Dear Jeffrey:

You may remember that I was one of the people who stopped and talked with you as you were nearing the subway.  You gave me your card and email address.  I've been to your website a couple of times and really enjoyed the images.  A couple of years ago I took "the spectrum" picture myself.  I have a scan and could have a print made, but have yet to begin the serious effort needed to make it happen.  The only thing that I thought of that was missing from you website was the image on your business card.   That looks just beautiful.  Any thought that you might include that with the other images on the internet?  I found your images quite refreshing.  They were a new way of looking at some of the places that have become common place.  I particularly liked the image "birth of a canyon".  That was a great way to show that wonderful section of on the subway hike.

I live in Shonto, AZ, which is about an hour southeast of Page on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  I work as a pharmacist in a federal healthcare facility here that provides care to the local Native American population.  In addition to enjoying my job tremendously, I also love living in the very heart of the Colorado Plateau.  I photograph here extensively and often feel I am the luckiest photographer on the planet to be living where I do.  I'm from Iowa originally and fell in love with the desert Southwest almost from the day I arrived.  I've been in Arizona for 14 of the last 16 years, and continually find new things to see and photograph.

About three years ago I found out about EverColor when it was still in California and had three pigment transfer images made before the company moved out east.  The process is now gone, and these images are now historic relics, and very beautiful ones, I might add.  That was my introduction to digital imaging, and I have been working at educating myself about it ever since.  I'm currently using Photoshop 5.0.2, but feel I still have a lot to learn.  I did want to clarify some information that I gave you in the canyon.  Specifically, you asked how I judge a scan to be good.  I said something about adjacent pixels being slightly different.  I want to give a better answer.  I get my slides scanned so that they produce about a 96 megabyte file.  This gives an image of around 23 x 35 inches at a resolution of 80 lines/cm.  In Photoshop, you can view the image at actual size.  When I do this with a good scan, the image looks almost good enough to hang on the wall.  The edges are sharp, color is good, and I can see the possibility of getting a high quality final enlargment out of the scan.  Like I said, EverColor has been doing good scans for me by this definition, and they are resonably priced compared to other places that would do a scan of this size.  EverColor says they can get about 100 mb out of a 35-mm slide.  I think that's pretty impressive, and the quality of their scans makes me think they know what they're doing.

I'm sending along one of my favorite images that I took several years ago as I was transitioning from black and white to color.  I hope you like it.  It was taken with a 4x5 and 75 mm lens.  I've done quite a bit of work on it already in Photoshop, and depending how your monitor is configured, it may or may not look so great.  Would love to get you opinion of it.

I hope you have time to write and let me know how your trip went.  I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask about some of your images and will do so if you are interested in discussing some of the techinical aspect that went into making them.


Tony Kuyper

Jeffrey:

At Zion again?  I think I know the slot canyon your talking about.  It's on the right hand side of the road as your driving out to the east entrance, right?.  I was there in February several years ago and there were some fantastic icicles haning in there.  You won't believe it, but they were over 20 ft long.  Huge things, that were actually a little scary.  I was working with the 4x5, and if one of them had broken off, I could have represented a significant hazard were it land and fall toward me.  I got a couple really nice pictures of the canyon with the icicles.  I'd almost forgotten about it until this email.

I spent today framing three images that I recently got back from Calypso.  There were a lot of unexpected problems, but in the end they turned out great.  This is one of my favorite times, when I have new pictures to look at.  It's a bit Narcissistic, but I just love looking at pictures that I have spent so long making.  One of these images took over a year, as it represented a lot of time learning Photoshop.  Things are going faster now, but there is always more to learn.

The answer to your query is "no, there is no duplication."  I just opened a 96.6 megabyte file I have from a 35-mm slide.  It is 4744 x 7121 pixels, and when I enlarged it to see the pixels, I can see no duplication in any part of the image.  Adjacent pixels actually show a great deal of variation.  EverColor says they can get 100 megabytes of data without grain from a 35 mm slide.  I have my slides scanned slightly smaller because files over 100 mb cost an extra 20 dollars.  You can specify the size and resolution when you send in a slide.

