Paint Your Event with Heidi Schwartz

One of the neat things of being a fine art printer is the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people and talented artists. Heidi Schwartz is both of those.  Heidi contacted Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction recently to do medium format digital photographic copy work on one of her art pieces that she had recently completed.  I met with Heidi to take delivery of the art work and explained to her the copy work process using Phase One medium format digital backs.  Heidi explained that she is a live event painter.  The piece I was to photograph was actually painted during a special family event that recently took place in Bakersfield.  She paints really fast!  Finished paintings typically are completed by Heidi in about three hours—during the actual event.

The above-image is the image painted by Heidi and photographed by me.  The resulting 16-bit TIFF file exceeds 430 megabytes, ideally suited for reproduction. Heidi’s clients receive the original painting on stretched canvas.

Heidi travels to events and paints them live on canvas. She has been retained to paint live events for fundraisers, corporate events, weddings, and galas throughout the country as well as internationally.  Heidi is a talented artist offering clients a fun and entertaining means to remember their special events.  See, www.PaintYourEvent.com for more information.  Heidi is on Facebook too!  https://www.facebook.com/paintyourevent/

For more information on fine art printing or medium format digital copy work, contact me at Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction.  Ken

Everyone Loves Big Tubes! ; ) Extra Care in Shipping and Handling From Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction

Bigger is better. And when it comes to shipping your larger fine art prints, Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction uses larger shipping tubes than most.  We now use 4″ diameter tubes for larger prints.  In the above image, you can see the difference between a typical 2″ diameter tube and the 4″ diameter tube used by Carmel Fine Art Printing.  It is a marked difference. And this means that your prints do not need to be rolled as tightly, making it much easier to gently handle your prints during shipping as well as making it much easier to flatten, mat, and frame your fine art prints later!  Go big or go home!

Smaller prints up to about 16″ x 20″ are shipped flat when possible in Stay-Flat mailers in various sizes up to about 18″ x 24″.  Prints shipped in Stay-Flats or in 4″ tubes are both interleaved with glassine paper for added protection.

Carmel Fine Art Printing offers exceptional quality fine art printing on archival photographic and fine art papers.  Attention to details is given—-including shipping, helping you to reach your artistic goals— From Vision to Print.

Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction, Order online at www.carmelfineartprinting.com

Ken Doo, (831) 626-1844

The SMDV BRiHT 360 Portable Lighting System

Ivey. ©2017 Ken Doo Photography.  SMDV BRiHT 360 with SMDV Speedbox 85, Phase One XF, Phase One IQ3 100, Schneider 150mm LS

Photographing portraits on location or working at a wedding with a tight schedule poses special challenges for photographers. Working in a controlled studio environment can be relatively easy whereas working on location often means working with a degree of uncertainty, which may include an abrasive wedding coordinator, dimly lit venues, and rapidly changing weather conditions.  Natural light is very limiting and using studio lighting on location is often necessary to produce dramatic lighting, overpower the sun, or simply to get the shot inside a dark reception hall. Mastering studio strobes on location often differentiates novices from more established professionals.  For the busy on-location or wedding photographer, a good, reliable lighting system is indispensable. Portability and ease of use are arguably the most important features for an on-location lighting system, and in this regard, the SMDV BRiHT 360 strobe excels.

Behind the scenes. Testing in studio with the SMDV BRiHT 360 and SMDV Speedbox 85.

I recently had the opportunity to test the newly released SMDV BRiHT 360 strobe. I am familiar with SMDV since I had reviewed their excellent SMDV Alpha Speedbox over a year ago, and use it with my Profoto studio lighting system.  The BRiHT 360 enters the highly competitive lower priced lighting market—at least lower in price compared to offerings from Profoto, Broncolor, and other well-established photographic lighting companies. This new competitive arena is crowded with relatively new brands such as the popular Godox, Flashpoint, Paul Buff Alien Bees and Einsteins, Jinbei, and seemingly dozens of other newly hatched companies eager to join the fray. The challenge should not be to find a portable studio strobe at the lowest price point. The goal is to select a flash unit that offers quality, reliability, portability and ease of use at a moderate price point.

Small, portable, complete lighting kit in a small carry case.

