Photography festival will be back in 2017

Photographers were able to learn new techniques as in this abstract photography workshop.

St Andrews Photography Festival will not be a flash in the pan, following the success of the first festival this summer.

Over the last six weeks traditional – and not so traditional – exhibition venues have displayed the photographs from across the world, and across the centuries.

And the event has proved so successful that some of the venues are continuing the exhibitions beyond the end of the festival.

BID St Andrews (Business Improvement District) and the town’s university worked together to develop the festival which celebrated St Andrews’ place as the home of photography in Scotland.

A tintype workship resulted in this image for one amateur.

Photographs could be seen in shops, cafes, galleries and even outdoors.

Events and exhibitions focussed on the earliest days of photography in St Andrews as well as the pioneers’ legacy in Scottish documentary photography since.

Visitors to the exhibitions enjoyed a rare opportunity to see some of the highlights of university’s special collections alongside contemporary Scottish photography.

And there was also the chance to learn about photography from its earliest days, with 35 events to choose from, including workshops on calotypes and tintypes. Coming up to date, photographers also had the opportunity to learn new techniques, including abstract photography.

Thirteen local businesses hosted small-scale exhibitions alongside six more conventional venues, while Scottish documentary collective Document Scotland had their images displayed on the railings of The Scores.

The exhibitions hosted by Cafe in the Square and Mitchell’s have proved so popular and increased customer numbers so much that both venues have decided to keep the exhibitions open for another couple of months.

Rhonda McCrimmon, BID manager, described the festival as “a resounding success”, adding: “We’re now looking to next year and would encourage any local businesses who would like to be involved to get in touch.”

Festival organiser Rachel Nordstrom, the university’s photographic collections manager, commented: “It’s been a real pleasure to organise the festival – not only engaging with photographers, speakers and workshop instructors but also the members of the public who have enjoyed coming along and learning about Scottish photography.”

She promised: “The festival has only just finished – but I’m already looking forward to next year’s line-up.”

And the final exhibition of the festival – Scotland Through The Lens: 175 years of documentary photography – featuring prints from the University of St Andrews Library’s Special Collections archive – continues at the Gateway Galleries till December 10.