The Photograph
The 72nd Alain Briot Print of the Month photograph is titled Clouds Mesa.

It was created with my Phase One P45 digital back mounted on a Hasselblad SWCM-CF camera with a fixed Zeiss Biogon 38mm. This image is a digital collage created from about 8 separate captures. The resolution of the final image is very high making it possible to print this photograph to mural size if need be. Needless to say, the detail is incredible. As always, the jpeg on this page cannot do justice to the final print which is gorgeous.

It took me 6 months to complete this image, between the work involved in stitching the frames, the color correction work and the image optimization. Part of the problem was that the 8 or more (I cannot remember how many precisely) captures were taken over a 30 minutes or more period and the light changed while I was photographing. As a result, different clouds and cloud shadows as well as light and dark areas on the landscape are present in the different captures. Merging them did not solve this problem, hence I had to do a lot of hand work to make all the different captures live happily together. I also had to clone part of the clouds at the top of the image because I somehow forgot to photograph that area... If you look carefully you will see that the top left cloud area is similar to the top right-center cloud area. That is because I cloned the top right-center area, flipped it horizontally, then used it to fill the top left area which was blank. I also had difficulties with having the colors match throughout the image. Finally, I was not sure if it was ready for publication until I decided there was nothing more I could do to make it better, something that I decided at the end of February while showing this image to one of my students and realizing I very much liked it the way it is.

The result is a unique photograph that can never be duplicated since going back to the location and taking the same photo would be impossible since it is not a single photograph but a merging of several different captures to which parts were added. The final piece is both beautiful and unique.

Most importantly, beyond all these technical considerations, this piece represents not only a place but an emotion. It stands for my emotional response to this scene. In my work, I find inspiration in the words that Ansel Adams penned in1979 in his Foreword to Yosemite and the Range of Light:

. . . I was casually making a visual diary - recording where I had been and what I had seen-and becoming intimate with the spirit of wild places.  Gradually my photographs began to mean something in themselves; they became records of experiences as well as of places.

Because of the incredible level of detail present in this image, I decided to offer it in 24x30 mat size instead of 16x20 mat size, which is the regular size for print of the month photographs. The 16x20 mat size is just too small to do justice to this image.

Matting and Framing
This photograph is available matted, or matted and framed, in a Mahogany Finish frame. Below is a sample of the moulding. The mat is white, Archival Bainbridge. Mounting is done with hinged archival tape. All the materials used are archival.

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After unpacking your photograph, "Canyons of the San Juan 1," I was blown away by the colors, highlight, shadow detail, and the overall dynamic range of the image. The image posted on your web site comes nowhere near to expressing the brilliance and beauty of the actual print. It is simply superb and I am very glad that I chose this one. The presentation, framing, matting, and backing were also first rate. The frame complements the image very nicely. The print was very well packaged to prevent any damage and it arrived as promised. If we ever move I’d like to hire Natalie to help with the packing ;-) All in all Alain, a first rate job all the way around! I will look forward to displaying this image to friends and visitors. David White Grass Valley, CA June 2006

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