The Darlow Report
by Andrew Darlow
11/20/09

Hi folks:
 
Thanksgiving is just a week away in the U.S., and as usual, the number 
of photography exhibitions currently on display is incredible. For 
this issue of RDJ, I mention a benefit auction in Philadephia, PA, 
share a few printing tips, and announce a new book and new product 
that I helped develop with a company based in Dallas, TX.
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The Photo Review Preview Exhibition, Benefit Auction and Special 
Reception
 
The Photo Review (below) is an outstanding journal that I receive and highly 
recommend, especially if you are based in the Northeast U.S. and enjoy 
visiting galleries in the region. The listings of exhibitions, photo- 
related events, book reviews and workshops is extensive. Here is a 
quick overview of The Photo Review from their website:
 
"Publishing since 1976, The Photo Review covers photography events 
throughout the country and serves as a central resource for the Mid- 
Atlantic region. With incisive reviews, exciting portfolios, lively 
interviews, the latest in books and exhibitions, The Photo Review 
quarterly journal has earned a reputation as one of the best serious 
photography publications being produced today.
 
"In past years, The Photo Review has presented previously unpublished 
images by Weegee, Duane Michals, and Frederick Sommer and catalogues 
for a James VanDerZee exhibition, a show of Lois Greenfield's dynamic 
dance photographs, and the exhibition 'Changing Visions of the 
American Landscape.' Most recently, we have extended our coverage to 
include the European scene, with reports from Documenta and Arles, and 
regular reports from FotoFest."
 
On Friday and Saturday, 11/20 and 11/21, there will be Preview 
Exhibition of The Photo Review Benefit Auction. It will be held at the 
Dorrance-Hamilton Building, Broad and Pine Streets, on Friday, 
November 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, November 21 from 
11 a.m. to 6 p.m., just prior to the auction. The online auction 
listing is also available for bidding, and is well worth a look. Each 
of the 252 photographs are available for viewing as a thumbnail or at 
a larger size on this page: http://www.photoreview.org/Auction/list.php
 

 
On Saturday, November 21, a Benefit Auction and Special Reception will 
be held at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA.
 
For more information, visit: http://www.photoreview.org/auction.htm
 
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A Few Quick Printing Tips:
 
I recently was asked to match a client’s 17x22 inch proof print so 
that it could be printed larger. Because the print was to be about 
30x46 inches in size, I purchased what I assumed was the same exact 
paper from the same company since it had the same name and specs. 
However, when I received the paper, it was very different-the white 
point was notably warmer, and it had much less of a textured surface. 
That resulted in wasted time trying to match the color and overall 
look, so I chose another paper that was closer in look to her proof, 
and sent her a test print at 17x22 inches on both papers for her to 
decide which she preferred.
 
So here's the tip: always inspect your paper carefully to determine 
whether something has changed. If you see a big difference and would 
like to return the paper, contact the distributor first. I would also 
contact the manufacturer. It may have been a labeling error, or the 
company may have changed the formulation of the paper or coating over 
time.
 
Related to this is the fact that under different lighting conditions, 
colors will often look different, especially when working with black 
and white prints or very saturated prints. Even very high quality 
halogen lights might not show subtle differences in saturation that 
you will see under true daylight. The tip in this case is to do your 
fine-art proofing under a 4000-5000 degree Kelvin high-quality halogen 
light (such as the lights made by SoLux), but also check to see how 
things look under true daylight outdoors at about noon. Work is often 
displayed in homes that receive a lot of daylight, and this approach 
can help save time and materials. You may also want to check colors 
under 4000-5000 degree Kelvin fluorescent tube lighting, especially 
since there are often fluorescent brighteners added to paper bases and/ 
or coatings that can really affect the way colors look. I wrote an 
article about lighting here for PDNonline.com that includes 
information about SoLux bulbs and fixtures: http://tinyurl.com/36kfx9
----
New GalleryPouch™ Gold Premium Bubble Bags Now Available
 
I recently helped to develop a heavyweight bubble bag with Frame 
Destination Inc., a company who produced and sells framing products, 
including frames, mats, stretcher bars and glass/acrylic. The 
inspiration was a need for such a product when I completed a project 
for a client consisting of about 10 40x40 inch stretched canvases. The 
bags are available either with a Velcro® closure, or just with a flap 
so that you can use tape or another method to close the bag.
 
For much more info, as well as a four minute video overview of the 
product (it’s my first YouTube undertaking, and it wasn’t easy!), 
visit the dedicated site for the products at http://www.gallerypouch.com.
 

 
And to visit the company’s site who makes and sells the bags, 
visit http://www.framedestination.com
----
New Book From Focal Press
 
I recently had a book published by Focal Press aimed primarily at 
beginner to intermediate photographers who want to learn more about 
how to take better photos of pets and the people who love them. It’s 
entitled:
 
Pet Photography 101: Tips for taking better photos of your dog or cat
 
I’ve been photographing pets and people for over 20 years, and 
throughout the book are a number of "pro techniques" as well as step- 
by-step info about organizing images for any workflow, since one of 
the major items I’ve noticed when doing consulting with clients is the 
fact that few people have an organized system for tracking and 
archiving their images.
 

 
Links to free excerpts can be found below:
 
To download the Introduction, Table of Contents and Foreword, click on 
this link:
http://www.photopettips.com/PetPhotography101Intro.pdf
 
To download all of Chapter 2, click on this link:
http://www.photopettips.com/Pet_Photography_Chap_2.pdf
 
I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think of the book 
(or feel free to post a review online at Amazon.com or BN.com) if you 
pick up a copy. If you’d like your local library to carry the book, 
just give them the book’s title and they will often order a new copy, 
or they might be able to find one from a library in your area.
--
That's all for now. If you'd like to share any thoughts about my 
thoughts, feel free to
contact me through the contact form here: http://www.inkjettips.com/contact-us/
 
... and here are a few of my social media links if you'd like to connect 
(please just mention that you are a RDJ reader for Facebook and 
LinkedIn):
 
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/andrewdarlow
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/adarlow
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/adarlow
 
All the best!
 
Andrew
_______
 
About Andrew: 
Andrew Darlow is a photographer, author and digital imaging consultant 
based in the New York City area. He is editor of The Imaging Buffet, 
an online resource with news, reviews and interviews covering the 
subjects of digital photography and printing. Andrew is the author of 
Pet Photography 101: Tips for taking better photos of your dog or cat 
(www.PhotoPetTips.com) and 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: 
An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers (www.InkjetTips.com). 
He can be reached for private or phone consulting at 732-742-0123.