Greetings folks, Ron Rosenstock recently emailed me to tell me that he is putting together a SHORT NOTICE Photo Tour of Ireland this fall. It is 10 days, from September 27 through October 7, and is being organized directly through Ron, rather than the normal method, which is through an organization called Strabo Tours.
Ron is one of the most experienced photo tour leaders in Ireland, and has been running tours over there for about 30 years now, so he is very knoweledgeable of the locations, the people, and the customs of the country. His tours often go to places that are not available to the general public, simply because he knows the land owner, or has arranged special access ahead of time.
Ron has had several articles in View Camera magazine this year that were centered around the black and white printing process to take a good negative and create a high quality final print. I can tell you that the reproductions in the articles do not do justice to the quality of the printing that Ron does.
He has published several books over the last 20 years, and has worked the entire time with 8x10 and 4x5 cameras. I believe he works with the 4x5 now exclusively.
The real beauty of this tour is the cost. $1200 for the ten days. I believe the price includes all transportation in Ireland, lodging at the very comfortable Hillcrest House (owned by Ron), and breakfast and dinner made by a most excellent cook. (lunches will be out on the road). This is how the tour worked when I went last year, and I suspect it will be the same this year. Additional costs will be the airfare over to Ireland (has been running around $400 these days), lunches, and incidentals that you may choose to get while over there.
A normal tour for 10 days will often be $2000 to $2500, so this tour is a real bargain, but I can assure you that the low cost of the tour will not affect the quality of the service or the overall experience in any way. Since Ron owns the lodging and arranges the meals with a private cook, he is able to provide these services for the tour at a rate that is substantially below what an outside tour operator can arrange.
I am not affiliated with Ron in any way, but my experience with him (on a tour last year to Ireland) was very positive, and I am considering doing it again. I can offer more information on my experience with Ron to anyone (email me). If you want more information on the tour specifics, please email Ron directly, and he can fill you in on the details.
While the tour is open to all photographers, there are often other LF shooters in the group, and I found that I had plenty of time to use my 8x10 at the locations that we went. If I go this year, I may actually take the 7x17 and a small camera (4x5) to make images. I think he provides a good environment to use these big cameras as long as you are an efficient worker.
Ron's email is:
ronrosenstock@charter.net
and his website is:
www.ronrosenstock.com
If you want further information from a past tour participant, you can email me, and I'll be happy to tell you what I think of my experience with Ron.
If you email Ron directly, please tell him you saw the post on the LF Forum, so he knows where you saw the information on the workshop.
---Michael Mutmansky
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