think of photography as being separate to other print and visual media?

•           The role of photography in the creation of nineteenth-century celebrity.

•           Early photography as represented in literature, art and film.

•           Photographs as networks; photographs as objects.

•           When does ‘early’ photography end?

•           Does digital photography allow us to ‘read back’ the performativity of images from earlier periods? How might the revival of Victorian photographic techniques by current practitioners influence historians?

Keynotes: Kate Flint, Lindsay Smith, Kelley Wilder

Organisers: Owen Clayton, Jim Cheshire, and Hannah Field.

To submit proposals for 20 minute papers, please send an abstract of 200-250 words to rethinkingphotography@gmail.com. The deadline is 12^th Jan 2015, 5pm (GMT).

Australian photos sent to c19th world fairs which stayed in European/American collections. I am researching an exhibition on the history of the photograph in Australia 1840s - now, for 2015. Most of the photographs Australia sent to world fairs in the 19th c stayed overseas. We are trying to track these down.

If anyone has 19th century Australian photos in their collection please do get in touch on my work email judy.annear@ag.nsw.gov.au

Best wishes and I hope to hear from you

Judy

Hi everybody! I am looking for further stereos from the “New Series Welch Views” which is most probably by William England. I have attached two images (No. 11 and No. 13).  Does anybody have further information on this series or more scans for me?  Thanks and best regards.

Gerlind

Dear All,

I have included a couple of links that might be of interest. 

http://photohistory.jeffcurto.com/about

It is quite American but very interesting. You can access them form itunes or the website. I have listened to a lot of them and leaned a great deal.

http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/8403 

This link is useful for research purposes if trying to date pictures or trace a photographer.

I hope this helps 

Nick 

http://teachyourselfphotography.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-get-most-out-of-your-black-white.html

One of the great paradigm shifts in contemporary art over the past 20 years has been the movement of photography into the realm of fine art. The critical and commercial success of artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Thomas Struth and Andreas Gursky, who are represented by contemporary art galleries, and the appointment of photography curators to top public galleries such as Tate Modern and Guggenheim, has ensured that the medium is increasingly regarded as a vital part of contemporary artistic practice. With digital techniques of manipulation becoming more and more advanced, photography stands to continually develop and change as a tool for artists.

Given that the first photograph was produced in 1826, why did it take so long for photography to be accepted by the art world? How reliable is a photograph as evidence of the real world? What makes a documentary photograph different from a 'fine art' photograph? How will the increasing impact of digital manipulation impact upon the medium? What might the future developments in photography be?

These are some of the questions that curator Charlotte Cotton, photographers Anne Hardy and Clarisse D'Arcimoles and artist and writer David Campany will discuss as they explore the most pressing questions regarding photography today.

Click here to book: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/photo/

New Directions in Contemporary Photography
Charlotte Cotton, Anne Hardy, Clarisse D'Arcimoles and David Campany in conversation
7.30pm, Monday 17 January 2011

Tickets are £10 / £6 students and each ticket admits one person. There are only 300 seats available so please book early.

Call For Papers.

(De)constructing the Archive in a Digital Age.

September 10^th 2010, School of the Arts Loughborough University, UK.

Organised by Iris www.irisphoto.org.

Paper Submission Deadline; Friday 30^th July 2010

One-day debate on the possibilities of the archive.

This event aims to provide an environment for sharing information whilst stimulating debates about the role of the
archive within art, culture and design.

Possible topics of enquiry may include but are not limited to;

· The discussion about how the archive should respond to the digital age continues. How does the physical archive change and adapt in the face of new
technologies?

· When is the archive not an archive? What is the difference between the archive and the collection?

· How should we respond to the growing number of images available to us in the digital archive, as increasingly we are exposed to photographs for which
there are no original viewing contexts available? What is the value of these
decontextualised and dematerialised documents to the researcher as historical
evidence?

·How is the institutional archive to respond to questions about the democratization of the archive, not only through the process of digitisation
and online access but also the growing use of more interactive forms of viewing/sharing
with web 2.0?

Paper presentations, abstracts of 200-300 words may be submitted for a 30-minute paper presentation.

Panel submissions abstracts for a 90-minute colloquium, which is to consist of 5 participants (1 chair and 4 presenters; each presenter taking no more than 15 minutes) may be
submitted. Abstract length should be 250-350 words.

Poster presentations, 200 word abstracts for a themed poster to be shown at the conference will be accepted.

Artworks, submissions for artworks related to the topics will be considered, please send a 200 word abstract. Include details of medium, size and installation requirements on a separate
sheet.

Please send abstracts (clearly marked as to which category you are interested in) and a brief C.V. to;

iris@lboro.ac.uk

OR

Mort Marsh, IRIS.

Loughborough University

School of the Arts

Edward Barnsley Building

Epinal way

LE11 3TU.

Iris is an internationally focused research resource dedicated to promoting the work of women artists using photographic-based media.