The Christian Art Gallery

• Do you use Photoshop as part of the creative process? 

Photoshop – is used in the creation of every professional digital image because it is part of the digital process. I use it as a tool for image-making, removing image pollution and marks, adding the creative such as a texture, style of sepia, or softness. If elements are added or multiple images are combined so that the image becomes my construction it will be labelled as “composite”.

• WHAT is a Giclee print?

It’s a fancy name for an inkjet print of the highest quality possible using top end paper for fineart purposes.

• WHO does your printing?

I do; it is a little known fact that a great deal of time and expertise accompanies the printing process in order to get correct colour and beautiful results. Taking the image and working on the computer is dominated by creativity; printing the result is a discipline of measurement and exact procedure, best done by the photographer.

• There has long been a friendly debate in the music world between vinyl vs. digital – does the same happen with film vs. digital in the photographic world?

To a lesser extent; music is more subjective whereas image creation can be compared a lot more mathematically in most major criteria. There are still valid subjective reasons why some people prefer one to another, but few professionals use film anymore.

• IN this digital age, why do you have an exclusively film panoramic website? [filmpanoramics.com]
  

I have shot over 2000 frames of film in my film-only panoramic camera @ 4 frames per roll. Many would say there is a quality to film that is not present in digital. I do know that very few films were actually or deliberately kept as ‘neutral’ as possible in their characteristics . This applies especially to the most common ‘landscape film’ which was exaggerated deliberately in certain colour areas and was also affected by UV light and reciprocity in its own ways which turned out beautiful, if not completely honest, landscape imagery.    These can be considered either redundant or precious.

• WHY is all postage free for your prints?

Because it makes things a lot simpler and quicker for getting product out to my clients everywhere.

• DO you use AI?

No! Images in any of my websites have been created by me using a camera!

• DO you still use your 6×17 panoramic camera?

No, I merge up to 7 frames per image in Photoshop using my digital camera which now far exceeds the quality of any film. It also gives the choice of lots of lenses.

• WHAT is your favourite subject?

Anywhere in the world that my photographic eyes tell me would make a great image!

• HAVE digital and phone cameras made things harder to be a professional these days?

Enormously; a massive number of assignments no longer exist, a lot of ‘us’ have disappeared. Many are fooled that because the technology can create what appear to be technically good images for them, all they need to do is point and press. But the gulf between professional and amateur talent remains as large as ever. Camera makers know this, which is why they still offer seriously high-end cameras which cost a bomb and produce such amazing quality. And, fortunately, technology cannot take away human ability in the creative; there will always be those who produce the outstanding compared with the majority, because they produce from the heart and their gifting; this is why some people still are willing to pay for the exceptional; but with a culture of wanting ‘free’ stuff saturating the web, it’s harder than ever, especially starting.