Senior Lecturer in Photography

  • Academic
  • Creative Education
Peter Renn

Peter has been teaching at UCA since 1997. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Photography at Farnham, teaching on the Photography, Fine Art and Film & Digital Art courses. He runs a number of units for BA (Hons) Photography and workshops for MFA Photography.

Bio

A professional photographer since 1990, Peter has worked in a wide variety of fields for publications as diverse as Vogue, Melody Maker, Hello! and the Sunday Times, as well as commissioned work for advertising, publicity, architectural and fine art clients.

He has an extensive technical background, running the colour department for Gene Nocon’s Photographer’s Workshop in the early 1990s and running his own professional exhibition fine printing business for more than 25 years. Peter studied Photography at West Surrey College of Art and Design, graduating with a BA (Hons) in 1988.

Further information:
Alternative Process Users Group Blog
Peter's website
The School of Fine Art & Photography website 

Research statement

Peter’s current research practice is centred on early photographic processes, notably the wet-plate collodion method from 1851. The research is both historical and practical.

He has been involved in work at the Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock and elsewhere, concentrating on reviving 19th century processes and now runs practical demonstrations/workshops in early processes for staff and students. Other interests include experimental image-making techniques, involving adapting equipment and/or building specialist cameras, optical devices used by fine artists such as the camera obscura and camera lucida, and camera-less image making techniques.

He is working on a long-term photographic project: a book based on the abandoned and forgotten landscape of the Thames Estuary.

Research supervision

Erin Solomons (PhD Rochester) – not formally supervising, but advising and monitoring her experimental process-based practice in Farnham darkrooms.

Professional Membership, Affiliation and Consultancy

Affiliated to the Worldwide Ilford Darkroom Directory: Localdarkroom.com.

Founder of the Alternative Process Users group: an online resource for photographers around the world to share information and ideas on alternative and historic photographic practices.

Co-author of Langford’s Basic Photography (8th ed. on) and reviewer for other Elsevier/Focal publications on photography.

Compiling editor of the UCA Farnham Photo course technical manual and various course handbooks, including ‘Alternative and Historic Processes - A Manual For Photographers’,  ‘Photography for Fine Artists’ and ‘A Guide to the Wet Collodion Process’

Peter Renn