13th December 2021
On Monday, a group of Photography A-Level students made their way over to Lacock Abbey for a day steeped in the history of Photography.
The country house with monastic roots, was once home to William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of the photographic negative.
Housed at the Abbey, the Fox Talbot Museum tells the story of the birth of photography with objects and technology from the early years of photography, as well as hosting changing photography exhibitions.
The students spent the morning learning about the history of photography at the location that polymath and pioneer of Victorian photography, William Henry Fox Talbot, created the earliest surviving photographic negative in 1835.
As well as looking to the past, the students also had the chance to visit the current exhibition “Astronomy Photographer of the Year”, which featured 100 extraordinary images showcasing the very best in astrophotography
The afternoon saw the students involved in a more hands-on session, as they worked to take photos of Lacock Abbey and the grounds in the style of Patrick Winfield.
Winfield’s photography focuses on creating a composition using a number of polaroid photos, so that individual photos come together to make one larger image.
The students had a task ahead of them, as they worked hard to find and focus in on details and elements of Lacock Abbey and its grounds as a subject for their composition.
Sarah Klein, who teaches photography at St Brendan’s, said “It has been a fantastic experience to bring the photography students to Lacock Abbey.”
“Getting out of the classroom to see and photograph the world around us is so important in photography. For the students to be able to connect with photography at the place where it all began was incredible.”
