News around THE PHOTOMUSEUM

The world's first photograph can be traced back to the Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. In autumn 1826, he exposed a tar-based plate for about eight hours. The models did not have to hold still that long for Louis Daguerre, the inventor of the daguerreotype. Nevertheless, exposure times of one to two minutes were normal in the studio area around 1850 for the first commercial photographic process. The after-work tour of the Photo Museum aims to bring the spirit of this time to life, for example through digital interpretations of old technology, and thus invites visitors to participate and immerse themselves in the pioneering age of photography. At various stations, visitors can discover the photographic craft from the point of view of the photographer or even the photographed.
The Photo Museum explains the development of photography from its beginnings in the 1820s to the present day. With the after-work tour, the Kulturfabrik Ilmenau would like to get its visitors more excited about the subject of photography and make the new permanent exhibition better known.
The guided tour will take place for the first time on Friday, 04.11.2022, at 17:00. The tour is scheduled to last approximately two hours. Admission is 10.00 euros, 7.00 euros for pupils and students, and free admission for children under 7. The number of participants is limited to 15 persons, pre-registration by mail or telephone is requested.

On the last Thursday in August, our first photography course ended at the Kulturfabrik. It was a course for digital beginners. The group of five committed photographers learned the basics of photography from Robert Wiedemann (Helmut Arenz Kulturstiftung / www.antilumen.de). In addition to the technical side, it was also about image composition and the transport of emotions in terms of colour design, perspective and image composition.
The group spent the last day at the Langewiesen ponds. Here the course was briefly summarised by the instructor and the participants were allowed to work freely on their own themes, mostly nature or landscape. One participant summed up the course as follows: "The course has taken away my fear of the camera.
There will probably be a follow-up course and extension in November. More information is available on this page.

On 18 June 2022, the Fotomuseum was ceremoniously opened. Guests from local politics and representatives of the local economy were present. Helmut Arenz explained how a collection of photo cameras and accessories found its way to Ilmenau and what the future plans of the Helmut Arenz Cultural Foundation are. The mayor of Ilmenau, Dr. Daniel Schultheiß, addressed the guests and told them about his connection to photography.
There was no red ribbon to cut, but there was a red 36mm film.