Page 2 of 7 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 64

Thread: Fred Picker

  1. #11
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Location
    Fond du Lac, WI, USA
    Posts
    8,954

    Re: Fred Picker

    Ken Lee knew him. I talked to him on the phone once.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    03082
    Posts
    515

    Re: Fred Picker

    i have a copy of his video on google cloud. Free download to anyone who wants it. Just PM me.
    Principal Unix System Engineer, Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems

  3. #13

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    1,456

    Re: Fred Picker

    I took his workshop in 1984, and Bruce Barlow was at the same workshop. My strongest memory was the lesson he drilled into us, that if we had a question about something, try it! That was consistent with the earlier post which said he had little patience for students who didn't do the work; if you wondered how development time impacted a negative, or what different contrasts would do, try it and compare the results. I also remember another of his "rules," after you have found the best spot from which to make your photographs, take another two steps forward. He also had a wonderful collection of prints for us to admire and work towards, including favorites of his by Paul Strand, Paul Caponigro, and Oliver Gagliani. (I think the collection may have been at Lilian Farber's home, my memory is a bit hazy 36 years later.) And similar to Alan's post above, my darkroom is still something of a ZoneVI catalog, with his washer, his compensating development and enlarger timers, and his VC head. While I eventually traded my ZoneVI/Wista 4x5 for my current Canham DLC, I still use his modified Pentax spot meter all the time. Probably the only piece of equipment which I think was more marketing than substance was his "lightweight" (ha!) tripod, and I even own one of those. In my library I have the full set of newsletters, the little ZoneVI Workshop book, and two books of his images. While my "aesthetic" is very different from his, he had a huge impact on how I work.

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    North Dakota
    Posts
    1,327

    Re: Fred Picker

    Am still looking for the Zone VI crosscut Saw as I have some trees in the way at times when I want to take a picture. Anyone know where I can find one? Fred used one and I can't find my old Zone VI catalog.

    Do I remember it right, Fred's motto was "If Ansel didn't do it, it can't be right"? ;-)
    ” Never attribute to inspiration that which can be adequately explained by delusion”.

  5. #15

    Join Date
    Feb 1999
    Posts
    1,094

    Re: Fred Picker

    Thanks for all the replies. Makes me wish I could travel back in time and sign up for one of his workshops. I just remembered that I have a Zone VI artifact — it’s a Zone VI film holder belt. I used it for years and need to dig it out of the closet. Zone VI cold light heads pop up on eBay occasionally. Do those have the V54 lamps?

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    558

    Re: Fred Picker

    If you haven't seen it you should try to watch his video on camera use. I think it's call "Photographing with Fred Picker".

  7. #17

    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    1,573

    Re: Fred Picker

    Quote Originally Posted by Ben Calwell View Post
    Do those have the V54 lamps?
    Don't know about later versions, but the one that came with my Beseler 45MX enlarger does not. In later years, I bought an Aristo CL4500 unit which does have the V54 lamp. I've used that for many, many years. But, just recently I picked up an Aristo VCL4500 unit which doesn't have the V54 lamp, but does eliminate the need to change out filters. I'm really enjoying that aspect of it and how easily I can now burn/dodge with different contrasts of light simply by dialing it in.

  8. #18

    Re: Fred Picker

    Quote Originally Posted by Willie View Post
    Am still looking for the Zone VI crosscut Saw as I have some trees in the way at times when I want to take a picture. Anyone know where I can find one? Fred used one and I can't find my old Zone VI catalog.

    Do I remember it right, Fred's motto was "If Ansel didn't do it, it can't be right"? ;-)
    During the ten day workshop Sunday was a day off. Dave ,Tim,and myself would go photographing. We stopped at a spot north of Rockingham Meeting house. When we walked into find photographic spots we found an area that had a cut window into the brush. This was the perfect spot to photograph the river gorge. Fred's doing.
    Richard T Ritter
    www.lg4mat.net

  9. #19
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
    Posts
    18,338

    Re: Fred Picker

    Maybe he used those cut scraps to make his worthless wooden tripods. Not every product was a home run.

  10. #20
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Location
    Fond du Lac, WI, USA
    Posts
    8,954

    Re: Fred Picker

    Drew, why do you always have to rip on Fred? It's unseemly. I can't think of too many businesses where every product was a home run. And, yes, I've owned and happily used both of Zone VI's tripods.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

Similar Threads

  1. Fred Picker
    By RichardRitter in forum On Photography
    Replies: 51
    Last Post: 29-Oct-2004, 17:26

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •