
A PROGRAMME OF events aimed at encouraging young people in Moray to become more interested in film and still photography is to take place at the Elgin Youth Café next month.
The series of events have been organised as a tribute to the talented photographer Eilidh Thomson, who sadly passed away in July 2014 at the age of just 29.
Announcing the initiative, the senior youth worker at the Elgin Youth Café, Kate Armitage, said: “The aim of the project is to introduce young people to photography and filming and to develop their skills.
“We are looking to do this by introducing the many different types of photography and opportunities available with the help from local photographers, film-makers and like-minded organisations using Eilidh’s amazing work for inspiration.”
The project has been made possible thanks to a recent sale of Eilidh’s work at an exhibition organised by Moray College UHI, along with support from the Moray, Banff & Badenoch Decorative and Fine Arts Society.
A sum of £3000 was raised from the exhibition and that has gone towards the costs of setting up ten ‘Taster Sessions’ and a more in-depth four-day course.
The taster sessions will consist of two-hour long workshops run over 10 sessions based at Elgin Youth Cafe on Thursdays beginning on March 17.
The programme will involve a wide variety of aspects of photography and will include local artists, photographers, film-makers, and local organisations such as and IGNITE Moray Youth Arts Hub, the insideMoray community news website and The Northern Scot.
Meanwhile the Photography and Filming Course will be half-day and full-day sessions run over two weekends in May led by Graeme Roger of Wildbird.
This will be a more intense course leading up to an exhibition – there will be a maximum of 12 places which will be open to young people throughout Moray. It will also cover architecture, landscape, group and modelling and action/event photography.
Anyone seeking further information or wishing to book places on the taster sessions should contact the Elgin Youth Café at Francis Place, Elgin on 01343 548300 or visit the Café online.
Further details on ‘Perception to Light’ and Eilidh Thomson can also be found online at www.perception-of-light.co.uk or www.moray.uhi.ac.uk/news/perception-of-light-by-eilidh-thomson
Taster Session Programme
Launch Event – Thursday 17th March, 7.15-9.15pm
Introduction to the many aspects of photography, the tutors and their work. To explore the participants’ particular interests.
Pin-Hole Camera Session – Thursday 24th March, 7.15-9.15pm
Tutor: Chris Bird leads a hands-on workshop to show young people how to make their own pin-hole camera. There will be a dark room set up to develop their own pictures.
Portrait, Group and Modelling Photography –Thursday 31st March, 3.00-5.00pm & 7.15-9.15pm
Tutor Gary Murison from Gary Murison Photography, garymurisonphotography.co.uk – teaching young people how to use their cameras in different environments. Young people will be able to take and edit their own modelling shots as well as pose themselves!
Active, Landscape and Nature Photography – Thursday 7th April, 3.00-5.00pm & 7.15-9.15pm
Tutor: Chris Spencer, ActivNorth Photography, www.activnorth.com and Sarah Young, Fernlea Photography, fernleaphotography.squarespace.com – Teaching young people how to create their own landscape and architecture photography.
Media Photography – Thursday 14th and 21st April, 7.15-9.15pm
Tutors: insideMoray (April 14) and The Northern Scot (April 21) – Looking at editorial photography and how best to capture pictures to go along with news articles. Discussions around different medias and how photography is used.
Filming Editing and Photography Display Session- Thursday 28th April, 7.15-9.15pm
Young people will be shown how to edit their pieces of filming together to create a film of the taster sessions. The session will also include displaying their photographic artwork for a completion.
Celebration Event and prize for the best photograph! – Thursday 5th May, 7.15-9.15pm