I've not talked to the owner, but an employee told me the stuff was not for sale. I should try again...Originally Posted by Blueberrydesk
I've subtly hinted to the owner that I would be interested in some of it, but I got the impression from him that I wouldn't be able to afford any of them. He did sell me a wooden lensboard for a 2D 8x10, once. Got me for $40 before I realized how easy it is to make them myself.
I was a subscriber for nearly 14 years and recently dropped my support of this magazine after it became abundantly clear to me that it was not about supporting a magazine as much as it was not willing to continue to provide encouragement to someone that I no longer feel is one of us as representative by his actions over and over as I have witnessed personally over the last 15 years. The lack of editorial scrutiny was not an issue with me.
I honestly do not miss it one bit and have not even had the urge to pick on up at a news stand if the rare event ever presents itself.
Eventually it will solve itself and we will all be better for it.
Onward!
For me, the personality of the magazine has been damaged by the reputation of the publisher. Couple that with the poor quality of the editing, and you have a publication that truly earns the title "RAG." I do not know how someone of Kerry Thalmann's reputation lends his name to the masthead.
I absolutely agree with this statement. It blows my mind.
The desire to participate obviously trumps the challenges that come with the fearless leader. When I looked back one last time at all of the issues that I amassed over those 14 years before I tossed them all in the garbage during the Foto3 debacle I was absolutely amazed at the number of revolving contributors that came and went never to come back again.
The information that I became aware of you could not make up because it was just to &%$@* bizarre. At this juncture it really does not matter any more. The new order in the LF community has moved on as it needed to do.
As a man of principle I just do not get it and I know that I never will.
Onward!
Michael,
By coincidence, this morning, I was looking at the 5th anniversary issue of View Camera (Sept./Oct. 1992) and it made me realize that at one time VC was a very good publication. The managing editor, Lizabeth Johnson, was in not small part responsible for the quality of the mag.When I looked back one last time at all of the issues that I amassed over those 14 years before I tossed them all in the garbage during the Foto3 debacle I was absolutely amazed at the number of revolving contributors that came and went never to come back again.
Too bad VC has washed downhill to what it is now. Sad!
Don Bryant
Last edited by D. Bryant; 21-May-2009 at 09:22. Reason: spell check
It is obvious that there are those who have strong feelings, lingering and ongoing issues with Mr. Simmons and VC magazine. Since these issues and feelings do not appear to have a resolution; then the question becomes:
What do you suggest new comers to LF do to learn and become familiar with this area of photography?
Online forums, workshops, ??? As I've mentioned before, these may not be conducive to everyones mode of learning. Not everyone can afford to attend a $300-400, or more workshop. Some areas of the country have thriving LF communities and learning opportunities and resources, while others go without.
Personally, I don't understand the level of hostility I see towards VC, nevermind Simmons. A publication that should be dedicated to creative expression instead evokes apathy, opposition and antagonism.
Who steps into the void, or does it remain a void? Who is willing to pass on the art, or will it be allowed to wither and become a fashionable esoteric curiosity to a few?
I am happy to have found this forum, to have met some wonderful members here in Dallas, and am looking forward to my first outing with the gang this weekend. Don't underestimate the powerful learning tools and opoortunities of this forum. Even the articles (although they all seem to be older!) are a tremendous resource.What do you suggest new comers to LF do to learn and become familiar with this area of photography?
I will even look at the magazine now, I am intrigued by this thread.
Buy a copy of "View Camera Technique" by Leslie Stroebel, purchase some film and go out and make photographs. Since you are on a slim budget use a single lens like a 210mm or 150mm for 4x5, exclusively for a couple of years.
What do you suggest new comers to LF do to learn and become familiar with this area of photography?
Practice makes perfect. Reading magazines and forums is interesting but no substitute for field work and actual practice. No matter how much you read before hand you will make all of the mistakes that others have. That's how I did it. I didn't go to workshops or depend on magazine articles. They help but the contents of VC won't get you there these days, IMO.
Don Bryant
Don,
That's excellent advice. There is no substitute for hands-on experience. But, in my opinion, it falls short of complete. Camera operation isn't the whole picture for the newcomer to LF. A magazine (and VC is the only one left) is a window on a culture. You and I have been shooting for a long time. It's easy to forget when we didn't live and breathe the vocabulary, names, jargon, commercial resources, etc, etc, etc. One book, or even many, can't fill the role.
I've gone back over all my old issues of VC (and notice I can do that because they are real, rather than virtual) and I have tried to place myself where I was years ago. The information seems much less stale. Perhaps you have grown past learning from a magazine, but that isn't the case for everyone.
An additional factor to remember is the 'third parties' involved - the contributors. My article in VC resulted in more contacts than I would have imagined - all favorable. I have been posting here, on APUG and formerly on hybridphoto for quite a while. If those venues are so great, why is it that so many people first heard of my work when I had an article in VC? View Camera magazine, no matter how maligned it is here, is still read and valued by many.
If there ceases to be national venues for new LF artists, we will be forever stuck in time -- the Past without a future.
After watching this train wreck for so long, it seems obvious to me that the issues are personality and personal conflict driven. I had nothing but a favorable experience working with Mr. Simmons. I can understand that hasn't been the case with everyone else. And that is absolutely beside the point. The current culture of over-personalizing and personal destruction is producing too much collateral damage. Can we please stop?
Denise
Welcome to the Forum and i agree, there a lot of information here. This Forum does however not have any relationship to the View Camera Magazine, two independent enities.I will even look at the magazine now, I am intrigued by this thread.
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