The Silver Conference Should be Starting about now....

[photomc]

Well, the title kind of sums it up...but for those shooters that use B&W, this could be a pretty BIG DEAL IMO. Good Luck to Ilford, Calument and of course our own Les McLean who will be doing demos and will sit in on a few round table discussions. Nice to see APUG represented that way....and hope someone that is there will keep us posted (Hint! Hint!!)

 

[david b]

Did this conference sell out?

 

[photomc]

Did not ever here and was wondering the same thing David...I really hope so.

 

[davekarp]

I heard through the grapevine that it is not sold out, and not even close. I hope that is not true.

 

[blaze-on]

Hi Ho Silver

I just returned and they had (according to a Ilford rep) around 275 registered attendees and a mix of Art Center students as well as the speakers, etc.

A very interesting event. And FWIW, I designed and printed a postcard at my cost (donated) to market APUG which myself, Aggie and Sharon (Schmoo) handed out at the conference and hotel, as well as leaving stacks at the student darkroom.

I wish I had the energy to expound on this right now, maybe later...(slept on a friend's couch and stayed up way too late both nights) The creative energy present was hard, if not impossible, to turn your back on and do something so silly as "sleeping"..so now, nap time...as I just got home.

I think all-in-all there will be a "peaking in" to check out APUG from many attendees, and hopefully snag a few new subscribers.

Les McClean did a wonderful presentation and short darkroom demo. A very gracious and fun gentleman (with a funny accent though); a definite pleasure to meet. Met a few other APUG'rs for the first time as well.

Rest assured as best you can, Ilford is not going anywhere and is 100% committed to b&w silver photography.

 

[photomc]

Thanks for the update, Blaze (Matt isn't it?). This is just what I was hoping to here, just wished it HAD Benn a sell out. Good to hear that Les was in good form, hope to get a quick visit with him when he passes back through here on the way to the workshop. Great News to here Ilford's intent is to stay with us, now we just have to stay with them.

 

[Dave Wooten]

Thanks Matt from all of us.....for the up date and the promo work!

 

[Sean]

Thanks Matt from all of us.....for the up date and the promo work!

ditto! the brochure is superb! Thanks for the update

 

[Gay Larson]

I so wanted to go but just couldn't get there. I'm sure I will hear all about it when we have the shooting workshop the 15th.

 

[Shmoo]

Just coming back to normal from the Silver Conference...it was a lot to absorb. Long days, good speakers. There were a few speakers that I missed, so please forgive me if I don't mention their names.

Ilford has stated that they are solidly behind the continuance of black & white photography. Just remember that they are a small company who are doing their best to continue providing us with supplies and that new products will take some long hard thought (and the use of precious resources) on their part.

The speakers were ranged from extremely informative (Mary Virginia Swanson on "Presenting Your Work to the Fine Art Community") to wonderful new and continuing work (Mona Kuhn, John Sexton, and Keith Carter). I have to admit that seeing John Sexton's "before" and "after" images made my own printing angst less painful...not much, but less.

It was great to put APUG names to faces for a change: Robert and Tiff Hall, Gustavo, Lee, and our own Les McLean! Also great to see friends again (Matt, Aggie, Frank F.).

Thanks to the folks at Calumet (Richard Newman and team), the Ilford folks, and the Art Center College of Design (Dennis Keeley)!

Now...back to sleep....zzzzzzzzz....

 

[Jan Pietrzak]

To All.

It was good to see you all, Shmoo, Aggie, Matt and the rest. Time did not let me stay so if I did not see some of you I am sorry.

Matt the APUG Card looks great, and thank you for letting me be part of it.

xoxo jan xoxo

Just coming back to normal from the Silver Conference...it was a lot to absorb. Long days, good speakers. There were a few speakers that I missed, so please forgive me if I don't mention their names.

Ilford has stated that they are solidly behind the continuance of black & white photography. Just remember that they are a small company who are doing their best to continue providing us with supplies and that new products will take some long hard thought (and the use of precious resources) on their part.

