Gina and Kim
"Regarding the workshop: it was one of the finest experiences of my life,
and much too short. "I will be back!" Kim also gave me a new perspective
with regard to large format photography...I was making it all far too
complicated! I stopped doing LF because it was too complicated. I now know
that I can do it in a fast and easy way, and get fine contact prints.
That's all I want.
Thank you both for a wonderful day.
Todd
Dear Gina, Jenny, Tiffany, Randy and Kim,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for a really great
workshop experience!
Working with models was a completely new thing for me that I perceived as a
significant challenge. All of you made this perception go away. I came away
with a very nice experience and a door opened into a new artistic avenue.
For this I am very grateful! I also came away with some good and inspiring
work. Right now, I am very excited about this and will be working on
finishing some of the images in the near future. I will e-mail them to you
as soon as they are done.
After such a wonderful extended weekend of photography, artistic spirit,
good friends, beautiful atmosphere and great weather, the hardest part was
to return to "reality." Here it is an awful 50 hour workweek under stressful
conditions and, for this season, amazingly rainy weather. The good part is
to be back with my beloved family and the excitement over new work. I get up
at 4 am every morning to work with enthusiasm on the images that I made
during the workshop.
Thank you for your great spirits and for opening a new door in my life.
Love,
Ulrik
Gina and Kim,
My thanks for another wonderful workshop. The two of you are marvelous hosts
and provide a warm and creative space for our photography. I very much
appreciate having had an opportunity to work in your home with you, and the
models and participants are always just great!
Kims new work is very exciting and Im pleased to see that he is reaching
out to a large appreciative audience. I like everything- the new
photography, the new work of painting on photography, the big prints- its
all great! The two of you are a grand inspiration!
So, my thanks again and all the best.
Hank, 2006
Dear Gina And Kim,
I am now safely back in the UK. First I would like to thank you for your
warm welcome and the marvelous time I had at the workshop. It was a
privilege to be there especially as the house has so much history attached
to it.
It was needless to say a bit surreal making platinum prints in EW 's
darkroom I would also like to thank Ryuijie for the loan of his 5x4 camera
and his patience and encouragement with and too a Brit!
Saturday evening was a nice surprise meeting the Witherill's, Martha and
Winston, sorry I have forgotten his surname !I had a great time in Yosemite,
sadly only 2 full days .Still I have to remember that Adam's spent a life
time photographing there.
But thank you both again not only for opening your home to a stranger
but for your dedication to photography and for keeping the Weston Legacy
alive.
Yours with much gratitude,
Trevor
Dear Kim and Gina,
What a delightful, informative and inspiring weekend we had at Wildcat.
Thank you both so much for putting in so much effort and sharing your
wonderful home with us, not to mention your insight, family history and a
delicious recipe for pasta!
I felt extremely privileged to be able to spend time and photograph in a
place that is so central to the history of photography, and yet is more than
a living museum: the new work that Kim is producing in that beautiful
setting, as well as the continual use of the house as a family home, keeps
the place alive and vibrant, contributing to and building on the spirit of
creativity and context.
I cant wait for the next visit. So many thanks.
Best wishes,
Will
Dear Kim and Gina:
We got home last night from Carmel. I MISS it already! However, the first
thing on my list of things to do was send you an email thanking both of you
for the WONDERFUL, EXCITING, FABULOUS time I had on my visit.
The 2 of you were most generous with your time. You made me feel so at home!
Iım at a loss for words that can accurately describe the thrill your
workshop was for me. Being at the house, in the darkroom and touching
Edwardıs negative goes beyond description.
It was the most profound inspiration I have even experienced!.
I have worked as a photographer for over 20 years. I have covered over a
dozen world series games, photographed 4 presidents, one Pope and many many
celebrities and national news events. None of those assignments compare to
spending the day at Wildcat Hill.
The art world in general and the photography world in particular, owe you a
great debt of gratitude for keeping the Weston dynasty alive.
I cant wait to process my 35mm film from the nude shoot as well as seeing
the 8x10 sheets I exposed. I look forward to their arrival.
