Great Article About Print Sizes on The Digital ImageMaker

I just read an excellent article about print sizes by Wayne J. Cosshall, Publisher of The Digital ImageMaker. I often think about the impact that print size has on me when I view prints on walls, in books and as digital images on monitors or projection screens. It is also interesting to me how many large prints (over 30×40 inches, for example) are currently priced in the fine art market compared with smaller prints. Even 35mm transparencies in a lightbox on a wall, framed individually in black mounts can be very striking.

In the past (until the early 20th Century), photographers were, for the most part, constrained to making prints the size of their pre-coated camera plate, or negative (via contact printing). If you’ve ever used an 8 x 10 view camera, or a Banquet Camera like the 1920’s era 7 x 17-inch Korona, the ground glass image is absolutely amazing. With enlargers and digital technologies, these cameras have become less popular and the constraints of size have largely been eliminated. This can make the decision of what size to make fine art prints (or even prints in a book) rather daunting for artists.

To read the article, visit this page on The Digital ImageMaker website.

Related Links:
Interesting story on The Online Photographer about the photography of Art Sinsabaugh (photographed with a banquet camera).
Fantastic site with images of many view cameras, including a 12×20 Folmer & Schwing Banquet Camera

Upcoming Full Day Fine-art Inkjet Printing Workshop in NJ on 6/7/2008

On Saturday, June 7, 2008 from 10:00AM-4:00PM, I’ll be giving a full-day workshop entitled the Fine-Art Inkjet Printing Workshop at the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury, NJ.

Each participant in this class will have at least one print from a 13-inch-wide pigment-based inkjet printer (Epson or HP) made from their supplied photo or other image. This has been one of the best ways I’ve found to help others choose the right paper and printer for their work. I’ll also be showing many print samples and I will demonstrate how to make and use custom profiles.

The cost of the workshop is $99 for members of the Guild, and $150 for nonmembers. For more information, visit the Workshop Page on the Guild of Creative Art’s website.

Photography Art Center Raises Funds for Sichuan China Earthquake

At FotoFest 2008 in Houston, Texas, I had the opportunity to meet many photographers from China who are a part of the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, based in Beijing. I will never forget that experience. I learned a lot about the history of China and saw a lot of amazing work in multiple exhibitions by contemporary artists, and artists who worked and lived in the early-to-mid 20th century.

On May 12, 2008, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Sichuan province, and I recently received the announcement below, which gives a very good overview of a charity benefit auction that helped raise over $80,000 for the China Red Cross’ fund for Sichuan Earthquake Disaster Relief. My heartfelt thoughts go out to all those who have been affected and who continue to suffer in the aftermath of this disaster.

Continue reading