The speakers were ranged from extremely informative (Mary Virginia Swanson on "Presenting Your Work to the Fine Art Community") to wonderful new and continuing work (Mona Kuhn, John Sexton, and Keith Carter). I have to admit that seeing John Sexton's "before" and "after" images made my own printing angst less painful...not much, but less.

It was great to put APUG names to faces for a change: Robert and Tiff Hall, Gustavo, Lee, and our own Les McLean! Also great to see friends again (Matt, Aggie, Frank F.).

Thanks to the folks at Calumet (Richard Newman and team), the Ilford folks, and the Art Center College of Design (Dennis Keeley)!

Now...back to sleep....zzzzzzzzz....

 

[Robert Brummitt]

Just got off the plane from Pasadena. It was great to meet so many Apugers. I wish we had a table for us to meet and greet everyone. It's the hope that the Silver Confrence will be an annul event. If it is I'm saving my pennies now.
What Ilford/Harmon industries want from us who attended this conference to spread the word that ilford is back and growing. To bring the younger photographers in, to share the beauty of a silver print.
I plan to do that woth my Portland forum.

 

[Jon Shiu]

Glad to hear about the conference. How was the print competition? What type of work was selected? Did any APUG member's prints make it into the show?

Jon

 

[blaze-on]

Glad to hear about the conference. How was the print competition? What type of work was selected? Did any APUG member's prints make it into the show?

Jon

There were approximately 1500 entries for the print competition. What they put up for display was the three winners and maybe 30 additional prints as honorable mentions. Don't know if any were apug'rs, but a very broad visual range and generally excellent work. In addition, the speakers and many attendees set up on tables at the Hilton after each day to show prints and books. So there was a lot to look at and absorb.

Keith Canham was also in attendance and displayed several of his new models. The new colored (anodized?) 4x5 models were very appealing. In talking to Keith, his sales are steady and he mentioned a higher percentage of sales has been 8x10 vs. 4x5.

There was verbal interest in a second "annual" Silver conference from both Ilford and Calumet and from the Art Center, which was a very nice place to hold this at.

 

[duel]

Do they have some information about selected works? names, gallery or something?
thanx

 

[Robert Brummitt]

Do they have some information about selected works? names, gallery or something?
thanx

I believe it was said that the winners and honorable mentions would be displayed on Calmets website. They also told me that the conference was video taped and they are thinking of sharing the tapes. Either by saleing them or as promotional. They hadn't really thought more then that. Some folks were concern becasue two lectures over lapped and Les was doing darkroom demos in another part of the campus.
As to the print show. It took them three days of selection and they said they had the winners done twenty minutes before the conference started Friday afternoon.

 

[jd callow]

ditto! the brochure is superb! Thanks for the update

Did the APUG Conference Brochures and posters make it to the Silver conference?

 

[Robert Brummitt]

Did the APUG Conference Brochures and posters make it to the Silver conference?

Yes indeed. Aggie and crew were walking the walk. Handing the flyers out, dropping them off and getting the word to those interested.
Even, I met one fellow photographer from Hollywood, Calif who never heard of Apug. He does now and its my hope he will join the ranks.

 

[jd callow]

Yes indeed. Aggie and crew were walking the walk. Handing the flyers out, dropping them off and getting the word to those interested.
Even, I met one fellow photographer from Hollywood, Calif who never heard of Apug. He does now and its my hope he will join the ranks.

Great!,

Thanks Aggie and Crew.

