Mountain Storm Fine Arts - May 2006 Newsletter

What's New

The newsletter is late this month, as I have been incredibly busy. Also expect a late newsletter next month, as I will not return from my Moab, Utah trip until June 4th and I have overseas visitors arriving a couple of days later. Oh the good side of things, I expect to get some great images while in Utah.

Being home this past month, I finally had some time to work on some new pictures. I have added a number of new images to the web site over the past four weeks. Take some time to view the galleries and see what's new. I have added images to most of the galleries. I will continue to add more pictures over the next couple of weeks, as I work through a backlog of image stock.

Where in the World is Mitch?

Susan and I leave in a couple of days for Las Vegas. We are going mostly for relaxation, but I always have a camera at hand and I am going to try to do some night shots of the Vegas strip. In between good food and gambling, of course.

I leave for Moab, Utah on May 28th. Four days of rafting the Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River, interspersed with hikes to various features within the canyon. Then a day of hiking and shooting in Arches National Park, followed by a day of lectures and presentations. This area of Utah is one of the most striking in the entire US and the sunset and sunrise lighting is fantastic. I will get some travel shots up on the web site shortly after I return from the trip.

Print Permanence

One question I hear a lot from perspective clients is, "how long will the print last?" In the photography world, that is called print permanence, which defines how long a photographic print will last without noticeable color shift and fading.

In the days before digital photography and, more importantly, digital printing, traditionally printed photographic images could be expected to last around 80 years, if displayed properly. That is, with archival materials and in controlled lighting that restricted UV light from getting to the print. As digital technology came into use and photographers could actually print their own images using various ink printing methods, such prints faired poorly when measured against the old standard. In fact, many so-called photographic quality printers used dye inks that showed noticeable fading and color shift in as little as six months.

The arrival of pigment inks, coupled with top quality printing papers have drastically changed the equation. Digital prints, done on inkjet printers, using pigment inks and acid free papers can be expected to last as long as a traditional silver halide print.

A number of testing services have come into being to rate paper/ink combinations for expect print life. The best known of these is Wilhelm Imaging Research. Using accelerated aging techniques, these services test the various combinations and publish print permanence for each. For example, using an Epson 4000 printing with Ultrachrome pigment inks and Epson's Ultrasmooth Fine Art paper, when mounted under glass out of direct sunlight, a print can be expected to last 108 years. Add a UV filter to the picture frame and that increases to 175 years, with a dark storage life of >200 years.

At Mountain Storm fine arts, we use an Epson 4000 printer, with Ultrachrome inks and Moab Paper's Entrada 300 Bright. This is a 300 gm/sq. meter paper that is acid free. We expect a greater than 80 year life with proper display.

The key to owning a fine art photographic print and getting many years of enjoyment out of it is the presentation environment. If the framing is done using archival materials (acid free mats, backing and adhesive) and the picture is hung is a place where direct sunlight and fluorescent lighting won't get to it, you can expect the print to last many years.

Picture of the Month

This past March I spent a week in New York City. Susan had meetings there and I had a chance to just wander the city taking pictures. One of the things that fascinates me about urban environments are the reflections found in high rise, glass encased buildings. Such reflections always provide a different perspective of the surrounding environment.

This month's picture, Urban Reflection 1, is such an image. The juxtaposition of the street lamp, the building and the reflection of the building across the street come together in an interesting montage of images.

If you are interested in purchasing this image, go here.