Four sisters, 25 years

This is an interesting project followed through fastidiously. A photograph of 4 sisters, one every year for 25 years. The order of the sisters remain the same in every picture. Not only is the perceived passage of time gently revealed but the lack of pretense towards happy smiling families is also absent. This doesn’t mean that as a family there were/are not happy, one has to assume the opposite as being photographed over a protracted period of time requires you to be on good terms with the others in the photograph.

“In 1975, Nicholas Nixon, a professor of photography at the Massachusetts College of Art, began taking an annual photograph of his wife, Bebe, and her three sisters. The four women always pose in the same order: Heather, Mimi, Bebe, and Laurie. At the outset the youngest, Mimi, was 15. This year the oldest, Bebe, is 59.”

I have chosen 1975, 1985 and 1995 but do go and look at the rest here

The Disappearing Face of New York

A catalogue of shop fronts fast disappearing from the streets of New York, fascinating in the repetition and similarity as well as the sense of loss evoked in many of these

‘During the eight years it took James and Karla Murray to complete this project, one third of the stores they featured have closed’

Want to see more

Why are my prints too dark?

Still thinking about a new printer and delving further into Keith Cooper’s excellent Northlight Images site I found this article on monitor calibration, dealing with the specific issue of prints looking darker than the screen image. Towards the bottom of the article there are also further links to managing and improving colour output from your printer

“One of the questions we often get asked at Northlight is: ‘Why are my prints too dark?”

Often this comes with a query as to whether it’s worth getting print profiling equipment such as the ColorMunki or SpyderPrint.

‘Your monitor is probably too bright’ is our most common answer.

You’ve spent a lot of time getting an image to look just right on your screen, you select your paper, you hit the ‘Print’ button, out comes the print.

Something doesn’t look right. You take the finished print out of the printer and it’s just too dark. That shadow detail you’d worked on in Photoshop – all gone.”

 Keith looks briefly at the issues and suggests some differing approaches to dealing with the problem here.

Canon Pixma Pro-1 A3+ Pigment Ink based inkjet printer

I am thinking about replacing my HP printer, when I first got the B8850 I thought it was the best printer I had ever had but since it has dropped out of the guarantee period and has developed a fault and HP refuse to offer any repair service I am looking again. In the past I have struggled with Epson as well, I suppose all printers have a shelf life due to the nature of ink passing through tubes and print heads, even if you use them regularly they block up. Anyway Keith over at Northlight images has a pre production review on the new Canon Pixma Pro 1 and it does look the business as they say.

• 12-ink system with exceptional colour gamut
• Chroma Optimizer for uniform glossiness and crisp, sharp blacks
• Optimum Image Generating system enhances colour reproduction
• Stunning black and white prints with 5 monochrome inks
• New LUCIA pigment inks ensure outstanding photo permanence
• Create a gallery-quality A3+ photo in approx. 2 minutes 55 sec
• High capacity ink tanks ensure long periods between replacements
• Wide range of media support including 356mm (14”) wide and thick media
• Easy-PhotoPrint Pro plug-in for efficient printing workflowCanon today announced the launch of its new flagship PIXMA Pro series model, the PIXMA PRO-1, which is the world’s first A3+ printer to feature 12 separate inks. Featuring an EOS-inspired design, the stylish model produces the highest possible print quality in colour and monochrome, and is ideal for professional and serious amateur photographers. Exceptional levels of productivity make it suitable for studio use and commercial exhibitions.

  Groundbreaking 12-ink system for superb results
  The unique 12-ink system significantly expands colour gamut in most areas and features new Chroma Optimizer for increased black density and uniform glossiness. Five monochrome inks produce professional quality black and white prints with excellent detail in shadow and highlight areas, as well as smooth tonal gradation and suppressed graininess. Next generation LUCIA pigment inks are used for outstanding image permanence, allowing prints to be sold or exhibited with confidence.

• The price looks to be about £800 plus VAT so not cheap but a trouble free printer (some hope) with exceptional quality might just be worth so muchMore information here