Founded in 1977, the Stills is a centre for photography, offering a wide range of production facilities and education courses. Its main storefront gallery on ground level hosts a continuing series of first rate and well-curated exhibitions, using the photographic medium. These can include film work or modern art shows that involve an element of photography, and often they concern themselves with contemporary artistic practice and political applications in the use of photography as much as the technical abilities displayed.
Downstairs the facilities for practitioners are comprehensive, with both a darkroom and a digital lab available and an extensive library of research materials, including books and periodicals. Courses are offered seven days a week in the evenings, during the day and across single and two-day weekend slots. There’s also training in Photoshop, darkroom skills, SLR camera skills and the art and composition of photography. Training in video editing and compositing and website building are also on offer.