Workshop topics for 2026
Five key areas to choose from: Workshop Practice, Collecting with Strategy, Minox, Historical Photography, Research & Publishing.
The workshops in Deidesheim in 2024 and 2025 were a complete success: committed participants, intensive technical discussions, practical work on cameras and, last but not least, the personal exchange between collectors of different generations and specialisations. We want to continue and build on this experience.
We are thinking bigger for 2026: in addition to Deidesheim, we are looking at other locations to make it easier for members from other regions to travel. We would love to hear your suggestions for workshop locations in the north or east of Germany.
The following workshop focal points are available:
Workshop practice: Camera technology, repair & optics
Understanding mechanics: Diagnosing and repairing shutters, triggers, film transport | Lenses: cleaning, mould, balsam damage, adjustment | Tools and methods | Shutter speed measurement | Restoration ethics: when to intervene, when to preserve?
Collecting with strategy: from documentation to presentation
Developing a collection focus: specialisation vs. breadth | Digital cataloguing: Excel, databases, photo documentation | Market observation: prices, platforms, auctions, recognising forgeries | Display case design, lighting, labelling | Estate planning: what will become of the collection?
All about Minox: history, collecting, photography
Minox history and development of the systems | Focal points of collecting: Variants, rarities, accessories | Making your own film from 35mm material | Development and enlargement | Practical photography with Minox | Minox as a spy camera: myth and reality
Experience historical photography for yourself
Wet plate process: Experience collodion live and try it out for yourself | Cyanotype and other alternative processes | Photographing with historical cameras: Film selection, exposure without electronics | Development and enlargement in the spirit of the time of origin
Research and publishing: Source work & writing
Archive research: systematically using archives, registers, Photo Antiquaria holdings | Provenance research: determining year of manufacture, production figures, ownership history | Deciphering serial numbers and maker's marks | Structuring and writing articles for Photo Antiquaria
Deadline: 15 November 2025
Your feedback forms the basis for our concrete planning!