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Posts Tagged ‘workshop’

Some of the oldest American photographs were found in a workshop in New York

16 Oct

You never know where or when significant historical artifacts will turn up. Some very early photographic portraits were recently found in an unheated shed on Long Island in New York. The found photographs may be some of the very first portraits captured in the United States.

In 1839, the daguerreotype process was introduced by its namesake, Louis Daguerre, in France. It was the first publicly available and commercially viable photographic process. Although eventually replaced by more affordable, easier processes, many daguerreotypes were made in the 1840s and 1850s. In the US, the race was on to turn Daguerre’s process into a money-making venture.

‘Henry Fitz Jr. (1808-1863). The ‘Profile View’ taken with the Wolcott mirror camera, January-February 1840. Housed in a heavy brass frame identified in pencil on verso “Henry Fitz Jr. of New York and Baltimore. 1808-1863.’ Image and caption credit: Hindman Auctions

Henry Fitz Jr., Alexander Wolcott and John Johnson pulled it off. Fitz Jr. patented the first American camera and opened the first photographic portrait studio in the country. Fitz Jr. was a telescope maker in New York City. His understanding of optics gave him a significant advantage over would-be competitors.

The trio began collaborating on their photographic venture in late 1839. In early 1840, Fitz was the subject of some of the earliest successful photographic portraits ever taken. In June of 1840, Fitz opened a portrait studio in Baltimore, Maryland, cornering the market, at least for a time.

‘The ‘Eyes Closed’ Portrait of Henry Fitz Jr. (NMAH Cat No. 4114A). Probably taken in JanuaryFebruary, 1840 with the Wolcott mirror camera.’ Image and caption credit: Hindman Auctions

Some of the earliest photos taken by Fitz, Wolcott and Johnson were housed in that shed on Long Island. The photos will be going up for sale by Hindman Auctions. The auction house says, ‘The cache of daguerreotypes offered here – along with the existing Fitz group at the National Museum of American History – is the largest group of images produced by a single photographer from the pioneering era of photography in America (1839-1842). In this regard it is unique. While single images from this period exist, most are anonymous, undated and orphans floating in the historical ether. By contrast, the Fitz archive can be quite tightly dated to have been produced between about January 1840 and the fall of 1842. It was during these 36 months that photography in America sprang to existence and emerged as a commercial enterprise.’

‘Julia Wells Fitz (1814-1892), wife of Henry Fitz. Ninth plate daguerreotype, housed in red leather side opening case, with heavy brass mat. With delicate tinting of cheeks and lips; dress with fugitive blue tinting. Not removed from case. The identification of this image is based on the similarity between the sitter and the oil painting of Julia Wells Fitz included in this archive.’ Image and caption credit: Hindman Auctions

The collection holds immense historical and cultural significance. While Fitz, Wolcott and Johnson were not the creators of the daguerreotype process, of course, they were at the forefront of its adoption and growth. It’s also one of the more complete collections of photographs from that time frame.

You can read the full details about the auction listing by visiting Hindman. A digital catalog about the listing is available for viewing here. In-person bidding will begin on November 15 by appointment only.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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lighting essentials advanced workshop – a brief review

06 Jun

For those not familiar, Lighting Essentials are a series of workshops put on by Don Giannatti (you may know him as “Wizwow” on flickr).   I am a big fan of Don, not only is he an excellent photographer, with years of commercial experience under his belt, but he is also a fantastic teacher – which is just as difficult a skill unto itself.  He’s also a really down to earth guy with a low tolerance for BS and fools, which I find refreshing, particularly in the online photo community which can often turn into a bit of a hive-mind circle-jerk at times (you know what I’m talking about)…

Anyway, I got to go to his workshop in Philly in ’08 and it was awesome – definitely kicked my work up a couple of notches.   At the time I was already somewhat experienced with lighting, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was blown away; it was amazing to watch Don demonstrate things that I already “knew” lighting wise, and still be able to pick up something new – a new way of thinking about it, new ways of analyzing and constructing and deconstructing light.

A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to attend the advanced lighting essentials ‘shop down in Baltimore.  Different than the standard workshop, this one assumed a baseline familiarity with lighting to begin with – getting a baseline exposure, balatncing flash/ambient, ratios etc… This was fantastic, as we were able to jump right into working with little “catch up” required.  The format was well done. Don split us up into groups, with various assignments/challenges – in the morning we worked “in studio” talking about and working on precision lighting techniques for still life/objects.  I gained a whole new respect for product photographers – it’s a lot more difficult than you’d think.  One light, and lots of carefully placed white/black cards/diffusers etc…  I particularly appreciated this as it  really made you focus on analyzing and constructing light carefully rather than the “throw some strobes on it till it looks good” approach which many lighting novices seem to take.

