December 2011 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

The days have been hectic this month so this Newsletter is long overdue. In the spirit of the season, I will keep it short and to the point, highlighting the news in list form for a quick read. I’ll be back on track in January with a new Musing.

The Workshop Schedule for 2012 is available on the website.

• New workshops: Western Remnants of the Erie Canal & Ghost Towns of Western Montana
• Expanded workshops: View Camera with Richard T. Ritter & Soft Focus: The New Pictorialism with Russ Young
• Additional venue: Platinum Printing at Photographers’ Formulary  (Montana)

Workshop Registration begins January 1^st.

• Send $150 deposit with your completed order form to reserve your space in a workshop. Full payment is due 30 days before the workshop.
• You will receive 10% off tuition if you register through Tillman Crane Photography and pay in full by January 31, 2012.  This does not apply to workshops held at Peters Valley Craft Center, Maine Media Workshops or Photographers’ Formulary.
• If you are taking a workshop for a second (or third) time and register through Tillman Crane Photography you will receive 25% off the tuition for that particular workshop.
•  Discounts can be combined.

The Photographers’ Retreat will be held April 13 – 15 at Peters Valley Craft Center, (Layton NJ). A “no host” opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones who share your passion for making photographs. For more information: www.tillmancrane/contact_us.php.

The first print in the 2012 Collectors Print Specials will be available February 1^st. This year the prints will available as a limited edition of 25, and each will be numbered. If interested in the full 2012 collection you may reserve your print at the beginning of the year and your print will ship with an invoice each quarter. As we done in the past, if you buy all four images you will receive a bonus image at the end of the year.

I wish you good health, joy and time to make photographs this holiday season and in the coming year!

Tillman

www.tillmancrane.com

June 1, 2011

Dear Friends,

The North Dakota workshop was a great success. With fifteen participants and over twenty locations there was something of interest for everyone! If you think you are interested in attending next year’s workshop let me know and I’ll put you on a contact list so that you will be first to know when we’ve confirmed dates for next May.

In the meantime, here are the not-to-be-missed workshops coming up:

Extraordinary Images in Ordinary Places is aimed at bringing a difference to your photographs – in perspective, viewpoint and feeling. Multiple assignments paired with daily critiques are guaranteed to invigorate and stretch self-imposed boundaries. Here are three opportunities to take part in this photographic transformation:

June 26 – July 2: Maine Media Workshops, Rockport ME

July 8 – 12: Peters Valley Craft Center, Layton NJ

August 19 – 21: Ah Haa School for the Arts, Telluride CO

Platinum Printing in the 21^st Century is full for Camden ME (November) but you can catch the magic of platinum printing July 15 – 19 at Peters Valley Craft Center.

Spirit of Structure: Midcoast Maine at the Maine Media Workshops, Rockport ME, July 31 – August 6. We will focus on working within different structures from the perspective of design and purpose. From an antique barn to the state Capitol, lighthouse to church, stone fort and more; we will focus on the differences and similarities of light, subject, and structure.

Soft Focus and the New Pictorialism, with Russ Young in Floyd VA, September 23 – 25. Register soon as there are only a few openings left – and accommodations in Floyd are filling fast due to “leaf peepers.” This is a great opportunity to become familiar with outstanding examples of early soft focus work, to learn about the soft focus aesthetic and to make photographs with a representative group of different styles of soft focus lenses! Register through this website.

The new Tillman Crane Gallery is open by appointment through the month of June. Over 72 framed photographs, more than half are new images made in 2010 and 2011. Regular hours begin in July, Wednesday through Saturday, 1 – 5 pm. Contact us at 207-230-0199 for appointments and directions.

My article on Soft Focus Photography should be out this month in the new issue of Silvershotz magazine. Look for it at Barnes and Noble and online.

Have a great summer!

Tillman

Dear Friends,

It’s still winter here in Maine – we just got another ten inches of snow – and the landscape is beautiful. However, the daylight hours are getting longer and spring can’t be too far off. Workshop season starts in earnest in May and we’re gearing up for what looks to be our best workshop year yet!

Not to be missed – three one-of-a-kind workshops:

Spirit of Structure: Olson House in Cushing, ME, May 6 – 8. Get a head start on the Farnsworth Museum’s 2011 celebration of Andrew Wyeth and the paintings he made in and around this Maine icon.  Two and a half days of exclusive access! All formats (film and digital) are welcome.

Spirit of Structure: North Dakota May 15 – 20. This workshop is full. However, if abandoned buildings excite you then you won’t want to miss this opportunity next year.

