Charles P. Farmer Workshop Review

[don_boyd1]

After reading testimonials regarding Large Format workshops on the

internet, I chose a Charles P. Farmer workshop in Zion that ended

last week. In appreciation for hearing from others who helped me

make my decision, here are a few thoughts on my experience.

 

First, a little about the skill level I started from. I had exposed

approximately 10 4x5 images on two different cameras before taking

this workshop, and had received my Toho 4x5 only days before I left

for Zion. While I have done a lot of reading, and received some

basic instruction from a few friends, I was still very uncertain and

clumsy with the film and the camera. While this workshop revealed

how much I yet have to learn about exposure, I was relatively

comfortable with exposure as I have been shooting medium format for

about 4 years. I shoot color transparency film.

 

Workshop Format

The workshop was well designed. It balanced short lectures with

morning and afternoon shoots in sites throughout Zion National Park.

The evening programs were a combination of additional lectures on

Creativity, a review of participant portfolios (feedback optional)

and a look at some outstanding black and white work of Chuck and Dick

Garrod (a student of Ansel Adams, and a friend and contemporary of

Brett Weston). Early afternoon lectures addressed Optics, Camera

Movements, and Logistics. The morning and mid-afternoon shooting,

and the early afternoon and evening lecture schedule left little time

for other activities (I was too tired each night to make it to the

Driftwood Lodge hot tub). My one regret, is that I did not allow for

a few additional days after the workshop to continue shooting in the

Park.

 

Chuck�s personal style, and therefore that of the workshop as a

whole, is very laid back. Students could attend lectures or location

shoots as they saw fit. (How many times can you hear a lecture on

camera movements?) One morning, in lieu of going with the main group

to another site, I chose to hike up the Narrows section of the Virgin

River with a few other students, something I have longed to do for a

long time.

 

Instructor Attitudes

I might have just as easily titled this section, Instructor

Philosophy, as Chuck emphasizes that he wants to pass on what he

knows to others and to make the learning process as easy as

possible. From the beginning, Chuck, Dick and John (the other

assistant) let everyone know that they were there to assist your

learning. As a novice photographer, I felt that any of them were

available to me on an as needed basis. At different times, I

received assistance from all three. I did not see an instructor

expose any film until toward the week�s end, by which time everyone

knew that you only had to ask to receive assistance. And even then,

their own shooting occurred only after they were certain everyone

else was well situated.

 

Chuck and Dick were willing to review participant portfolios one-on-

one � an offer I took advantage of by meeting with each one

separately. The personal feedback I received was very helpful

technically, and I felt encouraged by hearing what I was doing that

worked well. Additionally, at the workshop�s conclusion, Chuck made

it clear that he is available as a resource at any point after the

workshop. A service that others I spoke with attested to having used.

 

Additional Observations

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the skill level of the other

participants and their willingness to share knowledge, and even

equipment (filters, lenses, meters). A large majority of the

participants in this workshop had attended other Charles P. Farmer

workshops, with a number of them attending more than 4 or 5. This

contributed greatly to a strong collegial, even familial,

atmosphere. At times, it felt like a photographic college reunion.

The barbecue on the last night just seemed an extension of the

camaraderie developed throughout the week.

 

One hallmark of Chuck�s workshops is that spouses can attend without

charge. This was a godsend for me as it allowed my wife to come

along. She attended several of the lectures and we actually had

conversations about photography without her eyes glazing over. Her

observation was that it helped her appreciate my passion for

photography, and she said that she had an outstanding time hiking

along and joining in on the shoots and visiting with some of the

other spouses. She even received assistance from some of the others

on how to use the digital camera we had just purchased. The result

was that we each felt that we had gone on vacation together.

 

I felt a bit of a heretic shooting color transparency film among a

crowd of mostly black and white folks. For me, there was an upside

and a downside to this. The upside was that I gained an appreciation

for the role of composition and tonality in a quality image. People

who labor in the wet darkroom pay attention to the subtlest tonal

differences and don�t have outrageous color to mask compositional

shortcomings. I left with a new standard for the importance of those

qualities in color work as well. The downside was that I didn�t get

to see my color portfolio through the eyes of the other students with

the same degree of acuteness as I believe the B & W folks did. I

would have liked some discussion about color theory and its role in

how we see. However, this would not put me off from attending the

workshop again. In fact, my wife and I have already said that we

hope to go back next year.

 

As a professional trainer of trainers of adult learners, I could

certainly find fault with some of the training methodologies, and

make suggestions for improving the workshop. Things like asking

participants in advance to identify what they most would like to get

from the workshop and then checking progress with them throughout the

week, or making the lecture on Creativity more interactive might have

helped. Like most subject matter experts, Chuck and Dick teach in

the style that they are most comfortable learning in themselves.

(Think of the different learning styles of people who have Lion,

Turtle, Puppy or Owl tendencies and you may get a sense of what I

mean.)

 

One last observation. This workshop was one of those experiences

that seems larger than the sum of its parts. My wife and I are still

grinning and sharing stories from the trip. I don�t think that this

would be possible without the deep caring that Chuck Farmer has for

fine art photography, and the integrity he evidences in relationship

to his craft and in his honest desire to help others along the same

path.

 

Please contact me if you have any questions about my experience of

Chuck�s workshop.

 

 

 

[emile_de_leon10]

Wow! Sounds like you had a great time! As well as a great wife! Even though my wife is an artist and writer I dont think she would be too keen on a LF program of that nature. I'd have to drag her away from her computer....Naw...simply not possible! Hmmmm I could try....maybe next year!

[james___]

I have attended different workshops through the years and my most memorable were the two Chuck Farmer workshops and the Sexton workshop in printing. I had just as much fun at the workshop in the southwest with Bruce Barnbaum but felt concern for his lack of attention to students which I hear is not the case with his acclaimed printing workshops. All in all I would recommend Chucks workshop as a very informative and fun gathering.