Getting Technical: Alternative Photographic Processes

Getting Technical: Alternative Photographic Processes (Gallery 119)

Photography is a chemical process, and this exhibition examines ways artists have used historical, non-traditional or experimental processes to make unusual and strange photographs—often through adjustments to chemistry, through darkroom manipulation and through hand-worked compositions. Ideas vary on what exactly is an alternative process, and this exhibition will help viewers to develop a working understanding of what we can include.

Photography is a medium marked by trial and error, experimentation and innovation. In its relatively short history, dozens upon dozens of processes, techniques and technological advancements have been driven by creative minds and out-of-the-box thinkers. Whether creating new camera bodies, modifying darkroom chemistry or reworking the print surface by hand, photographers find countless ways to make the medium their own. This exhibition features numerous photographic formats and processes: from early processes like wet-plate collodion, to lensless ones like chemigram, to experimental processes like solarization.

Support for this 2026 FotoFocus Biennial exhibition was provided in part by FotoFocus. 

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Dayton Art Institute

Getting Technical: Alternative Photographic Processes is taking place at Dayton Art Institute, which is located at 456 Belmonte Park North in Dayton. Dayton Art Institute - Committed to enriching the community by creating meaningful experiences with art that are available to all. Visit us often to enjoy our diverse collections, world class exhibits and more.