Sustainable Photography Part 1 – Soil Chromatography Workshop with artist Julie Corcoran

Book now and make your own circular soil chromagram at Photo Museum Ireland on a one day workshop with this camera-less photographic technique. Artist and tutor Julie Corcoran will guide you through the process of soil chromatography using dried soil samples, silver nitrate and circular filter paper.

What is Soil Chromatography?

Circular soil chromatography was invented in 1953 by German scientist Ehrenfried Pfeiffer (1899-1961) to assess the quality of soils, compost and other organic materials. It is a camera-less photographic process that involves preparing soil samples, sensitising circular filter paper with silver nitrate and setting up a wick to help draw the organic matter into the paper using capillary action to create organic patterns. The silver nitrate continues to work over seven days in daylight to produce beautiful colours, highlighting the channels and spikes that visually represent the health of the soil sample.

Materials

All materials provided. If you wish to bring in your own soil sample to the workshop you’ll need to collect 20g of soil and allow it to dry out indoors over a couple of days before the workshop.

Artist – Julie Corcoran

Artist’s bio:

Julie Corcoran lives in Cavan and is based at Bó Studios, Dundalk. She works through the mediums of analogue and digital photography researching alternative photographic processes and low-toxic photo-chemistry.

Julie’s most recent awards include a two week darkroom residency in the Bristol Folkhouse Darkroom in January 2026 supported by Cavan Arts Office. In November 2024 she was awarded an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Bursary Award from Louth County Council Arts Office to support her research in the darkroom.

This culminated in her solo exhibition, ‘It Matters’ which ran from the 7th November – 2nd December 2025 in the Downtown Hub, Clanbrassil Street, Dundalk featuring traditional silver gelatine prints alongside photographic work made with low toxic photo chemistry including a cyanotype of Brigid’s Well made on a kombucha scoby, soil chromatography, phytograms, sacred cyanotypes and chlorophyll print made on a laurel leaf.