large format printing : Large-format-photo workshop to focus on the art
Much of the photography world has moved with glee to the ease and speed of digital cameras, but for a growing number of artists, this is cause for rebellion.
Many of these artists concede that there really isn't a debate over whether to go digital, since most commercial work is now done with computers.
But for artists like New Jersey's George Losse, the only way to go is to work with actual film, to process work with his hands and to create art with photography.
``I would say 99 percent of the commercial world is digital or will be digital,'' Losse said. ``But in the world of quality images and where speed is not as important, in the world of handling a photograph by an artist, digital hasn't taken the same foothold.''
Losse will be at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts to teach a workshop about large-format photography beginning Aug. 9. The five-day workshop's aim is to give students some shooting tips from a 25-year veteran in the field and to develop techniques using 4-by-5-inch, 8-by-10-inch, and ultralarge-format panoramic cameras. The workshop will emphasize technique and developing a personal statement.
But the class is not just for the expert. Losse plans first to go over the students' work to see where they are in their careers and what kind of help they need.
Although there is a prerequisite of intermediate-to-advanced experience in black-and-white printing, the class will review the basics as a refresher.
``I know a lot of people have rebelled against the digital craze by stepping back in time and picking up the large format,'' Losse said. ``And there are a lot of people who may have pretty limited skills in it. So we're going to be conducting the class for the broad range.''
The Art Institute of Philadelphia graduate, who has published two books, has been taking pictures since 1968. ``You can go in and work for a couple of hours in the dark by yourself, and it's almost like therapy,'' Losse said. ``You are alone most of the time, and that's a good thing, because it allows you to explore all the different things just in your head.''
By Steve Davy
Many of these artists concede that there really isn't a debate over whether to go digital, since most commercial work is now done with computers.
But for artists like New Jersey's George Losse, the only way to go is to work with actual film, to process work with his hands and to create art with photography.
``I would say 99 percent of the commercial world is digital or will be digital,'' Losse said. ``But in the world of quality images and where speed is not as important, in the world of handling a photograph by an artist, digital hasn't taken the same foothold.''
Losse will be at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts to teach a workshop about large-format photography beginning Aug. 9. The five-day workshop's aim is to give students some shooting tips from a 25-year veteran in the field and to develop techniques using 4-by-5-inch, 8-by-10-inch, and ultralarge-format panoramic cameras. The workshop will emphasize technique and developing a personal statement.
But the class is not just for the expert. Losse plans first to go over the students' work to see where they are in their careers and what kind of help they need.
Although there is a prerequisite of intermediate-to-advanced experience in black-and-white printing, the class will review the basics as a refresher.
``I know a lot of people have rebelled against the digital craze by stepping back in time and picking up the large format,'' Losse said. ``And there are a lot of people who may have pretty limited skills in it. So we're going to be conducting the class for the broad range.''
The Art Institute of Philadelphia graduate, who has published two books, has been taking pictures since 1968. ``You can go in and work for a couple of hours in the dark by yourself, and it's almost like therapy,'' Losse said. ``You are alone most of the time, and that's a good thing, because it allows you to explore all the different things just in your head.''
By Steve Davy
