Online

The Magic of Lumen Printing

with Vanessa Marsh

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

Through the magic of light-sensitive paper and a spirit of experimentation, lumen printing is a camera-free process that transforms everyday materials into glowing, luminous photographic art. In this new online workshop, artist Vanessa Marsh shares the nuances of the process, placing objects on traditional black-and-white darkroom paper and exposing them to sunlight or UV light. This technique lets you play with light, creating unique images shaped by objects, exposure time, and sunlight’s unpredictability.

In this four-session program, you explore the practical side of lumen printing—processing images, gauging light intensity, and selecting the right paper. Experiment with exposure times, try multiple exposures, and use dodging and burning to create subtle gradients and shadows. Notice how transparency, texture, and shape influence each image. Work with cut paper masks and painted mylar to shift forms and effects. Explore digital negatives and bring in unexpected materials like ice or liquids to push your compositions in new, abstract directions.

Each class session includes a short slide presentation for context and inspiration, featuring artists working with photograms, lumen printing, and related processes, followed by a review of student assignment images, a demonstration of a new technique, and time for questions.

Weekly assignments build on each demonstration, with space to either refine new skills or approach each project independently. By the end of the workshop, you leave with a selection of prints and the knowledge to continue the magic of making lumen prints on your own.

Additional Information

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

Experience with alt pro techniques is helpful but not required. A b/w darkroom is not needed for this workshop.

Once the workshop is confirmed, a materials list will be provided, outlining the items needed to participate in the workshop.

Policies:

View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.

Categories
Alternative Process, Creative Vision, One-of-a-Kind
about
Vanessa Marsh

Vanessa Marsh, a Portland-based visual artist, creates imaginary landscapes through a mixed-media process rooted in photography. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at venues such as Berggruen Gallery (San Francisco), The SFO Museum, The Penumbra Foundation (New York), photoEye Gallery (Santa Fe), and The Contemporary Jewish Museum (San Francisco). Vanessa has received prestigious fellowships, including the Penland Winter Residency and Fellowship (2023), Jentel Foundation Fellowship (2018), and MacDowell Colony Fellowship (2007), among others. Her images are part of collections like the San Jose Museum of Art, the San Francisco Art Commission, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. With 15 years of teaching experience, she also served as Program Developer at City College of San Francisco for a decade.

Gorman on Gorman: Five Decades

November 17 - 19, 2020

Finding Your Voice

December 15 – 17, 2020

Wild Stories: The Perilous Art of Adventure Writing

December 1 – 4, 2020

Color, Light, and Design

January 4 - 21, 2021

You May Also Like

A Portrait of San Miguel de Allende

with Reid Callanan

October 13 – 17, 2025

Photographic Haiku

with M. H. Rubin

January 6 – 23, 2026

A Natural Eye: The Expressive Landscape—Big Sur, California

with Eddie Soloway

December 2 – 7, 2025

Transcendent Portraiture

with Fritz Liedtke

November 3 – 20, 2025

How to Talk and Write About Your Work

with Jean Miele

September 9 – September 26, 2025

The Color Moment

with Arthur Meyerson

October 20 – 24, 2025

Festival Time in San Miguel de Allende

with Jennifer Spelman

New Dates! October 2 – 6, 2025

Web Design for Photographers

with Cotton Miller

October 7 – November 4, 2025

iPhone Artistry

with Dan Burkholder

November 3 – 20, 2025

Day of the Dead in Oaxaca

with Marcela Taboada

October 29 – November 3, 2025

In Nature’s Embrace

with Xuan-Hui Ng

November 5 – 19, 2025

The Creative Alchemy of Fine-Art Photography

with Thibault Roland

November 6 – December 11, 2025

The Next Step: San Miguel de Allende

with Sam Abell

October 13 – 17, 2025

The Black-and-White Image

with Carlan Tapp

November 1 – 19, 2025

SPARK ART: A Creative Workshop for Photographers

with Leanne Trivett S.

November 4 – 21, 2025

Diptychs, Triptychs, and Beyond

with Manuela Thames

September 16 – October 3, 2025