The SMDV BRiHT 360 comes packaged in a nice zippered case with padded dividers, not much bigger than an insulated lunch bag. Inside is ample room in the case for the strobe, handle, two batteries, 5-inch reflector, and Flashwave5 2.4 Ghz transmitter (Canon or Nikon). The lid has additional pockets for extra transmitter batteries (AAA), the manual and 5-inch reflector grid, gels, and diffusion sock. In the case image above you can see an Arca Swiss compatible quick release attached to the handle. An Arca Swiss compatible plate is affixed to the bottom of the BRiHT 360. This allows for extremely fast set-up and break down of the lighting system. Additionally, it also enables the BRiHT 360 to be mounted alternatively onto a tripod with an AS quick release clamp. Pretty nifty. An umbrella holder is built into the light handle.

The SMDV BRiHT 360 is quite small compared to the larger and heavier 500ws Profoto B1 and 250ws Profoto B2.

This light is on the small side and with its attached handle and battery, weighs only about 3 pounds. Despite its small size the SMDV BRiHT provides 360 watt seconds of lighting power, less than the Profoto B1’s 500 ws, but more than the Profoto B2’s 250 ws.  The SMDV BRiHT 360 is situated between B2 and B1 in output, but its form factor is closer to the B1 with its attached lithium battery and cordless operation—but at half the weight!  Build quality is excellent particularly at its price point of approximately $700 for a complete kit (strobe, battery, charger, 5-inch reflector, and Flashwave5 transmitter), which is about 1/3 the price for the Profoto B1 or Profoto B2.  The bare bulb flash tube is user replaceable.

I enjoy working with my Profoto lights, and am fully invested in Profoto and have no intention of changing my lighting systems. I am also fully aware of weaknesses in the Profoto B1/B1x, which is primarily its weight, tipping the scales at just over six pounds. The B1 is cordless and easy to use, but when placed on a light stand with a modifier, it can be easily blown over in the wind. Heavy light stands and sand bags are the norm when using the B1, which in turn takes away from its touted portability.

The SMDV BRiHT 360 weighs less than the Profoto B2 pack and head, yet retains the ease of cordless operation similar to the Profoto B1. Its small form factor and light weight means the BRiHT 360 can more easily be used with smaller (lighter) light stands and be easily weighted down if necessary by a photographer’s backpack and a bungee cord. I found the SMDV BRiHT 360 to be fast and easy to use. It is small enough to be easily portable, yet with enough power for individual and group wedding portraits. I could easily set up one or two of the BRiHT 360 strobes on light stands to remotely light a wedding reception dance floor, using my Canon speedlite for fill, and without worrying about the lights crashing down on the party. If I were still shooting weddings, I would seriously consider the SMDV BRiHT 360. Its small size, light weight, and balance of power make it ideal for weddings. Its smaller cordless form factor makes it a better choice when mounted high up on a light stand over a reception dance floor than other larger, heavier studio monolights such as the Profoto B1 or Godox AD600.

SMDV Flashwave 5 transmitter.

I was particularly impressed by the SMDV Flashwave5 transmitter.  The SMDV BRiHT 360 offers easy wireless control through the Flashwave5 transmitter. Power output is easily adjusted in manual mode by pressing the minus (-) or the plus (+) buttons. High speed sync (HSS) is available as well as shooting with through the lens metering or TTL. I found that the implementation of TTL by SMDV to be exceptionally easy and actually better than the Profoto Air TTL. TTL adjustments on the SMDV BRiHT is made by pressing the (+) or (-) buttons, which adjusts exposure compensation. This is more intuitive than adjusting exposure compensation on the camera body itself.  Channels and groups are easy to adjust on the SMDV Flashwave5. The transmitter is triggered by the camera hot shoe. It uses standard AAA batteries.

SMDV 7-inch tele-reflector next to the Profoto Zoom II and the Profoto Magnum reflectors.

The SMDV BRiHT 360 has its own proprietary mount, similar to Bowens-style mount, but in miniature.  The included 5-inch metal reflector is similar to that used on the Quantum Q-flash. Aftermarket grids and gels are available for the 5-inch reflector. I found the optional tele-reflector to be much more useful as a modifier, particularly when used with 7” grids or a diffusion sock.  I was surprised to find that the quality of the SMDV metal reflectors was on par with my Profoto metal reflectors, using a similar gauge of metal.  The reflectors are not thin and cheap like the standard Alien Bee/Einstein reflectors. I especially liked working with the SMDV Speedbox 85 with the BRiHT 360.  The SMDV proprietary mount on the Speedbox 85 is much lighter than the SMDV Alpha Speedbox used with my Profoto lighting. The SMDV BRiHT 360’s lightweight and small form factor make it particularly effective when working on location and I foresee a formidable lighting tool for wedding photographers. An optional SMDV mount adapter allows the BRiHT 360 to use any Bowens mount modifier.

