Seeking a Master Printing Workshop

(Dan Quinn) wrote in message . com...
(Ken Smith) wrote

I'm interested in finding a master printing workshop, or private
instruction. I would like to find a true master printer that is not
1.) alternative process oriented 2.) masking oriented 3.) toner
oriented 4.) or any other whistle and gong. My idea of a great printer
in the silver process is one who can make prints from my negatives
that I never thought possible, without resorting to anything fancy,
even including bleach.

I've a notion that you have not given enough attention to
photogenics. I've just finished reading David Vestal's The Non-
Cosmetic Print. "... the picture needs to be good enough in the
first place to work and survive without the ...". I'll let you
fill in the "ornament" and/or "tricks".
Not all the views I photograph would I class as photogenic. I do
keep that in mind. The medium is silver-gelatine and the subject
is to fit the medium. The more photogenic the less squeesing.
Of course there is always the challenge. I've a few of those
challenging negatives. Dan


Photogenic, adj 1.) (of a person) suitable for being photographed
for artistic purposes, etc. 2. Biol. producing or emitting light as
certain bacteria: luminiferous: phosphorescent. 3. rare. produced by
light.

hmmmm. I'm still confused by the term photogenics. But I do
fully agree that the picture needs to be good enough in the first place.
I've said that to people a hundred times. I'm pretty sure that's your
meaning. However, I'm trying to do non-scenic landscapes, and often I
don't photograph in the choice light of afternoon, or silky thin cloud
cover. Sometimes it's harsh. In fact over the years, being in the west,
dealing with this harshness has been the issue. An image can still look
tasty though, as long as the tones are controlled without going flat.An
even natural looking tonality must be produced on the print too. A book
that has me in knots is William Wylie's "Riverwalk". A somewhat Robert
Adams influenced document on the Poudre River in Colorado. I've mentioned
this book several times here over the years, while stating my problems,
but no one seems to have looked at it. Get a library loan, and you'll
know what I'm after. They are seeminly ordinary, but are really very
outstanding, impeccable prints. The closest I've come has been with
the help of pyrocat, but often I lose my highlights too much and the print
loses a strong sense of light. Any sense of light. I'll probably find out
one day that Wylie uses Tri-X and D-76. Either way there's still something
missing in my printing, or maybe you're right, and I'm simply not shooting
things that convey well. Could be. Wylie's information anywhere in the
scene is so readable. Every pebble. Take a look.

In article ,
Chris Ellinger wrote:

On 1 Feb 2004 15:54:46 -0800, (Ken Smith) wrote:

I'm interested in finding a master printing workshop, or private
instruction. I would like to find a true master printer that is not
1.) alternative process oriented 2.) masking oriented 3.) toner
oriented 4.) or any other whistle and gong. My idea of a great printer
in the silver process is one who can make prints from my negatives
that I never thought possible, without resorting to anything fancy,
even including bleach.

You might contact Howard Bond and discuss your interests. He teaches
an advanced printing workshop, and may be open to individual
instruction.

His phone: (734) 665-6597

Chris Ellinger
Ann Arbor, MI


Chris he said no masking, thats Howards thing.
--
LF website http://members.bellatlantic.net/~gblank

In article ,
Chris Ellinger wrote:
It is my impression from taking several of Howard's workshops that he
is not dogmatic about any technique, and is an expert printer --
masking or not. This is why I suggested that the original poster
contact Howard to discuss his interests and requirements.

Chris Ellinger
Ann Arbor, MI

Fair enough, I BTW would personally love to take Howard's
Workshops,.....he does some pretty incredible printing. I even thought
about mentioning the workshops myself until I read the OP part about
not wanting to do masking. In any event
Best Regards
Gb.
--
LF website http://members.bellatlantic.net/~gblank

I'll second the suggestion for Howard Bond's "Refinements in Black & White
Printing". It has to be one of the best values in a high quality workshop
these days. As Chris said, Mr. Bond is not dogmatic about masks and does not
emphasize them in the workshop mentioned above (he offers a separate
workshop for masks). The printing workshop concentrates on understanding
materials and controlling processes. The workshop deals with darkroom
technique entirely and reviews numerous fine prints in his collection (not
all his) for the purpose of seeing how tonal range is managed by
acknowledged master printers. Compositional issues are not discussed.

Regarding unsharp masks, it really is just another technique that can be
used or abused and of course anyone has the perfect right to use it or not,
like it or not, etc. If you employ large format, the sharpening effect can
be slight. Mr. Bond uses the technique almost exclusively to control local
contrast in dark regions of the print. Considering that he uses the unsharp
mask technique with 8x10 negs and you can see why the the sharpening effect
is secondary.

As Chris suggested, a phone conversation would likely determine if Mr.
Bond's workshop offers what you are looking for.

D

(Ken Smith) wrote

I'm interested in finding a master printing workshop,...

David Vestal and Al Weber will be at a Photographer's Formulary
workshop this summer somewhere in Montana.
Suppose you have one film and one film developer, one grade of
paper, one paper developer. You may vary film development. Then
according to definition number one of your previous post, find
a vista which will fit well.
If the print is good I'd say that vista is photogenic. Makeing
variable the above mentioned materials will render more vistas
photogenic. Dan