The really neat thing (and I mentioned this in the canyon, I think) is that a 16 x 20 photograph printed at the Light Jet printer's highest resolution only has 85 megabytes of data.  So one of these deep scans of a 35-mm slide provides plenty of data for making a print with an area 17% larger than a 16 x 20.  Yes, it's true that your probably getting near the bottom of the quality barrel when you get near 100 mb from a 35-mm slide and that a 4x5 would have much better data were it scanned to 100 megabytes, but the question is, can you tell the difference in the print?  The answer is maybe, but not by much.  I've had one of these 100 mb scans enlarged to 15 x 23 after cropping, and I was amazed.  The original slide was shot at f/19 or f/22, so there was some degradation in image quality already from the small f/stop.  The print on the Fuji matte paper is really astounding.  I think that if I were to make the print on the Fuji Super Gloss it would be almost indistinguisable from a 4x5 image.

It may be something I will try doing in the future, as the prints I worked with today were on the super gloss, and that paper is so beautiful that I want to go back and get some that are printed on the matte surface reprinted.  The exciting thing for me is being able to work with these images to make them look like I remembered the scene.  This level of control just isn't possible with someone else doing the printing.  I spent a decade doing black and white in my home darkroom, and the digital darkroom is every bit as exciting.  It's hard to beat the feeling of breathing life into an image.

I took no offense at your refernce to 35-mm as grab shots.  Natural light can change so fast, that using a tripod is already like trying to shoot the action at a fast paced sport's event.  While I love looking at 4x5 transparencies, and the enlargements are just fantastic, I also love the speed at which I can manage the 35-mm and the way I can compose in the view finder.  A few more experiments with my 35-mm scans, and I may be ready to sell my 4x5 gear.  If things go well, the extra expense, weight, and time just won't be worth it.  I'm working with a new program that takes an image to any size.  So my 100 mb scan could conceivably become a 400 mb file.  I don't know what size image that would be or how it would look, but I intend to see just how far I can take it.  I'll keep you posted if you're interested.

I'm attaching a couple of files with this email.  Both are of the same image that was taken with a 4x5 and 75 mm lens.  One is the original scan which looks very much like the original transparency.  The other is the image as it looks after a lot of time in Photoshop.

In answer to your question, yes, I do live on a reservation.  The Navajo reservation, to be specific.  Are you an anesthesiologist?

I'm thinking of going to Zion Oct 30 and 31 and Nov 1 and 2.  Fall color was unbelieable at this time last year.  Every year is differen, though, so no telling what I will find this time.  Here where I live, it seems about a week ahead of schedule so maybe I'll be too late.  It was also a lot wetter last October.

Tony

Jeff:

Sorry it took me so long to write back.  I kept getting a busy signal last night, and so I went into Photoshop to do some work, and ended up corrupting something and reloading the whole program and getting to bed late without solving the problem and still working on it tonight.  It was working again a few moments ago after I disassociated a profile from my monitor, but this seems like to simple of a solution.  I'll post something on Adobe's user forum and see what the "experts" have to say.

I too find myself returning again and again to Zion.  Without question some of my best pictures come from there and I have confidence that more will come from there in the future.  I will miss the freedom to roam freely once the shuttle system is implemented.  Next year, I hear.  I will probably visit more often in the off season.

As to the file size for an image, you need to remember that each pixel is defined by three 8-bit levels, one each for red, green, and blue.  If you multiply your number by three, I think it comes close to 96 mb.

If I were you, I would not even consider upgrading your current computer.  You need a faster processor, more memory, more hard drive space and a large monitor than you can upgrade too.  For image processing, you should definitely go with the best configuration you can afford.  Consider a Zip drive and CD-burner for file transport and backup.  A magazine called PC Photo is a quick read to keep you up-to-date on the latest hardware and software.  I also like the Ziff-Davis magazine PC Computing to help keep me updated.

The Adobe website (www.adobe.com) allows you to download a tryout version of Photoshop.  I'm running 5.0.2, but have read about 5.5 and would consider upgrading if I hadn't already upgraded once this year.  www.egghead.com has an "academic section" with some great prices if you can get a student or teacher to do the purchasing for you.  The academic versions are identical to the non-academic versions.

As far as an instruction manual goes, the Photoshop user guide is excellent.  When I got photoshop, I went through the munual cover to cover and learned a lot of great techniques just from doing that.    I have heard of several other good books, but have not felt a need for them so far.  Adobe's user forum has several postings relating to books.  The user forum is useful for problems.  The adobe 4.0 tutorial CD was also excellent.

