“Like a gym membership for artists”: Kindred Cameras makes photography accessible

Occupying a once derelict office space at The District Docklands, Kindred Cameras is an artist’s studio, gallery and educational space dedicated to the art of photography.

Founded by photographers Chris Bowes and Jade Richards-Butler in 2023, Kindred Cameras provides photographers with access to studio space and equipment via a $20 a month membership model.

“Studio hire is a really significant cost, especially for an emerging artist. It’s not hard to blow between one and two grand for a day of shooting, but a member can spend a day here for $300,” Mr Bowes told Docklands News.

Anyone can hire the studio, but members get discounted hiring rates and 24/7 access. The site also hosts regular photography workshops and contains a gallery space for public exhibitions.

The next exhibition, titled Lost and Found, will run from July 5 to July 15. It is themed around an exploration of the hidden histories in urban spaces. The exhibition was selected from an open call out of artists responding to the theme.

Mr Bowes is a teacher at RMIT and loves teaching techniques that combine craft and photography. He hopes to expand workshop offerings at Kindred Cameras this year to bring photography to a broader range of people.

He has tried to find ways of teaching photography that is handheld and tactile. His aim is that people will leave a workshop with a physical object they have created, rather than an SD card full of files.

Kindred Cameras Instagram page is filled with examples of this kind of crafted photography. There are cyanotypes developed straight onto tote bags and hats, polaroid images lifted onto other surfaces, and even images developed from sweat.

The idea of the gallery and the workshops is that you don’t need to be an artist or a photographer to be involved.

“You can just come and see some art and do something creative on the weekend and have your hand held through that process,” Mr Bowes said.

It was a lucky coincidence that allowed Kindred Cameras to get off the ground at all. In late 2022, the City of Melbourne was trying to encourage creative industries to take up vacant shopfront in the aftermath of COVID-19. Around the same time Mr Bowes had won a cash prize for an art award.

Kindred Cameras moved into The District in 2023, and though they only had the reduced rents for three months, it was enough to make it possible.

“Having the opportunity to take a risk was really motivating,” Mr Bowes said.

“I love the Docklands vibe. I’m so glad we got this space because I don’t think the business would have worked as well in other parts of the city.”

“I also love the cityscape, there’s so many beautiful locations to take photos.”

The central location of Docklands, but in a quiet enough area that parking is no issue is a key positive for Mr Bowes, and he estimated that Kindred Cameras had brought more than 3000 people to Docklands last year.

“My dream is to create a space that will allow me to live my dream but also help the arts community.”