Technical Information

Style & Equipment

Taking great photos is a secondary objective of my backcountry trips -- traveling comfortably, safely, and quickly with a lightweight and simple gear kit almost always takes higher precedent. My best photos are usually a result of being in the "right place at the right time," and I make it happen with the photo equipment that I am carrying, which usually includes just a camera; I do not bother with filters or numerous lenses, and when a tripod is desired I look around for a worthwhile boulder or tree stump.

All of the images available as prints were taken with a Canon Powershot S80, which I have found to strike a good balance between image quality, features, and size & weight: 8 megapixel, wide-angle lens, moderate range of manual controls, 10 oz, and small enough to fit in my backpack's side pocket. There are DSLR's that would take better images, but they all are heavier and bigger; and there are compact cameras that are smaller and lighter, but they all sacrifice image quality and manual control options.

Image Accuracy

These images very accurately represent the scene that was in my viewfinder when I took the photo. If my camera did not perfectly capture the scene, I have adjusted the contrast and/or brightness levels, and/or the color, of the original images in Photoshop, but no elements have been exaggerated.

I never modified the scene itself (e.g. removing twigs or rocks) prior to capturing the image.

Image Quality

In selecting the images that would be available as prints, I selected only those that are visually stunning and that are of high image quality. These prints are dramatic and beautiful.

But I do want to be forthcoming in stating that a close inspection of the prints may uncover some image quality issues -- including perhaps corner softness at wide angle, smudged low contrast detail (such as conifer leaves), and highlight clipping (such as snowfield texture) -- that are unfortunate consequences of not using a professional camera and lens, a filter, or a tripod. The images can be marginally considered as fine art prints; the image quality is not on par with, say, images by Galen Rowell or Ansel Adams, but it is still very good. And I'd like to think that what these prints may not achieve in pro image quality they make up for in their uniqueness and their story, and their bargain prices (in debating volume versus margins, I chose the former, preferring that everyone be able to have a piece of the Great Western Loop).

The 8x10 prints have 300+ seperate pixels per inch, which is more than what can be represented by the printer's 300 dots per inch capability; so there are no issues with the print quality (which is different than the image quality) at these sizes. An 11x14 image has 223 separate pixels per inch, so the printer will extrapolate an additional 77 dots per inch based on those pixels, but the naked eye will be hard-pressed to find any visible distortion.

Print Proportions, Borders, and Cropping

The original files have an aspect ratio of 4:3, with dimensions of 3264 x 2448 pixels, or 18.1" x 13.6".

This creates a dilemma in the printing process because this aspect ratio is not shared by industry-standard print sizes (like 11x14 and 8x10) or by standard-sized frames and mattes. Thus, there are two options:

The image can be printed in its entirety (i.e. no cropping), but the image will not fill a standard-sized matte and/or frame, so there will be empty blank space along the top and bottom of the image, inside of the matte or frame. This will not look good, so a custom matte and/or frame is then required, and this will be more expensive (like, $100 versus $30).

The image can be cropped (for an 8x10, about 7 percent of the width is lost; for an 11x14, about 5 percent of the width) so that it fits a standard-sized matte and/or frame. This is the less expensive option, but it means that part of the original image is lost.

Unless a buyer requests otherwise, all images will be cropped so that they fit standard mattes and/or frames. I believe most buyers will find this option more convenient.

Printing

The prints are printed by a professional development lab in Boulder, CO, with a Fuji Frontier printer (a laser printer that prints at 300 dpi) and on Fuji Crystal Archive paper (one of the most durable photographic papers available). All prints will have a lustre finish, i.e. midway between "glossy" and "matte" -- they'll have excellent contrast and color saturation without having the glare.

Signing

All prints will be personally signed in one of the lower corners using an acid-free fine-point marker, in either black or metallic silver.

Watermarks

The copyright watermarks imposed on these web images will not appear on the final prints.