Photographic extravaganza in Liptovský Mikuláš

THE HOUSE of Photography in Liptovský Mikuláš this year continues its tradition of holding a Summer Photoschool. The 14th year of this marathon of photo workshops, seminars, consultations and presentations will take place in Liptovský Mikuláš between August 7 and 14. Even though the organisers have been forced to cut the number of photography classes to seven due to a lack of funds following the economic crisis, they will cover several topics and genres, according to Lucia Benická, the director of the House of Photography.

Moments from previous photoschools.Moments from previous photoschools. (Source: Courtesy of the House of Photography)

THE HOUSE of Photography in Liptovský Mikuláš this year continues its tradition of holding a Summer Photoschool. The 14th year of this marathon of photo workshops, seminars, consultations and presentations will take place in Liptovský Mikuláš between August 7 and 14. Even though the organisers have been forced to cut the number of photography classes to seven due to a lack of funds following the economic crisis, they will cover several topics and genres, according to Lucia Benická, the director of the House of Photography.

The Summer Photoschool is open to any member of the public, either from Slovakia or abroad, who is interested in photography. Participants are expected to include art students and amateurs as well as professional photographers in all age categories. The lecturers, many of whom have attended the photoschool in the past, will come from three countries: Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria.

Slovak Filip Vančo will lead the documentary photography class with a lecture entitled Subjective Documentary – Private Stories. Long-term lecturer and collaborator of the House of Photography and well-known artistic photographer of the so-called Slovak New Wave Kamil Varga will lead the body and landscape class. Zdeněk Lhoták, a Czech photographer known for documenting both sports and the effect of Chinese occupation on Tibet’s unique culture will lead the still life and product photography class. Austrian photographer Fiona Rukschocio will teach students about experimental photography in a class entitled I See You – Photocollage as an Attitude.

Even though this year the whole event will be dedicated exclusively to digital photography, old techniques will be not ignored. Slovak lecturer Maroš Rovňák will teach how to create a daguerreotype by computer. Experienced photography lecturer Petra Cepková, from Slovakia, will lead a workshop designed for beginners who want to learn the basics of working with their digital cameras. And attendees of the workshop led by Marián Béreš, who is a long-time fan of the Liptov region and has hiked there extensively, as well as being a devotee of landscape photography, will explore visually interesting places in the mountains of Liptov and beyond.

The portfolio review, seminars and presentation of works by the lecturers are an inseparable part of the photoschool, enabling attendants to obtain more information about the phenomenon of photography.

Unlike previous years, in which the event ended with the ceremonial opening of a large collective exhibition from works created during the workshops, this year the photoschool will culminate in a final virtual show, during which each lecturer will present the best outcomes from his or her class, followed by a public discussion about the works presented.

How it began

The Summer Photoschool dates back to 1996, when the House of Photography was launched in Poprad. In 2006 the House of Photography moved to Liptovský Mikuláš, taking with it the photoschool.

“At that time active photographic activities with the possibility of international creative communication were missing,” Benická explained. “The Summer Photoschool creates a working interconnection of professional and non-professional photographers during a dynamic creative action… Simultaneously, we have an opportunity to discover new talents because a number of local and foreign photographers who are just starting their professional career are attending the photoschool. Moreover, this event is also unique because no similar project has been run in central Europe.”

For more information on the event, please visit www.domfoto.sk

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