Workshops & Creative Retreats in France

I offer private workshops and small photographic retreats in the Dordogne, centred around wet plate collodion, analogue photography, and historical processes.

Sessions take place at the Limestone Studio in the Périgord Noir, and in collaboration with selected hotels and historic venues across the region.

Workshops are individually tailored and focus on slow, hands-on image-making, from large format photography to historic wet plate techniques.

These are working sessions rather than demonstrations.
Glass, chemistry, camera, and subject come together in real time.
We move between the studio, portrait and figure work, and the surrounding landscape, following the needs of the process.

  • Private workshops and small-group sessions are shaped around your interests, experience, and creative direction.

    Sessions may include:

    • Wet plate collodion (ambrotypes and tintypes)

    • Portraiture and figure studies

    • Landscape photography

    • Salt printing

    • Silver gelatin darkroom printing

    • Film development and analogue workflow

    • Digital negatives for alternative processes

    • Large format photography (4×5, 8×10 and beyond)

    • Portfolio development and mentoring

    Some workshops include portrait and figure sessions with models, depending on the nature of the retreat.

    Workshops are available as:

    • One-to-one tuition

    • Small group sessions

    • Short workshops or extended creative days

    • Bespoke residencies (by arrangement)

    The emphasis is on process, observation, and making work with intention.

    Mentoring and support, for anyone working on a project, building confidence in analogue techniques, or looking for a fresh perspective on their creative path. You don’t need a portfolio, just a willingness to explore.

    Hands-on sessions in a range of digital and alternative processes, including:

    • Wet plate collodion: ambrotypes and tintypes

    • Salt printing

    • Photopolymer gravure

    • Traditional silver gelatin printing

    • Film development and darkroom work

    • Creating digital negatives for alternative printing

    • Use of vintage and large format cameras — from 8x10, 10x12 plates to 35mm, 120 roll film, 4x5, 8x10

    • Use of 6x17cm, 6x9cm

    • Custom sessions for exhibition printing or private commissions

    Creative residencies (coming soon) a chance to stay at the Limestone Studio and spend time making work at your own pace, alongside photographer and founder, John.

  • The Limestone Studio is a working photographic studio set within the landscape of the Périgord Noir in south-west France.

    It is a space dedicated to analogue photography, wet plate collodion, and traditional darkroom practice.

    Participants have access to:

    • Wet plate collodion equipment and chemistry

    • Large format and vintage cameras

    • Darkroom facilities

    • Alternative printing processes

    • Studio space for portraiture, figure and still life work

    The surrounding landscape provides space for landscape work and slower, observational photography.

    Selected workshops may also take place in collaboration with nearby historic properties and carefully chosen rural venues.

  • Accommodation is arranged locally through a small selection of boutique hotels such as Hotel de Bouilhac in Montignac through to chambres d’hôtes, and rural properties near the studio.

    These locations are chosen for their calm atmosphere and proximity to the working environment.

    For longer stays, creative residencies can be arranged for photographers and artists wishing to develop work over time at a slower pace.

    These residencies are intentionally small in scale and designed to support focused, uninterrupted image making.