The SMDV BRiHT 360 strobe is a high-quality lighting option considering its price point.  However, I also know that the market is replete with many different lighting options at this level, and I admittedly am not familiar with Godox/Flashpoint and the many others. Consequently, I thought it would be interesting to invite other photographers with different lighting experience levels to give their impressions of the SMDV BRiHT 360.  No compensation was provided by SMDV.  I didn’t even ask SMDV for their permission to invite other photographers to participate. I just thought it would be interesting to see if other photographers found the SMDV BRiHT 360 easy to use or not.  I invited Monterey photographer Lucas Huey and Carmel photographer Brandalyn Rexeen to try the SMDV BRiHT 360. We shared use of the SMDV BRiHT 360 lights and Flashwave5 transmitter extensively over approximately four months. I hope that the experiences of other photographers with different approaches is a valuable collective review and users report useful to other photographers interested in a portable lighting solution. Their reviews follow.

I have been a full-time professional photographer for over seventeen years. I consider myself “semi-retired” concentrating mostly on portrait work and fine art printing for other photographers and artists. My conclusion in a nutshell is that the SMDV BRiHT 360 is an excellent studio lighting option for on location work. It is small, portable and easy to use. Its size and light weight make it a particularly good choice for wedding photographers.  The SMDV BRiHT 360 is distributed in the U.S. by www.legiophoto.com

Ken Doo

www.kendoophotography.com

www.carmelfineartprinting.com

 

User’s Report:  The SMDV BRiHT 360 Strobe

By Lucas Huey

Growing up I spent a lot of time at my Grandparent’s house.  My father was a farmer, and during the various picking seasons, my mother, brother, and I would go visit relatives in San Diego. My Grandfather loved photography and maintained a working darkroom along with a plethora of 35mm to 4×5 view cameras. As I spent more time with my grandfather, my interest in photography grew.  I learned how to develop and print in the darkroom and use various formats of cameras. My interest in photography continued through my youth and I continued my photographic training with courses in college. I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in photography.

I moved to the central coast of California in 2005.  I am a portrait, wedding, automotive, and landscape photographer located in Monterey, California.  I use studio strobes for most of my work. Currently, I use the Paul Buff Einstein with Cyber Commander transmitter and the Flashpoint Xplor 600 (Godox AD600) with R2 4 zone TTL transmitter. Recently, another local photographer, Ken Doo, asked if I would like to try the new SMDV BriHT 360 strobes.

Senior Portrait. SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D III. ©2017 Lucas Huey Photography

While testing these lights I used them in a variety of situations including senior portraits, commercial, and an engagement session. My initial impressions of the BRiHT 360 were placed in the backdrop of my own studio lights, though both systems are more powerful than the 360ws of the BRiHT 360. Both the BRiHT 360 and Xplor 600 offer HSS and TTL, whereas the 640ws Einstein is limited to 1/200^th flash sync on my Canon DSLR.

The SMDV BRiHT 360 is light, even with the battery attached. It is more portable than the Xplor or the Einstein. The BRiHT 360 balanced really well with the battery sitting on top of the strobe as opposed to the side or with a cord attached. The included case is nice and small and easily slips into a photo backpack with a camera body and 2 lenses. This strobe is also light enough that I was able to use a small, lightweight Cheetah light stand. The Cheetah light stand legs automatically fold up when the stand is lifted, making it exceptionally fast and easy to move and walk to the next location with your client.  See, http://www.cheetahstand.com/product-p/c10.htm  I felt comfortable that the strobe would not fall over.

Behind the scenes on a windy day, I chose to use the SMDV BRiHT 360 with an Arca Swiss quick release on a tripod instead of using a light stand.