In the afternoons we worked with models,  but instead of the standard “how to light/balance” we focused more on creating a mood or complex lighting schemes – sometimes using 4, 5 or more lights – little accents and subtleties to construct a meaningful lighting scheme.   Now I tend to be more minimalist in terms of my own lighting (I tend to favor zero, one or two lights – rarely more) but even so it was valuable to concentrate on the subtleties of the lighting scheme as a whole.

One of the things I like the best about Don’s workshops is that it’s all hands-on.  There’s no “sit around and listen to the instructor talk about how great he is” for 6 hours, as is the case with many “workshops” – Don has everyone jumping right in and shooting right off the bat.  It’s simply “talk about technique -> apply technique”.   Good stuff.   We also spent quite a bit of time talking business.  Don has been a full time photographer as well as designer and creative director for many years, so he has a fantastic amount of the experience in the industry and shares freely.  There are few things more valuable for a new photographer than the lessons of experience from someone who has “been there and done that”.   It’s like going through the school of hard knocks without having to take the knocks.

To sum up, aka the TL;DR version:  if you get a chance to attend one of Don’s workshops, go for it – it’s worth every penny.  What boggles my mind is that folks who will drop thousands on a new camera body or lens, are so hesitant to spend money on education or workshops.  I can say without reservation that the couple of hundred bucks for the LE workshops improved my work far more than any gear purchase I have made (and yeah, I’m also guilty of chasing the latest and greatest toys when it comes to gear).

finally some shots from the ‘shop:

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Lighting Workshop Interest List

03 Oct

Apologies for how the lighting workshops announcement went yesterday. They filled within a few hours, and before many of you even saw the email.

Given that I typically only do the small-class shooting workshops once a year, I sat down last night and figured out a fairer way to announce them. If you are interested in perhaps one day attending, click through to learn more. Read more »
Strobist

 
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Announcement: Strobist Full-Day Shooting Workshop, June 7th in Washington, DC

10 Mar

Just a quick heads-up that I’ll be teaching a small-class lighting workshop in Washington, DC this June 7th. It is part of the Focus on the Story International Photo Festival being held June 7-10.

This class is small — a maximum of 16 people — and we will be shooting all day. It is designed for people who are new to intermediate in their lighting skills. If you are comfortable with shooting in manual mode, you will not be out of place. If you already have some experience, we will happily stretch you out a bit.

If you have your own lighting gear (small flash only, please) feel free to bring it. But you need not, as lighting gear will be provided for the class. Just bring a camera, normal range lens (a kit zoom would be fine) a storage card and batteries and you are good to go.

I teach this class a lot; it’s my favorite course. But oddly, almost never in the U.S. In fact, this is the only time I am scheduled to teach a small shooting workshop in the U.S. this year.

Here is my promise: if you show up as an “available light” photographer, you will leave as a lighting photographer. Period. I guarantee it. (In fact, I won’t let you leave until you understand it. So if you are intimidated, maybe… bring a sleeping bag.)

The class, which includes lunch, is $ 230. You need not sign up for the whole festival to take this class. (But the festival has a really strong speaker lineup, and a 40% off early bird discount until March 18.)

Links below, hope to see you there. (Hit me on Twitter if you’re coming!)
__________

FOTS International Photo Festival
My Lighting Workshop
Strobist

 
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12. Türchen: Workshop bei imago fotokunst

12 Dec

Studenten im Fotokurs

12. Türchen

Solltet Ihr schon lange mit der Idee spielen, einen professionellen Fotokurs zu besuchen, dann ist unser heutiges Adventskalendertürchen sicher das richtige für Euch. Wir verlosen einen Gutschein für die Teilnahme an einem Fotoworkshop für Einsteiger oder einen 1-Monats-Gutschein für eine 1-jährige Fotoklasse bei imago fotokunst Berlin.

Imago fotokunst ist eine Galerie für Fotografie, die 1997 von Mathias Richter und Manuela Schäwe gegründet wurde. Ein wichtiges Anliegen ist den beiden Galeristen die Förderung von bislang unentdeckten Fototalenten. Daher bieten sie regelmäßige Fotokurse an, die vor allem dazu dienen, Talenten einen professionellen Einstieg in die Fotografie zu ermöglichen.