Spirit of Structure: Mainland Orkney, Scotland June 5 – 10. Approaching Solstice, we’ll have up to eighteen hours of daylight to photograph. Still my most favorite place in the world – no matter how many times I return! Let me show you some of the unique, out of the way places I’ve discovered over the years.

We’ve added a new workshop in Telluride, CO. The Ah Haa School for the Arts is hosting Making Five-Star Photographs August 19 – 21. For more information and registration visit www.ahhaa.org.

Here is the link to all of the 2011 workshops I will be teaching this year. Whether you are seeking new locations, want to build skills or need to recharge your creative energy, there is something for everyone.

Our new gallery opens May 1^st. We are located at 22 Pearl Street, just three blocks from downtown Camden, ME. If the flag is flying, the door is open. By appointment most other times (call 207-230-0199). Look for our ads in Maine Home & Design this year.

Thank you to everyone who invested in last month’s Collectors Print Special. Those prints will be in the mail by the end of this week. Look for the next print special in May.

If you are interested in soft focus photography there are three opportunities this year to learn more. Silvershotz magazine will be running my article on the subject in their summer issue. Russ Young and I will be co-teaching a Soft Focus and the New Pictorialism workshop in Floyd, VA September 23 – 25. In addition, I will be presenting a talk on the subject at APIS (Alternative Process International Symposium) in Santa Fe, NM, October 6 – 8. Check out some of the images in the portfolio section of this website.

I hope you enjoy making photographs in the month ahead!

All the best,

Tillman

www.tillmancrane.com

Dear Friends,

Are you looking for a gift that keeps on giving – for yourself or the photographer in your life? How about a workshop that focuses on skill building, creativity or the discovery of a new favorite location? I’ve organized my 2011 workshops (below) by their predominant focus although all of them contain these components to some degree in different ratios. Complete descriptions and details can be found in the workshop section. Download workshop application . As an enticement for early enrollment, if you sign up and pay for your workshops in full by January 30^th, 2011, you will receive a 10% discount off the cost of the workshops (excluding Maine Media Workshops and Peters Valley Craft Center locations).

Skill building:

View Camera: Sometimes Bigger IS Better is designed for the beginner to advanced photographer. Whether you are working with one of these cameras for the first time, investigating a new format or looking to minimize the guesswork with your own equipment, this workshop offers something for everyone interested in large format photography. My own cameras (5 x 7, 5 x 12, 8 x 10) are available with a variety of lenses for you to try. This workshop is guaranteed to build your expertise.

Soft Focus & the New Pictorialism is for those of you interested in soft focus photography. I teach this with Russ Young, an expert on both the history and the use of soft focus lenses.

Platinum Printing in the 21^st Century is for when you’re ready to take the expression of your negatives to the next level. Come experience the hand-crafted process of platinum.  Whether you are completely new to this beautiful print form, coming to learn new developers and/or solve problems, this workshop is adaptable to all needs.

Creative kick-start:

Extraordinary Images in Ordinary Places is just the place to rekindle and spark your creativity. Remember how excited you were when you made your first photograph? Have you lost some of this passion as time shrinks before the demands of your day? A multitude of fun shooting assignments are paired with daily critiques to shake up the way you look at the world around you. Nobody walks away from this workshop unchanged – and your photographs will show it! This workshop will be held at both the Maine Media Workshops and Peters Valley Craft Center this coming year.

Location, location, location:

Sometimes you just need to be in a new environment to begin to see with fresh eyes. The Spirit of Structure workshops provide entry to hard-to-access places; places I have personally spent my own time photographing. I have learned the value of repeated visits to a location. I believe it takes this “coming back” to see beyond the physical attributes of a space and begin to recognize your own emotional response to the location. Each of these workshops provides time to return again and again to locations that speak to you. I challenge myself to produce a body of work in each location before I offer it as a workshop so I am well familiar with the area. Geography for this year includes four locations: Mainland Orkney, Scotland; Rugby, North Dakota; Mid-coast Maine and the Olson House, Cushing, Maine

Whether you take one workshop from me this year or more, I know you will learn something valuable. The opportunities to strengthen your craft, spark your creativity or spike some enthusiasm for a new vista are all available in the offerings this year. If you don’t see a workshop that meets your needs (perhaps you need help editing a book project or preparing for an exhibition or even if the schedule doesn’t fit), contact me to arrange a private tutorial that does.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
Tillman

tillman@tillmancrane.com
www.tillmancrane.com