The Flashwave 5 remote trigger is really easy to use. It is pretty intuitive.  Adjusting zones was simple and easy to understand. The Flashwave5 are perfect to control lighting on a dance floor during a wedding reception because of the ability to have the different zones fire at different settings. Using Manual mode was also easy.  The Flashwave 5 transmitter is far superior to the R2 trigger of the Xplor 600. The Flashwave 5 allows the BRiHT the ability to adjust by 1/10 of a stop as opposed to the 1/3 stop steps of the R2 and Xplor 600.  This capability made it easier to dial in the correct exposure in manual mode on the BRiHT 360.

The SMDV BRiHT 360 allows HSS up to 1/8000^th.  This a nice option to have and I found that 1/1600 seemed to provide the best lighting for my personal tastes. When shooting on location, using HSS with the BRiHT 360 allowed me to better control the sun while preserving important details in the portrait.

Engagement session. SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D III. ©2017 Lucas Huey Photography.

The mini-Bowens mount on the BRiHT 360 is small to aid portability, but it also limits readily available modifiers from other manufacturers. An adapter must be used in order to mount standard Bowens modifiers.  Over the period of four months, I used the SMDV BRiHT 360 on a variety of jobs and used the standard 5-inch reflector, the SMDV 12-inch beauty dish, the 7-inch tele-reflector, and the SMDV Speedbox 85 with the BRiHT 360.

I was impressed by the ability of the SMDV BRiHT 360 in helping me to achieve a nice blurred background or “bokeh” during a senior portrait session. I was able to shoot at f/2 at 1/1600, ISO 500. Using HSS made it easy to freeze waves crashing in the background without motion blur. I tried shooting at 1/8000, but found that often 1/1600 was the best shutter speed for my sessions.  An Arca Swiss compatible plate was attached to the bottom of the strobes and allowed me to attach the BRiHT 360 to my tripod as opposed to a light stand. This is an easy worthwhile modification to make on the SMDV BRiHT 360.

SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D III. ©2017 Lucas Huey Photography.

I used the BRiHT 360 on an engagement session in the mountains, a beautiful scenic setting that was special to my clients. The BRiHT 360 is so small and portable, it was easy for my assistant to hold the strobe and direct the light quickly when directed.  When portability and weight is a factor, the SMDV BRiHT is the perfect lighting kit.  TTL and HSS on the BRiHT 360 is easy to use and allows me to direct my attention to creating images with my clients rather than fussing with the lights or remote.  The strobe is not the most powerful option, but offers a better balance for portability in a lightweight, easy to use lighting kit. It is ideal for working on location and provides enough power for most situations.

SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D III. ©2017 Lucas Huey Photography.

The small footprint of the BRiHT 360 worked well in a commercial setting. It was nice not having to worry about cords all over the location, which also had pedestrian traffic in the area.  I used a 40 degree grid on the 7-inch tele-reflector, and along with HSS and TTL, my subject popped out nicely despite the busy background.

SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D III. ©2017 Lucas Huey Photography.

During an editorial shoot featuring a car and owner, I decided to use the SMDV BRiHT 360. It was easy to use the strobes in manual mode to underexpose the clouds and background while boosting the light at 1/10th of a stop to create highlights that would show off the curves of the car. The Flashwave5 transmitter made it very easy to control the lighting. The controls on the transmitter are nicely laid out and it is very intuitive.

Editorial shoot. SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D III. ©2017 Lucas Huey Photography.

Porsche Carrera RS. SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D III. ©2017 Lucas Huey Photography.

The ease of the SMDV BRiHT 360 makes it an ideal “first” lighting kit for a “natural light” photographer as well as a perfect portable lighting kit for a portrait or wedding photographer.

Lucas Huey

Monterey, CA May 2017

www.lucashueyphotography.com

www.montereyphotographer.com

 

 

The SMDV BRiHT 360: An Easy Introduction to Off-Camera Lighting

By Brandalyn Rexeen, Photographer, Red Light Girls

Seven years ago, I started the Red Light Girls as a social network for women striving to release their many egos/facades through modeling and sisterhood, and shedding the stigma of social media’s “ideal” model’s body. I have photographed women in all stages of cancer, paralysis, multiple sclerosis, stretch marks, scars, cellulite, varicose veins, all body types and ages—striving to reveal the beauty within every woman. Until recently, I had been photographing my clients only in natural light.  I knew that the next step for me as a photographer was to begin utilizing off camera lighting in my portrait sessions in order to offer my clients better image quality.