Ich war bei imago fotokunst in der Lehre und konnte die beiden Galeristen für unseren Adventskalender gewinnen. Bei imago fotokunst habe ich eigentlich alles gelernt, was man zum Fotografieren benötigt: Praktisches Wissen zur Kameratechnik, Kniffe bei der Laborentwicklung, Hinweise zur Bildgestaltung und Wissen zur Fotografiegeschichte.

Hilfreich fand ich Termine zur Bildbesprechung in der Gruppe unter Leitung der DozentInnen. Besonders nachhaltig war für mich das wertschätzende, empathische und entwicklungsorientierte Feedback von Mathias Richter, das es den TeilnehmerInnen ermöglicht hat, eigene Ideen zu verwirklichen und eine mutige, individuelle und feinfühlige Haltung beim Fotografieren zu entwickeln.

Eine Fotoklasse bespricht Bilder.

Gutschein-Variante 1: Der Einsteiger-Workshop

Ihr könnt aus einer von zwei Gutschein-Optionen auswählen! Für Anfänger wird der Einsteigerworkshop interessant sein, der innerhalb eines Wochenendes alle wichtigen Tricks und Kniffe zur (analogen und digitalen) Fototechnik erklärt. Dieser ist auch für Nicht-Berliner geeignet, die ihre Fotokenntnisse auf dem großstädtischen Pflaster in Verbindung mit einem Kurzurlaub erproben wollen.

Gutschein-Variante 1 umfasst die komplette Teilnahmegebühr für einen Einsteiger-Workshop „Fotografieren mit der digitalen oder analogen Kamera“ mit Mathias Richter im Wert von 120 €. Mögliche Termine sind die Wochenenden 24./25. Januar 2015 oder 21./22. Februar 2015, jeweils ganztägig.

Ein Dozent erklärt Bilder

Gutschein-Variante 2: Die Aufbauklasse

Für in Berlin lebende fortgeschrittene Foto-Enthusiasten ist die Jahresklasse interessant. In der Fotoklasse setzen sich die Schüler über einen Zeitraum von einem Jahr intensiv mit dem breiten Spektrum der Fotografie auseinander. Solltet Ihr an einer der nächsten Ein-Jahres-Fotoklassen (Zeitraum 2015/2016) teilnehmen wollen, entfällt für Euch der erste Monatsbeitrag im Wert von 180 €.

Die Klasse dauert 11 Monate. Ein Monat umfasst 18 Unterrichtsstunden. Das heißt, es gibt pro Woche einen Abendtermin (19 bis 22 Uhr) und einen Samstagstermin pro Monat. Die Fotoklasse eignet sich demnach auch für Berufstätige, die unter der Woche nur an den Abenden an einer Fotoklasse teilnehmen können.

Die Fotoklasse umfasst Grundlagen der Aufnahmetechnik, Einführung in das analoge Labor, Basiswissen zur Portraitfotografie, Lichtgestaltung (Blitz, Kunst- und natürliches Licht), Fotogeschichte und Fotorecht. Über den Zeitraum des Jahres arbeitet jeder Teilnehmer an einem selbst gewählten Projekt.

Die Fotoklasse bietet auch einen hervorragenden Einstieg in die professionelle Fotografie als Berufsfeld. Unter den Absolventen gibt es bereits eine große Anzahl an ehemaligen, die mittlerweile in der Auftragsfotografie oder in der künstlerischen Fotografie tätig sind.

Voraussetzung für die Teilnahme an der Jahresklasse ist ein kurzes Bewerbungsgespräch, in dem die Eignung des Schülers bzw. der Schülerin anhand eigener mitgebrachter Arbeiten besprochen wird. Keine Bange, es geht beim Bewerbungsgespräch vor allem darum, sich kennenzulernen und zu besprechen, welche Wünsche und Erwartungen Ihr mitbringt.

Wer möchte, kann sich auf der Webseite von imago Webseiten von Ehemaligen anschauen oder Informationen zur Galerie und Fotoschule finden.

Um den Gutschein zu gewinnen, schreibe einen Kommentar mit Deinem Wunschgutschein unter bürgerlichem Namen und gültiger E-Mail-Adresse bis heute um 24 Uhr. Danach verlosen wir sie per Zufallsgenerator unter allen Kommentatoren. Die genauen Gewinnspielregeln findest Du hier. Viel Glück!


kwerfeldein – Fotografie Magazin | Fotocommunity

 
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9 August, 2014 – Ultimate Iceland Workshop

09 Aug

 

Iceland, a landscape photographers heaven.  Luminous-Landscape was one of the first to explore and offer workshops in this magnificent country.  That was over 10 years ago and since then there are dozens of workshops being offered there and at times, popular locations can be over run by photography workshops and photographers.  As a result we have avoided doing workshops in Iceland until now..

