ALTERNATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES
What is alternative photography?
Cary gets this question a lot and it’s a good one! The term ‘alternative photography’ refers to all non-digital or 19th-century-processed photography. (You may think of cyanotypes, sun prints, or pinhole photography.) But Cary also loves to share her deep love of polaroid photography, vintage cameras, and other processes that have evolved in her exploration over the last twenty years. You can learn more about alternative photographic techniques here and here. Cary is excitedly preparing and planning for future classes at The Workshop at Timber Ridge, where she will share a range of the analog materials she has explored over the years, including emulsion lift transfers, Polaroid transfers, cyanotypes, leaf printing, anthotype printing, encaustic painting, and mixed media with photos.
Workshop announcements to come!
Cary Oliva is a Virginia-born artist, photographer, designer, maker, small business owner, and entrepreneur. For years she has enjoyed the exploration of various alternative techniques with Polaroids as well as challenging the usual notions of photography, combining analog and digital processes to include mixed media. She thoroughly treasures the mindful process of making her art, the results always being less predictable, creating a sense of surprise and awe.
Cary graduated from Dickinson College with a B.A. in Italian Studies and Fine Art. She studied art in Italy and continued taking classes in photography after college while living in New York. It was during that time that she discovered more about alternative techniques and fell in love with making polaroid manipulations, transfers and emulsion lifts, which she found completely addictive. Cary spent many years creating these little images with joy and wonder. While teaching this process to others, Polaroid suddenly announced in 2008 that it would cease its instant film production. Then came The Impossible Project, a group of enthusiasts who bought the last remaining Polaroid factory in the Netherlands and started remaking some of the film that she used for a bit and subsequently the alternative Fuji FP100C instant film before they both also went away. Polaroid Originals took over in 2017 and still produces many of the vintage camera films in addition to the i-Type films for the newer cameras like the Polaroid I-2 and Polaroid Now. However, many of the chemicals changed and, sadly, some of the processes no longer work.
Cary lives and works with her husband and ceramics artist, Judd Jarvis, near Lexington, Virginia. She enjoys exhibiting her work in the area including during the North Rockbridge Trail Open Trail Days. She also has an Etsy shop where she sells both functional and decorative pieces such as coasters, trivets, calendars, and paper products. Now that Cary and Judd have created The Workshop at Timber Ridge, she can focus again on creating and exploring her art in new ways. Cary plans to play for a while in the studio to pick up where she left off, and soon will offer a variety of alternative photography workshops/classes in their renovated horse barn.
