Black and White Film Workshop
Film to print workshop.
I was born and bred in the wet darkroom era and worked for many years in that environment, until around 8 years ago I went fully digital. Many files and prints later the lure of film has drawn me back to this time honoured and wonderful medium.
I believe there are many people who would love to try the "film experience", its strange how some people try to emulate the look of film in digital, why do that when you can shoot film.
In this high tech world many might feel that using film is stepping backwards, believe me when I say it's not, if anything it is a massive step forward in the production of wonderful prints.
Film is the authentic medium and has been for many decades. Film cameras never age in reality as they are just a means to an end, film and chemicals are the key to the process, the wonderful tonal curve of film, especially in the highlight values which can be adjusted in development is what makes it special.
So when you see an image captured with film and the resultant print has that "film" look compared to digital, what you are seeing is its enormous dynamic range, wonderful tonal transition plus an organic feel and look that at this moment in time Digital capture cannot compete. You will be able to view my own Inkjet Prints and Carbon Transfer Prints as testament to its quality.
For serious fine art black and white photography large and medium format film capture is still king. The approach of the workshop is to show how simple the whole process really is and take all the mystery out of it.
Mixing Film with Digital technology, the best of both worlds.
I truly believe that digital capture is an amazing invention, and would never knock it however using Large and medium Format film cameras is the true way of learning the art of black and white photography. Digital and Film work together wonderfully well, using the analogue way of capture and the chemical process to produce a negative, then the modern way of digital scanning the negative is used instead of the wet darkroom, the computer and its software is used to work seamlessly with the negative to produce stunning Black and White images and prints.
The workshop will teach you about film capture, I will show you the basics of handling and shooting using my 4x5 Field Camera and medium format cameras, Folding Rangefinder cameras in 6x6 and 6x9 sizes, Rolleiflex TLR, how to take light readings using a 1 degree spot meter, and a brief explanation of understanding the gray scale, (Zone System), how to load film, after exposure putting the exposed sheets onto spirals and 4x5 holders then into a daylight development tank.
We will then move on to the actual development process, developing the negatives, not in a darkroom but on a sink top that all of us have in our homes.
The timing of the workshop is important, we have to take a photograph and develop the negatives first, they will need a couple of hours to dry, this time will be used to show you the mythology and simple workflow of Contrast Grading and explain the use of coloured filters used in film photography.
When the negatives are dry I will show how to scan them using a 4x5 flat bed scanner and dedicated Nikon 9000ed Film Scanner.
We will then move on to Contrast Grade the scanned negative files.
After the scanned negative files have been edited in Photoshop the final part of the workshop shows you how to prepare the file for print output, and the actual printing process.
This is a day you will not forget, it will be informative, exciting and most of all great fun, mixing ultra modern and old methods in harmony.
I do realize that taking in all the workshop information and remembering it is not easy even when you take notes, so after the workshop I will email you a PDF that covers all the areas we covered so you will not forget anything and it will also be a good future reference guide.
I am based in Otley in Wharfedale West Yorkshire, 12 miles from Leeds City Center
What you get
Expert advice derived from over 40 years of experience in monochrome
You will go home with your own edited picture.
The scanned negatives and edited files for your own future use and reference.
The Contrast Grading 2nd edition video download FREE
Keynote and workshop overview PDF emailed to you.
Sandwich and drink
Once you arrive, chill out and let Martin do all the work, the day will start from 9.00 and aim to finish around 3.30~4pm, times are approximate
The cost for one day tuition for one person will be £250.00
The cost for one day tuition for two people will be £190.00 per person
Attendees will need to make their own arrangements for travel, breakfast and evening meal.
Fill out the form at the bottom of this page, when your inquiry has been received I will contact you to discuss available dates.
4x5 Field Camera
Hand held light meter
Flatbed film scanner
Dedicated Medium format scanner
1935 Voigtlander Bessa RF
Rolleiflex 3.5f a true classic
90mm Large Format Lens
Working Areas
Just spent a wonderful day with Martin on his film to print workshop. A lovely Xmas gift from my wife. Martin is patient and knowledgeable putting you at ease with his kind manner. I had a fantastic day and learnt so much of the whole process from taking the shot to making the picture with all the stages covered in between. I came home with a wonderful print and it is certainly well worth every penny.
Thank you Martin
Regards
James Bigglestone
Hi Martin
Thank you for the workshop. It was excellent and well worth the
journey from South Devon. You made me feel completely welcome and I
learnt a huge amount. It was a perfect balance of practice and theory
to help someone like me, still wanting to get the most out of film and
needing to jump into the world of digital processing.
Regards
Giles Forsyth
Martin,
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise with me on two occasions now. Once on your "Contrast Grading" workshop and lately on the Large format "Film to Print" workshop.
On both occasions the experience has been worth everything too me.
Being able to see at first hand how recognized experts achieve their results is worth every penny spent, because the time saved in the long run is invaluable to me at least.