The next 3 weeks are going to be hell for me Kim. I have one day off in
these 21 days. But I want you to know, without a doubt I WILL make prints up
from our shoot and send them to you!
I THINK ( film isnıt processed yet) I have a nice shot of you as well!
Hopefully, the next time we are in Carmel, I can stop by for another visit.
again, thank you so VERY much for everything!!!!
Chuck
Hi all...
I've been meaning to write forever...but even with my bad manners, I still
want to thank Kim for a wonderful class here in Denver this past fall. I
enjoyed it tremendously! What an easy-going, gracious person he is. And it
was great to get to hear about his life, his work and his family, and to get
to see his images. I enjoyed the darkroom visit also...how refreshing to see
someone, with so little fuss, create such a beautiful print. I loved seeing
Kim develop his 8x10s by inspection also. What a treat!
Thanks again for expanding my vision, sharing your time and energy with me,
and sending me such a great print. I think we're going to see you again next
year if I'm not mistaken(?).
I hope so...
Take care and best to you,
Cathy Van Berg
Gina & Kim,
I wanted to let you know again what a nice time my son and I had visiting
with the two of you. It was very generous of you to open you home to two
complete strangers and spend time out of your busy schedule talking with
us. Seeing Kim's work and the others photographs in your collection was an
inspiration. Harrison was unusually quite while we were there.... but
couldn't stop talking on the way back. I haven't really shot too much in the
last year or so since my wife's death and this trip to California and the
visit with you was a kind of photographic jump start for me. For Harrison it
was his first trip to the West coast, and adding to that the chance to visit
with the two of you has left an impression that will not soon fade.
I hope the two of you have a safe and productive visit in Scotland.
Seth and Harrison Martin, Atlanta Georgia
Dear Gina and Kim--
Thank you a thousand times for sharing your time and hospitality with me
last Thursday. Having an opportunity to visit Wildcat Hill and to meet both
of you was a thrill that I will carry with me for a very long time. I've
already framed and hung Kim's photograph that I purchased and will enjoy it
for years to come. Immensely enjoyed the video you gave to me highlighting
Edward Weston's photography and Kim's contribution to the production. I've
been developing my 8"x10" negatives and making a few prints, fueled by the
passion which you helped to renew in me. I have many more to go. I'll send
you a few prints of my photos when I get caught up a bit. My visit to the
Weston family home added to my passion for the 8x10" format.Thank you again.
I plan to return for a workshop, either a one-day or
multi-day. Again, please keep me on your mailing list! If you have an older
newsletter, I'd love to get a copy.
Thanks again and good luck on the upcoming trip!
Ron Dietel - La Canada CA.
Greetings Kim, Gina, Zach and Eddie (the cat)-- I hope you are all healthy
and doing well. I think of all your monthly newsletters, this one is one of
the best. How's that for a self-serving evaluation. Fooling around in Bob's
convertible- I love it. And thanks for giving Cindy the credit- she really
did deserve it. And thanks for the prints-they all got to me in great shape
and I am currently having them framed for the wall. They will go along with
my other Weston images. Thanks for the great hospitality and weather, your
friendship and encouragement etc. etc. It was all a great experience that I
hope I will be able to do again sometime. I have begun to work on my
personal work again- so with Cindy's and your help I might get some of my
passion back. I've missed it for a long time. I am going to send a few items
to you. I have a tape for you of "my home movies- Carmel" ( I spared you the
San Francisco tapes). As I told you- they're raw and unedited, and probably
boring, but you asked for them so I'm sending them to you. I also have some
snapshots from the workshop I'll send along . At least a few of Kim and fun
ones. I have a couple other shots I promised I'd send but I haven't had a
chance to print them yet so when I do I'll send them along later. Thanks
again for everything- It was fun, Bodie House was great, the workshop
energizing and the people I met stimulating.
