marvin_israel

<p>Yes, I would think it goes without saying that when hired to do a job, there should be no excuses for failure. Luckily for me, I have no plans to turn professional; I just enjoy photography as a hobby. I have, against my better judgement, given in to the blandishments of a good friend and photographed his wedding, but I did not charge. I told him if he wanted a quality product he should hire a professional, but he insisted and claimed to be satisfied with the results. Needless to say, I was not, and it only confirmed my belief that wedding photography is a stressful experience. I also do head and shoulder portraits of friends for them to use on Linkedin and Facebook, but I do not charge. If someone wants a print I only charge them for the supplies. I take these workshops only to improve.</p>

<p>I accepted Mr. Medford's invitation to call him and discuss my experience of the workshop. I called and he explained that an assistant's error of forgetting to put a wedding job on the calendar had as one of its repercussions the scheduling of the engaged couple's photo shoot which encroached on the class time. Also, that Blackmore's car had been broken into that day and his speedlights stolen. Since the workshop I had purchased did not conform to its description, indeed, fell quite short of its promised components, I was offered a refund. Although that does not compensate me for the travel expense to and from NYC from South Central PA, it is fair enough. According to Mr. Medford, the workshop, when not bedeviled by overlooked wedding shoots and stolen speedlights, is better.<br>

As someone with thirty-seven years of teaching experience and having taken numerous classes in everything from various foreign languages to gun and knife handling in self-defense, I would still contend that Blackmore's high pressure, two-minute challenge mode of teaching is not effective for many, if not most, people. And not to quibble about the absence of speedlight instruction, I still fail to see why they could not have been purchased on the spot, especially considering that the class was fully registered. Twenty people X $199=3980 which is more than enough to purchase three speedlights, especially since they need to be replaced anyway.</p>

<p>I would hope that someone planning to take a class would first google the name of the class to see whether it had been reviewed. I put this in the education forum because I didn't see where else it might fit; however, I will do as you suggest and forward your proposal to Josh. I reviewed another class on this forum titled "Workshops Compared: Steve McCurry and Neil van Kiekerk.<br>

Just the other day I was sent the missing software after emailing the Clay Blackmore web site. So it took more than a month and a complaint to get the promised software.</p>

<p>If you are thinking of paying $199 to take Clay Blackmore's so-called master class of How to Photograph Everyone, you might be interested in my experience. I took this class on May 21, 2012 in a room at Adorama in New York City.</p>

 

<h3>Promised: Loop Lighting and Posing Breakout Sessions</h3>

<p>Let Clay show you the light. <strong>Learn how the masters light their portraits.</strong> Working in small intimate groups, you will learn how to create the lighting pattern used by masters throughout history, including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. After mastering the light, you’ll refine the body position to create the most elegant and artistic pose for any subject.</p>

<p><strong>Delivered:</strong> Each person out of the eighteen present was given a card with various head and shoulder poses (masculine, feminine, full face, 3/4, etc.), told to choose one, and then given only two minutes to arrange both the light (steady fluorescent) and the reflector and pose the model. This was presented as a challenge to win as a prize a two day class with Blackmore, and we were told that no one had ever succeeded in meeting the challenge. Blackmore would say stuff like "thirty seconds left," which increased the pressure on everyone, but especially on those who had no prior experience in doing this. It was embarrassing to watch one such person struggling to get it right in such a limited time. Moreover, there was no attempt to make certain that every person went through this exercise (ordeal?); instead, one had to volunteer. I, for one, declined the opportunity to humiliate myself. After each person was unsuccessful in perfectly duplicating the pose illustrated on the card, Blackmore would rearrange the lights and the pose to show how it should have been done.</p>

<p>Unless we are talking about the boot camp for Navy Seals, is there anyone reading this with teaching experience who thinks this constitutes effective teaching? Aside from putting beginners under impossible pressure, just showing how the master would have done it is ineffectual without guiding the student to improve the shot by his own doing as in having the student himself change the pose and the lighting accompanied by helpful correction.</p>

 

<h3>Promised: Speedlight Instruction</h3>

<p>Today's Speedlights have the ability to create the exact qualities of light that are traditionally found in much bigger strobe units. Clay demonstrates how to create<strong>perfect lighting ratios</strong> using multiple Speedlights on location. Unique modifiers will be used to create soft, specular lighting that you can take with you anywhere.</p>

