View Camera has ceased publication

[John Kasaian]

As a subscriber since the first edition, I am sad to see View Camera go. At the same time, we in this forum should recognize that the LFPF is now the only large-format dedicated information and inspiration source remaining. My collection of View Camera copies now sits next to my collection of Fred Picker's Zone VI newsletters, sort of the death of print large format info. Sadly, the king is dead, but long live the new (internet based LFPF) king!

I've saved all my issues of View Camera as well---on the book case, right behind me as I type this.
What is going to be missed---what I'm going to miss anyway---are the fine portfolios as well as the vintage equipment reviews. These were inspirations for many of us hobbyists and were regular features in View Camera's heyday.

[BrianShaw]

A couple of years ago I reluctantly sent many years worth of View Camera and Camera Arts to the recycle center... Only to find that the had resale value and now would soar in value. My bad.

This is sad. The end of an era for sure. Simmons was an inspiration and a frustration at times, but I'm really appreciative for all he did.

Film is one step closer to being dead now.

[StoneNYC]

I might add as a side note, a few people I know had told me that they stopped subscribing to View Camera several years ago, yet were still recieving copies, I wonder how many unpaid subscriptions lingered that might have hurt the magazine's bottom line. Individually that's bad on them, but collectively that's bad on Steve or whomever controlled that list.

[BrianShaw]

I might add as a side note, a few people I know had told me that they stopped subscribing to View Camera several years ago, yet were still recieving copies, I wonder how many unpaid subscriptions lingered that might have hurt the magazine's bottom line. Individually that's bad on them, but collectively that's bad on Steve or whomever controlled that list.

Probably in the "chump change" category when compare to loss of advertiser revenue and the need to turn a profit to fund a halfway decent lifestyle. Everything costs so much more these days and it's really difficult to run a successful small business... As I know you know!

[Michael Mutmansky]

Sorry to read that View Camera has ceased publication, but it had a long run and there is a lot of interesting information in the many articles published over the years. Hopefully all of that can be digitized by Steve, and perhaps offered on disk. I subscribed to View Camera for nearly all of it existence but in the interest of space sold my collection several years go.

My thanks to Steve for giving me the opportunity to publish some of my writings and work in the magazine. Especially the article on two-bath development because the work I did for that article significantly enriched my own understanding of some of the parameters of film development.

Sandy

I have to reinforce this sentiment that Sandy has expressed. I enjoyed the magazine and appreciated the opportunity to get some images and writing published in it with some of my friends in the past (the late Ted Harris, Clay Harmon, and others).

The magazine did run for a long time, and there is a lot of solid information in the issues that will not change with time, so the excellent resource that he produced will be there to help out the LF community for many years to come.

Also, Steve isn't getting any younger, and it must have been a terrible amount of work to produce an issue, so I'm sure that this has had to weigh in the decision as well.

I hope it gives Steve more time to spend with his horses out on the range somewhere.


---Michael

[Mark Sawyer]

I'll miss it too, though I can take some solace in having piles of back issues to go through. On the bright side, perhaps VC's demise will open up a small void allowing Looking Glass or some other e-journal to go hard-copy...

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I will miss VC greatly, both Steve and the magazine were important parts of my photographic life and Steve has been a good friend. He is off to work on other interests (such as his love for horses and riding) and he will continue to teach some workshops which is great. Love it or hate it, VC was an important part of photography in this country for many years and hopefully those of us who have a stockpile of the magazine will share them. It would be neat to have all issues available on a CD or as a download to be purchased, it would be sad to have that history lost.

I have been out of photography for much of the year, sort of lost my drive for a while due to work and family. However, picked up an old issue of View Camera I had and it motivated me to get back out there! Sad to see it go.

Good luck Steve and thank you for the wonderful contribution to photographic art in the United States (and abroad!).

[Bob Salomon]

I will miss VC greatly, both Steve and the magazine were important parts of my photographic life and Steve has been a good friend. He is off to work on other interests (such as his love for horses and riding) and he will continue to teach some workshops which is great. Love it or hate it, VC was an important part of photography in this country for many years and hopefully those of us who have a stockpile of the magazine will share them. It would be neat to have all issues available on a CD or as a download to be purchased, it would be sad to have that history lost.

I have been out of photography for much of the year, sort of lost my drive for a while due to work and family. However, picked up an old issue of View Camera I had and it motivated me to get back out there! Sad to see it go.

Good luck Steve and thank you for the wonderful contribution to photographic art in the United States (and abroad!).

I hope Steve stays on the horse!

[FredrickSummers]

So slightly off topic, I hear so many posts about Steve and his great workshops, does anyone have a link about them? I'm fairly new to the community and googling "Steve's Workshops" turns up a whole lot of unrelated junk. I'm intrigued

[BrianShaw]

So slightly off topic, I hear so many posts about Steve and his great workshops, does anyone have a link about them? I'm fairly new to the community and googling "Steve's Workshops" turns up a whole lot of unrelated junk. I'm intrigued

http://www.viewcamera.com/workshops.html