Take care and keep in touch-
Bob Beverly
Medical Photographer
West Virginia University
10/11/03
Dear Gina and Kim - Thank you so much for your hospitality and the wealth of
information and fun you provided last Saturday. I can' t tell you how much
being able to meet you and talk with Kim about all/any aspect of photography
meant to me. Being particularly interested in photo history, this was a
magnificent opportunity to learn about Edward and the legacy the Weston
photographers. It was a most congenial and accepting group you had assembled
at Wild Cat that day! I am more inspired and encouraged to pursue my meager
works with more enthusiasm and confidence, also. I wish I could have stayed
the evening; the conversation, I'm sure, was lively and stimulating. I am
now particularly interested in nude photography, such as Kim was discussing,
at some point in time and will keep a look out for any such offering.
John Mellquist
Napa
11/15/03
Dear Kim and Gina,
We want to thank you for sharing a perfect weekend with us. From the moment
we arrived, you made us feel at home. The Bodie House was better than we
could have imagined. It is the perfect place to absorb some of the history
of photography while also relaxing in a very comfortable, quiet natural
setting.
As special as this was, my favorite part was the tutorial. At first, I was
nervous since this was my first time working with a nude model (Thanks
Patty, you are the best!) and also working with a master photographer from
an historic family of master photographers. From the beginning, Kim made me
feel comfortable and at ease. Kim and the model helped with posing
suggestions, use of props, lighting and background while also letting me run
the session.
While the photo shoot was fantastic, the day only got better. After a
delicious lunch with Gina (one of the kindest people in the world), Kim, and
Patty, we worked in the darkroom developing film and making prints. Kim and
I worked on a challenging negative (great composition, but overexposed) to
learn how to salvage a negative that is worth printing. We then worked on a
great negative that was much easier to print. During all this time, Kim
shared many great stories, listened to mine, and together shared insights
about photography. I learned so many things on making quality photos during
this time that I am still trying to absorb them all and use them. His gentle
patience, sense of humor, thoughtful ideas, and appreciation of other's
artistic vision made me feel my work was valued.
When we left, Val and I were so energized and happy about the trip. The
weekend we shared was special and we hope to do it again it next year. I
know that I have so much more to learn from Kim. We also look forward to
visiting with you and your family again. Thanks for the perfect weekend.
Love,
Karl Sutphin and Val Hecht
Vallejo, CA
Gina and Kim,
I want to thank you both for all of your hospitality while I was there for
the tutorial. I truly learned much more than I expected in the short time we
were together. The day passed too quickly and there is so much to learn.
Kim, you are an excellent teacher, both willing and able to convey the
important information to a student. You have taught me to "see the light". I
have previously relied too much on studio lighting rather than sensing the
quality of natural light in the studio and environment. I look forward to
working with you again at a future workshop or tutorial. Gina, thank you for
all your help with the planning, lunch and everything.
Very best regards,
Les Rudnick
State College, PA
Dear Weston's
It is over two month ago that you permitted me to visit the holy grail and I
want to express my gratitude again because it meant so much for me. I
followed your advice and read "laughing eyes" it helps me to complete the
picture about EDWARD with insights which go beyond the daybooks. why
thanking you so late? my visit at wildcat hill was kind of a "shock and awe"
treatment for me! shock for finally having seen the place and awe when you,
kim, allowed me to actually touch negatives of HIM. holding "Tina on the
Azotea" in my hands was quite something. unless some poor people in the
desert I got wonderful peaceful feelings out of the "shock and awe"
treatment.
thanks again from old Europe
manfred
Kim and Gina,
Thought this one came out pretty well for my first attempt at photographing
nudes. I really enjoyed myself at your workshop a couple of months ago.
Strangely enough I find myself looking at and making images that are
Weston-like. I guess you, Cole and the surroundings had some influence on
me.
Best regards,
Jack Baber
Hi everyone, It was so very good to meet all of you at the workshop and I
really enjoyed our time together so much. I learned so much and enjoyed
everyone's company. What a grand group we were. I will cherish the memory.
And to keep the memories, some pictures. Wish I would have taken some on the
first day too.
Janis Spencer
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