<h3>Speedlight Breakout Sessions</h3>

<p>Students will be given assignments using the Speedlight flashes to <strong>create their own masterpieces.</strong> Clay will set up a Speedlight studio and create portraits that rival anything created with big studio strobes. Clay will demonstrate combining strobe and daylight, wheather [sic] in bright sun, open shade, and even window light.</p>

<p><strong>Delivered: </strong>Nothing. Blackmore said that one of his speedlights had been stolen and another damaged, so he was not going to do anything with speedlights. Since he had sent his assistant downstairs to the Adorama store to pick up some hardware, it would have been easy for him to purchase replacements for the missing speedlights so that this part of the promised "master class" would not have to be eliminated.</p>

 

<h3>Promised: Posing Groups</h3>

<p>See Clay’s tried-and-true methods for posing couples and groups. <strong>Students will have an opportunity participate in hands-on activities.</strong> The new teaching method will train each student to create a group on a magnetic board using circles. Once he or she is proficient with this method, real individuals will be used.</p>

<p><strong>Delivered: </strong>Nothing. There was no magnetic board and none of us were trained to create a group. A few pictures that Blackmore had taken of groups were projected and he made a few comments on them.</p>

 

<h3>Promised: Practice Sessions & Class Critiques</h3>

<p>Students, <strong>using their own camera</strong>, will make portraits of models and of each other using the 1, 2, 3 method. Clay and Frank will be holding your reflector and making sure that new habits are being formed and reinforced.</p>

<p><strong>Delivered: </strong>Blackmore had arranged an assignment for him to photograph a recently engaged couple. He started photographing them in the studio while some students crowded around to photograph them as best they could, but it was only Blackmore arranging the lighting and giving the couple posing instructions. Then we went outside to Union Square. On the way, we were accompanied by the two models and the engaged couple and Blackmore would stop every now and then to photograph the couple and the models. He would spontaneously? choose various backgrounds against which to make the photographs. Again, the students had no role to play except to try to make photographs of the couple and of the models without interfering with Blackmore. When we got to the park we were divided into two groups facing one another as partners. Blackmore would announce the pose, masculine or feminine, and the partners would alternate posing their counterpart. Then Blackmore would go down the line either approving or criticizing. After that, each of the two groups was given one model to work with, and it was up to us to pose them without any guidance or critique. In the meantime, Blackmore was photographing the engaged couple.</p>

 

<h3>Promised: $99 value for free</h3>

<p>Each Master Class Student will receive a free copy of OnOne's Perfect Portrait. OnOnes sets the bar for the industry standard when you need to retouch your images quickly and professionaly. Perfect Portrait provides just the right tools for...</p>

<p><strong>Delivered: </strong>One month later I have not received the promised software.</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>If you think it is worth a day of your time and $199 to listen to someone tell you how good a photographer he is and to watch examples of his work being projected on a screen and to see him choose various outdoor venues against which to photograph a couple or a model, then this is the workshop for you. However, if you want someone to personally guide you, critique you, help you master a technique, you will not get that here.</p>

<p>I find it hard to imagine who the right people might be for a McCurry workshop unless they are the kind of person who finds it inherently rewarding to be in the physical presence of a celebrity. I have copied below a comment about Mr. McCurry taken from a blog which supplies at length a review of his workshop to SE Asia, a *very* expensive workshop, I might add.</p>

<p>Neil Moskowitz - You were actually TOO kind to Steve. I travelled with him to Tibet in 2005 for the same reasons and all 20 of the photographers on the trip came away with the impression that this man has no consideration for his subjects and has no interest in teaching anyone anything other than paying a few minutes lip service to say if the photos they took were simply decent or bad. The Tibetan drivers (who didn’t speak English didn’t even want to drive him because of his condescending and arrogant attitude- they could simply sense it!). No teaching occurred at all. He actually took a photo of me without my knowledge and used it for an advertising campaign for the new software Apple came out with at the time (Aperture). When I discovered that photo by pure coincidence I asked him why he didn’t tell me or even offer to have me get a copy of the software for using my image in the ad campaign he hemmed and hawed. It took over a year of constant calling him to finally have him make an effort to get me a copy of the software. I have heard the same comments from many others who have taken photo workshops/trips with him. He is only interested in himself and what he can get out of the situation photographically. He is not a teacher at all. He is an egotistical indifferent man who pretends to be a caring soul. Your description of him making children cry to get the shot is at the heart of his problem..<br>

