Large format photography get-together in Beechworth

Report of a meet-up for large format photographers in Beechworth. Victoria by Peter McDonald.

A bit of history: some years ago, David Tatnall organised a number of meet-ups for photographers interested in using film for taking images, with an emphasis on medium and large format. Over time, some very good friendships developed and connections were maintained, although because of the pandemic, these became largely electronic. 

A year ago, Wendy and Len Currie and myself spent a few days in Hall’s Gap, and the idea of restarting the meet-ups came up. So we let a fair number of people know that we would be meeting in Hall’s Gap on a particular weekend, and if anyone wished to join us they were welcome. Accommodation and food were individual responsibility. Eventually, there were about ten of us photographing, and simply enjoying spending time together. The group decided that they would like to get together again and that Beechworth on the last weekend of March would be suitable.

So, on 24^th March several of us met for dinner at the Hotel Nicholas, and plotted our weekend. There are a number of obvious locations where very good images could be collected, and these were all visited:

Woolshed Falls,

Old hospital facade,

The Asylum,

Beechworth cemetery – Chinese burning towers.

Beechworth is one of those places where so many differing images can be taken; and the surrounding countryside expands the possibilities.

A few keen souls were up at the crack of dawn in search of misty vistas.   Others were lucky to make the daily assembly for coffee,10.30 at Miss Amelie. Some of us went to Stanley, about ten kilometres away, to Myrtleford, and to Yackandandah. The last was something of a mistake, as there was a folk festival on, and the town was packed with visitors. Other locations were the Gorge, Powder Magazine, the Magic Forest (a small pocket of mature Californian Redwoods amongst the pine plantation in the Stanley State Forest.), and Spring Creek. 

There was a range of camera formats used on the weekend – 8 x 10 (Wendy was field testing her new Intrepid, although some of us had a 8 x 10 as well), 4 x 5, pinhole, and various medium format types.  Jim Moir was there with two of his motorcycle-riding chihuahuas. As well as using his 6 x 12 Zero Image, Len was trying to recollect the eccentricities of his 6 x1 7 Czech pinhole – how successfully remains to be seen! 

Saturday night was interesting – we ate at the Bridge Street Brewery where they have really excellent pizza – but it was the same night as the Brewery’s HipHop Festival, and the noise level was something else. So we retreated to the Hotel Nicholas again for drinks and a “show-and-tell”. Some of the offerings were truly out of left field:

Christine Scott-Young had contact printed images onto silk squares and turned them into pockets for garments, and Marc Morel demonstrated his 3D-printed 4 x 5 monorail camera, and the latest calendar of his images from our Hall’s Gap weekend.

Shane Booth‘s images were again as sharp as their creator, and included a beautiful 8 x 10 carbon transfer of a snowgum, and two 11 x 14 silver gelatin landscape prints.  All were taken early this year in the Victorian High Plains.

Murray White showed a half-dozen silver gelatin prints taken in northwest Australia and on the Eyre Peninsula. He insisted that he did NOT place the stone on the rock which featured so artistically in one of his images:).

We spent Sunday morning taking more images, and closed the weekend after lunch. All agreed to meet at Marlo/Cape Conran in Victoria 8-10 September 2023.

Main photograph above: Wendy Currie: Woolshed Falls.