IMPORTANT UPDATE
Redeye, The Photography Network closed on 31 July 2024. This website is no longer active or being monitored.
At the time of closing Redeye was talking to Open Eye Gallery, Impressions Gallery and Arts Council England about developing a new network based in the North of England. If you are interested in knowing more and would like to be kept informed by Open Eye Gallery and Impressions Gallery, you can sign up here.
Redeye, the Photography Network, is a not-for-profit Community Benefit Society set up to support photographers at every level, and build networks across photography. It is based in Manchester, UK, and has members, subscribers and users across the UK and globally. It aims to form a clear picture of the ways photographers and photographic artists are working now, and give them access to events, opportunities, advice and information that are relevant to their work and difficult to find elsewhere. Alongside this it works to bring photographic and other organisations together, to encourage ethical and best practice, and to build a voice for photography.
“Redeye is a leader among a strengthening body of nationally significant photography-focused organisations that address career development for professionals.” - Arts Professional
Who is involved?
Click here for more information about our staff, board, advisory group and users.
What does it do, when did it start and where does it operate?
Scroll down for more information about our programme of activities, and a brief history.
Finance:
Redeye's income comes from grant funding, sales of tickets and other items, sponsorship, membership fees and consultancy. Redeye receives regular funding from Arts Council England (ACE), and since 1 April 2018 has been funded as a Sector Support Organisation.
How can I get involved?
As a network Redeye depends on your participation and involvement. If you want to find out more about Redeye, please come along to one of our events, in particular our Network meetings, where you can meet our staff and hear and share ideas. We have a small team of regular volunteers: click here for more information.
Redeye's programme
Redeye delivers a range of events for photographers at all levels and genres. If you've never been and want to find out more, a networking event would be a good place to start - they take place regularly in Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield - or drop into one of our Fourth Year sessions across the North of England. We also have regular talks, walks, masterclasses, portfolio critiques, and workshops and seminars covering business, creative and technical matters. Our flagship biennial event is the National Photography Symposium where issues that affect the whole of photography are discussed. Our long term course devoted to helping people show their work is called Lightbox and runs every two years. We also provide a range of information and opportunities via this website, email newsletters and social media. Most of what we do is open to all, and all are welcome. Members get priority access and reduced prices on our events and activities, and there are occasional exclusive members' events and opportunities.
Since March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our events programme has been delivered online.
Partnerships
Redeye is very pleased to work with a large number of partner organisations to deliver its events, such as galleries, universities and other photographic and arts organisations. Redeye is a member of The British Photographic Council, an umbrella organisation for most of the UK's member organisations in photography and The Socially Engaged Photography Network. Redeye is also part of the Contemporary Visual Arts Network North West (CVAN NW) network.
Redeye is a co-owner of Field Editions.
History
In 1998 a group of photographers met upstairs in a Manchester pub to discuss some research by North West Arts into what the region's practitioners needed. The answer was more complex than it first appeared; while some needed darkrooms, others wanted digital facilities, exhibition space, talks by photographers, help with business and legal matters. Most importantly they wanted to talk and listen to each other, to learn from the experience of others about an industry which can sometimes seem closed and impenetrable. By the beginning of 1999 these meetings had become regular; some of those photographers, chaired by Len Grant, volunteered to help run the organisation, and Redeye had a name and a newsletter. October '99 saw its first events, six talks starting with Paul Hill. The first paid worker was appointed in 2001, and the co-ordinator began working in 2002.
In 2015-16 Redeye set up The Photographic Collections Network, providing a similar service to Redeye for anyone who works with photo collections and archives.