A Five Week Month

Our "Matt Baryta contest" winners, A Maryland photographic event, & Doing the work

September was one of those months, with 5 Tuesdays. As many readers are aware, we issue 4 weekly newsletters every Tuesday, every month. Three of them are free, and the last one with our 1/month DIY is reserved for those who support us with a paid subscription. For September all 5 are free. Hooray! Free stuff! If you can please consider helping us keep the lights on.

Mid-Atlantic Photo Visions

If you live in the USA's mid-Atlantic region, you may be interested in attending Mid-Atlantic Photo Visions. The event is once again an in-person event in Manassas, Virginia.

Our Matt Baryta Contest Winners

Yes, you heard that correctly. Not a winner but two winners, that’s how we roll, we couldn’t decide between our top two entries. I mentioned all of the entries were worthy and would have looked great printed large on the Canson Infinity Baryta Photographique II Matt. The two winners proved to be perfect pairings after proofing them we couldn’t pick just one. We’ll be doing this kind of photo-paper pairing contest again soon. I think the recipe being genre and paper matching is fun and educational. Let us know a genre and paper you’d like to see in the comments.

Winner #1 Christophe Casamassima

A few words from Christophe:

About the photograph: I shot this Ring-billed Gull from the shores of Jamaica Bay in Howard Beach, NY. I think it was just after sunrise, about 6:30 AM, and the water was still and mirrorlike, calm enough to capture the almost identical reflection. I processed the image with an eye to obliterating any sense of water and horizon: the three little droplets touching the wing of the reflected Gull was enough information, for me, to elaborate some sense of materiality, that this wasn't an illusion. 

A few thoughts about the print: initially, on screen, the contrast between the upper, lighter image (Gull) and the lower, darker reflection, seemed wide enough to suggest that separation of air and water and space. When the image went to print, it seemed the paper gave this contrast more heft, a greater darkness that was subtle yet too heavy for a gentle, light action of flight and reflection. The print has a greater contrast now, and the lights float above the darker and more appropriately submerged view of the reflection, and the paper carries these distinctions of light/light and dark/heavy with utmost versatility: the ink literally “floats” on this paper, and there is enough tooth (just enough) to lend this ethereal image a reality. 

For more work, and contact information see Christophe’s web site www.christophecasamassima.com.

Winner #2 John Goddard

A few words from John:

I took the photo that Bob and Les printed in August when one of my grandsons was visiting my wife and I in Colorado.  On an unusually overcast day, we had reservations to ride the historic cog railway from Manitou Springs up to the 14,000 ft. summit of Pikes Peak.  As I was looking for photos between gasps for oxygen at the summit, I walked by the train platform when two trains were there at the same time.  I found the magic in the subline geometry and symmetry of the scene, heightened by the perspective which leads one to wonder, “Exactly where do these trains go, anyway?”

The print brings out all I “saw” when I took the photograph – and more!   This image printed on Canson Matt Baryta is simply stunning.  The details are rendered beautifully.  One can almost feel the texture of the walkway between the trains.  The contrast is excellent with deep, deep blacks and soft highlights.  The incredible sharpness of the print is nicely balanced with the subtle warmth of the paper.  This print is decidedly more compelling than the one I did for myself on Red River Aurora Art White.  This whole exercise has truly brought home the message that the paper one uses has a big influence on whether the photograph fully communicates a photographer’s “vision.”

See more of John’s work or get in touch at johngoddardphotography.com

These new-ish Baryta matt papers are definitely worth trying out for any photograph that wants that snappy blacks Baryta look with absolutely no reflections. It’s very different than typical matt papers that have some degree of “tooth”. Let our winners know what you think and ask them any particular questions you might have about the paper.

Doing The Work

Exhibition, book, zine, or any other serious collection of photographs that share a story. There’s work to be done, a lot of it. There are two secrets to success. The first one is to start. Put a stake in the ground and start. It’s okay if you don’t know exactly where to start or where the end is but starting the work is obviously crucial and sometimes hard. Rule of thumb; if you’ve been thinking about how to start or where a project might go for over a month, stop thinking and just start.

The second secret is that not every project will be “the best thing ever done”. This is especially true of your first draft, your first edit, your first rendition. These first drafts, whatever they are, no matter how hard they were to get there, are never great. They are a step forward. Take a step back, keep what works, remember what doesn’t, move forward. This is much harder than starting.

I was reminded that “doing the work” isn’t always easy, obvious, nor rewarding today when Les and I reviewed a book project we’ve been working on for the better part of two years. Every step was hard, head-bangingly hard but he’s finally produced a version that he’s happy with. It’s the first one he’s proud of. It was hard but going back to it over and over again was the answer. Will the finished product be everyone’s cup of tea? Probably not but nothing ever is. Was it worth doing? Absolutely. We’ll be following up on this project over the next few months. I’ll leave telling the story to Les but I am sure he will agree that “doing the work” is the secret.