Behind the scenes with the SMDV BRiHT 360 with 7-inch tele-reflector and 30 degree grid.

The vast majority of my photography is outdoors and on location. I am also new to using off camera flash. Consequently, both portability and ease of use are very important to me. When Ken Doo asked me to try the newly released SMDV BRiHT 360 for him, I was cautiously optimistic.

RLG. ©2017 Brandalyn Rexeen. SMDV BRiHT 360, Canon 5D IV, 85mm f/1.2 L.

I am relatively new to studio lighting and assumed that setting up lights would be both tedious and difficult. I was surprised how quick and easy it was to set up the SMDV BRiHT 360 with my Canon 5D Mark IV. The Flashwave5 wireless transmitter works seamlessly with the BRiHT 360. I found the controls extremely easy to use.  TTL and HSS functions worked flawlessly to balance with natural light even in harsh mid-day sunlight.  I was surprised how easy this lighting system is to use.

Behind the scenes with the SMDV BRiHT 360 and SMDV Speedbox 85.

I initially sought an off-camera flash solution to simply add some fill onto my model’s faces. Once I used the SMDV BRiHT 360, I realized the capability of this portable system to not only fill in shadows but also to easily add dramatic lighting in any setting.

RLG. ©2017 Brandalyn Rexeen. SMDV BRiHT 360, SMDV Speedbox 85, Canon 5D IV, 85mm f/1.2 L.

The locations that I like to use often require travel and can be somewhat remote. The BRiHT 360 is extremely compact and lightweight, making it easy to slip in a photo backpack with my other gear. I initially used the SMDV 7” tele-reflector with a 30 degree grid and also the SMDV Speedbox 85. Both have helped to unleash newfound creativity and enthusiasm.  The SMDV BRiHT 360 is now a valuable part of my photography kit and I look forward to using it to empower and reveal the natural beauty of the everyday woman.

You can see some of my earlier work at www.redlightshoppe.com.

Brandalyn Rexeen

April 2017

The SMDV BRiHT 360 Portable strobe and Flashwave 5 transmitter is distributed in the U.S. by www.legiophoto.com

 

New Year New Approaches

Me and my boys with Grandma in studio. Phase XF, IQ180, Schneider 40-80mm LS.

The New Year holiday is often a time of introspection and promises of resolutions for the near future. When in reality it is something that everyone should be doing throughout the year. I am constantly gauging for myself what works and what may be improved. 2015 was a very busy and good year, but also one filled with the stresses of how to handle and protect a loved one afflicted with dementia. It hasn’t been easy. But we’ve also been very fortunate to have the resources and discipline to do what is both best and necessary. We have moved my mom from the Bay area to Monterey, making it much easier to spend time with her. It was definitely the right decision and just in time for the new year. There won’t be broken commitments to the latest fad diet or unused gym memberships–that’s never been a problem for our family! 2016 will be a reaffirmation of family and the things that are important to me in life. Professionally, I have decided to remain focused on fine portraiture, commercial photography, and fine art printing for artists and photographers. I will no longer do corporate event work. I will limit the studio to one wedding per year (yup, only one).  And yes, that means taking more time to travel for landscape photography.  2016 is going to be a great year.  kmd.

Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction Grand Opening! 50% Off Prints Limited Time Offer!

Bonsai Rock Panorama available printed on Hahnemuhle Photographic Baryta and Canson Rag Photographique. ©2015 Ken Doo. Cambo WRS, IQ180, HR70 t/s.

It’s official!  I’ve launched my fine art printing website, Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction, making it easier to clients to order fine art prints, giclee canvas, and place re-orders for prints. To mark the grand opening and introduction of the website, online print orders will be 50% off  for a limited time only, until April 10, 2015.  Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction was started for artists, photographers, and the general public to allow easier access to printing their images on the best archival fine art materials.  The website features an easy digital file uploading page tool which also allows users to open a free account, share their portfolio images with friends or their clients, and place orders from any device.  The website also allows for sending evaluation files and larger digital files for large prints and special orders, such as B&W K7 Piezography prints.

Gallery-wrapped stretched canvas ready for delivery. Carmel Fine Art Printing uses archival Lyve canvas and state of the art printers using pigmented inks. Notice the great corners!