My problems with Calypso are difficult to describe.  The first was when I received some prints that were scratched during shipping.  These were mounted prints that were packed poorly, so I sent them back and asked that they be redone.  Shortly afterwards I sent in another order, and when I received it one of the reprinted prints to be mounted was included with it, so I had to send it back for mounting.  I finally got the mounted reprints back last week, but the invoice charged me for this second mounting.  I called Calypso and they quickly credited my card for this.  These prints were on the Fuji Super Gloss paper, and there were a few finger prints and scratches, but they are nearly invisible except when you go looking for them. All in all, there was a lot of hassle involved in getting these prints done.   A mounted print, 16 x 20, though, if you you do your own mounting and pre-flighting is only about $75.  That really is a good price consider that it includes mounting, which they did a good job on.  An unmounted 16 x 20 goes for $35 plus shipping, usually $10.  Their website www.calypsoinc.com has all the prices listed.  They do have good customer service and I hear a lot of the biggies like David Muench and Galen Rowel use them.  Maybe I just got unlucky.  I don't know, but I will probably stick with them for awhile as they have the computer profiles that take advantage of the profiling ability that Photoshop 5.0 made availabe.  It's an incredible system where you can soft-proof the final image if you can get the monitor calibration set.  Not exactly an easy task, I don't think, but worth it when you finally get it done.

I'm definitely enthusiastic about the possibilities that digital has to offer.  With a good scan, there is no question that you get an image sharper than what would ever be possible with a light enlarger.  Add into that the ability to manipulate your prints to your liking, and it's very seductive.  My guess is that all photoprinting will be digital someday, and sooner than you thing.  We just got a new digital copier where I work, and I hate to use the old ones in the building the require the copier to "take a picture" for every copy produced.  The digital arena is only starting to unfold, but more and more service bureaus will be offering it, and before you know it, non-digital reproduction will the be rarity.  The technology is so good, that I'm sure it is inevitable for color to go completely this way.  Black and white is another issue.  Hard to say what will happen here. I know Fatali shuns "digital manipulation" but I also know his printer, and there is a lot of darkroom manipulation.  Photoshop and the Light Jet just opens this whole area up to everyone that doesn't have $1,000,000 plus to invest in setting up a professional lab.

I hope you remain interested in the digital area.  From your website, I can see you have a great eye.  I think digital would be a great addition to your already sizeable talent.

Tony

Hi Jeff:

I was off today and sold a picture (always a good feeling) and spent the rest of the day at my computer.  I got an idea last night as to what is causing my Photoshop program to hang, and spent some time trying to test the theory.  Nothing conclusive yet.  I may still end up going to tech support.  I spent the rest of my time burning some backup CDs of programs and image files that I want to take off my hard drive.  Will probably continue to pursue these things after I get my email answered.

I already have three reservations made and trips planned for Coyote Buttes in 2000.  I've been going there since 1989 when hardly anyone knew about the place and no reservations were required.  Ah, those were the days! It's only a little over 70 miles from me (I live further east), and if you're interested in stopping in to say hello when you're over this way let me know.  I was just there September 26.  Very windy day, which isn't unusual for that place. I took a bunch of morning shots.  Though it doesn't look like it to the eye, shooting the rocks there in the morning with velvia shows the blue sky reflecting off the upward-facing surfaces and glowing orange on the surfaces facing that huge wall to the west.  I've started to exploit that more over the years and have a few decent images of that effect.  It always surprises me when I see it on the slides as it just doesn't look that way to my eye.  I'll probably wait until May to go as I know the reservation calendars fill up fast and I already made my reservations for then and next September.  I will keep the dates in mind though and will check the website for reservation availability and may yet join you if there are openings.  Too many photographers can sometimes get in each other's way though.  That place is definitely a photographer's dream as there is great light there all day long.

BTW, here's a great URL for tracking the full moon and planning shots.  Maybe you already know about it:

http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/srss.html

I've used it to get the fullmoon just after sunset when there is just enough light for about 20 minutes to get a great shot.

I've contact Bill Nordstrom myself in the past and have considered him as a resource to get my photos printed.  You know, Calypso does his printing, don't you?  Possibly a fact he's neglected to mention.  I think he does his own scans, but like I said, they are about twice as expensive as those done by EverColor and he doesn't provide the profiles needed to work in Photoshop 5.0.  My sense is that he does most of the work in getting your photo printed.  I prefer to do the tonal, contrast, and color changes myself.  It's impossible to tell someone how you want it done.  Bill I think is very good at getting you the best image from the transparency you send him, but he can't possibly know your interpretation of that transparency.  That's why working on it yourself is so important.  Once you start working with Photoshop, my guess is you'll be an instant addict.  You wouldn't even consider letting someone else manage the production of your prints.

