Be forewarned - attending the Tonopah workshop can damage your sensibilities and sense of propriety. I suffered a definite adverse consequence as a direct result from attending the Tonopah workshop. A few weeks a go I left my wife, children, and home with a nice little Kodak 2D and a few lenses to attend the Tonopah Workshop. When I left Tonopah after attending the workshop and started the back drive home, I also had a studio camera and couple large brass and glass doorstops - at least that is what Jim was using them for. And, to add insult to injury, on the way home I found another nice little studio camera and some Petzval and other lenses that I was convinced needed to be "rescued".

Now the shocking news - it contagious! Now my daughter appears to acquired the same affliction.

A young one's appetite can be a lot larger than there size,looks like see is hooked.

Jay ... I don't know how you just happen upon a 2d studio camera ... anyway, thanks for publishing the story and pics ... now I can show my wife how sensible I am ... just don't remind her that, although my cameras aren't as big as yours, I have at least twice as many.

And ... after all our portraits and snaps, it's nice to finally see a shot of a good looking photographer.

How fun is that. She must have got her good looks from her ma. But the twinkle in her eyes.......probably from dad.

Jim Graves wrote: I don't know how you just happen upon a 2nd studio camera...


Didn’t know that it could happen either, but it can, so be careful! In my case, here’s what happened…

Since I started shooting film again a couple years ago, my father has wanted me to meet a friend of his who started his career as professional portrait photographer in the early 60’s and who is now selling his equipment. On the way back from Tonopah, I reluctantly agreed to go with my father to see the photographer’s studio and photo equipment – keep in mind that I had not even started to suffer my wife’s ridicule for the studio camera in my car at the time. After looking at some 5x7 enlargers, dated studio lighting, medium format cameras, etc., I thought that I was going to be able to escape without purchasing something, but then I noticed an 8x10 studio camera with a Petzval lens hanging on it in the corner of the basement. I casually asked about the studio camera. The photographer said that the camera and a “number” of lenses were included when he purchased the studio almost 50 years ago. He went on to say that the studio had been operation since 1928. By the time everything was said and done, I purchased the camera and the lenses. BTW, the “number” of lenses was six. The camera also came with an 8x10 and a 5x7 back and boat load of 5x7 film holders… so, I might have also acquired another film format.

The moral of the story is that you are at risk of finding cool stuff if you are engaged with the world…

"If I go next time I'll be more prepared and sensitive to my surroundings, and hang around Per more, and try and get some of Jim's lens, and shoot more film, and do what I did this time but better."

I read this thread once and then tonight reread it a little slower after thinking about what the experience meant to me.

Mike said it as close to what I think as anyone. More prepared, now I know what it's like to fly with a dream list pared down to one system; difficult. I'll bring a better system or drive. I always feel I'm in touch with the surroundings but more often find myself rather than the surroundings. What I enjoyed from the surroundings were the people in the places we visited. The kids in the store at Tonopah, the maintenance / guide and the young lady at the mining museum. The lady at the restaurant in Goldfield who remembered my name the second time there. The young men at the Burger King, one of which is going to be going to the Commercial Diving school in Seattle soon. The police officer who made the uturn and followed me to the motel one night, at 25 MPH. Jim at his house. The people at Scotty's castle and the park rangers at the Death Valley ranger station.
I will be more prepared to learn from Per who is a wealth of information he has gained from long experience. I would love to try on one of Jim's lenses for a couple of shots, his collection actually overloaded me it was so vast and he was right on top of it down to the infinitely detail.
Although I exposed over a hundred sheets of 4x5 CHS 25 and FP4 I could have exposed a lot more, like taking a roll film camera and driving. As a former RT, RTT I learned to work fast so I had a lot of time to take in the surroundings, someone asked me if I was going to take any photos at Goldfield while I was in the court house. I was actually warming up for the outside where I worked fast on those subway stairs and surroundings. I didn't get a ticket parking in front of the court house either, it was there the entire time.
"And do what I did this time but better", Isn't that the truth, but sometimes we don't have a second shot, as in medicine, there is a saying in Radiation Therapy, "you can't do a retake", there is no second chance.
I'd love to have a second tour of the Tonopah area, I'd drive and do all of the above but better. My Rollo should be here any day now and then it's to the darkroom for some solid time. I received another complete arm for my Durst 5x7 and now I have a foot table release. It's coming together finally. I've got a bid out for a NuArc and Carbon Transfer/Pt. is coming up in February so there is little time to rest.

My final evaluation of the Tonopah Workshop: It was more than I could have imagined, for me it was an incredible experience filled with the subject I love and surrounded by a beautiful vast landscape and people who also love what they do. Per and Jim, thank you for making this one of my best experiences in a long time.

Curt

Thanks to all who have replied here. Your feedback is of inestimable value. For my part, I look back on all the plans I had to really spend quality time explaining all the lenses and what they do, and how little of that actually got done. How quickly the time flies past. How to do it better next time. For my part, perhaps some evenings at my home just talking lenses more 1 on 1 with the folks who are particularly interested in that. But of course, the days are already long. Perhaps also next time I may try to get more of a handle on individual needs and expectations. Such a gamut of experience from Don who should probably be teaching the workshop to guys just getting their feet wet in 4X5. I wish I had simply picked 5 scenes and gone through step by step how I would meter them and the logic behind my choices with Jaime. 20 - 20 hindsight. 3 or 4 days is just barely long enough to get a sense of where folks are at.

So thanks for all of the wonderful ideas. Very much appreciated.

You are welcome Jim! You and Per are both gems.

Thats ditto for me too.

And that goes for me too!
Jim and Per - you did great. It was an outstanding workshop! I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I agree Jim, I had a great time and besides my lack of experience, I learned more in those 4 days than in the past 3 months when I was trying to get ready for the workshop. Thanks one more time.