Once files are uploaded, users can select print sizes, crop their images, and choose from many different fine art medias including photographic baryta papers, fine art cotton matte papers, and gallery wrapped canvas. Users can select finishing options from just a rolled print, to stretched canvas, canvas floaters and frames—ready to hang.  The fine art paper and canvas selections are exceptional and a step above normal photo lab offerings. The studio’s state of the art printers can produce images up to 44″ in width by whatever length.

Gallery wrapped and stretched bamboo! Stretched fine art papers is available to clients and is a Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction exclusive offering!

Gallery wrapped stretched fine art papers is an exclusive offering from Carmel Fine Art Printing. It is a labor intensive process requiring hand coating of the fine art paper in preparation for stretching over 1.75″ wood bars. Bamboo paper is particularly well-suited for stretching, with the final product being tight as a drum.

Exceptional B&W printing is offered by Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction.

Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction is also one of the few printing studios to offer B&W K7 Piezography printing. Beautiful B&W prints are normally available on the studio’s Epson 9900 printer, with B&W K7 Piezography prints available only by special order. B&W prints from the studio’s K7 printer are simply exceptional.  K7 Piezography MPS selenium prints are available on both matte and glossy papers.  If clients do not have a print ready digital file, Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction also provides high resolution scans and copy work for artists. This process produces a high quality digital file in preparation for the printing process. The studio uses a Phase One IQ180 medium format digital back with 80 megapixels, which is ideal for both color and B&W reproduction. The image above was reproduced using the IQ180 to first generate a high resolution file for some minor restoration work on a family image taken with a young President John F. Kennedy. The image was then printed on K7 B&W Piezography printer. This image exemplifies memorable portraits that are deserving of archival fine art printing!  Printing Family portraits, Wedding portraits, Anniversaries, and other special memories is no different than an artist or photographer seeking to use museum quality materials to sell or simply to display their work. Carmel Fine Art Printing & Reproduction helps you From Vision to Print.

Visit www.carmelfineartprinting.com and let me know your thoughts!  50% off prints introduction offer is for new clients and good until April 10, 2015. Use coupon code carmel50. Offer does not apply to featured artists galleries.  Professional/business accounts are welcome.  Please contact me at (831) 626-1844 for any questions.  Ken Doo

Congratulations Lee & Sian!

Sian and Lee having fun in studio. ©2014 Ken Doo Photography

 

Congratulations to Lee & Sian!  Lee and Sian recently became engaged to be married.  We completed their engagement session recently with portraits taken both in studio and on location at the beach in Carmel.  What a great fun couple!

Sian and Lee at the Beach. ©2014 Ken Doo Photography

 

I just wanted to share a few portraits of Sian and Lee. Each portrait was hand-retouched in preparation for printing in studio and mounting. We also used the studio’s specially converted K7 B&W printer which produces really stunning B&W portraits of unsurpassed quality.  For more information on fine portraiture or scheduling a portrait session, contact me at my boutique portrait photography studio in Carmel, California.  Ken  (831) 626-1844

Ken Doo Photography Family Books

Ken Doo Photography offers custom handmade family books from Italy.

Family Books remain a popular option for special events and extended portrait sessions.  These custom handmade family books are the same luxurious books from Graphistudio in Italy that my wedding clients receive, albeit generally with not as many images or pages.  As with the Wedding Books, all portraits are hand-retouched naturally before the books layout and design is completed.

Silk, hardback and cover, and polished metal are just a few of the book cover options.  Briefcase included!

All the same new cover options are available for family books, and most designs and layouts are clean and simple.  Books are available in a variety of sizes and different page finishes.  Craftsmanship is impeccable and quality is unsurpassed.  All work is quality guaranteed.

Nicely bound and no gutters!

Many sizes and options including pocketbooks and sizes up to a huge 16×20!

For more information, contact me at my boutique portrait studio in Carmel, CA or call (831) 626-1844.  ken

New Wedding Book Cover Catalog and Swatch Book In!

New GraphiStudio Wedding Cover Catalog and Swatch Book. ©2012 Ken Doo Photography.

