Nature Swirls

“The photographer was thought to be an acute but non-interfering observer – a scribe, not a poet. But as people quickly discovered that nobody takes the same picture of the same thing, the supposition that cameras furnish an impersonal, objective image yielded to the fact that photographs are evidence not only of what’s there but of what an individual sees, not just a record but an evaluation of the world. It became clear that there was not just a simple activity called seeing (recorded by, aided by cameras) but ‘photographic seeing’, which was both a new way for people to see and a new activity for them to perform.” – Susan Sontag

What I like about photography in general, and digital photography specifically, is it encompasses technology, technique, vision and emotion. How to mix these ingredients, and their portions, are up to you the photographer. You are the artist and technician.

I may like or dislike an image created by someone else, as they may also my work, but I never question their right or motive in following their vision. I try to open myself to new ways of thinking, new ways of seeing — perhaps they are seeing something I could benefit from. Even if in general our “styles” are worlds apart.

The one thing I sometimes rebel against is when someone pre-labels their work as if to force an interpretation they wish. For instance, the “Fine Art” label comes to mind. But that could be a whole topic in itself.

This post image is no more then the result of playful experimenting in Photoshop — something I liked, something which seemed to fit the image.   

© Earl for Meandering Passage, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: d700, nature, Photography, photos

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There’s one wall in our family room which has been designated for hanging my photograph prints. It’s been occupied by a trio of common themed framed photos of early morning sunlight over dark Alaskan coastal waters since late 2008 — time for a change.

Prints - ThinWrap Splits

I’ve been intrigued by the Wall Clusters (individual image on each panel) and Splits (single image mosaic across multiple prints) advertised by Bay Photo. After reviewing my photo archives I decided on an image of the Florida wetlands for printing as a ThinWrap Split across three large panels.

I felt this selected image, being somewhat abstract in nature, would handle printing poster size better then some. It also had the color pallet we were looking for and the horizontal and diagonal water/wave lines would pull the Splits together giving common paths for the eye.

I selected the options, uploaded the image file and placed the order.

Metallic paper - shimmering water

My first effort wasn’t successful as a Bay Photo technician called me and said they didn’t feel the image I’d sent was of high enough resolution to be split across three 24″ x 36″ panels — my miscalculation. I thanked them, asked them to cancel the order and told them I’d resend with a new image file. Big kudos to Bay Photo on calling when they recognized the results were not going to be satisfactory!

ThinWraps - spacers on back

Looking over my archives again I still came to the conclusion I wanted to use the original image, which was about a 30% crop.

I’ve never been impressed with Adobe Photoshops image enlarging capabilities so I ended up using “Genuine Fractals 6″ from OnOne Software to increase the image to 6′ x 3′ at 240dpi — about a 160mb JPEG file. This was definitely pushing the limits at over 300% enlargement but when I viewed the enlarged image I felt positive about the results for this application or use, and the finished product supports that feeling — the print came out well.

I’m sure the results of such a drastic enlargement would vary depending upon the particular image.

The ThinWraps are very attractive and come with a 1/2″ spacer on the back that allows the images to be hung and appear to float from the wall. Since my image was of water I also chose the metallic paper with gives it a shimmer as the light plays across it.

All-in-all, I’m happy with the results. Everyone who has seen the splits have given very positive feedback (my daughter has already stated when we decide to change these out she wants them.) I feel the cost of the prints and shipping was reasonable. The finished product was delivered less than a week after ordering. Of course cost varies depending upon the options you select and there are a variety of panel sizes and configurations for Photo Splits or Clusters.

Overall a positive and successful experience — Kudos to Bay Photo and Genuine Fractals.

© Earl for Meandering Passage, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bay photo, onone, Photography, photos, splits, thinwraps

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Above the path

© Earl for Meandering Passage, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: path, Photography, photos

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