 

[Aggie]

I got home from the marvelous Silver Conference in Pasadena, last night. I can't say enough about the conference and the spirit it engendered. I would encourage all if they have the chance to attend the NEXT one Ilford and Calumet put on. The over riding theme was “How to get the message of film is alive, and encourage youth to participate”This is a concern for all of us. Without US standing up and saying we believe in film, it will eventually fade into the same realm as the dodo bird.
We as a group of attendees were fed visually as well as inspirationally. Al Webber an absolute treasure of a photographer was our kick off speaker. His message was to nest. By this he means make your darkroom your own. More than making your darkroom a nest where you are comfortable and enjoy to be there, you have to actually be there. Spend time learning and exploring. Our nests can be the fancy darkroom set up to the make shift tear down every time bathroom nest. Our best tool in the darkroom is also the trashcan. With our exploring and learning we will go through a lot of paper until we hit that right combination for the vision we seek.
Next we heard from George Dewolf. For those who think he is all about digital I must say loudly, “YOU”RE WRONG!” I also have to warn a few apugger's after spending a bit of time with George, He commented that we (personality wise) were two of a kind. Now if I could just make photographs as beautiful as George I might agree. George is approachable, affable, talented, and concerned about our future. I'm very glad I met this wonderful man.
The last presenter of the night was our own indomitable Les McLean. What can you say about this man? Plenty! Rather than present via a power point presentation, he brought his precious prints. We had to move to the front to become part of the intimate works. Of course Les told us about how he really liked Dark and Satanic images. This is misleading as they are rather explorations of what light and dark can do to set a mood. We are fortunate to have Les as a vocal member here on apug. We should all take every opportunity to learn from this great man. A blatant plug here...He also wrote a tremendous book that should be in your library.
The next morning (too early I might say if you had to drive any distance to get there) was kicked off by a panel discussion. The panel was made up of Bob Kolbrenner, Michael A Smith, Paula Chamlee, David Gremp, Dennis Keeley (Ilford), Richard Newman (Calumet), John Sexton, Rick Rosen and Michael Chiusano. I would like to say more about this panel but I was busy at the other talk upstairs given by James Reilly of RIT. James talked about the past and future of silver images. One bit of wisdom that came out of it was the comparison of toners for the longest and best archivability. His summation after RIT grad students tested all toners and washing practices, was that poly sulfide is good. Do not wash your prints to exhaustion and remove all the sulfite. A little residual is good. In fact the sulfite creates a shield over the image to protect it from oxidation. The best toners are the poly sulfite ones, or sepia types. Next was gold toners. Third was selenium which was variable depending on concentration, manufacturer, and washing practices. I was very glad that an Ilford rep was there taking notes and asking ab out certain aspects of this. We all know from our own Simon that Ilford is coming out with a new selenium toner.
Mona Kuhn was another photographer that spoke next to us. She inspired us with her dedication and seeking to find a new voice to express an old subject. Her nudes transcended just taking a picture of a person naked. She explored the person and found their soul. You felt the person inside the skin. You saw the artistic excellence of a person who studied what she wanted to present and had the courage to tell the intimate in a fresh manner. Explore her website and learn more about this woman. She will be a major force in years to come. http://www.monakuhn.com/f/index.html
Mary Virginia Swanson, Swanie! Wow! She didn't show us her photos. She showed us her work. She is a person ALL OF YOU should know. You want to sell your photographs she is the person to know. You want to know where to sell your photographs she is the person to know. You want to know the inter workings of the gallery system she is the person to know. You want to know how to package your work to present to galleries or photographic shows she is the person to know. She condensed a week long course on marketing into a short one hour presentation. Thank God she wrote the book on the subject. This is another plug for extraordinary book. It along with Les McLean's book should be in your library. http://www.mvswanson.com/
I want to say a hearty BRAVO to Marisa Roth. A woman who does documentary work that others might find a cliché. She brought a warmth and humanity to a sensitive and import subject matter. Again this is a woman you need to visually see her work to get the full impact of the stories she capably tells. Take the time to explore her website. http://marissaroth.com/pagesMR/MRgate.html
A panel of some of the best and brightest explored the technical end of photography. It is refreshing to see it not be just a panel of where they imparted pearls of wisdom, but wanted to hear from the audience of what we wanted to learn. It was another inspirational discussion that is an opportunity for those who attended (and hopefully will attend in the future to learn. It never ceases to amaze me the willingness of these giants in photography to share their knowledge. They are not competitive or mysterious. They are open and accessible.
Ok I know I keep saying you have to go to certain websites. Well here is another one that deserves your perusal. Jeff Dunas is a documentarian extrodinaire. His montage took us from street photography to the legends of the blues. This man like all the photographers we were privileged to view found that elusive soul of the person and captured it for us on film. His partner in this presentation was Michelle Dunn Marsh. If you haven't heard of her, find out who she is! She works for Aperture bringing to life photography books. It was fun to watch the interplay of Jeff and Michelle when they discussed bringing one of his books to life. It was educational to find out just how hard this process is. It is more than having a group of pictures and some words. It also taught us that for your vision you can fight for it. Once you start into the world of art books, you have others that will interpret your work, and may change your vision into what they see. It is heartening to know that if you choose your battles, you can keep what is your vision. http://www.dunas.com/index2.html http://www.aperture.org/
The last presenter of the evening was John Sexton. You would expect one of the legends of photography to show only his best work, and talk about his inspiration and such. No we were treated to a fine presentation of a man who was just like us and strove to better himself. He showed us his first attempts in school to make photographs, to his evolution into seeing more than the scene in front of us. It was so good to see he was human and made all the same mistakes. It was heartening to know that his images were just as forgettable as what I make. He brought that humanity of a man who took the time to learn and become one of the best. It takes work, and learning. Sure it didn't hurt that he was at the knee of Ansel Adams. What he showed to us was Ansel Adams as the man. The prankster who would greet eager awestruck wanna be's at the door with oversized huge fake sunglasses. Ansel the man who loved life and liked to laugh. http://www.johnsexton.com/
The last morning we had another panel discussion. It was about the future of traditional technologies and new products. The out come of this is there is a future, and Ilford is listening.
Kieth carter was the last but not least presenter. It was worth staying to the bitter end for this man. He calls himself a hillbilly, may we all have his humor warmth and insights into our everyday world. Kieth is our modern day photography humorist. Oh to be that proverbial fly on the all around this man. Tremendous work, warmth of nature, and a overwhelming sense of life, is Kieth Carter. I enjoyed his talk the most of any. I just wish it was longer. http://www.keithcarterphotographs.com/
I feel privileged to have shared time with all the talented photographers whether part of the Silver conference, or just attendees. It was an awesome time of learning and sharing.