This just in:  GraphiStudio’s new Cover Catalog and Material Swatch Book!  Finally, choosing the right cover and fine art media choice for your custom GraphiStudio Wedding or Family Book couldn’t be easier!  GraphiStudio Wedding and Family Books are custom designed and handmade in Italy using the finest materials, and of course, your images all hand-retouched by your professional photographer, Ken Doo.  For more information on weddings, family portraits, and the incredible GraphiStudio Books, contact me at my boutique portrait photography studio in Carmel or call (831) 626-1844.  Ken

Welcome to the Darkside: Fine Art B&W Printing Comes of Age

A portrait of a dear departed friend, Mateo. ©2007 Ken Doo. Phase One P30; 150mm f/8 @ 1/60th. Printed recently on a newly converted K7 dedicated B&W printer on Canson Platine Fibre Rag.

Ken Doo Photography has gone to the darkside.  And when you’re talking about fine art B&W printing, that’s a good thing.  I have been printing everything from family wall portraits, to banners, to stunning archival gallery wrapped canvas portraits in-house to insure the highest quality possible.  There is no doubt in my mind that the quality of print and fine art medias offered by my studio exceeds that of any typical pro-lab, whether for color or B&W images.  For B&W images, state of the art printers (such as the Epson 9900) use three blacks (K3) producing beautiful prints rivaled only by those of the wet (and toxic!) darkroom.  Only a dedicated B&W printer can produce better quality images that can rival those produced by a traditional wet darkroom.   My 9900 has become a steady workhorse, consistently producing exceptional portraits for my clients.  But having an extra wide-format printer, I decided to convert my old 9800 to a dedicated B&W K7 (seven blacks!) in an effort to push the quality envelope of fine art B&W printing further.

Bodie General Store. ©2012 Ken Doo. Phase DF, IQ180. Sensor+ iso 140, f/4 @ 1/80. Schneider 55mm. Printed on dedicated K7 B&W printer on Harman Gloss Baryta warmtone.

The conversion to a dedicated seven black (K7) piezography printer for B&W selenium glossy wasn’t easy; it was more difficult than I thought it would be.  A fellow photographer friend of mine was going through the same conversion on a similar but smaller wide format printer.  Her printer died on the operating table.  Not all patients make it, but those that do are exceptional.  After about a week’s time to work out the kinks, I have started testing various fine art medias on my new B&W printer using a glossy selenium inkset.  All I can say is, wow.   B&W prints from the 9900 are excellent.  But B&W prints from the new dedicated K7 printer are stunning.  This particular glossy selenium K7 inkset also utilizes an “eighth” K-ink slot, which is really a gloss optimizer, applied by the K7 printer after the initial printing.  It is a bit more labor intensive, but the advantages well-worth the extra effort.  I also foresee advantages of color prints generated on the 9900 utilizing the gloss optimizer process using the K7 printer.  This isn’t just printing; this is print-making, and that’s really what embodies a Signature Series Portrait made for my clients at my boutique portrait studio in Carmel.

To be fair, a dedicated K7 B&W printer won’t make a mediocre image better.  But it can make an excellent image print better with more smoothness and tonality, with a presence reminiscent of an air-dried wet darkroom print.  The workflow and post-processing is a bit different than images prepared for the 9900.  I’m really excited about being able to offer the best in both color and B&W images for my clients.   I recently visited Death Valley, Mono Lake, and the ghost town of Bodie, CA (images above) and felt very fortunate to capture some exciting new landscape images.  I definitely look forward to offering more B&W landscape images!

For more information on fine art printing, high-resolution medium format digital copywork and reproduction, and portraiture, contact me at (831) 626-1844 or at my boutique photography studio in Carmel, CA.  ken

Custom Wedding Guest Signing Books and Save-the-Date Cards Added!

Save the Date cards and guest sign-in books for 2012

Just a quick update:  Newly offered for 2012 wedding packages are “Save-the-Date” cards and custom Wedding Guest Signing Books.  The Save-the-Date cards are custom designed from the client’s first engagement session, printed on high quality card stock in full color.  Custom Wedding Guest Signing Books are designed from images taken over the course of several engagement sessions and printed on smooth fine art paper.  The Guest Signing Books may be designed to match (if desired) the cover of the client’s custom GraphiStudio Wedding Book album.  All images are hand-retouched naturally.  For more information, contact me at my boutique portrait photography studio in Carmel.  Ken (831) 626-1844.   www.kendoophotography.com