PORTRAIT of Love
Learn to take photographs together - the old fashioned way
An inspiring analogue photography day out for couples who want to learn something new, spend real time together and escape from the distractions of everyday life.
This is a brand new concept, so availability at these prices is super limited and only available for bookings made by the 31st March 2023.
Escape from the real world for a day and remember why you fell in love.
Building a life together is about way more than material possessions - when you truly love someone, you want to look back on the memories you’ve made with one another, experience as many ‘first’ moments as possible and hold onto the intimacy you had at the very beginning of your relationship.
But it can be hard. Life gets in the way and before you know it, you’re not spending enough time together and when you are, it’s the same things over and over again. When you do make the effort to find something special, you hit a brick wall - you’ve tried it all and it was great but it’s not new. What you want is something exciting; something that will inspire you both.
I dreamed of a new life and made it happen. In August, I finally bought the period property I always wanted by the sea. In December, I moved away from everyone and everything I knew, giving up my photography and painting studios to create the life that worked for me. I like nice things but nice things don’t live in your memories; people do. In my new life, I savour the time with the people (and pet!) who make my life better. Now I’ve left a life behind, I know what’s really important and it’s all the experiences I’ve shared with all the people in my life. That’s what I remember.
In a different old life, I was an English teacher. But I fell out of love with it and when you fall out of love with something, it’s impossible to be inspiring. In 2019, I discovered where my true love really lay: in analogue photography. So, in 2021, I started teaching it in my cleverly repurposed pop up tent. It was wonderful - except that set up and take down time took over an hour and sort of sucked the fun out of the magic of the darkroom. Now, I have a real place - with a fixed darkroom - which means I can go back to teaching it, for real.
The thing is, I want to be inspiring. I want to show people that the quieter, simpler moments in life are what really counts and I want people to have a tangible, physical entity they can return to again and again. A constant reminder of what is really important: the people you love; the people you want to spend your time with. But to have that real memento, you need to have the experience to go along with it.
And here it is.
A romantic day out using analogue photography. I’m not particularly techy, so I didn’t want to create something that would detract from the memory making experience. We’re not creating commercial photographs, we’re crafting the stories of your life.
Together you’ll experience the moment you want to capture and then actively look at the ways you can do this. It will bring you closer together, get you talking, connecting with one another, inspire you to look at things in a new way, to consider what’s really around you. You’ll learn to see what’s really important to capture.
Portrait of Love is an inspiring analogue photography day out for couples who want to learn something new, spend real time together and escape from the distractions of everyday life.
Hello! I’m Victoria.
Each session is for only one couple - this means it’s properly intimate and even though I’m there to guide and support you, the whole day out is only about you two.
Get mushy with analogue photography and take a break from your everyday life by returning to the old fashioned photographic methods that were (and still are) magical.
Uncover the mystery of making a great photograph and learn how to slow down to appreciate exactly what is in front of you.
Inspire one another outdoors by experiencing the moment you want to capture, spark conversation and then passionately work together to create your everlasting memory.
Get intimate with the darkroom by turning your negatives into contact prints and lose yourselves in the enchanting world of hand printing your very own adventure.
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Step 1: Let’s get acquainted!
Total Time: 20 minutes
Analogue photography is wonderful but there are lots of weird and wonderful tools, so before we get started on making beautiful photographs, a studio tour will let you get tactile with all of the things you’ll be using during the day:
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Ancient film cameras
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Lightmeters
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Film (the old fashioned spools we make negatives from)
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Developing tanks and winding spools
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Developing trays and tongs
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Chemicals
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Darkroom paper
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Englarger
Step 2: It’s time to connect!
Total Time: 120 minutes
Girvan is the perfect location to escape from it all and you can choose from the sea or the forest or choose to do both.
Whichever option is perfect for you, this is where the fun takes place.
You and your favourite person in the world will have the chance to re-connect while you learn how to shoot with film to turn magical moments into beautiful memories.
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Step 3: Do it together!
Total Time: 40 minutes
Processing your negatives is the only part of the experience where we need complete darkness (if that’s too terrifying for you, there is another way!) and even this part lasts only as long as it takes you to wind your film onto a spool and load the developing tank. After this, with the lights back on, you pour in your chemicals and wait with anticipation to see what you’ve made.
Step 4: Just the two of you…
Total Time: 60 minutes
Your negatives need some time to dry, so take this perfect moment to re-fuel and enjoy one another’s company.
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Step 5: Here is where the magic really begins!
Total Time: 60 minutes
Expose your paper, submerge it in liquid and watch as your glossy negatives come to life. This is where your moments become tangible, visible memories for you to look back on for years to come, where your day together is the newest chapter in your story.
Step 6: Elevate your romance!
Total Time: 120 minutes (Add-on)
Watching your contact sheet come to life is magical but the process of perfecting your favourite image is even more special. Spending an extra few hours in the darkroom gives you the opportunity to make your very own full size print (or two) where you’ll learn more about exposure, contrast, dodging and burning, print size, paper type.
Are you ready to make memories with the person you love most in the world, experience a truly special ‘first’ moment and regain the intimacy you had at the very beginning of your relationship?
By clicking the “buy now” button, you’ll be taken to a calendar where you can choose the date for your awesome memory making experience before checking out. Not ready to book? Buy a gift voucher here.