Annemarie HopeCross

Photographic artist Annemarie HopeCross uses early pioneering photography techniques, some of which are referred to as cameraless photography and hark back to the dawn of photography when lightsensitive silver and other chemicals were coated on to paper before a leaf or something similar was put on to the paper and then put out into the sun to form a chemical reaction. The result is like an Xray.

For the ‘‘Still’’ and ‘‘The Heidelberg Project’’ images HopeCross is working on at present, she is using a mousetrap camera in her garden and a 180yearold technique. Each exposure requires up to eight hours in the sunshine.

The international Margaret Cameron Awards in which some of HopeCross’ ‘‘Still’’ images have received an honourable mention are named after Julia Margaret Cameron (181579), who was given a camera aged 48 and mastered the difficult wet plate collodion process HopeCross also uses.

HopeCross’ work has also been recognised in the English birthplace of Fox Talbot (180077), who is considered one of the founders of photographic processes and invented several photographic techniques. Talbot created the world’s largest collection of photogenic drawings. The term photogenic drawing refers to the salt and silver coated on to paper, which can then be used in a camera, or to make contact prints without using a camera. HopeCross has created the world’s second largest collection of photogenic drawings.

Three of HopeCross’ ‘‘Still’’ images will be displayed in the ‘‘Women Photographers Today’’ exhibition being held as part of the worldfamous ‘‘Foto Bienniale’’ fine art and documentary photography exhibition in Barcelona from May 829.