Crowdfund Stirling has provided £2,500 of match funding
Stirling Photography Festival 2019
Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom
Aim
Help establish the Stirling Photography Festival as a fabulous, free to attend, inclusive community event in Scotland’s cultural calendar
Stirling Photography Festival 2019
> Hope and Passion
Developing Community. Developing Creativity. Developing Skills.
Last year we ran the first Stirling Photography Festival, with 14 free-to-access events, from photo walks and talks, to workshops and studio visits. Set over 9 days, the festival events attracted over 250 people from across the UK. This year we're on a mission to bring it back bigger and better.
Our Mission
The Stirling Photography Festival is an inclusive celebration of community. Our mission is to develop skills, create opportunities, and build relationships through a series of events, workshops, and exhibitions. Partnering with some of photography’s newest and finest talent from across Scotland, our aim is to connect our community through photography. We are delighted to have had the support of local businesses and Stirling's cultural partners including Creative Stirling, the Engine Shed, the MacRobert Arts Centre, the Smith Art Gallery and Museum, the University of Stirling's Art Collection and the culture team at the Tolbooth Theatre.
Our Vision is to establish the Stirling Photography Festival as an annual event in Scotland's events calendar. Our strengths are in the fact that we are truly a community festival, led by a diverse team of enthusiastic volunteers drawn from school, university, community and business backgrounds. We aim to provide grass roots support for artists, whilst continuing to offer accessible and inclusive programme of the highest standard and opportunities for involvement, whoever you are.
Your Chance To Be Part of 2019
This year we’re exploring the theme of "Hope and Passion" and we’d love for you to be a part of it in August.
We have big ambitions - we’re looking to make 2019 even bigger than last year and to fix the Stirling Photography Festival into the city's annual calendar of events. This year we are adding new partners to our programme including the Travelling Gallery, the University of Stirling Art collection, Forth Valley College, Stills of Edinburgh and Street Level Photoworks of Glasgow.
We’re running this Crowdfunder campaign to raise funds to ensure we’re able to pay our festival artists and contributors fairly. Last year we ran on the goodwill of so many, and we are forever grateful for that, but this year we want to prove that we can make the festival sustainable, whilst keeping it accessible to all. This is where you come in!
Crowdfunder Rewards
With thanks to our partners and supporters we have a host of fabulous rewards available, some of which are exclusive to our Crowdfunder campaign—you simply won't be able to get them any other way! From a Coffee and a Photo Book and a personal photo shoot, all the way through to one off behind the scenes events, and of course a special limited edition print by local artist David Galletly commissioned exclusively for the festival.
Coffee and Cake
Let us say thanks by giving you a voucher for coffee and cake at one of Stirling’s best. Options are:
- Loving Food: Last year, Loving Food hosted part of our Exhibition Trail and we are delighted to be hooking up with them again this year!
- HBW: A new kid on the coffee scene in Stirling is HBW and they are on the exhibition trail this year too!
- Unorthodox: Last year, Unorthodox on Friars Street, traded as Sable and Flea and they were on our exhibition trail too - we are delighted that the new owners are keeping up their support for the local festival scene ( they have a cool garden too!)
Festival Exhibition Photo Book
Your very own slice of Hope and Passion from this year's festival. Designed here in Stirling, and printed in the UK.
Limited Edition Print by Artist David Galletly
Celebrating Stirling and the Stirling Photography Festival 2019 with a numbered, signed, and personalised specially commissioned A3 print by local artist David Galletly. A limited edition print run, exclusive to our Festival.
Private Viewing University of Stirling Art Collection
A guided tour of the Stirling University Art Collection with Jane Cameron, Art Curator. Followed by a photo walk of the historic campus grounds.
Signed Photograph by Martin Shields
A signed print from a selection of photographs by Martin Shields. Options below:
Bowie Canvas by Alan Gunning
Fabulous digital art of David Bowie by one of the festival's biggest supporters, artist Alan Gunning. A preview of the artwork can be seen here.
Solas Photography Workshop
Join these excellent photographers at Made in Stirling for a day long workshop in the heart of the city.
Headshot Photography Session, Sonja Blietschau
A headshot photography session for two with Sonja Blietschau in her studio in Falkirk at a date you agree with Sonja. The session can be tailored for you on the day.
Glass Blowing & Photography, Angels' Share Glass
Learn the art of lamp blowing with Master Glass Blower, Tom Young MBE at Angels' Share Glass studio, Bridge of Allan. As an exclusive for Stirling Photography Festival.
Corporate Sponsorship Offer
Stirling Photography Festival will see hundreds of participants in person and reach many more online. Your company logo—and elevator pitch or tagline—will be shown on pull up banners at every event; on our website; a special mention in our photo book; and on all printed marketing materials promoting the festival. Should you be interested in sponsoring Stirling Photography Festival in some other way please get in touch. We’re open to discussing sponsorship of specific events, speakers and costs such as catering and venues. Thanks!
Corporate Headshot Photography, Sonja Blietschau
A headshot photography session with Sonja Blietschau in your place of work at a date you agree with Sonja. The session can be tailored for you on the day and include headshots of up to 10 members of your staff for use on your website, social media accounts, or in print.
Who We Are
The Creative team is made up of five passionate individuals: Brett, Janie, Lauren, Nadia and Rab.
