Open Studio 21st-27th of July 2025
Open Studio 2025 – Creative meetup in the woodlands of Kočevski Rog, Slovenia
I have been working professionally in the field of photography for all my life and for more than 25 years I’ve been organising workshops and photography festivals throughout Europe (Barcelona, Florence, Berlin, Vienna and other places. Since 2016 I have been organising wet-plate expeditions in the woods of Slovenia.
In July 2025, I am opening the doors of my studio for a unique one week creative event. As I prepare for my new solo exhibition in December, I invite photographers, artists, and analogue enthusiasts to join my creative process. This is not a traditional workshop but an open studio where you can work independently, shoulder to shoulder with me, observe my way of working, and develop your own projects in a relaxed and creative environment.
Participants choose the number of days they want to spend in my studio or on location in Kočevje.
Certain days will be dedicated to work in the unspoiled wilderness of the Kočevski Rog and others in the darkroom studio, retouching glass negatives and printing either in different printing processes, like salt print process, albumen process or carbon transfer process.
This event is a prelude to my vision of creating the Wetplaters Circle, which I intend to formally launch in 2026.
Programme
-
- Wet plate collodion photography in the unspoiled wilderness
- Darkroom in the woods
- Wet plate collodion
- Zebra dry plates
- Hand-Retouching of glass negatives
- Albumen printing (from preparation of the paper to the final result)
- Evening talks around the fire about photography, art and the creative process
- Opportunity to see others using wet-plate equipment and materials
- Work on own projects with feedback of others
- Research and experimentation with alternative processes (albumen, salt printing, carbon transfer printing)
Examples of past expeditions:
Woodland Beyond Photography 2016
Woodland Beyond Photography 2017
Woodland Beyond Photography 2018
PARTICIPATION FEE
The participation fee depends upon your wishes and needs. The concept of this event is that I offer you a great excuse to spend some days in the woods making some wet plate art. I will offer you knowledge and support that you can create some art in the woods. If you bring your own materials and cameras, the participation fee is 150 EUR per day.
ACCOMODATION
If you would like to stay at a hotel, we will organise a transportation to the hotel and back, but the transport to the hotel and the expense is upon you. If you are satisfied with a modest room or a tent, it will be available with no extra charge. If you need me to supply you with the equipment and materials I will make you a quote before your reservation.
FOOD & DRINKS
Expenses for food and drinks are not included, it will be charged extra, but it will not surpass 50 EUR per day. (Alcohol not included in the price)
CAMERAS, CHEMISTRY, GLASS PLATES…
I encourage you to bring your own equipment, but if you need me to supply you with the equipment and other materials I will make you a quote before your reservation.
DATES
Monday, the 21st until Sunday 27th of July 2025
REGISTRATION
Deadline for registration is one month before the event, 21st of June 2025.
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
Maximum 8 – eight
MORE INFORMATION
Please email me for reservations and more information borutpeterlin@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +38641581626
REFERENCES
I’ve devoted my life to photography and in the pursue of my education road took me in many places around the world, like Prague (Famu, BA degree), London (London College of Printing, Post-Graduate), Fabrica, Italy (working with Oliviero Toscani), George Eastman House, USA (learning from Mark Osterman) and participating in workshops of living legends of phototgraphy, like Martin Parr, Duane Michals, Stephen Gill, Francesco Zizola, Klavdij Sluban and many others.
I also very happily share my passion for photography and so already in 2001 I’ve started a festival of documentary photography Fotopub and I was a program director until 2009. In the last decade and a half I’ve dedicated myself to 19th Century photography processes, like wet plate collodion process, dry collodion process, albumen printing, salt printing and most importantly carbon transfer printing. I had numerous wet plate workshops throughout Europe, from Paris, Berlin, Nurnberg, Vienna, Florence, Rome, Krakow, Novi Sad and of course, in my place in Slovenia. All together I’ve have thought several hundreds of photography enthusiasts.
I feel deeply honoured that people from all over the world are coming to my small little town of Straža. I had a participants who came from all four sides of the world. From Taiwan and Singapore on the East, from USA and Brasil on the West, From South Africa to Norway and Faroe Islands on the North, but most of them are coming from European Union.
Pelikan 2024
WHAT?
I’m thrilled about this new expedition program. After the March’s expedition to the woodland (LINK), we will visit Studio Pelikan, an authentic glass studio from 1899. It’s great to do 19th Century photographic process in an authentic 19th Century glass studio. History and future meet in the viewfinder of a bellow camera. We will make wet plate negatives and manipulate the process chemically, physically and visually. Back in the darkroom we will retouch the negatives and print them in the most creative way.
EXHIBITION?
This year’s theme of my expeditions program is Spirits & Ghosts. Our expeditions will be crowned with a traveling exhibition. The exhibition will include original hand-made prints that we’ve done together. We will print our negatives as carbon prints, albumen, salt, polymer gum print, cyanotype or silver-gelatine. That said, this will not be an exhibition of alternative photographic processes, but without a doubt, it will boldly promote the aesthetic of handmade photography. The story, the feeling that a photograph emits is always the king. For now I have two galleries in Slovenia interested in the exhibition.
WHO?
This program is intended primarily for photographers who took my workshops already, but it is not reserved exclusively. On these events we will not be learning about the basics of wet plate collodion process, but instead we will challenge our technical knowledge by pushing ourselves out of the comfort zone and hoping for the best, hoping that art piece will emerge. Photographers who shoot film and use large format cameras are welcome.
BEGINNER?
If you do not know much about these 19th Century photographic processes, but you would still like to join it is possible. In the future I will form a group of participants who are not interested in all the chemical receipts, but would still like to create some handmade photography under supervision. This expedition in March 2024 is NOT this kind of nature, but if you send me an email, we will soon form a group.
HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS?
This format of long weekend art projects will grow, I am sure of that, but to ensure the quality support to everyone, I want to start small and limit the group to five people.
SUMMARY:
- Our expedition will be focused on analogue photography processes.
- We will photograph on wet plate collodion negatives, dry collodion negatives, silver-gelatine dry plate negatives and silver-gelatine film. Also paper silver-gelatine negatives might be a fun option.
- One day we shoot, two days we print.
- We will mainly print salt, albumen prints and carbon prints. Later we will also print as polymer gumprint.
- Without a doubt, while shooting wet plate collodion process we will do lots of troubleshooting.
- Our aim is to create art. Our second objective is to create handmade prints that will be in aesthetic and technical way superior to digital computer drawings also known as inkjet prints.
EQUIPMENT:
Participants are encouraged to use their own equipment, however since most of them will be traveling from far, my cameras and tripods will be available to them. I own different wet plate cameras from Kodak Folding Brownie 3A to Gibellini 16×20″ and all formats in between. When outdoor, we will use two Eskimo tents for developing plates. Also my dark-boxes are available. The oldtimer Land Rover Series 3, year 1972, is always a valuable tool. Well, not always, only when it is working.
DAY ONE 30th of MAY 2024
- The first day we will practically try different methods how to manipulate wet plate collodion process and what effect does that have on the final print.
- We will overview equipment,
- Clean some plates
- Packing
- Defining our goals, motifs and approaches.
DAY TWO 31st of MAY2024
- Meeting at 8am in my atelier and starting the expedition before 9am.
- In March’s expedition we intend to go to the woodland of Kočevski Rog.
- Making lunch on bonfire.
- Working whole day.
- Best would be that we sleep in the woodland and if possible I will try to get us all great accommodation at Zavod Nesseltal (LINK). There are also other options, but less comfortable.
DAY THREE 1st of JUNE 2024
- Coming back to the atelier.
- Varnishing glass negatives.
- Retouching glass negatives.
- Start printing on pre-prepared albumen and salt paper.
- Toning with gold chloride toner.
- Waxing salt prints.
DAY FOUR 2nd of JUNE 2024
- Printing negatives as carbon prints on glass or double transfer on paper.
- Mating our artwork with pre-prepared mats.
- Overviewing.
- Picking one print per participants for the exhibition. The print will be shipped to the owner after the exhibition.
- Packing.
WHERE?
Headquarters are at Na žago 4, Straža pri Novem mestu, Slovenia (45°47’07.1″N 15°04’35.4″E – Google maps)
WHEN?
The long weekend from Thursday 30th of May until Sunday 2nd of June 2024.
LANGUAGE?
English
HOW MUCH?
This long weekend package will be 550 EUR per person. All materials, VAT, rent and other things included. Food and accommodation is not included in the price.
RESERVATION?
The reservation fee is 200 EUR and it is 50% refundable five weeks before the workshop. The rest you pay at the beginning of the workshop. The fee could be paid by ordinary bank transfer, or by Paypal. Please email me for more information on borutpeterlin@gmail.com.
ACCOMODATION?
I recommend RaMar accommodation (LINK) Please tell the owner that you’re coming to my workshop, he will give a better price or an apartment for the price of a room. But if you are coming by car, there are more options. Five kilometers away, in Dolenjske Toplice there are options like camping (LINK), Hotel Pri Mostu is really nice place and in Novo mesto that is 9 km away there is also Hostel Situla. There are many other options on Booking.com.
HOW TO GET HERE?
AIRPORTS:
The closest airport is Ljubljana, Slovenia
The second closest airport is Zagreb, Croatia
Other options are Venice airport (IT), Klagenfurt (AUT) and GoOpti from there
BUS, TRAIN
If you will come by buss or train, go to Novo mesto. From Novo mesto busses are going to Straža pri Novem mestu, but the connections aren’t that good, so I can pick you up and drop you to your accommodation place.
Link to the bus connections: https://www.ap-ljubljana.si/en/timetable
Link to the train connections in Slovenia: https://potniski.sz.si/
Link to the bus connection Novo mesto – Straža (On Sunday they don’t work)
It might be easier to pick you up in Novo mesto
MORE INFORMATION
Please email me for reservations and more information borutpeterlin@gmail.com
REFERENCES
I, Borut Peterlin, have devoted all my life to photography and I have a BA degree in Fine Art Photography from Famu, Prague, PostGraduate Diploma at London College of Printing, I was working with Oliviero Toscani at Fabrica / United Colors of Benetton and I was photoeditor and photographer at Mladina weekly magazine for about ten years. In 2001 I’ve started Fotopub festival and I was an art director for eight years. Most of my knowledge in the 19th Century photography processes originates from workshops with Mark Osterman in George Eastman House, Rochester, USA and I also took color carbon printing workshop with Calvin Grier. I have great interest in education and although I have many seminars at colleges, I keep myself away from academic waters in favour of a freelancing career. I share my knowledge passionately either through seminars, workshops and also via my YouTube channel. In the last decade I might have had over 100 workshops and demonstrations of alternative processes throughout Europe, from Barcelona, Florenz, Rome, Berlin, Hamburg, Krakow, Vienna, Paris, Frauenfeld / Switzerland, Novi Sad / Serbia and of course in Slovenia. I feel deeply honoured that people from all over the world are coming to my small little town of Straža. I had a participant who came two times from Singapore, a retired headmaster who came all the way from New York City and other cities like Moskau and Kiev on the east and From Norway and Faroe Islands on the north, several participants came from the sunny Tel Aviv and just as sunny Spain, one even from Gibraltar, but most of them are coming from Italy, Germany, UK, Switzerland and Holland.