Location for workshop outside the UK? - contd

[Joanna Carter]

Hi folks. This is another thread that got corrupted in the recent crash. Please continue the discussion from here, the original thread is viewable but locked.

[Apple]

So the little outage was a proper crash... I wondered why it took a while to get back up again

As for locations, I'd love to have the strength, knowledge, equipment and a whole lot of other things (mainly oodles of money) to do the following in no real order of preference

The Rockies - less tripod holes than the US National Parks and probably just as big and high

New Zealand

The Hermitage, Moscow - a Record photographer's dream to do both in colour and B&W - all that gold leaf, and sculpture etc.

Paris - up to a point having watched some of the delectable Miss Viollet's (sp?) programmes on Tuesdays but don't fancy the constant keeping one eye on the gear

Easter Island

the great cathedrals of the world

and many more I could probably find, all equally unobtainable for a workshop

I'd also like to have the skill and speed to be able to get to a place and feel that I've taken enough images to do justice to a place - physically and mentally. Look at some of the portfolios of the disused factories etc that people on the US LF boards have taken - 40+ images in the day etc I feel that my current rate of maybe three or four three setups in the day is almost an excuse not to take the LF gear as I wish I could get more done with other formats - the Victoria baths was a good example of getting several shots but missing a lot in the single day...

Just a few suggestions - where's the next workshop?

[Apple]

Jo,

Following on from Charles' post about international get-togethers, do you remember the web address of the French week long workshop and seminars that was held last year, organised by Emmanuel Bigler - the one you were secretly planning on attending if you'd have had more time beforehand?

There was a link from the US largeformatphotography board but it'll take some finding.

That was a proper organised do in an abbey AFAIR. That's not getting at the organisation skills of our own group as the needs are different and we have other constraints but trips, workshops, seminars, demos and a whole pile of stuff was put on for a week's stay. You could eat, drink, dream LF and twiddle with the bits all day long...

Andrew

[Ole Tjugen]

I'd also like to have the skill and speed to be able to get to a place and feel that I've taken enough images to do justice to a place - physically and mentally...

I can't even begin to imagine how something like that could possibly happen!

I've shot something like 200 LF shots within two minutes walk from my home; this year I shot 20 sheets of 8x10" from the porch of the house we borrowed in northern Norway, amd I'm nowhere near beginning to exploit the potential of either location. "Doing justice to a place" would be a lifetime endeavour!

[Apple]

Ole,

I wasn't meaning to get too 'deep and meaningful' - just bemoaning the fact that I quite often come away from somewhere and think "I wish I had more time there as I haven't done anything like I wanted to..."

For the Victoria Baths pictures, I never even took a picture of the swimming pools (and there were three of them) so if I ever had to do a mini "show & tell," I fall over at the first hurdle

Andrew

[Charles Twist]

I got wind of the French workshop and quite frankly it puts us to shame. It was organised by and through the Galerie-Photo website which is a far more professional outfit than our own (I suspect they have more time and money). As far as I can make out from a quick look, over a period of 18 months, twelve photographers regularly visited the abbey at Font-Froide with their big cameras. Then there was a meeting at the site for the twelve photographers and any other MF+LF'ers interested over a two day period (including food that was probably one up on fish and chips in Whitby). The meeting allowed the 12 photographers to exhibit their efforts (80 pictures). There were also regular talks about the various aspects of modern photography and of Cistercian architecture. See http://www.gestiondescouleurs.com/index ... numero=250 for more on the meeting. And that's not the end of it, after that, the exhibition got published in book format, see http://www.amazon.fr/Fontfroide-Collect ... francaidel . As I said, we're not that good yet.
However I believe they will be organising other events such as that one on the basis of http://www.galerie-photo.info/forum/rea ... eply_10219 (which suggests this mid September for their next workshop). Later, they may be interested either to come over here or see how the Brits do it (find tea-shop, talk, find pub, talk, go to bed). If, as I suspect, they have more time than us to organise these things, I would be quite happy to donate the brilliant idea and let them run with it.
I also agree that two days in any one location really does help to get the most out of it. The first take helps me get to grips with the place, whereas the second take allows me to concentrate on what matters to me.
I hope that helps.
Charles

[Joanna Carter]

I have split this thread so that Emmanuel's post starts a new discussion on the possibility of joining with the French group sometime soon.