<a href="http://arifiqball.com/blog/2011/03/01/reflections-on-steve-mccurry-myanmar-workshop/" target="_blank">http://arifiqball.com/blog/2011/03/01/reflections-on-steve-mccurry-myanmar-workshop/</a><br /></p>

<p>A good friend, knowing that I was into photography as a hobby, asked me to photograph his wedding. Having done lots of reading on the pitfalls of wedding photography plus looking at some really good photos of weddings on the internet, I told him that he would get snapshots; that's all I was capable of. I told him that if he wanted nice photos he should hire a pro. He said they only wanted a record; snapshots were okay. Anyway, I used his request as an excuse to buy ReallyRightStuff's flash extension for my SB900. Then I bought Nikon's extension cord. I already had RRS's L brackets for both cameras (D300, D700) plus a 70-200 2.8 and a 17-35 2.8. (After taking Neil van Niekerk's flash workshop a year ago, I understood the importance of pro lenses which I did not own at the time.) So this wedding was already costing me over $200 for additional gear, but I had another wedding request coming up for next year, so I was able to rationalize the purchase. (More about that in a moment.)<br>

I can tell you that even though this was a relatively informal and small wedding held in the community room of a condo, the pressure I felt was so intense that despite the air conditioning and a short-sleeved shirt, my wife had to wipe the sweat running down my face with a towel, like a nurse aiding a surgeon during surgery. So I did not enjoy myself at all and I only got three keepers (my evaluation), even though they demanded all the shots. (Of course, I deleted the out-of-focus and otherwise impossibly crappy shots.) Bride and groom declared themselves happy with the shots (they also had a few taken by another guest) and that ended that.<br>

Now I've been told by my wife that I must fly down to Colombia next February to photograph the wedding of my stepson and his Colombian bride. They have already been married here in the U.S. at City Hall, but she wants a church wedding with her Colombian relatives present. From what she says, there will be a priest but no actual church. It will all take place outdoors. I gave them the same warning as I had given my friend, but since they have little money and since they were happy with some shots I took of them for a calendar, I can't get out of it. This one is even worse because now I have to worry about being robbed of my equipment. Of course, it will stay packed away until the wedding and afterwards, but it can't be left in the hotel room and I will have to wear it in a backpack when going out for meals. I know that Colombia is much improved as far as crime, but I'm hardly going to walk around with two Nikons as I did without fear in Thailand and Vietnam.<br>

My point is that unless your motive is to broaden your experience of photography or you need an excuse to buy equipment, wedding photography can be a nightmare, at least for a perfectionist like myself.</p>

<p>I would like to know whether the police or militia will give me a hard time if I am photographing in the Kremlin or in the streets of Moscow with a Nikon D700 and a 70-200 lens. Will they label me as a "pro" photographer and demand that I have a pro permit? (I am not planning to photograph government buildings or policemen.)</p>

<p>Still trying....</p><div></div>

<p>Trying, so far without success, to upload a photo.</p>

<p>I would perhaps crop out the background which leads my eye away from the dog looking at his owner.</p>

<p>While the diagonal wall in the foreground helps to frame the picture, that and the dome in the background distract me from the main subject, the couple kissing. Perhaps a more severe cropping and opening up the exposure would improve the shot. (Response to Couple)</p>

<p>On a recent trip to Vietnam, I was walking around with a camera hanging under each arm, one of them with a zoom telephoto lens. A few times strangers asked, "Are you a professional?" My answer was, "No, I'm just a hobbyist." If someone were to ask me whether I was a photographer, the implication to me would be professional photographer and I would give the same answer. But no one has asked me whether I'm a photographer.</p>

<p>The CameraSlingers strap goes around the shoulders and does not put a strain on your neck. It is very easy to unhook a camera because the strap attaches with a clip to an eye bolt screwed into the tripod socket of the camera. Because of this the camera would have to be set down on its side rather than on its bottom. If you don't like the Nikon straps, Upstrap makes very solid and strong straps with quick releases which are said not to slide off one's shoulders because the rubber nubs on the shoulder portion of the strap hold so well.</p>

<p>Luis, I appreciate that you clearly have wide-ranging knowledge of photographers and photography. I did find the passage in Outdoor Photography where Frans Lanting's equipment is discussed.<br>

