© Rob McElroy 2011 All Rights Reserved.

The 2011 Daguerreian Society Symposium was held in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 27-29.

One highlight was an informal gathering in the hospitality suite where Christopher Mahoney, of Sotheby’s auction house, met with artists who use the process and reviewed their work. Christopher was one of the speakers at this year’s symposium and was enthusiastic about meeting new members and learning about what was going in the world of daguerreotypes. Below are some images of Christopher talking with members of the society about the current trends for contemporary photography in auctions. At the moment, contemporary daguerreotypes are not of commercial interest. However, with artists such as Adam Fuss and the collaboration of Chuck Close and Jerry Spagnoli changing the way contemporary work is being perceived, there is hope that in the future they will be of stronger interest in the collecting world.

Another noteworthy moment was a talk given by Walter Johnson,who helped revive the process in the late 1960s-early 1970s. He shared with us the story of how he got into photography and ultimately daguerreotypes. Over the years, he led many workshops and taught the process to students at Ohio State University. He talked about the many trials and errors of the process and about handling the chemicals prior to any use of a fume hood.

The symposium ended with a big announcement for the 2013 location. 2013 will mark the 25^th anniversary of the Daguerreian society, so what better way to celebrate than to hold the symposium in Daguerre’s hometown of Bry-Sur-Marne. Stay tuned for more announcements regarding this event. In case anyone is wondering, the 2012 symposium is going to take place in Baltimore, Md.

To view more photos from St. Petersburg, click here.