Prints

People view most photographs on phones these days (most photographs are captured on phones, for that matter). If not phones, then tablets--occasionally, computer screens. Most people have a mobile phone already, have it ready-to-hand, and there is no net additional cost to enjoying photography that way. That's eminently sensible.

But, it has downsides. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, photographers compose images with viewing distances and sizes in mind. This is beyond mere aspect ratios. Viewing an intricately detailed landscape or environmental portrait on a mobile phone screen will have a very different impact from viewing it at 17-inches by 22-inches. There is more to it than just viewing, too: e.g., a photographer is likely use negative space much differently if presented at 17x22 versus on a mobile phone. Further, the aesthetic impact of a photograph printed at highest quality and on best paper--a physical object with permanence, with the proper colors, tones, and textures, and reflected light--is fundamentally different from a video display illuminated "through" the image. Digital photography has made photography better, I believe, but if the images remain digital only, then part of aesthetic experience is sadly missed.

It turns out that I enjoy the craft of capturing, selecting, editing,  and printing. All the details, from pigments to papers to optical brighteners (or more likely, not) add a little something. Adding up enough extra little somethings makes the result look and feel profoundly different from a typical "over-the-counter" photograph and aesthetic experience.

If you would like to chat about obtaining a print of a photograph you see (or saw) on my website, feel free to reach out to me via the CONTACT page.