I had a friend stop by today who bought the print and who is also thinking of getting a computer, but not for imaging purposes.  I commented that typing is possibly the most useful skill next to feeding myself that I ever learned.  I probably think about this more frequently than you. I love to savor the small things that make life so good.

Tony

Jeff:

March 18 and 19, Saturday and Sunday, right.  Are you going to camp at the trailhead on Friday night, or will you be arriving on Saturday and just do a 1/2 day at the Wave.  I really like the morning photography there, and want to be sure that you're planning on spending the a whole day there if I decide to join you.  Your friend Mark must be really into photography if he is joining you or else he is a true friend.  I've found that even with my best friends, they get bored while I'm hunting and taking pictures.  I've always been single, but this, I have found, is a very positive attribute for photography, which I definitely enjoy as a solo activity.  I'm starting to think (worry?) that photography feeds my happiness of being alone to the point that I'm losing social skills.  Not a happy thought, but not all together an unhappy one either.  I have done CB alone for the last two years and only next year have I started makeing a reservation for two for the safety reasons you mentioned.

I went to the apple website last night. +$8500 to upgrade to 1.5 gigabytes of RAM on the G4.  That's significant, and probably not worth it.  Photoshop works with with smaller amounts, but it's not unusual to be working with a 2 GB file if you have the undo option set to 99.  I was thinking last night how familiar I am with a PC and wonder if I'd really like to switch to MAC.  Couldn't decide.  The Apple website made it sound pretty seductive, but the Light Jet is PC-based.  Not a real problem as either platform can save in the TIF format, but still it signals, possibly, the coming equivalence of the two platforms in terms of imaging ability.  I'm not unhappy with my 400 mHz P2, but I always have a couple of magazines sitting nearby so that when I execute a command in Photoshop and have to wait 3 or 4 minutes for it to complete I have something to occupy myself.

BTW, have you ever checked out Coyote Buttes South?  Definitely a 4x4 area, but that's where Fatali's "Celestial City" is located.  Not as impressive as the CB North, but still nice, and no one else there.

If you find the June Smithsonian the first picture in the section devoted to GSENM, is, I think, Broken Bow Arch.  You can find it on your map easily.  Look north of Rainbow Bridge NM.  The alignment looks perfect for that scene, don't you think?  The way things get so quickly "discovered" nowadays, I wouldn't be suprised to find a train when I eventually get there.  But January?  That sounds a little trecherous, I think?  March at Coyote Buttes is pretty iffy, but January in on hole in the rock road, well . . .?

Curious about you website.  Did you really do that all yourself?  What web authoring software did you use?  How much time did it take?  Is it easy to update?  Is it expensive to maintain and keep out there?  Are you satisfied with the results?  Does it look like you expected?

FYI, EverColor address is 70 Webster Street, Worcester, MA  01603.  Phone number is 502/798-6612 or 888/645-9918.  You should give them a call.  They can send you a packet of information.

Yes, TIF format is lossless, and somewhat platform independent.  You can save a TIF file from either platform, but you have to specify the bit order as either IBM or MAC.  PCs can't open up MAC-ordered files.  When you get scans from EverColor, you need to specify your platform.  If you get MAC-ordered scans, you won't be able to open them on your PC.  I've had this happen, but EverColor was good about sending me scans correct for PC operation.  www.evercolor.com is their website.  Lots of useful information there.

This afternoon I realized that working on my images on the computer is just as important to me as actually being able to get out there and taking them.  Both activities are equally and extremely enjoyable.  I can easily lose myself for hours in either and not mind being gone.  Being in the presence of some dramatic light is really exciting, but so is shaping an image in my computer to something that takes that image to an even higher level.  Let's face it, film, especially slide film, is pretty limiting. To computer let's me bring it to a level that just isn't possible with traditional photographic enlarging.  I've decided that if I do ever get my act together for a showing of my work, I'm going to make sure the digital aspect gets the mention it deserves.  The prints are indistiguishable from non-digital photographs, except I think in that they look so much better.  People who see my work deserve to know that digital is at least half the process.  Now if I could just get my act together enough to get a show together.  There's lots of good venues in Flagstaff, just have to feel ready enough to do it.