"Lanting’s most basic kit consists of a Nikon D90 camera body with a Nikkor 18-200mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 VR lens in a Tamrac pouch or daypack for casual outings, and he’ll bring along a small Gitzo GT1540 tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-25 ballhead if he feels he needs it. Both items fit easily into a single piece of carry-on luggage or get checked in a suitcase at the airport.<br /> <br /> For a short domestic assignment, Lanting will fill up a Tamrac or Think Tank rolling case that he can bring into a commercial plane as a carry-on. It gets loaded with one or two camera bodies. <strong>His current workhorse is a Nikon D700 with 17-35mm ƒ/2.8 and 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 Nikkor lenses,</strong> a set of two tele-extenders (a TC-14 and a TC-20), one or two Nikon SB-900 Speedlight strobes with SC-17 cords for off-camera use, compact Lumiflex softboxes and a bunch of other peripherals."<br>

I don't know how a pro photographer like Lanting conceives a "casual outing." For me, flying from central PA to SE Asia for three weeks is *not* a causal outing. While my primary purpose is not photography, photography remains a very important component of this trip and I do not want to be handicapped by a not-so-great lens (my 18-200) or by the need to change lenses on the fly. I have an acquaintance with many years of experience in photography who has gone from using an 8X10 view camera to a point and shoot. I am at a different point in the experience/learning curve, so I am perhaps more like you were when you carried a lot of equipment. I *am* comforted to know that shooting with two cameras in your typical SE Asian environment of crowds, etc. worked for some people. Perhaps I will return from this trip convinced that I had made the wrong choice, but I do have to find out for myself.<br>

Anyway, thanks for your thoughtful comments.</p>

<p>It's reassuring to learn that the two cameras work for some people who travel. Ron, what strap system do you use to carry?</p>

<p>I'm aware that some of the most famous street photographers use small cameras and work close. However, we all have to make allowances for our character deficiencies. When SLR's first appeared, I gladly abandoned my rangefinder camera. I was never able to compose with a rangefinder. In addition, I am very uncomfortable shooting strangers closely. I realize this is a defect in me, but I have adapted and I have gotten a few worthy shots.</p>

<p>My primary interest is in candid street photography, but I am reluctant to get into someone's face; hence, the use of the telephoto zoom. However, I can shoot from the hip with the wide-angle too. But all too often I have not been able to isolate the subject from the background using the relatively slow 18-200. Also, it doesn't focus as quickly as the 70-200. I need to work fast or lose the shot.<br>

After you mentioned Frans Lanting, I went to his web site and read all of his comments on his equipment. His specialty is nature and wildlife photography and judging from his statements there, it seems he carries a bunch of speedlights, a tripod, big lenses, etc. He hires local people to carry the stuff. Perhaps you attended a lecture by him in which he supplied more up-to-date information?</p>

<p>I have been using a Nikon D300 with the 18-200 lens, but after renting a 70-200 and a 17-35 and seeing the results, I decided in a temporary episode of psychosis to buy a D700 and those two lenses. I felt that even with the ThinkTank belt I had bought to hold the lens not being used, changing lenses was losing me shots, especially street shots. So I decided that I should be slinging two cameras, one with a telephoto zoom (D300) and one with a wide angle zoom (D700). Following that logic, I bought a CameraSlingers strap which enables one to have a camera hanging at each hip. I just got these things and will be leaving for a three week trip to Thailand (Bankgok and Kanchanaburi) and Vietnam (North and South).<br>

Am what I'm planning on doing nuts? Will I be missing a lot of shots because the range from 35mm-105mm is missing? Can I walk through crowded streets and markets, get into cars and boats, sit down in restaurants, with two such cameras hanging off of me? I note that unless I place my hands on the cameras to steady them, they swing when I walk. An alternative is to hang one from each shoulder using the supposedly non-slip Upstrap. Another alternative is to have one camera in a ThinkTank holster on a chest harness and the other camera on a shoulder. I already own these things, so they are options. Does anyone have any experience having two cameras at the ready, one with a physically big lens, in crowded and varied urban environments?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I do not think he is a prima donna. I think that he's passionately involved with taking pictures and these workshops along with his commissions and assignments and commercial sales are a means for him to earn enough to continue his worldwide travels and photography. He is a photographer, and that is what he cares about, but he is not a teacher. I am an experienced teacher of 38 years. It was never my students' responsibility to develop a curriculum or to beg me to evaluate their work. That is the teacher's responsibility. His website quotes a number of enthusiastic recommendations from other workshops, so I doubt whether he's worried about having pissed off a few people. I neglected to mention that van Niekerk handed out a booklet which summarized the points he taught and illustrated them with his photos. We were given no handout in McCurry's workshop.</p>

