Here is our current calendar of upcoming events. More information available by clicking on the event below. We invite everyone interested in film photography to join us, though we specialize in LF and ULF, we love film. Hope to see you at one of our gatherings!
On Saturday, August 20 we will head east to meet Ty Guillory on his ranch in Mineola, Texas. Ty is one of only two craftsmen still handcrafting traditional wet plate cameras. Although there will not be time to see him mix the chemicals and prepare the plates, we will see how the camera is used to capture a couple of images and how the plates are then developed and varnished.
Though not exactly posted here in order, the D/FW LF Group, by popular request, has added more summer events. The Dallas Museum of the American Railroad, located in Fair Park, will open their doors a bit early this July 2nd morning to allow our big cameras in for some peaceful photography. Once the doors open at 10, we will still be able to take our time to take photos, but there might be foot traffic between you and your object!
Here we go again! Our informal LF Photography Group is holding another outing, and even braving the heat of summer in Texas.
We invite everyone interested in LF & ULF photography to join us for some serious discussion and fun. Also, if you are a working photographer, please bring a few photos to share with everyone.
participants, ranging from beginners to somewhat seasoned photographer-types in attendance, and everyone had a great time sharing stories, showing off their equipment, and photographs. The weather cooperated, it was dry, cloudy, and the temperature was pleasant.
We continue with preparations for the upcoming DFW LF GROUP, TCC GATHERING, Saturday, May 21, 2011. We are hoping for a good group to show up to see, touch and experience the LF & ULF camera. this is a no excuses, dedicated to film and the view camera gathering and we hope to promote film and the art of photography.
We will be helping host an informal gathering of LF & ULF photographers from the Dallas/Fort Worth area Saturday, May 21, 2011. The DFW LF Group will be meeting at 8am at the Tarrant County College (TCC) North East Campus, 828 Harwood Road, in Hurst. We will gather at the Visitor Parking and will be photographing in the central campus park area just a short distance from the parking lot (see map). Those interested in traditional, large format photography are welcome to join us. Here is a link with driving directions;
It is important that your view camera work and work smoothly without glitches in the field. Nothing is worse than having some issue when you are out working. I spend a lot of time maintaining our cameras. I feel it is better to do this before we go out, than to have problems that require work in the field. Nothing is worse than wasting time on repairs when you are out.
So. . . everyone has their preferred brands, methods, techniques and such. I have mine for sure. As Fred Picker said, “if you have been around for twenty years or more and haven’t formed any opinions, what have you been doing?” I miss Fred!
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ONLY A LIGHT-TIGHT BOX
-Fred Picker- Discussing his experience with the Ansel Adams Workshops.
Zone VI Newsletter, Number 39, June, 1984, p. 5
A camera is just a tool. . . a thing. It is only a light-tight box that holds the lens and film. It is no different than a carpenter’s saw, a painter’s brush, a pianist’s piano, or a sculptor’s mallet and chisel. Any of these tools in the hands of the inexperienced will create little more than noise or a mess. Likewise, in the hands of a beginner, the camera is no more than a thing. In the hands of an experienced photographer is becomes a tool for creating art.
If you want to become a photographic artist the first goal is to become an accomplished master of the equipment. But, how do you get there from here? It starts with ambition and drive. Like any skill, you will only learn, and become a master, if you are dedicated. The mechanics of photography are not difficult to learn. It does take time and determination to get there, but it is not an unachievable task. You just have to have the desire and drive to work through the process of learning how best to use the tools.
Think of when you were a kid and you thought that taking piano lessons was a great thing to do, since some of your friends were already enrolled. Then after a while you get the usual threats from your parents to get in there and practice! You get the customary, we bought you that expensive piano and are paying for lessons, so get to work. Truth is, you really didn’t want to learn the piano in the first place. It was just something you thought would be neat. If you really wanted to learn, your parents would have to be lecturing you about spending too much time with the piano and limiting your keyboard time.
It is that drive. . . that obsession with learning that makes for the great artist. You have to eat, sleep and breathe photography to be really successful. Just a casual interest will lead to little more than a few casual photographs. Or, maybe you are just obsessed with the hardware. Maybe you would be better off collecting and trading equipment. There is always that possibility that the light-tight box is your obsession and not the photograph. Only you can make that determination.
That Light-Tight Box is just the camera. . . a tool to be used in the creation of your art. I hope that you learn to use your tools to your best advantage! Invest your time wisely. Learn the tools of your chosen craft well. Do not stumble around in the dark, it belongs inside the camera.
JB
March 31, 2011 | Categories: Commentary, Photography | Leave A Comment »