Tony

Jeff--

As word of this get disseminated, I wonder if Apple will do an about face the way Intel did when there was a flaw in math processor on their chips and when they tried top up an ID number on the P4 processors.  Apple may actually be too small for the world to notice.  We'll see.  I did a lot of Photoshop work on my PC this past weekend and continued to wonder if Apple would really be all that much better.  You really should try to check out running Photoshop on both platforms before you decide.

Tony

Hi Jeff:

I'm really glad to hear you're thinking seriously about buying a computer for digital imaging.  I spent the better part of last night "improving" an image of which I had gotten a proof back from Calypso a couple of weeks ago.  The before and after are really dramatic.  I can't believe I had even bothered sending in that original file for proofing.  Over the last two months I have been changing my workflow.  I have a couple images I've gotten back from Calypso that I think work really well, and I compare what I'm working on with them in terms of contrast, brightness, and look.  I've yet to test this idea that getting images within this look-alike range will speed up the process of getting pictures that I like, but it's worth a try.  I got a call from Calypso today that they scratched one of the prints of my last order and will have to reprint it.  I need to get this order back before I send in some proofs to test the look-alike method.  Anxious to do so, but will have to wait a little longer, I guess.  I’m starting to get more resigned than angry.  If you're anything like me, once you start working on your images, you will find possibilities that you've never even thought about for improving them and will want to see what it will look like.  I wish I had more time to experiment, but often time is so short that I'm happy to just make progress at getting the improvements that I see as necessary.  Less time for things like playing with filters than I would like.

I'll keep you posted on what I plan to do about Coyote Buttes in March. I'll definitely be watching the website and snag a permit if it looks like the month is starting to fill up.  Long range forecast for this winter is dry and mild.  These conditions greatly improve my chances of being there.

I just looked at my own copy of the AAA Indian Country map and realized that Inscription House is indeed on there.  Most maps leave it off.  It is a pretty tiny place, and definitely isolated compared to a place like Las Vegas.  I have to drive an hour to Page to get just about anything I want, though the two trading posts, one on the corner and the other 5 miles up the road, do have a few things.  There are lots of good reasons to live here though.  As a pharmacist, the Indian Health Service provides one of the most rewarding practice environments possible.  We work from patient charts, not prescription blanks, and have extensive interactions with doctors and nurses, as well as patients.  I live in government housing, nothing fancy, but relatively cheap and tax deductible.  I have a four-minute walk to get to work, there are dozens of fantastic places to photograph only a few miles from my home, I know all my neighbors as they are coworkers at the clinic, and I maintain a nice sense of connectedness between my work and home life.  I grew up on a farm in Iowa and liked the sense that work and non-work weren’t all that separated.  I’m more comparmentalized than my parents were, but not nearly so fragmented, I feel, as I would be working in a city.  My first station, back in 1983 was Kayenta, Arizona, and that was even more isolated I felt than where I live now.  I’ve also spent time in Tuba City, AZ and Taholah, WA.  At the moment, I like where I’m at more than any other place in my career.  I don’t have TV here, but several people have satellite dishes.  I get NPR on my radio, and keep myself busy with photography (I do something almost every day), cooking my evening meal (I like my own cooking and enjoy preparing dinner), and reading when I find the time.  My favorite books in the last year have been the three Harry Potter books.  I also get quite a few magazines.  I am never at a loss to have something interesting to do.  I definitely don’t need a city to entertain me.  I really wish I could find more free time to do the things I like, but that, I know, just isn’t going to happen, so I squeeze things in as I can.  BTW, I’ve never been a fan of Tony Hillerman.

I’d love to have you stop in if you indeed go to Mon Valley sometime.  I’d enjoy the opportunity to show you my prints, though I don’t think I have the eye or originality that you do.  I’m one mile north off highway 89 on the road that leads to Inscription House.  You can’t miss the clinic.  The housing is adjacent to the clinic.  My phone number is 520/672-2395.  I will look forward to seeing you sometime, if not before CB, then hopefully that weekend.
You may want to check with Glen Canyon NRA on conditions of the Hole-in-the-Rock road.  GSENM may also have information, though I don’t know the number.  They do have a website www.ut.blm.gov/monument/ , which may have a page for road conditions.  My Internet connections died again so I will take this to work tomorrow and upload it to you from there.

I’m still planning a 4-day weekend in Zion starting October 30.  Any chance you might be there?  I’m still concerned that a government shut-down might close the park.  Color around here looks pretty good at the moment.  Mostly yellow.  I’m hoping I find more red at Zion.

