Short Technical Summary

The superior definition, color fidelity and nuance of our prints is the result of close attention to technical issues at each stage of print-making: visualization, image capture, image processing, and print-making.

Visualization.

The first step to making these prints, visualization, is the most difficult. While composition, color theory, and subject matter are all important, I believe that photography is primarily about light. If you are interested in making interesting nature photographs, the first step is to obtain a camera that does not have a flash or that allows you to turn off the flash. You should begin by breaking every rule you were ever taught about where the sun should or should not be when you take a photo. At first, don't take any pictures. Just carry the camera around with you and look through the viewfinder. Rather than composing to put the most important subject in the center of the photograph (another rule you should learn to break in every way possible), frame the photo to emphasize interesting interplays of light. If you find a fascinating subject with uinteresting light, don't take a picture but come back several times until you have great light. Let the light determine the composition. The best light is usually at the beginning and end of the day because the sun is at a low angle in the sky. Although I often take sunrise and sunset photos, I prefer the light for the hour beginning fifteen minutes after sunrise and for the hour ending about fifteen minutes before sunset.

Image Capture.

The high technical quality of these prints results in part from shooting color transparencies in the 6 x 9 cm format with a view camera. The size of each original transparency is approximately five times the size of 35 mm film.

35 mm slide

6 cm x 9 cm slide

The large size of the original transparency means that definition is much sharper and grain is virtually nonexistent and allows for more gradual changes in color and tone. Although some photographers shoot even larger film sizes, when 6 x 9 cm chromes are scanned and then printed using today's most advanced digital processes, the results are virtually indistinguishable from results using larger film sizes for prints up to 20" x 30" or even 30" x 40".

I use a Horseman VH "baby" view camera. I have chosen this camera as my principal tool because I believe it offers the best compromise between image quality, portability, and cost. Many images were discovered miles from the nearest road; in some cases, they were found during a several day backpacking trip. In addition to the large size of the original image, a view camera allows the photographer to shift the plane of focus by tilting the front or back standard of the camera. The result of shifting the plane of focus is that it is possible to keep everything, from foreground to background, in sharp focus. This enhances the illusion of three dimensionality.

Image Processing and Print-Making

All prints are made by scanning original transparencies on high quality drum scanners (such a scanner costs upwards of $50,000), performing color corrections, contrast control, and slight digital “sharpening” in Adobe Photoshop, and then printing the digital file on a laser printer that exposes traditional, photographic paper. They are printed on professional Fuji Crystal Archive glossy paper.

I have explored the various options available for producing fine art prints in today's market, and, as of January 2001, believe that this technical approach offers the best mix of archival stability, a wide color gamut, and contrast and color control, at a reasonable cost. The prints made through this combined digital and traditional photographic process are, I believe, vastly superior to those made in a “wet” darkroom.

Until recently, one limitation in collecting color prints as fine art was their relatively short life span. Traditional color photographic processes, even “Cibachrome” prints which are favored by collectors, have been rated to last 30 years or less under standard lighting conditions before noticeable fading occurs. By comparison, the permanence of the printing process I am using has been independently tested by Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. Mr. Wilhelm, who is one of the foremost authorities on the permanence of prints, estimates that prints made on Fuji Crystal Archive glossy paper should last approximately 60 years under normal conditions before perceptible fading occurs.