After lots of discussion and work we are ready to offer a workshop in Iceland again and it will be different than all others.  Teaming up with Daniel Bergmann one of (if not) the best guides and photographers in Iceland, LuLa is proud to offer the Ultimate Iceland Adventure.  This workshop will be held next June 22 – July 1st 2015.  

If you have been to Iceland before and now want to see a part that you haven’t seen before then this is the workshop for you.  It will have heavy focus on the beautiful highlands and includes aerial photography.  This 10 Day / 9 night adventure will sell out quickly so visit the Rockhopper Workshops site and register today.

Our good friend William Neill has a number of prints being offered at special pricing through August 10th at the Ansel Adams Gallery.  You can learn more about this offer and see some of Bill’s great photography HERE.


The Luminous Landscape – What’s New

 
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National Park Photography Workshop Permits: Are They Really Necessary?

10 Jun
badwater-sunrise

Sunrise on the West Side Road at Badwater Basin, Death Valley

Back in February of 2014, I led two back-to-back photography workshops in Death Valley National Park with my friend and fellow photographer Mike Mezeul. Planning workshops is a lot of work and takes a lot of love and dedication to do right. Before the process of getting everything set up (making sure the students had all booked their flights, hotels, rental cars, etc.) we needed to apply for a workshop permit. This is sort of a tough thing to do timeline wise. You can apply for it ahead of time before you even announce the workshop; but then you run the risk of paying the $ 210 (average cost) and the workshop falling through or something like that. Or you can wait until you book spots for the workshop and then apply for the permit; but then you run the risk of not getting the permit in time for the workshop. We opted for the latter because we had plenty of time to get the application in and get the permit back. We got our workshop permit in time and had nothing to worry about. We weren’t going to risk getting in trouble with the park in an effort to save a few hundred bucks.

Now fast forward to the second workshop. We had just wrapped up a beautiful sunrise shoot at Badwater Basin on the West Side Road (Death Valley. The patterns at the main part of Badwater (by the parking lot) were in pretty terrible shape but we decided to take the group there after the sunrise shoot so they could see all the educational signs, walk around for a bit and get a picture of the “280 Feet Below Sea Level” sign. While we were there, a man came up to me and asked if we had found any good patterns. I’ve never been one to withhold secrets so I told him about the spot we found over on West Side Road. I noticed he had a van full of people and shortly after, they were on their way.

Workshop students set up for sunrise at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Workshop students set up for sunrise at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Our group stayed at the Badwater parking lot for another 30 minutes or so before heading back into Furnace Creek for breakfast. When we got to the Forty Niner Cafe we saw a large table of around 20 people (all with their photography gear) sitting in silence. It was really strange. Nobody was really talking and everyone looked stressed out and upset. I went to use the restroom and that’s when I saw the same guy who I’d spoken to at the Badwater Basin parking lot.

He told me that he was a workshop instructor and they were on day two (the first full day) of their photography workshop. He had taken my advice and driven his group down to the West Side Road but when he got there, a Park Ranger was waiting for him. As it turns out, the instructor and his partner had decided to forgo the workshop permit because they had applied for one the year before and never got asked about it at during that workshop. He figured, “Why not save the $ 210?” It’s not like Death Valley has much staff left after all the government cutbacks, right? Wrong.

The Ranger asked for his permit and when the instructor said he didn’t have one, he was told to leave the park immediately. He was instantly given a $ 2,000 fine for conducting a workshop inside a National Park without a permit. He had to leave his group of around 20 students inside the park–students who had paid the tuition for the workshop, bought plane tickets into Vegas, rental cars to drive into the park and $ 200/night hotels within the park. On top of that, he had to appear before a judge in federal court in California three months later. That meant another flight to book, a couple nights in a hotel, a rental car and living expenses for the trip. Based on the outcome of the court appearance, he was facing upwards of $ 10,000 in fines and a lifetime ban from the park. I’m not sure what the outcome was with his group of students but I’m assuming they got their money back for the workshop.

A mysterious sailing rock during sunset at the Racetrack Playa

A mysterious sailing rock during sunset at the Racetrack Playa

The Lesson to be Learned

The takeaway here is not to cut corners. If you are conducting a workshop inside of a national park, a national monument or even some state parks; get a permit. It’s not worth taking the risk and there are Park Rangers out there doing research. I talked to another photographer who was holding a workshop out in Zion National Park a while back. He had applied for a permit (and got one) to take his group into the Subway. When he got to the parking lot to start the hike, a Ranger was waiting there for him to check his permit. I’ve heard other stories of the Rangers looking up workshops on Google and then keeping track of the instructors on social media. They then try and pinpoint where the group will be and see if they can track them down to make sure they have the permit. All it takes is a tweet saying, “Beautiful sunrise at the Mesquite Dunes this morning.” To be honest, $ 210 is a very small fee to pay for holding a workshop inside of a national park. On top of that, you are supporting the park by paying the fee much in the same way you support it by purchasing park passes and entry fees.