Tony

Hi Jeff:

It sounds like you were out of the park before I got in on Saturday.  I was thinking today I might go back Nov 11-16 as I have a long weekend then and the cottonwoods may be more yellow, but then remembered I have a training conference to go to in Texas.  You'd think people would know better than to offer training during prime photo times, wouldn't you.  Some people just don't seem understand the importance of certain seasons.  Am actually looking forward to this training, just wish I could catch more fall color.

I'd really like to get a copy of Mark's fax if you can send it to me as an attached file.  After talking to Hank P. in ZNP and hearing him rave about Apple's image handling capability, I see an Apple in my future eventually and want to know all I can.  Really nice of Mark to be so helpful.  He always has seemed like a very customer friendly person.

Spent most of the afternoon getting a 16x20 file ready for sending to Calypso. I had the day off since I came back early from Zion a day early.  I did some major tweaking on four images and will need this proof before I go further.  I'm sure more iterations will be needed, but I hope I'll be closer when I see the proof sheet.  Four 8x10's on a 16x20 sheet significantly less expensive than four separate 8x10 images, by the way.

I'm curious about your work schedule.  You seem to have lots of time available to go out shooting.  How do you manage it with work and family?  I have no family, but find work alone requires a significant time commitment.  What's your strategy, or should I say, secret?

Tony

Hi Jeff:

It sounds like you were out of the park before I got in on Saturday.  I was thinking today I might go back Nov 11-16 as I have a long weekend then and the cottonwoods may be more yellow, but then remembered I have a training conference to go to in Texas.  You'd think people would know better than to offer training during prime photo times, wouldn't you.  Some people just don't seem understand the importance of certain seasons.  Am actually looking forward to this training, just wish I could catch more fall color.

I'd really like to get a copy of Mark's fax if you can send it to me as an attached file.  After talking to Hank P. in ZNP and hearing him rave about Apple's image handling capability, I see an Apple in my future eventually and want to know all I can.  Really nice of Mark to be so helpful.  He always has seemed like a very customer friendly person.

Spent most of the afternoon getting a 16x20 file ready for sending to Calypso. I had the day off since I came back early from Zion a day early.  I did some major tweaking on four images and will need this proof before I go further.  I'm sure more iterations will be needed, but I hope I'll be closer when I see the proof sheet.  Four 8x10's on a 16x20 sheet significantly less expensive than four separate 8x10 images, by the way.

I'm curious about your work schedule.  You seem to have lots of time available to go out shooting.  How do you manage it with work and family?  I have no family, but find work alone requires a significant time commitment.  What's your strategy, or should I say, secret?

Tony

Wed, 03 Nov 1999

Jeff:

Thanks so much for the Mark Doyle fax files.  The Color Partnership calibration program is news to me.  I've been calibrating my screen using the Adobe Gamma program which comes with Photoshop and doing adjustments trying to get ever closer to the "perfect match".  Have not been entirely successful so far.  Maybe it can't be done with out the Optical II software.  I use a 5000 K light when I'm working on images in Photoshop, but the intensity may be wrong.  So many variables, so little time.  Interestingly, I purchased a Sony Multiscan 400 PS monitor when I bought my computer simply because it had a best buy recommendation for ZD Net.  Also interesting is the fact when I called Mark Doyle one day to talk about monitor calibration, I found I had the same contrast/brightness settings on my monitor which I arrived at via trial and error.  Even more interesting, is that even though I like my monitor, I'm not sure I would recommend it.  The color across the screen is definitely inconsistent.  On the right side, there is a green tint that affects how I see an image's color.  I've taken the monitor to the Sony service center in Phoenix to have them look at it, and the verdict was nothing is wrong.  I work exclusively on the left side of my screen and have done all my color calibration using images placed here.  I can't explain this green tint.  Though slight, it is definitely noticeable when you look at identical images side by side.  I've tried moving the monitor to compensate for any possible magnetic effects, but the tint is still there in the same place.  I've also tried another model of monitor and still saw green tints.  Maybe it's me, maybe not. I have read that 19 inch monitors are more fickle.  Perhaps later versions of this Sony model are less so.

The soft proof profiles which Mark mentions are a must have.  They are the key, I think, to proofing your image on your screen before it is actually printed by a Light Jet printer.  Things got significantly easier when I got PS 5.0 and could make use of these, though at first I didn't understand them.  Calypso also provides the soft proofs, plus they print on the Fuji Super Gloss paper.  EverColor wasn't using this fantastic paper the last time I had prints made by them.  I don't even know if EverColor is still making prints.  Last I heard was that there light jet printer was moved to Phoenix.  The soft proof essentially converts the image on your screen to what it will look like on the finished photograph.  The screen is normally much more saturated than the final image, and the softproofing lets you compensate for this saturation loss when your editing the image.  It makes a huge difference.

(main surgeon took off, out trying to assassinate an elk from 300-400 yard range---I know I'm a man every time I pee) --You make me laugh everytime I read your email.

Tony

Jeff:

You bought an iMac for your dad-in-law?  That was really nice of you.  I don't think I would even consider buying one for my Dad.  He has indicated that he's not interested, but still, that's quite a wonderful gift.  You must have a really good realationship with him.

Though I'm not sure, I'm of the opinion that the "lifetime self color
calibration" referred to in the add probably refers to the monitor's ability to keep it's colors the same as when the unit was new.  While important, color calibration will still need to be done to get good results from photoshop.  www.colorpartnership.com gets you to a site M. Doyle was referring to.  After reading about the product, it sounds like it automates the Adobe gamma function.  This has definitely been a difficult thing.  Maybe it's worth it.  Only looks to be $399.  I still think there is a great deal of subjectivity in interpretting what is on the screen.   I've found that getting pictures to look good on the screen doesn't always look good in the final print.  Variables such as window color, room lighting, and the monitor's plastic color can affect your perception of what is on the screen.  I'm starting to think it's more than just accurate calibration, though you may be able to inform me differently if you get set up and try this product.

Tony

Jeff--

My subscription to Photo Techniques recently ran out.  I found I was learning more from Outdoor Photographer and PC Photo.  Really enjoyed PT when I was doing my kitchen darkroom.  It covers a lot of ground, and definitely has some worthwhile articles on photography that you don't see anywhere else.  I've kept all my old issues (about 8 years worth) but don't reference them as much as I used to.

Thanks for the CDR info.  I've actually read this on the site, but haven't actually tried it with my CDR and software.  I did after I got your email, and it worked.  I would never have figured how to get into the the "properties" area without it.  There is nothing in the window that alerts you to this fact.  My disc format was set at "Joliet" but 9660 was the other option.  Have some burning to do later this afternoon, and will see if the recommendations work in actual practice.  I have taken my homemade CDs to a different system without problems, but it was only one other machine a previous generation before my computer, so not really a fair test.

BTW, how many cameras do you have?

Tony

Jeff:

I counted six cameras.  Indeed a lot.  That would be way too many choices for me.  I find that the only way I can make decisions is if I severely limit my choices.  One camera (35 mm), one lens (24-120 zoom--almost too many choices here) and two filters (polar and 81A).  Severely limits creativity, probably, but at least I don't have to think about which combination I want to use to take a picture.  At most I might try two filters.  I hem and haw so much that I waste time if I have too many options.  Your fortunate you can handle all that you have.  I miss the large 4x5 transparencies, but am learning to live with the 35mm slides.  Lots more to choose from anyway.  My success percentage has always hovered around 4% so with 35 mm, I actually end up getting more success just because I take more pictures.  I wish I had the eye to see the image before I clicked the shutter, but after a decade and half of photography, this has only happened a couple of times, and I'm resigned to my low percentage and the need to experiment and shoot lots of film.  I still have the 4x5 and may yet return to it, but not right now.

So, you've gotten to the Calypso website.  A lot of what's in there will become much clearer once you get Photoshop 5.  It's ICC (Internation Color Consortium) savy and can easily handle all that Calypso requires for "preferred pricing."  The preferred pricing just means that you take responsibility for having your image file entirely Light Jet ready.  Not too hard really, especially with PS5.  I've attached the letter that I send to Calypso each time I have a print made that fully describes what I am sending, and what I want them to do.  I always waive the proof test and preflighting on the order form.

Some more information on the statements:

   "Must be a raster file (no vector/postscript files).--This is an image made up of pixels as opposed to a vector file which is made up of mathematical descriptions of objects.  When you edit your images in Photoshop, you're working on a raster (also know as bitmap) image.  Your files will therefore automatically be raster files and so this is not an issue.


