PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS

The Heart of the System - Leaf Aptus 75S Digital Back

It's just the back, and the camera and lenses that supply it with an image are at least as important. The camera, a Contax 645, can also be used with a film back, but the image quality would be quite inferior. The Aptus 75S has a linear resolution of 6726 x 5040 pixels or 33.4 million pixels.

While many of the images on this website were made on large format 4x5 inch transparency film, the ones taken since May, 2008 were made exclusively with the Aptus. The Aptus 75S may not have quite as much raw resolution as scanned 4x5 film, but the Aptus has its advantages and in fact surpasses 4x5 film in many ways.

The Aptus 75S has a dynamic range of 12 stops. One stop increment is double the amount of light. 4x5 transparency film on the other hand has about 5 stops of dynamic range. Images can be made with the Aptus under lighting conditions I'd not even consider with film. I am no longer limited to shooting in the first or last hour of daylight or under overcast conditions. While these conditions still provide the perfect light for photography, I am not quite as tied to them as with film.

Prints up to 24 x 30 or so inches actually work better with the Aptus files. Even though the resolution is a bit less, the file is much cleaner with no grain or "garbage" data. If one were to print extremely large, say 32 x 40 inches or more, then 4x5 film would have the advantage. But that isn't what I do.

Wind is the bane of the large format photographer. The camera presents a large area exposed to the wind and the resulting camera shake and vibration can prevent a sharp exposure. With the Contax 645 and Leaf Aptus combination this is not so much of a problem. There is still considerable mass to the system, but the overall profile is much smaller and not as easily shaken by gusts.

So was it worth it spending twenty thousand dollars on the back alone? I think the answer is a definite yes. I am making images that were impossible to do with film. And now that it is paid for, I've cut my costs of buying, developing, and scanning film to zero.

For "developing" the RAW files this camera produces, I use Phase One's Capture One which now supports Leaf digital backs. Adobe Photoshop CS4 is then used to produce my interpretation of what was photographed. This is a very important part of the process because the camera does not see the same as the eye does.

PRINT PROCESS

All printing is done in house on our state-of-the-art 10 color pigment ink Epson Stylus Pro 7900 HDR printer.

Epson 7900

Breathing Color Lyve canvas is our favorite print media. It is varnished after printing with a water based product called Glanour II providing protection against stains and UV light. Canvas prints are not hidden behind glass and are reflection free. Canvas prints can be cleaned by simply vacuuming with a brush attachment or if necessary wiped with a cloth slightly dampened with water. Just be sure not to use any cleaners containing ammonia.

If you prefer a more traditional print we offer Epson Exhibition Fiber Fine Art paper. This is a thick 325 gsm paper with a semi-gloss (F-Type) finish. This paper is not available for the two larger panorama sizes.

Prints on Exhibition Fiber are dry mounted to 8 ply (1/8" thick) acid free board with Bienfang Ragmount then overmatted with a single white (pearl) Bainbridge Alpharag 8 ply matboard. All three of these materials are archival and acid free.

Prints on Breathing Color canvas are similarly dry mounted to 8 ply acid free board with Bienfang Ragmount.

FRAMES

I make my frames for matted prints from East Indian Rosewood. The corners are mitered and glued before finishing to produce a closed corner freme. Then each corner joint is reinforced on the back side with a wood spline. The frame is finished with sealer and four coats of polyurethane varnish then rubbed down with fine steel wool using Behlen's Deluxing Compound. The finished frame is then polished with Meguiar's Mirror Glaze.

These are not inexpensive frames to make. The raw Rosewood costs about $25.00 per board foot, and many hours of milling, joining, sanding and finishing are required to produce the finished frame. However they are extremely beautiful and are offered as an option for the most discriminating collector.

Working with Rosewood is not new to me. In the 70's I built classic guitars using Rosewood for the back and sides.The wood has a wonderful sweet smell when it is cut; likely the reason it is named Rosewood.

Rosewood frames are only listed for matted prints on paper. If you are interested in a Rosewood frame for a canvas print, email me for a quote.

A much lower cost alternative is offered for canvas prints, ie. a Nielsen Bainbridge matte black aluminum frame. The look is very modern and compliments most decors very well. The appearance is a narrow matte black border around the print with a frame depth of about one inch. It really puts the emphasis on the image as the frame is almost invisible.

All prints come with a signed Seal of Authenticity on the back of the mounting board.