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Alan Jones
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Martin for his attention and patience with a complete beginner last weekend. I've only just started to take photography seriously and although I believe that I am getting better with the actual camera work I have massive amounts to learn about the whole post processing bit! Have only just started to use Lightroom and Photoshop CC and with a love for monochrome (and with a mono competition looming in the Photography Club I am a member of, Holme) I wanted to learn far more about how to do this properly in Photoshop, as opposed to just pushing a few sliders in Lightroom. Having attended a talk by Andy Marland http://www.theviewfromthenorth.org ) who had spent some time with Martin perfecting his black and white processing I thought that it was worth a shot.
I spent a fantastic day with Martin, who was very patient and great at explaining what he does, and why. He was more than prepared to go back to absolute basics (for example I had never really used Layers before) and walk me through step by step. We used my photos and I was surprised and impressed with both the results and the fact that Martin happily printed out three for me; thank you so much for that. I have attached two of the pictures for your viewing and comment, I have entered these into our competition and will wait and see the results.
So, if you want to learn the basics, or improve your post processing I would strongly recommend spending some time with Martin. Now I have just got to put it into practice!
Mike
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"Firstly a BIG thank you to martin who was a perfect host today, i learnt so much....
So if you've not guessed i attended a workshop with Martin today & what a great day. this guy knows to much!! to take in, in one sitting but i'll be back for sure.
If you would like to improve your understanding of what's really possible & in a very practical way then get yourself booked in with Martin.
well thanks again Martin, i'll post our edit so people can see that even with my image you turned out something very good indeed."
CHEERS
Andy Mc
Andy McDonald
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Just spent a day on one of Martin Henson's One-to-One Workshops and had a wonderful time. The day started with us driving into the Yorkshire Dales looking for suitable locations. Although the weather wasn't brilliant Martin's enthusiasm is infectious and we were soon jumping out of the car at every opportunity to set up the tripod and camera, with Martin explaining what to look for in terms of lighting and if necessary what settings to use on the camera.
It was then back to his 'Digital Darkroom' where we went through in great detail how to go from a Raw File to a wonderful monochrome print. I'm sure I won't remember all he told me but at least now I have a good understanding of how to use the various tools and what to look out for.
If you are serious about improving your monochrome work then this Workshop is a must for you."
Once again Martin thanks for a wonderful day out. Now I must try and put in to practise what I've learnt.
Cheers,
Norman.
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Last week I was so fortunate to be able to visit Martin in Leeds and spend a lovely (albeit rainy) one-on-one day in the Yorkshire Dales.
What can I say ?
It's a real treat to see the man work !
As a photographer; "Chasing the light"
It all seems to come natural to him; composition, technique, catching the right moment; he doesn't seem to think about it, it all appears to function just by intuition !
As a painter; "Enhancing the light"
Behind the computer screen he becomes a painter, this is amazing to see; using brushes certain areas of the image develop their own appearance..
At the end the overall look is a perfect monochrome image, you wouldn't believe it when you first saw the RAW file !
Printing the final result; "The final goal, recorded light for display"
Like a surgeon every detail of the image is carefully evaluated and fine tuned till the result suits his expectations, not one single clogged-up black will remain..
This may sound like I've seen some untouchable magician at work but on the contrary ! The bottom line is this;
He's a very kind and "down to earth" man and the techniques used are actually very simple, totally different from what I used until now !
It's my goal now to practise these techniques and hopefully bring my monochrome photography to a higher level; all ingredients are there thanks to this one day course I took.
By the way; I stayed the whole week in the Dales, incredible landscape, fully recommend a visit to this region too !!!
I know I'm very fortunate to be able to do have done this one-on-one, but I really want to respectfully point out to you all; If you can find the means this is a great way to invest your money (even better than buying yet another lens or so!),
Cheers,
(and to Martin, thanks again !!!)
Leon Leijdekkers
Enschede, The Netherlands
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I have had a wonderful day today when I met up with Martin for one of his workshops. A nicer person you could not meet.
I arrived early, 07:30 and he was already waiting to start the day. Covering everything from the taking stage to the printing was a real eye opener for me. Nothing was to much for him I have learnt so much I hope I am soon putting it into practice.
For me Martin dispelled all the 'mystery' of achieving those fabulous mono photographs we see and admire so much.
I can only echo the comments of those others fortunate enough to have spent the day on the workshop.
Thank you Martin for a fabulous day.
Cheers
Jim
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I have just returned home after a one-day workshop with Martin. What a fantastic, inspirational, and thoroughly enjoyable day. I simply cannot recommend Martin's workshops too highly. I arrived at 8am and left at 6.30pm with two fabulous A3 prints destined for my study walls at home. Martin conveys so much information in an accessible way, provides all the info in print to take home, and as has been said by others, he manages to demystify the process of b/w conversion and show how simple principles can be applied to achieve stunning results.