Calypso Lightjet profiles must already be applied for the
   appropriate type media.--I've mentioned before that the profiles are the key that makes PS5 so wonderful.  When I get a scan from EverColor, the first thing I do after opening it is to convert from the Fuji film profile to my monitors profile or color space.  As recommended, I have set my RGB color space in PS5 to Adobe RGB (1998).  After I do all my editing, I convert the file from the Adobe RGB colorspace to that of Calypso's Light Jet printer.  Each paper they use has a different profile.  Since I have my images printed on the Super Gloss, I convert to the Super Gloss profile.  When I save the file to send to Calypso, I embed this color profile with the image file.  This, and the other things mentioned in the attached letter, are necessary to make the file Light Jet ready in order to get the preferred pricing.  Photoshop has a Profile-to-Profile command that does the profile conversion, though there are a couple of options that need to be specified.  The embedding of profiles is automatic if you specify it.  The workflow for Macs may be a little different.  I think that the scan might automatically convert to your monitor's color space because of the Colorsync software standard on Mac's though I'm not really sure.  Either way, you have to convert you edited file to the Light Jet profile to get the preferred pricing.


File must be saved as a "Windows Tiff" on an ISO 9960 format CD,
   Windows formatted Jaz or Zip. "--The Light Jet runs in a Windows environment.  It can't use Mac files.  In PS5, when you save a file as a .tif, you are prompted for IBM or MacIntosh bit order.  You'll want to save it with the IBM bit order (Windows tiff format) for the Light Jet.  Also, don't use the LZW compression.  ALthough lossless, I'm told it can't be handled by the Light Jet.  From Lepp's information that you sent me, you know the 9960 format refers to burning CDRs.  I think this is especially important if you're using a Mac to do the burning.  The 9960 format makes the CD cross-platform compatible.  BTW, my 9960 burn yesterday went just fine.


Once you load PS5 and READ THE BOOK COVER TO COVER a lot of this will become a lot clearer.  Mark Doyle was my resource when I was having my prints made by EverColor.  I remember going from $65 prints to $28 prints when I started doing all the "preflighting" myself and was very happy.  PS5 makes it all possible.  Aren't those prices great!!!!

I got my slides back from this fall's hiking.  Got one incredible image from morning at Coyote Buttes in September, some nice ones, but nothing special from Subway, and A couple good images from my recent fall colors trip to Zion.  4% is actually pretty optismistic for this batch.  The picture I took when I met you is not exactly a keeper.  The green reflection comes through very well, but it looks more like heavy moss than the reflections of the trees.  I need more color than green to make this kind of image work.


Tony

I'm sorry if I sounded like too much of an expert in my email last night.  I'm definitely not that, and have a feeling that once you get going with Photoshop, you'll have a lot to teach me.  There's so much to learn, and I am now only starting to feel that I've gotten off the toe of the learning curve.  I wrote so much last night because I wanted to save you the frustration I went through when I first started doing my own image enhancement.  Not counting the hardware and software investment to get started, I think I spent over $1000 and six months getting my first image out of EverColor, and that was only luck.  It wasn't until I found Calypso that things started going faster, and even now, I'm still just plugging along at a less than desireable rate.  The only reason I was so darn slow getting started was that I really didn't know what I was doing.  Adobe's technical paper on Color Management on their website is good, but it doesn't have the nuts and bolts to really get you moving.  Perhaps a book is the way to go.  I've read about several on the Adobe website, and perhaps should get a couple to help me along.  Despite the frustrations, its all worth it.  The opportunity to control your images at the level that digital allows is just to heady to pass up or to let go of.  While sometimes frustrating, I have to remind myself that the technology to do this is still in its infancy.  PS5 just came out this year, and computers are just getting fast enough to handle files which provide a continuous-tone look.  Although it feels high tech, I'll bet glass plates were considered similarly in their time also.

The images at the specified web addresses are great.  I particularly like "Waterknife", both the title and the image.  That's a great angle, and one I would not have thought considered.  When I looked at my own slides of inside the Subway last night, I saw that cropping the top close like you did and cutting off the rock above was the way to go.  I learned a lot looking at those slides last night, and want to go back again and try things a little differently.  I still haven't got a really good shot from that place, but feel like I get closer each time.  It's often true that I need to go many time to get things right.  I like the individuality you try to bring to your photography.  You definitely have a good eye for composition.  Both "Birth of a Canyon" and now "Waterknife" show a certain knack for being able to look at subjects in a new way.  You also don't seem to have my problem of deciding which camera, lens, or filter to use.  That helps I think.  I'm looking forward to seeing how digital compliments your visualization skills.