Digital BW, The Print

If you keep abreast of some of the manufacturers offerings they are a good
source sometimes, and they are most often just a two or three day affair.
SinarBron has offered workshops, and I presume some of the others do also,
they are however geared toward people who already have experience and are
looking for newer skills, AND they are usually a showcase of the
manufacturers equipment. I attended one of these many, many moons ago and
the overload of super-sophisticated do everything equipment was a little
much . . . the best cure for that, being to ask the price of aforesaid gear
. . . that will usually sober you up right away. (my experience was playing
with 8x10 Sinar Ps, digital shutter with electronic remotes and a truckload
of Broncolor gear . . . nice, but not really needed).

You didn't mention if you own an LF camera or not. If you don't, the
workshop is a good way to go as it will give you the opportunity to try out
some equipment. While most LF equipment is more alike than it is different,
there are certain attributes between makes that will make one camera more
appropriate for you than another and considering that a basic LF kit can
start to add up in price (it is NEVER the camera and lense that are a
problem, it is the $30 for this, $200 for that, $105 for this do-hickey),
you want to be sure that you are comfy with what you choose.

As for the books, those are excellent suggestions . . . Stroebel's book a
classic. There is also an excellent book called "The Large Format" by C.
Koch (mister Sinar) and C. Marchesi . . . if you buy one of their cameras
they give it to you.

good luck
Paul Aparycki


> > Are there any workshops to help get a grip on the mechanics
> > of shooting with a LF camera?
>
> Tillman Crane occasionally teaches one at the Maine Photographic Workshops
> and/or Peters Valley Craft Center. Steve Simmons teaches one at the Sante
Fe
> Photographic Workshops. John Sexton's workshops usually have some large
> format instruction even though they aren't labelled as such. You just need
> to go to the web sites or get the catalogs of the major workshops, i.e.
> Maine, Sante Fe, Anderson Ranch, Palm Beach et al and you'll likely find a
> large format workshop being taught at one of them. However, I don't think
> you need a workshop to get into large format photography, there are
several
> good books, one by Leslie Stroebel, another by Jim Stone, from which you
can
> learn all you need to know to get started.