Copyright © George Holz, All Rights Reserved
AUGUST 11-13, 2017
This is a rare opportunity to work with two great photographers whose legacies span generations.
Both experienced teachers, George and Kim will share their techniques and processes as they guide you towards your own unique style. Each will share their signature lighting techniques as you learn to find and reflect light from unexpected sources. You’ll learn to see layers of visual information to create rich, beautiful images. Working on location at Holz Farm, you’ll explore the natural textures of water, earth, wood, and sky as you combine nude and landscape photography. Most importantly, you’ll develop your visualization and directing skills as you work with models to develop trust.
You’ll share your work in a supportive environment where you will build the kind of collaborative friendships George and Kim enjoy. These friendships are foundational to artistic growth and motivation.
Expect to open your awareness, hone your technical skills, and be inspired.
Workshop Tuition: $1,200
THE LOCATION
Holz Farm is a coveted 25-acre location in upstate NY that is often rented for photography and film shoots. The farm includes a wide variety of settings, including a 19th Century post-and-beam barn, mid 20th Century cabin, pastures, streams, a lake, endless forest, big skies, mountain views, photo-friendly livestock, a “59 Airstream Caravanner, a “69 International truck, as well as indoor locations and screened-in summer studio in the main house. Previous clients include Australian Vogue, Italian Vanity Fair, American Eagle, and photographers include Mario Sorrenti, Lachlan Bailey, and Daniela Federici.
Because the farm is located in the Catskill mountains, photographers often comment on the beauty of climatic variations (fog, clouds, mist), wildlife, and quickly changing light.
Your Instructors: George Holz & Kim Weston
George Holz
Protégé of Helmut Newton and graduate of Art Center College of Design, George Holz spent his early years shooting fashion in Italy and NYC. Like Helmut, George blurred the line between art and commerce, using sets and models on commercial jobs for his fine-art work. George changed as the business did, re-inventing himself in digital while staying true to core values of technique and composition. Inspired by the work of Edward Weston, George began experimenting with landscapes on commercial jobs when he discovered the Catskills in the 80s and bought the property that would become Holz Farm. Like so many writers and artists before him, George fell in love with the Hudson River School light and landscapes. He built the Farm in Woodland Valley in 1988.
George Holz has been shooting fine art and commercial photography for the past 35 years and shown at major galleries and museums in NY, Paris, LA, and Berlin, and other major cities in the US. He has taught workshops and lectured at universities and galleries in the US and Europe including Art Center at Pasadena, University of Tennessee, Center of Photography at Woodstock, Maine Media Workshop, and Santa Fe Workshop. His most recent book is Holz Hollywood: 30 Years of Portraits. George has received numerous awards, including a Clio and a Grammy. George reached out to Kim in 2009 and the two have been close friends and colleagues since, collaborating on shoots at Wildcat Hill in Carmel and in Los Angeles. Learn More >>
Kim Weston by Milan Sabata
Kim Weston (born 1953) is an American photographer known for his fine art nude studies.
Kim Weston is a third-generation member of one of the most important and influential families in modern photography. His recognition as a singularly creative artist and photographer continues a family legacy that traces its roots back to his grandfather Edward Weston, one of the true visionaries in the history of the photographic medium, as well as his uncle Brett Weston, who achieved international fame as a master of black and white abstract photography.
Kim’s father Cole Weston is also recognized as a pioneer in large-format fine art color photography, and it was while working as a darkroom assistant for his father, who produced numerous gallery prints from Edward Weston’s original negatives, that Kim first learned the craft of photography. Kim further refined and mastered the craft of fine art black and white photography working as an assistant to his uncle Brett.
In a career spanning four decades, Kim Weston has come to be recognized in his own right as one of the most insightful and accomplished practitioners of figurative/nude photography, producing an extensive and masterful portfolio of work that draws deeply, yet expands upon the traditions and canon of the nude in classical and modern European art. Learn More >>