Brett is a second year business student at the University of Stirling, and he comes from Canada. Last Summer he spent part of his Summer holiday in Scotland and he took part in several of our events and workshops. A couple of his pieces were chosen for the exhibition and when the opportunity came up to join the Creative Team, he jumped at it!
Janie is from the West of Scotland and works in youth and community development. She established her social enterprise, Picture the Possible, after returning Stirling after a spell living abroad where she ran volunteer projects raising funds for NGOs. Janie championed the first Stirling Photography Festival in 2018 and aims to get Stirling ON THE MAP for photography and for its power to create opportunities and positive change.
Lauren is a fifth year school student with a love of music (& Elvis), fashion and all things vintage. She joined in 2018 as part of the young creative team and is excited to be part of 2019’s 'Hope & Passion' festival. Lauren will be studying Costume Design for Stage & Screen in Edinburgh after the summer.
Nadia is a young German-Beninese university student with a passion for film, fashion and music. She joined the young creative team after seeing a facebook shout-out in May of 2018, and has been a committed member ever since. Starting out as a volunteer she will now be heading marketing and events for the festival.
Rab is a photographer and designer from Stirling. He likes landscape photography but his passion is street photography and he can often be found doing countless walking loops of Scotland's cities. When he's not making photos he's working with a software company or helping small businesses with creative direction and strategy.
Looking Back at Last Year’s Festival
In 2018 Stirling hosted its first photography festival in celebration of Scotland's Year of Young People. Funded by the European Championship 2018 Cultural Fund, the festival was designed and curated by a team of young volunteers and it included 14 free-to-access events, from photo walks and talks, to workshops and studio visits. Set over 9 days, the festival events attracted over 250 people from across the UK.
Our events last year were: The Buildings of John Allan Photo Walk; Behind the lens with Award-winning press photographer Martin Shields; Talking Pictures with John Patton; Portraits Workshops with Sonja Blietschau; Painting with Light Workshop with Julie Howden; Perfect Food Photography Workshop with Sara MacMillan; Street Photography Workshop with Robert Fyfe; Walking the Marches Photo Walk; “From Glass Plate to Drone” talk and studio visit with Jim Mailer; Skater Photo Shoot at Kings’s Park with Kierian Patton; Music Shoot at Cowane’s Hospital with Kierian Patton; Jamie Simpson’s Talk on Shooting Editorial Fashion and Portraits; Fast Fashion with Nadia Schneider at the British Heart Foundation; Closing evening of food and Lightning Talks by Virgine Chabrol, James Wright, Ashley Baxter, Murray Orr and Robert Fyfe.
The close of the festival saw us launch an exhibition under the theme of ‘Our Place’ where we curated 49 images from several hundred submitted by the public. These were exhibited in 10 venues, including with our partners in cultural spaces, in cafes and in shops. The exhibition ran from August to October and formed an exciting exhibition trail across the city.
2018 Festival Feedback
Here is what some of our supporters had to say about last year's festival:
“My highlight was a moment in Cowane's hospital when Karla sang 'Panis Angelicus' and the photographers assembled to listen and enjoy - not a shutter crashed - a triumph of art over technology. It is from cathartic moments such as this that great events develop. In that instant and on other occasions throughout the Festival, we assimilated new knowledge, new emotions, new learnings, new consciousness, new purposes and intentions, many memories of happy moments, some soft sadness, the usual tiny sweet regrets for possible opportunities.“
- John Patton, Retired Head Teacher, Participant, Speaker, Exhibition Curator
“As a contributor to the Stirling Photo Festival I found the event to be inspiring and encouraging to young people and a few of the older adults that came along too. I think there is so much that can be build on the event if it comes back as a yearly event. After nearly 30 years in the photographic industry It is still nice to see photography still can make a mark and inspire people.”
- Martin Shields, Professional Commercial Photographer
”[...] there were many positive comments from our customers regarding the photographs displayed in Loving Food. I would add that any platform that encourages tourism to Stirling can only be a good thing! For the future you can count on us at Loving Food to support…“
- Fergus O’Leary, Exhibition Host, Loving Food
“It was great getting to interact with the inaugural year of the Stirling Photography Festival, in particular with its Year of Young People theme. It’s great to have a photography project to direct young people towards, helping open up a new creative opportunity for those with an interest, and to demonstrate another potential path to consider in the world of live music/entertainment. The workshops were wide ranging and benefited from some great professionals in their various fields – looking forward to seeing it grow and develop in the years to come.”
- Kenny Bates, Music Development Officer, Tolbooth Theatre, Stirling
"[...] for me the festival drew in many photography enthusiasts from outside the area, as well as showing Stirling as a progressive and creative area to visit I am unaware of anything like this festival anywhere else in the central Scotland area, the resulting images shown at the exhibition is also good positive promotion of the Stirling area showing not only the landscape but the people, and their way of life with street photography, the talent with the musician shoot, [...] I look forward to next year’s festival, and hope to get involved myself“
- Tim Shaw, workshop participant and exhibitor
Thanks
A special thanks goes out to those that helped the creative team pull this campaign together:
- Dominic Simmons and Murray Orr for our excellent campaign video
- Nettl Stirling for our new website, www.stirlingphotographyfestival.co.uk
- Creative Stirling for their support and amazing space at Made in Stirling
- Blackburn Communications for supporting our PR
- Mhairi at Crowdfunder for this support and guidance
- And of course all of our sponsors and contributors noted throughout
This project successfully funded on 4th June 2019