Join us for a full day celebrating photography in all its forms, from historic photographs and alternative processes to photo walks, hands-on workshops, film, and conversations with fellow photographers. Whether you’re a longtime photographer, just getting started, or simply curious about the medium, there will be plenty of opportunities to participate, learn, make something, and connect with others.
Start the day with a photo walk through historic Staunton, combining photography with a guided walking tour of the city. Throughout the day, stop by for our public Photo Swap, where you can bring a photograph and leave with someone else’s. Grab a brown bag lunch and settle in for a film, make your own pinhole camera, or bring your work along for an informal photo critique.
The afternoon continues with hands-on alternative photography, including a cyanotype workshop, before coming together in the evening for a closing reception and awards ceremony. We’ll wrap up the day with a film screening in the garden.
Come for one activity or spend the whole day with us. Bring your camera, bring some photographs to swap, bring a project for critique, or just come curious. There’s something for everyone.
While you’re out exploring, be sure to visit our friends at the Camera Heritage Museum and explore their collection of vintage cameras. You can also stop by Co-Art Gallery to see their exhibition, The Art of Photography. Make a day of it and experience photography throughout downtown Staunton.
A Day of Photography: 200 Years Through the Lens
SEPTEMBER 19TH 10 AM-10 PM
The DAYS EVENTS
Photo Walking Tour 10 AM
Start the day by exploring Staunton through the lens of your camera. Join a guided walking tour provided by our friends at the Historic Staunton Foundation through downtown Staunton while looking for interesting architecture, details, people, and moments to photograph along the way. Bring your camera and comfortable shoes!
Photo SWAP: 11 AM - 5 PM
Bring a photograph and leave with a photograph! The Photo Swap is a chance to share your work, discover photographs from other participants, and take home something unexpected. Bring one or more printed photographs that you are willing to give away. When you arrive, add your photographs to the swap and browse the collection to choose the same number of photographs to take home.
Photographs may be original prints, snapshots, experimental images, or anything else you’d like to share. We recommend a maximum size of 8 × 10 inches so that everyone has a chance to participate and browse the collection comfortably.
No sales—just photographs, surprises, and a chance to connect with other photography lovers.
Brown bag lunch and film: Noon
Bring your lunch and join us for a midday screening of Chasing Time, an award-winning documentary following renowned photographer James Balog as he brings his 15-year Extreme Ice Survey to a close.
Using time-lapse photography to document glaciers around the world, Balog and his team created an extraordinary photographic record of a changing planet. The film is a thoughtful look at photography’s ability to document change, tell stories, and connect us to places and moments we might otherwise never experience.
Pinhole Workshop 1:30-2:30 PM
Go back to the basics of photography and discover how a camera can be made with surprisingly simple materials. In this hands-on activity, you’ll create your own pinhole camera and explore the fundamentals of capturing an image without a traditional lens.
photo critique 3-5 PM
cYANOTYPE WORKSHOP 3:30-4:30
Bring your photographs and join a casual, constructive conversation about the work. Whether you’re looking for feedback on a finished image, a developing project, or simply want to see how others respond to your work, this critique is an opportunity to share, discuss, and learn.
Explore one of photography’s oldest alternative processes and make your own cyanotype print. Using light-sensitive materials and the sun, you’ll create distinctive blue-and-white images while learning the basics of this historic photographic process.
cLOSING rECEPTION
AND aWARDS 5:30-8PM
Join us for the closing reception of Latent Image: A Photographic Celebration and help us celebrate the photographers and Artists who have made the exhibition possible. Enjoy refreshments, connect with fellow photography enthusiasts, and join us as we present awards recognizing outstanding work in the exhibition.
fILM IN THE GARDEN 8PM
End the day beneath the evening sky with a film screening in the garden. Bring a chair or blanket, settle in, and enjoy one final celebration of photography and the moving image. Stay tuned for the surprise film announcement!