Large Format Photography Workshop

I thought it would be worthwhile to pass on to the forum the

experience I had this weekend at the Introduction to Large Format

Photography workshop, taught by Michael Gordon and Guy Tal. The

workshop took place in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, 15 miles west of

Bishop, California.

 

Going into the workshop, I understood that the instructors would

review large format photography, from soup to nuts. I further

expected, and it played out, that of the 7 students, six had a fair

amount of experience in either photography generally, as refugees

from 35mm and/or medium format. The most telling experience was that

of the 7th student, who had never picked up a 4x5 camera before.

Would the instructors be able to present the workshop in a manner

that was meaningful to all of the students? This issue was of

particular concern to me, because the 7th student was my wife.

 

For years my wife has tolerated my interest in photography, but has

shown no significant interest in making photographs herself. She has

owned a 35mm point and shoot, which I purchased for her, and more

recently she has used a digital point and shoot. She has used her

camera exclusively for snapshots. In the days leading up to the

workshop she asked me on a number of occasions, ?why did you sign me

up for this workshop?? As we drove to Bishop she admitted that she

felt quite threatened by the workshop, didn?t know the first thing

about a 4x5 camera, or for that matter a light meter, and was

prepared to skip out on the workshop if she did not understand what

was being taught, or felt as though she was holding up the learning

of the other students.

 

With this as a backdrop, we met the instructors and other students at

their camp (they had all chosen to camp out in a campground, while we

stayed in a Bishop hotel). From the start the instructors and other

students were very welcoming to my wife, and offered a great deal of

encouragement. I vividly recall late in the first morning session

seeing my wife practicing loading a sheet film holder, a mental

picture which was simply beyond my comprehension before the workshop.

 

At the end of the first morning session as we drove to lunch, my wife

suggested that although she had doubts as to whether she would ever

get the hang of large format, her interest had been sufficiently

piqued after the first 4 hours that she wanted to buy either a 35mm

SLR film or digital camera. I could go on in great detail about our

experiences at the workshop, but at the last session my wife

announced to all that she had been converted from a non-photographer,

to a large format photographer. It would have been unimaginable for

me prior to the workshop to discuss large format cameras, but there

we were towards the end of the workshop discussing what would be the

best camera for her. In short, the instructors had successfully

completed a Herculean task, all the while at no disservice to the

other students.

 

Over the years I have attend 5 or 6 photography workshops, although

this was my first large format workshop. With no disrespect intended

to the instructors at the workshops I had previously attended, the

tandem of Michael Gordon and Guy Tal were simply the best instructors

I have had? I suspect my fellow students (and yes, even my wife)

share my sentiments.

 

What made Michael and Guy so great was the fact that as accomplished

photographers, they were able to communicate the technical side of

large format photography in an understandable manner. The teaching

style they employed was very different from one another ? Guy

generally teaching the technical aspects, while Michael would chime

in with examples from a less technical perspective. The combination

was extremely effective. To have someone walk me through each of the

movements of a large format camera was worth considerably more than

the price of the workshop.

 

Going in to the workshop, I had fairly significant gaps within my

knowledge of how to do things, which Guy tended to explain, and

Michael tended to show to me. Don?t get me wrong, gaps still exist,

but they are considerably smaller because of the workshop, and the

hands-on teaching of Michael and Guy. Yes, I will have to practice

tilts, swings and shifts, and my use of split grads will have to be

refined, but with practice these things now seem possible.

 

The Gordon/Tal workshop is appropriate for those of us who consider

ourselves beginners, or at an intermediate stage. And the price was

extremely reasonable. As part of my journey to immerse myself in

large format photography I have read a number of books and have begun

the long road of practicing to increase my technical and

compositional skills. I think that this workshop speeded up the

process for me significantly, because I have had assistance from the

instructors in how to perform a number of functions with my camera.

I will still need to spend the time honing my skills and burning

through a lot of film, and I look forward to doing so, but Michael

and Guy have considerably speeded up my learning curve. There is a

little light down the tunnel.

 

At the end of the workshop Michael and Guy shared some of their work

with us. I think the timing of sharing their work was very

appropriate, as it gave us all something to aspire to, after they had

shared some of the tools for getting there.

 

Needless to say, I heartily recommend the Gordon/Tal ?Introduction to

Large Format Photography? class for all large format photographers

who are new, or relatively new, to large format photography.

 

Do they have a web site?

THANKS so much for your very kind words, Rick. They mean a lot to us.

 

Our website is www.gtworkshops.com

Fantasic write-up and very encouraging to those of us who are skeptical when it comes to the value of workshops. I would like to see some example photos as a result from the workshop.

For your next workshop you and your wife might consider one of John Sexton's field workshops. Apart from the fact that John is the best instructor I've had in the twelve or so workshops I've attended, his wife is also an accomplished large format photographer. She assists him in his workshops, works with the students, etc. and your wife might enjoy expanding her large format knowledge by working with another woman who is a large format photographer.