Category: Photo

Solution for cleaning inkjet heads (2012)

Cleaning a clogged Epson printer head. (This uses the Epson 3800 as an example.) Here’s how: You’ll need to visit your auto parts store, and get a bottle of “ArmorAll Auto Glass Cleaner” – NOTHING ELSE ! ** (This product is one of the very few that has exactly the right ingredients, in the right […]

Printer head cleaning vs cost (2011)

I recently had someone ask: “…how long can an ink jet printer can go unused before head-cleaning uses more ink than regular printing uses…” and the answer to that is easy: head cleaning -always- uses more ink than printing a simple photo. Probably (I’m making an educated guess here) about 10 times as much on […]

Permanent photo archives? (followup) (2011)

I just got the bare drive and discs. The drive installs as any SATA-based drive does: easily. I put mine in an external enclosure. First thing I notice is that the discs themselves are heavier (literally) than other DVD-R’s, and they are about 70% transparent. Mac sees the drive; Toast writes to it; writes are […]

The changing tide (2011)

I started shooting 55 years ago, and built my first darkroom at age 10. The point is just that I’ve been around for most of the changes, and of course the change to digital is the largest one of all. There was a time when saying that I was a photographer put me in a […]

Size Matters

Most of you know I’m an old-school “straight” photographer. I also am a “fine art” photographer (as opposed to a journalist, fashion, product etc shooter.) My work is sold to collectors, and hangs in galleries. It is meant to be studied and enjoyed, and to live a long life on someone’s wall because it “clicks” […]

Permanent photo archives? (2011)

Well, OK: maybe “only” 1000 years… (see more recent initial review, above, somewhere) (Before I go any further, I’d like to make a point. I think this technology is a milestone in the entire history of computers, and perhaps the most important invention since the computer itself.*) Yep: there is digital technology coming in a […]

A Video Tangent: the FCP X hysteria (2011)

I wrote this letter to a friend who also edits video (as I have, since 1972) and it’s regarding the fact that some professional editors have become irrational when discussing Apple’s new Final Cut Pro X (“ten” not “ex”) editing software. FCPX is a version 1 release, and is missing several features pros need, and […]

On choosing “the best” photo paper (2011)

I’m frequently asked to name “the best” paper for fine-art inkjet printing. (And, please, let’s call it what it is: “inkjet” or “pigment print” and not “giclee” which is way too affected – like “faux” pearls.) This is, actually, an complex and “non-trivial” question, and I’ve considered doing a day-long seminar on this one subject […]

Believing your own press (2011)

I’ve been a teacher and an author and taking photos on and off for over 50 years now. Also as a programmer of some 35 years experience, I’m more than a little familiar with things digital, and how they work. And I’ve got to say, some of the new self-proclaimed experts in photography, especially those […]

My smeary, oily, camera display screen (2011)

… is far less trouble now that I’ve applied this stuff: www.nu-screen.com …which is advertised for iPods, iPads and iPhones, but “works a treat” on my cameras as well. Heck, I’ve even used it on my eyeglasses. (It repels oil, such as from your fingers, or cheeks, and at the very least, makes cleaning it […]

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