I've just looked at some of the previous posts, and Leon has likened Martin to a surgeon, looking at every detail of the image as he enhances the original capture and uses his skill and artistry to create the final image. What a good analogy. No detail is too small to escape Martin's attention, and the results speak for themselves.
Thank you again, Martin.
Cathy
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Had enormous good luck to spend a workshop day with Martin at beginning of August , this past summer, when visiting my mum on holiday. Was one of the high spots of my hols!
After admiring his work for so long, WOW.. what a day.. especially as I am very much at the learning stage in my photography.
I was all light headed at the end of it.... Martin will no doubt laugh if he remembers..
I HIGHLY recommend the day workshop to everybody if you haven’t already done it yourself, go ahead! Its just amazing..!
Will stop there for now, just say, I hope to gain more knowledge and expertise with you all as time goes on..
Judy
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Hi Martin, I just wanted to extend my sincere thanks to yourself for such an outstanding and enjoyable day on Saturday 28th February 2009. For anyone who is serious about monochrome, Martin's 1 to 1 workshops are an absolute must. For me Martin's sheer love and passion for black & white was obvious from the start, and this fact alone was, and is, a great stimulus and incentive to achieve the stunning results displayed on his website. I could well be back for round 2.
Copyright Phil Hunter
The above image is the one we worked on and printed, and believe me it looks stunning printed on fine art paper.
Phil
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Hi Martin,
Just wanted to drop you a line to say how much I enjoyed last Tuesday,
it was certainly enlightening, and has seriously re-ignited by passion
for photography. I never believed I could produce such a spectacular black and white image !
Pete
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Dear Martin
Thank you for an inspiring day last Friday.
"If you want your work in B&W to have greater impact, a day with Martin is time and effort very well spent. You learn on the job from capture to the digital darkroom and then to printing. Passionate about his craft, he is also great companion. You will return wiser and inspired!"
Meant every word of it.
Best wishes
Jim
Jim Gollan
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Thanks Martin for your one day workshop, specializing in the black and white contrast grading method. I found the workflow and techniques for contrast grading very intuitive. I particularly liked the fact that a specific area of an image can be developed in black and white, step by step and area by area. The system allows for flexibility and can slowly be built up to create a beautiful image. It was also very useful to start at the RAW files stage and go right through to the printed photograph, the complete workflow.
It was also very helpful to see finished images on your walls, which gave me inspiration. Last but not least, I found you’re relaxed but grounded approach and openness to chat made the day enjoyable too!
Russell
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Martin, thank you for the excellent tutorial last weekend; It is by far the best workshop I have ever attended and I have been on many, also it was great value for money. Your knowledge and natural instinct for photography is boundless. To top it all you live in a wonderful part of the country so we made the most of it and stayed the weekend in Ilkley. You have added another dimension to my photography.
Thank you Josie
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Considering I am fairly well versed when it comes to print making I was a little sceptical when I decided to book a one to one with Martin, firstly did I really need it and secondly would I learn anything from it.
I arrived at Martins front door at 0845 and had a mug of coffee in my hand before I even got my coat off such is the hospitality of this Yorkshire Guru. On entering Martins workroom I was greeted by rows of stunning black and white framed images and knew then that this was going to be a good day. Was I right to be sceptical NO of course not. Did I learn anything, an astounding YES. Being a Pensioner workshops are something of a luxury for me but I have no regrets about this one, even if I had not learned anything, just listening to this man talk and enthuse about photography and sharing his secrets for nearly nine hours would alone have been well worth the visit.
If you are a bit sceptical like I was, forget it, just sign up you will not regret it and learn so much from this wizard of the Digital Print.
Thanks Martin
Ken
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I've just spent a great day on Martin's editing workshop.Being new to digital,I was apprehensive about whether I would be able to learn anything at all.
Martin soon put me at ease and the day went by far too quickly.The next day a few things weren't quite clear to me so I emailed Martin and that evening we were chatting away on the phone and he was determined I got to grips with the problem.[which I did]Nothing was too much trouble.Many thanks to a perfect gent and great tutor.If you're thinking about doing a course, think no longer; just do it.
thanks again Martin.
Phil.
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Martin I would just like to say many, many thanks for a great day (July 2010). Your enthusiasm, knowledge and techniques were an inspiration and a revelation. The website doesn't do justice to the quality and detail that are present in your images. And to anyone who wants to learn more about monochrome - Martin's workshops should be top of your list of things to do!
Jackie
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Hi Martin
Thanks for a great day on Saturday. I really enjoyed the day and the 2 prints we produced will look great on the wall.
I learned a lot and hope to retain some of your expert knowlege, but the DVD will remind me of the bits I will no doubt forget.
Thanks again Martin. You are the master ! - and I'm off to practice.
Jim Haydock.
When your enquiry has been received I will contact you to discuss available dates