On Location
Santa Fe

Experimental Digital and Alternative Photographic Processes

with Cotton Miller

Online registration for this program has closed. To check availability, find out about future dates, or if you would like further information, please call 505-983-1400 ext. 111. Also, get the SFW E-Newsletter for updates!

Sign-up for the Newsletter:

Course Description

Push the boundaries of what photography can be by exploring hand-made prints using the most beautiful and historic photographic processes including cyanotype, salt printing, gum bichromate, gum oil, platinum & palladium, as well as incorporating contemporary digital techniques. Experiment with a variety of the antique and digital photographic processes in this survey workshop with Cotton Miller, and then focus on a few of the processes, or a combination, to make truly spectacular prints that fulfill your personal aesthetic and vision. 

For five exciting days during this holiday week in early July, Cotton guides your exploration and experimentation of a variety of the most popular and accessible experimental digital and alternative photographic processes. Together we spend our time making digital negatives for contact printing then learning the intricacies of cyanotype, salt printing, gum bichromate, gum oil, platinum and palladium printing. To make things even more interesting, Cotton introduces you to process over pigment, Ink-Aid, printing on Vellum, and using technical pre-visualization to identify strategies for workflow. 

Our Alt-Pro Lab in sun-drenched Santa Fe is your playground for the week where experimentation is held in the highest regard and finding your favorite alternative process to bring your vision to life is the ultimate result.

Additional Information

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Amateurs, Advanced Amateurs, Professionals
What You Should Know:

Proficient in digital workflow; working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom

Activity Level:
To get the most from your workshop experience, participants should be in good physical (mobility, stamina) and mental health. Come prepared for the high elevation of Santa Fe, long days, and seasonal weather including high temperatures. You must be able to carry your own photographic and personal gear at all times, both on campus and on location. You are responsible for being open and honest about your physical fitness, and we reserve the right to remove you from the workshop if we find your fitness to be less than that which you have described.
Policies:
Accommodations:

Participants are responsible for making their own accommodation arrangements in Santa Fe. On-campus accommodations are not currently available.

Meals:
Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner before the Friday evening Image Presentations, and daily beverage service are included.
Categories
Alternative Process, Fine Art, One-of-a-Kind
© Cotton Miller
about
Cotton Miller

Cotton Miller received his MFA in Photography & New Media in 2013 from Lesley University College of Art and Design, in Boston. In addition to being honored by The Boston Globe as one of six artists to watch in 2013, he had multiple exhibits in Boston and has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association in 2007. Cotton has also assisted with projects for Time Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Athleta, and Highsnobiety.

Cotton is the Web Manager for Santa Fe Workshops and does web and exhibition consultation projects for a variety of artists, and is Adjunct Faculty for the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts – Houston. He has designed websites for Nevada Wier, Christopher James, Alison Wright, Elizabeth Opalenik, and Santa Fe Workshops. Cotton’s personal work combines traditional printing methods with digital, alternative process, mixed media, and multimedia. He worked as a master printer for Blazing Editions in Providence and Cotton was a research assistant for The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes (third edition) by Christopher James. Cotton collaborates with many artists for not only web design, but also digital retouching, graphic design, exhibition design, exhibition production, and printing fine art editions.

Website: cottonmiller.com

Instagram: @cottonmiller

Adobe InDesign for Photographers
with Cotton Miller
Fundamentals of Digital Printing
with Cotton Miller

Experimental Digital and Alternative Photographic Processes

July 3 – 7, 2023

You May Also Like

Photographic Haiku

with M. H. Rubin

January 6 – 23, 2026

iPhone Artistry

with Dan Burkholder

February 9 – 26, 2026

Silver and Gold Leaf Photography

with Marcy Palmer

April 7 – 28, 2026

The Language of Polaroid: Exploring Your Creative Potential

with Jari Poulin

February 5 – March 12, 2026

Introduction to Video Storytelling for Photographers

with Marco Serventi

February 4 – March 11, 2026

Emotions and the Ephemeral World of Florals

with Leanne Trivett S.

January 14 – February 11, 2026

Creative Collage: Techniques for Visual Storytelling

with Sarah Hadley

January 13 – February 3, 2026

Urban Impressions: A New Way of Seeing

with Pedro Correa

March 11 – 30, 2026

The Magical Mobile Darkroom: Applications and Techniques for Crafting Compelling Images on Your Mobile Device

with Shelley Vandegrift

January 10, 2026

Artist Residencies for Photographers

with Ella Morton

December 13, 2025

Beyond the Frame: The Business Side of Photojournalism

with Marie Monteleone

February 7, 2026

Seeing Differently: Three Voices Exploring Abstraction

with Andy Gray, Barbara Kreutter, Nick Fancher, and moderator Stephanie Johnson

December 6, 2025

Our Photo Critique Room

with Don Werthmann

January 10 – February 14, 2026

Perfecting Light and Shadows Using Adobe Photoshop

with Maggie Taylor

December 10 and December 13, 2025

A Field Guide to Joy: A Creativity, Health, and Nature Workshop

with Tina Mullen

December 8 – 18, 2025

Flawless Skin Retouching in Adobe Photoshop

with Gabriel Isak

January 31 and February 7, 2026