If you are a student and will be attending a workshop inside a park, make sure that your instructor has the right permits. In my opinion, an instructor that cuts corners to save their bottom line isn’t an instructor worth paying tuition for a workshop.

For more information on choosing a photography workshop or tour, read these:

  • Taking a Photography Workshop; Why it is Different from a Photo Tour
  • Choosing a Photography Workshop Or Tour
  • Is that a Workshop, Tour or Seminar [Part I]

The post National Park Photography Workshop Permits: Are They Really Necessary? by James Brandon appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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12 May, 2014 – The Ultimate Adventure & Workshop – The Kimberely

12 May

 

Luminous-Landscape has pioneered workshops into the most picturesque remote locations on the planet.  Today we announce a workshop – adventure to truly an Edge Of The Planet location, the Kimberley.  This is an area of northwest Australia that is so hard to get into that the best way to explore it is by boat and helicopter and we have both.  Join us next April 2015 for the Ultimate Kimberley Adventure aboard the amazing True North.  This will be unlike any workshop you have attended in the past.  Plus you’ll have four extremely talented instructors Ken Duncan, Christian Fletcher, Mark Stothard and Kevin Raber,  who have all been to the Kimberley and know the region well.  This will be a charter with photographers only thus allowing us to be in position for the best light for the locations we are visiting.  Learn more about this amazing workshop HERE.  If there is one workshop you do, this is the one.


This July Luminous-Landscape hosts a workshop to the Northern Polar regions – Svalbard – Land Of The Polar Bear.  We have only 2 berths left on the first cruise.  The second cruise is Sold Out.  If you’d like a very special small boat experience to this region then register today.  You can find out more information HERE.


The Luminous Landscape – What’s New

 
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7 April, 2014 – Isle Of Skye – Scotland Workshop

08 Apr

 

There are many special places on this planet and one of the most special for photographers is Isle Of Skye in Scotland.  Come join Kevin Raber, Steve Gosling and Joe Cornish on an amazing photographic adventure to this amazing landscape.  It gets even better as this is being held with the cooperation of Phase One as a PODAS workshop and each participant will receive a Phase One camera system to use for the duration of the workshop. 

There aren’t too many better places to slow your photography down and to work the landscape as Isle Of Skye.  There isn’t a better camera system to do that with than the Phase One camera and digital back.  Spaces will go fast for this workshop.  Your workshop fee provides you with an all expenses paid worry free trip. All you need to do is get to the Inverness airport.  Learn more about this amazing week of photography HERE.

If you can’t make this workshop check out our other workshops.  We have an amazing small ship cruise in July to The Land Of The Polar Bear.  We have only select berths left for this trip so please inquire.   And our August Palouse Harvest workshop is filling fast. There are still a few berths left for our second Antarctica Workshop next January. 

Mark your calendars for December of this year in New Zealand, details coming soon and a most amazing adventure next April aboard the True North sailing the Kimberley region of Western Australia.


The Luminous Landscape – What’s New

 
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1 April, 2014 – Announcing A Unique Swedish Troll Workshop

01 Apr

Iceland, Antarctica, the Amazon, not to mention the National Parks in the U.S. and Canada are old hat. Everyone has been there, done that.

With this in mind, in cooperation with Swedish / Mexican photographer Lars Svenstrom we are expanding our workshop activities in 2015 to include Sweden. We will explore the deep woods on the slopes of the southern Scandia Mountains where bears, moose, wolves, wolverine and lynx roam. 

And if we are really fortunate, we hope to encounter and photograph the highly elusive target of this adventure – trolls.


Just a quick note to our friends, to say that Lula, Chris and I have arrived safely back in Toronto after 5 days on the road driving back from Mexico. Blue skies all the way. Spring is springing.


You can win an all-expenses paid photographic expedition to Antarctica, along with air fare from anywhere in the world. The value of this prize is $ 15,000.

The Luminous Landscape wants you to try any of our more than 60 training or travel videos and our new free video player. Each purchase is an entry, and an annual subscription that includes all previous as well as new videos counts as six entries. The winner of a free lifetime subscription is also chosen from each month’s entries.

 FIND OUT MORE


The Luminous Landscape – What’s New

 
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