Know What You Are Purchasing - Photo Art

This weekend I encountered a vendor selling matted prints priced below my cost of producing.  I did not venture into asking about the prints. However,  I suggest if you purchase photo art you ask some key questions.

To help with these questions I will describe my product:

• Produced on top of the line Epson printers
• Using Premium or Ultra Premium Epson papers
• Using Epson inks
• Mats are acid free
• Backing materials are acid free
• Mounting materials are acid free

I prefer Epson.  Canon and others offer quality printers and papers.  Also, there are some art papers that are as good as the Epson papers I use and which may be used on Epson and other fine printers.

There are many other cost factors to be considered.

I am not attempting to sell you my prints or cards.  Most of you live far too far away to see my work in Walla Walla.  I am hoping to eliminate some disappointment.  Poor printers, papers and inks result in prints that discolor and fade prematurely.  Instead of lasting decades, they may last months.

With respect and aloha, Jim Willis

Spotlight on Bee on Lavender

For bee, butterfly and insect shots I usually prefer to use my macro lens.  However, even with a 105 macro the critters can be too far away to get a nice close-up shot.  So, on a whim, I put on my 70 to 300 and cranked it up to 300.  I was very pleased with this shot.  I did use Photo Shop to highlight the bee by using the spotlight option.

Bennington Lake near Walla Walla in infrared on a hot summer day.  I like taking shots with dramatic skies - even though in formal competitive judging they can be marked down for having "too much sky".  Well, the only reason the earth is in such images is to give the sky something with which to relate.

Faux UFO in Walla Walla

I have had my old camera converted to infrared.  This is one of my first shots with the "new/old" camera.  The faux UFO is not imposed on the image.  However, it is not an UFO.  I am enjoying this new to me form of photography.  I have used some infrared film in the past, but it is very difficult with which to work and very expensive.  This digital form is much easire with which to work and the "cost" of film is zero after the conversion cost of the old camera.

Mt. McKinley Panorama in HDR

This image was captured on our way back to Ankorage.  It is a rare summer day when The Mountain comes out, which it did only two days of the week we spent at the Denali Educational Center.  To create this image required nine shots.  Three bracketed shots were taken of each left to right segment.  These were then HDR processed.  The three HDR images were then stitched together to create the panorama.  These nine shots were all hand held, which is unusual for me.  My tri-pod was already packed away for the flight back to Washington State.