Epson 9900

Saturday, 15 January 2011 09:19 William Dailey Equipment

After frustration with imperfect color and the cost of having printing done from outside shops, we've purchased a large format printer.

We didn't mess around with this purchase.  I went straight to the top.  The Epson 9900 is the finest photo printer ever built, it has increased our productivity in the studio 100%.  We are also very excited to be able to offer printing to other artists who need perfection but can't really afford the prices of other printing companies. 

There will be much more information about the printing service in the future.  We will be creating a separate business name and a complete web site with online ordering and payment so you'll be able to do everything from the convenience of your studio.

For myself, the printer has given us the ability to:
  • Choose better papers and try papers from different companies. 
  • Reduced cost which means more affordable open edition prints. (although initial cost was incredible)
  • Better color control, now my collectors will be able to have exactly what I mean to give, not just close, the colors can be perfect every time.
I'll be sure to do a review of this printer in the coming weeks.  And post about some of my struggles with it.  There have been several!


 

Just purchased a Holga!

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 22:00 William Dailey Equipment

Well, this should be interesting! My photographic style is clean, simple and in focus. The Holga is an art form in it self. I really can't wait to start using this. The camera is loose, the aperture is somewhere around f/8, the lens is plastic, the film back does not seal correctly causing all types of really neeto problems.

I think i got a deal. The guy on ebay I got it from won it, and he is throwing in a ton of old 120 film. Plenty to play with! So now, I'll need to start my dark-room equipment.

Still looking for a good Nikon 35MM. I'm thinking the F10. It's a good camera and been around for quite a while.

 

Upgrading to Film

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 19:49 William Dailey Equipment

Well, after many years of "going digital" I've decided that I'm "going film!" There are many reasons but I would say the most important is resolution. I've got a relatively nice camera, the Nikon D300. It really fit's most of my daily needs. But for fine art, it really falls behind. So, here are the pros and cons in my point of view for "going film."

Don't get me wrong. I love my D300; it's a great camera. And for 95% of my photography it's exactly what I need. With my D300 I can shoot in the morning and have all of my images edited and up on my site before lunch.

But for that other 5% of my work, my art, I need something that I can blow up to 6' wide with no problems. The biggest my D300 will go is 30" and that's really pushing the envelope.

I had originally planned on listing out all the pros and cons of film vs digital but I think it would just cause problems. People would actually be offended. See, I try not to be a fan of either, I just want the best, simple.

The other reason for the move to film is color depth. My D300 can read about 14-bits of color where most good scanners can pull 48-bits of color from a piece of film.

The most challenging part of this move will be learning how to develop film. The rest of the process remains almost completely the same.

So, here is a shopping list of "stuff" that I'll be NEEEEDING.

  • Camera
  • Film
  • Scanner
  • Light Meter
  • Developing materials: drums, chemicals & containers.

I think my first project will be to purchase a camera. A 35MM or a very cheep 120 camera will be perfect just to get used to budgeting shots. Then I'll start developing my own negatives and maybe bumming a scanner from a friend. Although I don't know anyone with a good scanner right now. Then, on to the scanner, probably an Epson V700 or the 750 if things are going better.


My last step will be to purchase a 4"x5" camera! Then I'll need the light meter, might need that meeter before; although the meter in the D300 is really very good.

SO, onward. I'll go back to ebay and keep looking for that 35MM camera I've always wanted!