Hi. Just two quick notes today...

First, I've added a notification signup at the bottom of the 'About' page. If you'd like to receive an email when there's a new post or update on this site, just pop in your email. I'll never market to you, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Second, a recent comment reminded me that after changing website hosts, I'd never updated any pages on my history of sailing and boats. Funny, since that's really all I did back when this site started. 

​Guess I wanted to 'do it right' and never found the time. Rather than wait any longer for the time to be right, I've taken a first stab at some boat pages. They're under the 'Sea' tab...more to follow. 

Thanks, and if I don't see you soon, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and all the Best of the Season to all. :)

For a while now I've wished to offer you, dear viewer, a way to click on my blog images to see a larger view.

Pretty common functionality, wouldn't you agree?

Turns out the only way to accomplish this will be to post a 'gallery' rather that a single image, as is my usual habit. A gallery of one. Fair enough, but maybe I'll start posting 2- or 3-across since the initial images are smaller this way.

Apologies also that the enlarged image has a truly ugly white border around it, but apparently that can't be helped.

Today I've posted a gallery of three, as this seems to fit well. Recent woods walks have captured my historical fascination with beeches and birches. I'm so enthralled with the genre that I recently purchased a John Sexton on sale.

I started 'collecting' a very few years ago via Magnum. After six or so framed examples went up on the wall I called a halt. That was enough. My wife has gifted me with framed Onne van der Wal's a couple of times, and I simply had no more room. What a problem to have, no?

But John's beeches really spoke to me. And, unframed, the print was too good a deal to pass up.

So I'll break out the matting and framing tools once again, and look forward to another masterpiece on the office wall.

Some of you may know that I've been printing in both black & white and color, for myself and professionally, for many decades. I've also posted lately about my recent informal partnership with Pascal Jappy and the folks at dearsusan.net. 

Which brings up a potential new offering here on the site...printing services.

It has long been my contention that no photograph is complete until it's printed, and no print is complete until it is matted and framed. An unusual opinion in these days of content that is primarily delivered on the web and consumed on iPads, I know.

Doing my own printing, cutting my own mats, and assembling my own frames does not make me a renaissance man...it's simply what photography is to me...but I realize that this craft may not be taught widely anymore. There are plenty of tutorials available that will teach you how to cut mats, as well as local framers in most areas willing to help with final steps.

But what about print making? How many of you would like to have nice custom prints of your favorite images, but don't have the time or space to devote to actual printing? Would you like to work 1:1 with a master print maker?

Above is a sampling of the process you can expect...choosing both the paper and the tonality that best expresses your vision for an image. I typically send iPhone shots of various options back and forth until I understand what you're looking for, and then add in 1% of my own experience to arrive at a truly great print.

If this is something that interests you please send me a note. I generally print on 1/4, 1/2, or a full size sheets of 17"x25" paper, and prices start at around $10 for a 1/4 sheet. I'm printing on an Epson 3880 printer using factory K3 pigment inks. My favorite paper is a 310g Baryta gloss* which gives prints often mistaken for lab produced C-prints. I've also had very nice results with a 300g 100% rag paper from Moab, and a slightly smaller warm-tone rag paper from Ilford that comes 23" wide. I'm willing to set up for roll paper if a customer should request it, and speaking of rolls, I can ship either flat for smaller prints, or rolled in a tube.

In closing I'll speak a bit on black & white printing in particular, as it is a love of mine. I've often opined that in addition to the "it's only a photograph if it's printed" statement, that only b/w prints are truly classic photographs. Nonsense, of course, but that's how much I love the medium. When making such prints I use a carefully calibrated version of Epson's advanced b/w driver, and the results on the gloss baryta paper are truly lovely. I invite you to give it a try.

*It's important to note that 'gloss' in this case does not mean 'glossy' as in an RC plastic photo paper. The surface more resembles an 'F' surface paper air dried instead of ferrotyped. This one in particular is a very heavy paper-based paper that gives a wonderful D-Max and depth without glare or fingerprinting. My favorite look, especially for b/w.

Our annual Christmas party has past, and final holiday shopping has begun.

I love this time of year and all the attendant lists and 'best-of's. Naturally I gravitate to my hobbies, including cameras. Reading the reviews of these soon-to-be last year's models leaves me unimpressed. So many 'almost there' comments.

I for one look forward to a day when the question of which sensor size(s) will become standard is settled. For now, I'm very content that I have more than adequate gear, and that the only goal is to shoot more!

What are your plans? Shopping for a bargain?