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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
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 don't usually care for spectacular, punchy images. I'm far more interested in long tones that retain richness of contrast, and evenness. Seemlessly evening things out , and juggling twenty areas without going through a whole box of paper, is more my problem. Of course an alternative process printer may be the best man out there, but I am not interested in launching into yet another materials oriented technique with its promises when my underlining skills have not been resolved. Time by the way has not resolved the impass. I started printing in 1973. Too tall an order? It's my feeling that I am making above average prints, but my working approach is somehow flawed, and the exceptional is too rarely acheived, even though the negatives are well under control, (thanks to Pyrocat.) All these other approaches I'm sure have their place, but I want to first acheive exceptional straight forward printing. Some people might say I have done just that, as I've been hired several times to print shows and portfolios. I feel however that I am at best an 8 out of 10 and am struggling to close the gap. I can no longer justify ten to twenty sheets of paper per print, even though many printers will say that's exactly average. I say, how is anyone supposed to get portfolios together when hundreds and hundreds of dollars end up in the trash? So...does anybody know of a great printer that has a workshop, or would perhaps even take on a private few sessions that address a master level of silver printmaking, and does not spend 90% of the class on basics, or veer off into elaborate techniques? |
#3
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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
On Mon, 02 Feb 2004 00:41:07 GMT, "Tom Thackrey"
wrote: I'm sure there are many others, but on the left coast of the US I think a private class with Rod Dresser (www.roddresser.com) would be a pretty good investment. I certainly concur about RD. I had the pleasure of meeting him in Feb. '94 when he gave a seminar for Calumet in Philadelphia, PA. His images are fabulous and skill probably matches Adams if not surpasses him. Unfortunately most of his photography leaves me scratching my head. Regards, John S. Douglas, Photographer - http://www.darkroompro.com Please remove the "_" when replying via email |
#4
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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
"Tom Thackrey" wrote in message . com...
? I'm sure there are many others, but on the left coast of the US I think a private class with Rod Dresser (www.roddresser.com) would be a pretty good investment. I took one of his darkroom workshops through UCSC Extension and it was excellent. Rod was trained by Ansel Adams and has the science and technology as well as the art POV. You could also contact William Giles (www.williamgiles.com) and see if you can talk him into a private class. He's more old school (no exposure analyzers) but he's a magician in the darkroom. I had a private darkroom session one day from Will, he's amazing. He can help you take your art to a new level. Black & White is going to have a big article on Will in the next issue. My experience with public workshops in general, is that they tend to have a few beginners who usually distract the instructor and dilute the content. Thanks very much for the suggestions. These guys sound like what I'm looking for. I've always suspected and have never taken a workshop for a few good reasons. One being exactly what you said. I don't want to pay big money to listen to a bunch of people oohh and ahhh the instructors every gesture while a tiny fraction of the whole deal hints at my actual problem. Thanks again, Ken Smith |
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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
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#6
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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
John Sexton would be another good choice.
Bob ------------------------ 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 don't usually care for spectacular, punchy images. I'm far more interested in long tones that retain richness of contrast, and evenness. Seemlessly evening things out , and juggling twenty areas without going through a whole box of paper, is more my problem. Of course an alternative process printer may be the best man out there, but I am not interested in launching into yet another materials oriented technique with its promises when my underlining skills have not been resolved. Time by the way has not resolved the impass. I started printing in 1973. Too tall an order? It's my feeling that I am making above average prints, but my working approach is somehow flawed, and the exceptional is too rarely acheived, even though the negatives are well under control, (thanks to Pyrocat.) All these other approaches I'm sure have their place, but I want to first acheive exceptional straight forward printing. Some people might say I have done just that, as I've been hired several times to print shows and portfolios. I feel however that I am at best an 8 out of 10 and am struggling to close the gap. I can no longer justify ten to twenty sheets of paper per print, even though many printers will say that's exactly average. I say, how is anyone supposed to get portfolios together when hundreds and hundreds of dollars end up in the trash? So...does anybody know of a great printer that has a workshop, or would perhaps even take on a private few sessions that address a master level of silver printmaking, and does not spend 90% of the class on basics, or veer off into elaborate techniques? |
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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
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#8
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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
Subject: Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
From: (Dan Quinn) Date: Tue, Feb 3, 2004 12:41 AM Message-id: (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 took George Tice's Master Printing class at the Maine Photographic Workshops a couple of years ago. The teaching is very clear and methodical. I had the same problem you describe, and the workshop was very helpful. The website is: http://www.meworkshops.com Curt Blood |
#9
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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. |
#10
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Seeking a Master Printing Workshop
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