<p>No, I did not and to the best of my knowledge, neither did anyone else. Why? Probably because we intuited from his behavior that it would not do any good and probably also because we wanted to avoid an unpleasant confrontation. I agree with your implied opinion that we *should* have.</p>

<p>I recently attended two workshops within a few weeks of one another. One workshop was led by Steve McCurry; the other by Neil van Niekerk. The McCurry workshop cost $1500 and was a total ripoff and waste. The van Niekerk workshop was everything a workshop should be and was a bargain at $500.<br /> <br /> Details: Neil's workshop was on flash. He would first present the principle under study with pictorial illustrations. We would then be asked to apply the principle by photographing the two models present. Neil would then check each person's results, make suggestions for improvement, then recheck. We would then return for another presentation, following the same procedure. We photographed under different lighting conditions: indoors with bright window light and with soft tungsten light, outdoors in open shade, bright sun, twilight, and darkness. We used on-camera flash, off-camera remote flash, softboxes, umbrellas and video lights. My lens was not fast enough (Nikon 18-200 f3.5-5.6) so Neil loaned me the Nikon 70-200 f2.8. He also loaned each of us a Pocket Wizard for use with the remote flashes which he supplied.<br /> We learned the use of gels to balance our flash with the ambient light; we learned how to make our use of flash almost imperceptible. Neil was ready to answer any and all questions. The models were totally accessible. The workshop ran from 9AM to 8PM with 45 minutes for lunch. All in all, an incredibly worthwhile learning experince from an excellent teacher.<br /> <br /> McCurry's workshop: The schedule was supposed to be:<br /> Fri 6PM-9PM critique of the four prints we sent in ahead of time<br /> Sat 9AM-6PM walkabout NYC taking photos in different venues (Union Square, Highline Part, Chinatown, for example)<br /> Sun 9AM-4PM back to Steve's studio to work on our shots and pick four for presentation and critique.<br /> <br /> Friday Evening: much time spent just hanging out, eating snacks, getting acquainted with other participants. Finally, Steve walks around at random, occasionally asking a question about a shot like where was it taken, occasionally commenting favorably on a shot. No semblance of critique. Then much time is spent projecting *his* photos and chatting about them. Finally, well after the scheduled quitting time of 9PM, the most aggressive student in the group asks when we will get the critique. I get a one sentence comment. Others don't get much more.<br /> <br /> Saturday: Each group is assigned two young interns who are supposed to help with any photographic problems. My group's interns are just kids out of college. They do not initiate any interaction. They do not ask to see what we are doing. Everyone just goes off and does their own thing. After a few hours of this we are told via our cell phones that Steve has changed plans and we should all meet at Washington Square Park rather than his going around to the separate groups. Supposedly, he will then spend 30 minutes going around with each individual. He used the thirty minutes with me to take photos for himself. He did not ask to look at the photos I had spent the morning taking. He did not ask me to shoot and then critique my shot. Upon request, I got a few tips about getting candid street shots. That was it. I asked two other people how their "personal" session with Steve had gone. One said that he had taken her up to his office and pulled open file drawers without even showing her anything. Another said that he had asked about the technical features of his camera and then talked about the features of the new Sony camera he was using. A third person stonewalled my question and merely said that he was determined to have a positive outlook.<br /> <br /> Sunday: We get to Steve's studio, carrying our laptops. We are to choose four photos for the presentation and critique and work on them post production in Photoshop, Capture NX, or whatever software we happen to have. A few of the older interns walk around giving advice when asked. After everyone's photos have been loaded onto a thumb drive, we are again treated to a lengthy presentation of Steve's photos. What happened to the critique of *our* photos? A few of us approach the hapless workshop organizer who has been coping with Steve's erratic, unplanned schedule changes all weekend and ask her to tell Steve that we have to catch planes and trains and to get on with the presentation of our photos and critique. Finally, shortly before the official ending time of the workshop, the show begins. The critiques are minimal and brief and often non-existent.<br /> <br /> Summary: Steve McCurry is a great photographer. I love his pictures which is why I signed up for the workshop. What I learned from the workshop could have been communicated in under five minutes. Maybe some people are happy to rub elbows with a celebrity and are willing to pay handsomely for the privilege. I wanted to be taught. A few weeks later at Neil van Niekerk's workshop I was taught.</p>