Over the past few months, the Art and Photography Department has been transforming its Darkroom facility, giving pupils the opportunity to explore traditional photographic techniques. With expert guidance from Oxford Darkrooms, the space has been redesigned to function effectively, and pupils have been trained in black and white photography.
Our Sixth Form photographers recently visited Oxford Darkrooms, where they learned how to use analogue cameras and develop negatives into striking black and white prints. Back on the Hill, the newly acquired equipment was set up with the help of Rob Ross, a retired Royal Navy brain surgeon and accomplished photographer, alongside Adrian Bradshaw, a photojournalist with nearly 30 years’ experience working with international media such as Newsweek and Reuters.
Rob and Adrian shared their extensive knowledge of the printing process and reviewed pupils’ sketchbooks, offering valuable insight into combining traditional and digital techniques. These conversations sparked fresh ideas and new perspectives, helping pupils push their work further.
“It was an excellent opportunity for the pupils to transfer the theoretical knowledge that they had acquired to a practical situation and by the end of the day, the understanding and confidence that the pupils gained was brilliant.” commented Head of Art and Photography, Mr Field. “Rob and Adrain also took the opportunity to review the pupil's sketchbooks and offer suggestions and advice to help merge traditional and digital photography techniques. It was brilliant to listen to the conversations as it is always useful to have a second opinion for how ideas may be developed further.”
As our pupils begin planning and experimenting for their final projects, the skills, confidence, and creative approaches gained through this experience are already elevating the quality of their work — and we can’t wait to see what they produce next.