Anyone take a Ralph Gibson Masterclass?

[trickness]

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Leica Akademie offers a couple of different Gibson Masterclasses. Can’t find much online in terms of reviews by people who’ve done them. Anyone here have any guest hand experience taking one?

[David Cantor]

49 minutes ago, trickness said:

Leica Akademie offers a couple of different Gibson Masterclasses. Can’t find much online in terms of reviews by people who’ve done them. Anyone here have any guest hand experience taking one?

Hands up, I have no experience of Gibson's Masterclasses and what comes next is a purely personal viewpoint.  Within the last two years, I bought a reprint of his book 'Refractions 2' and immediately regretted the purchase.  The images themselves are definitely not to my taste, someone else may rave over them.  What comes across very strongly is that although the book is not autobiographical, the emphasis is heavily on Gibson himself, far too much of 'I' 'my' 'me' for my liking. This also comes across in interviews that I've watched since buying the book, frankly he isn't very interesting.

Sorry to pour cold water on your enquiries and if you do decide to go ahead with one of his Masterclasses, I hope that you find it rewarding.

[trickness]

30 minutes ago, David Cantor said:

Hands up, I have no experience of Gibson's Masterclasses and what comes next is a purely personal viewpoint.  Within the last two years, I bought a reprint of his book 'Refractions 2' and immediately regretted the purchase.  The images themselves are definitely not to my taste, someone else may rave over them.  What comes across very strongly is that although the book is not autobiographical, the emphasis is heavily on Gibson himself, far too much of 'I' 'my' 'me' for my liking. This also comes across in interviews that I've watched since buying the book, frankly he isn't very interesting.

Sorry to pour cold water on your enquiries and if you do decide to go ahead with one of his Masterclasses, I hope that you find it rewarding.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but Andre Kertesz, Cartier Bresson and Robert Frank would disagree with you 🤣 All photographers who respected him and whom he called friends.

I have Refractions 2 - it's entirely autobiographical. it's a book about his philosophy and process, so no surprise that it is focused on himself. He does clearly have an ego, I don't mind that when someone has work to back it up (which he clearly does). The world is full of giant egos with nothing to back it up.

[David Cantor]

8 minutes ago, trickness said:

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but Andre Kertesz, Cartier Bresson and Robert Frank would disagree with you 🤣 All photographers who respected him and whom he called friends.

I have Refractions 2 - it's entirely autobiographical. it's a book about his philosophy and process, so no surprise that it is focused on himself. He does clearly have an ego, I don't mind that when someone has work to back it up (which he clearly does). The world is full of giant egos with nothing to back it up.

I shall now remove the book from the naughty cupboard and have another look, after all who am I to disagree with the people you mention? Kertesz is my favourite of the three.  I just find Gibson irritating, help me with that photo of the cuff, why is it there? Contributing to my dudgeon is that having paid for a miserably scrawled signed copy and a premium to have the book shipped to the UK, I find that he or his editor doesn't know the difference between weather and whether. Just going to kick the dog - not really.

PS I agree about the giant ego bit!

[trickness]

52 minutes ago, David Cantor said:

I shall now remove the book from the naughty cupboard and have another look, after all who am I to disagree with the people you mention? Kertesz is my favourite of the three.  I just find Gibson irritating, help me with that photo of the cuff, why is it there? Contributing to my dudgeon is that having paid for a miserably scrawled signed copy and a premium to have the book shipped to the UK, I find that he or his editor doesn't know the difference between weather and whether. Just going to kick the dog - not really.

PS I agree about the giant ego bit!

Kertesz liked Gibson so much that Gibson had a standing invitation to show up at Kertesz's home, unannounced, any time he wanted to visit.

Cuff photo doesn't bother me but agree he has a lot of much better pictures.

[250swb]

I can't say I've had a Masterclass with Gibson but I did have a print-crit and tutorial back in the 1970's when I was a student. Nice guy, perceptive, critical, just what you'd hope for.