 

[Aggie]

Well that took up just a bit of space. I want to echo the thanks to Ilford and crew, Richard Newman, and Veronica Cotter for all their hard work. It was great.

One big question was brought out at it that I think all here should think about and discuss. What can we do as photographers to get the word out that film is not dead and encourage new photographers to take the dark room route? I for one thought about this on a long 6 hour drive home. Why not find at least 1 other person and introduce them as a mentor to photography? It would be better to introduce 3 but even one would do. Next year all of you can go on and expand it outward. Go to the local high schools and show your work and teach tricks. take a college class so you can share your enthusiasm with those just starting out. It is a grass roots movement (not the kind in Ari's darkroom) that will keep this growing and spread the word more effectively. It is time we gave back to the community and show who and what we are about.

 

[blansky]

Did Calumet and Richard Newman have a demo of the LED Zone VI head and what was the reaction?


Michael

 

[Sean]

Great review Aggie, very interesting and bookmarked for future reference. Sure wish I could have been there! I really appreciate you guys spreading the APUG word for us. Thanks!

 

[roteague]

Thanks for the reports everyone. Just one question comes to mind. Did anyone mention color? It seems like all we are hearing here is B&W, which is only one part of traditional photography.

 

[blaze-on]

Thanks for the reports everyone. Just one question comes to mind. Did anyone mention color? It seems like all we are hearing here is B&W, which is only one part of traditional photography.

I believe Ilford was going to purchase Fuji Film, Inc. then eliminate all color films forever, with velvia first to go.


(kidding)