Bill Schwab's left us.

Bill Schwab, Photostock 2008

Bill Schwab 1959-2025 

To say that someone left us too early is an understatement.  Bill Schwab, a Michigan-based photographer, died in Scotland yesterday from cardiac arrest while leading one of his photo workshops in Scotland.  Kerik Kouklis, Bill’s closest friend, gave the awful news via his Instagram account. It was heartbreaking news, for sure.  I have known Bill only since 2008, when I went to the second Photostock event in Emmet County, MI. Over the years, as he made Photostock an annual gathering for photographers, it was clear that he valued the spirit of photographic exploration, welcoming photographers of all skill levels, and as he often announced, to leave your ego at the door. Bill put a lot of time and energy and money into hosting Photostock, and because of his work, we were able to meet and listen to some very amazing photographers from all over North America.  Bill, who was from Detroit, gradually moved his base of operations into very rural Emmet County, near Harbor Springs.  I remember those early Photostock events when we basically camped in his woods.  As the annual gatherings grew larger, the Birchwood Inn became the place to be, with those evenings around the fire pits, lots of good conversation and often music with new and old friends, and a good amount of alcohol to keep things lively.  In 2022, he moved the event to Cross Village. The one person responsible for building that great photographic community was Bill Schwab.   I didn’t go every year, but I did attend many of them, the last being in 2022.  When I lived in Michigan, it was just a few hours on the road, but going from NC to northern Michigan is a much longer trip.  

Bill was an alt-process advocate, and when you were at a Photostock, you were likely to be smelling ether with all the tintype practitioners that were there. That was one of the fun aspects - bringing all types of photographers together so that we all learn something new, and in the end, it was the image that matters.  He recognized that photography IS a big tent, and made efforts to be as inclusive as possible.  If it wasn’t for those Photostock gatherings, I would never have met a lot of the people that I now know.  Bill used whatever new technology that became available that would add new dimensions to exploring what photography could do.  I enjoyed his videos on YouTube, and he reached a lot of people through that medium. Best of all though, it was just good to sit down and have a beer with him and talk.  All of us that knew Bill saw his love for photography and how he enjoyed sharing that enthusiasm.  I believe that he made me think more about my photographic practice, and to trust my instincts.

Losing someone like Bill really hurts.  He will be missed most of all by his family.  The photography world lost a good man,  a teacher, a hard-working photographer, and a friend.  

Photostock 2009

Photostock 2013

Photostock 2018

Photostock 2022

Photostock 2022. Everyone in this photo lost a friend. Rest in peace, Bill.

A gem of a show - Accidental Mysteries at NMU

From Random Camera Blog

Last weekend Adrienne and I drove up to Marquette to visit our daughter Marjorie, now a junior in the Art & Design School at NMU. We did a lot of driving around and a lot of photography, which I'll discuss in another post. Marjorie told me about the new exhibit at the DeVos Art Museum at NMU, titled "Accidental Mysteries." It's one well-done show on "vernacular photography." Many of the images were very memorable, some quite equal to something we might expect from some famous photographers. However, all of these were shot by unknown photographers from the past, when simple box and folding cameras produced the majority of images by the masses. Some of the images have been digitally enlarged - to stunning effect. The show write-up from NMU states:
"Accidental Mysteries, originally exhibited at the Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis, Missouri in 2005, is a unique collection of found photographs collected by John and Teenuh Foster. Over ninety images are on display in the exhibition, selected from a collection of hundreds, found over the years in flea markets, antique shops and auctions."

For collectors of snapshots, the photos presented are real gems. Many exhibited a degree of forethought that separates them from the run-of-the snapshot in an old family album. Well-mounted and displayed, the images in the exhibit were a delight to pore over. I found myself laughing and sometimes amazed at some of the details in the photos that gave me an appreciation for the labor it took to choose the images for the exhibit.

From Random Camera Blog

Vernacular photography is an interesting concept from the art world. I'm not sure I can come up with a better term at the moment, but the exhibit, which runs until November 15 is worth seeing if you are going to be anywhere in the Upper Peninsula. Northern Michigan University is a fine school, and the DeVos Art Museum is a gem for sure. The museum has featured a number of excellent exhibits, and though it may be small, the exhibits are wonderfully curated. The Accidental Mysteries exhibit is one that I'd love to see in the Ann Arbor area!

From Random Camera Blog

Particulars:
DeVos Art Museum
Northern Michigan University
1401 Presque Isle Ave.
Marquette, MI 49855
906-227-1481

The DeVos Art Museum is open every day, but check their web site for specific times.

Also, check out the Accidental Mysteries Web Site!

Photostock 2008 - Fun Time in the Woods

I had hoped to have had this posted a few days earlier, but I'd also hoped to have more of my film developed by now. Last Wednesday, I was up north at Bill Schwab's place near Cross Village for Photostock 2008 -- a gathering of photographers, mostly all of which are members of the Analog Photography User's Group (APUG) on the web. Bill has been offering some interesting wet-plate workshops, and his collodion workshop preceded the gathering. I arrived for Photostock on the 25, and had a great time meeting a lot of photographers. I only knew a couple previously, and a few I knew by their APUG names, but still, it took me the whole 4 days to associate names with most of the people -- as there were around 30 at any given day. I camped out at Bill's woodlot, as did a few others, and it was pretty darn nice to wake up to the birds in the woods in the morning, make some coffee, and think about little but photography for several days.



Marc Akemann and I teamed up for our excursions, and we got along really well - he's an excellent and very dedicated film shooter, and like me, shoots a lot of 35mm and some medium format. Probably the worst combo would be a large format and a 35mm shooter, since our approaches are so different. We had a great time going down to Sleeping bear Dunes on the Thursday and finding lots to occupy our time -- especially the ghost forest, which was the purpose of the trip. Driving around and photographing anywhere in that part of Michigan virtually guarantees that the trip will be lengthy, and we shot until after sunset.


In the evenings, we viewed other photographers' portfolios, and it was a real eye-opener. There are some really talented photographers out there and most of us don't see their work. From 35mm to Cirkut cameras (a specialized panoramic camera), the quality of work was astounding. It also made me realize that I need to get my ass in the darkroom and start printing. A LOT.





The relaxed atmosphere and sharing spirit of the Photostock was really refreshing, and getting out into the area and shooting so much film (over 20 rolls) was very rewarding. I've just processed a few rolls already, and the shots from the Ghost Forest on TechPan look excellent and surreal. I had a great time partnering with Marc, and made a new friend or two during those 4 days.