Information & Services

Price Reductions May 2010

As we are in difficult economic times I have drastically reduced my prices on many images within the collections, despite the relatively high prices of archival paper and inks. These prices will inevitably rise as things improve so, now, is a very good time to pick up a bargain.

Price reductions are as follow as of 10/5/2010;

60x80cm unframed print was £180.00 now £120.00
50x70cm unframed print was £160.00 now £110.00
20”x16” unframed print was £120.00 now £85.00
16”x12” unframed print was £100.00 now £75.00

Please note that if you choose to purchase via paypal and you find the old (higher) prices being displayed it will mean that I have not had a chance to update that image (there are a great many to change each time I change prices!) You can either notify me via email or phone in this instance – Please DO NOT proceed to buy or you will be charged the higher price by the system.

Also please note that ANY work that is in the ‘Reflections’ sections, ie, London, Paris and New York, all retain their original prices. One reason for this is that exhibition and gallery work is priced in a very different way to non exhibition work, as other people are involved in the sale and marketing of these images.

ROCKPOOL

This is a new section of images that have been influenced by surrealism and surrealists such as; Salvador Dali and the British Designer, artist and photographer; Storm Thorgerson ( of Pink Floyd renown, amongst many others too numerous to mention here)

As, I shoot many images on beaches, Cloudscapes, Seascapes etc, what’s under my feet is often ignored. The natural rockpools, odd arrangements of pepples and rocks and the shifting sand patterns all expertly arranged by the sea. I haven’t tried to interfere with this natural process as I don’t really see it necessary to.

My input is in trying to spot the shapes I feel are of interest. In the Post production of these images I have tried to give a darker, richer and more unnatural, almost ‘studio’ lit feel to them in an effort to enhance the textures and colours that are within the digital file.

Images can be found in the 'Image Gallery' section on this site under, not surprisingly 'Rockpool'

The Print Production Process

Below is a little technical information for anyone who wishes to know more about the processes and materials I use. I understand that not everyone will be interested in this, but offer it to those who are!

The Print Process.

Personally, it's my belief that the ‘Post Production’ and subsequent printing of an image can make or break a good photograph and that it needs to be undertaken with as much care and knowledge as is to hand; if the results are to be ‘the very best’ that can be drawn out of all the latent detail within either the negative, transparency or digitally captured image.

All my digital camera files are always processed as 16 bit files. One of the reasons for this is that 16 bit production offers greater subtlety over 8 bit (which is what the image will be when it’s actually printed) Any colour changes or other enhancements that are made will be far smoother as 16vs8 obviously, has twice the bit depth (twice the amount of pixels) thus the amount of image degradation is kept to a minimum. In the case of film; images are scanned at high resolution in 16 bit and the same process applies.

My pictures are produced using ‘editable layer sets’ and run out as ‘test proofs’ these smaller ‘proofs’ help me to determine how the changes that I’m making within each image are actually going to look in the final print. The reason for editable layer sets is that I can go back to previous proofs by turning ‘sets’ on or off. A good example of this is an image could have as many as 10 test proofs and I may decide, further down the line, that I actually thought proof number ‘6’ was the best – so turn off sets 7,8,9 & 10 – simple, but effective !

Colour Management

A little concerning ICC profiles (which I use methodically in my print production)

At the foot of this article is a piece explaining exactly what an ICC profile is. My explanation is thus; Modern printers are capable of superb colour rendition and the special surface coatings of paper & canvas that are developed are, if to perform at their optimum, meant to be used in conjunction with ICC profiles. The manufacturers want their products to perform as they intended and at their best so they produce special ICC profiles to accompany different paper types. These ICC profiles are extremely important to consistently good and repeatable print production. The paper & canvas suppliers that I use have specially developed profiles for each paper & canvas type.

Materials Used.

All images are printed onto acid free, museum grade archival paper & canvas using ‘Ultra chrome’ K3 inks to ensure a museum grade archival final print. The canvas used is the most archival material available imported from the USA. A museum grade coating further protects the print from UV light & atmospheric pollutants. The finished prints are wrapped on exhibition quality frames made from finger jointed renewable pine. The frames have mitre cut expansion corners together with pegs that will keep the fabric nicely tensioned over time.

To summarize; each print is produced using the most modern technology in inkjet, paper & canvas presently available on the market.

Article Excerpt taken from the web : Concerning ICC profiles
Andy Benedek clears the confusion over the colour management components.
What are ICC profiles?
ICC profiles are components of, and are used by, colour management systems. They describe the characteristics of equipment used in the manipulation and reproduction of colour images to maintain the most accurate or most acceptable rendition of a reproduced image.
Why should they interest me?
If you acquire colour images and print them, the use of accurate ICC profiles for input and output devices, as part of a colour management system, is necessary in order to produce consistently acceptable results. Not using them means leaving results largely to chance.
What does ICC mean?
ICC stands for the International Colour Consortium, the body that drew up the specification.

The Materials I use

The materials used for exhibition and print work: Canvas, Prints & Inks.

Fine Art Quality Canvas
The textured matte canvas is heavyweight and importantly, 100% acid and optical brightener free to prevent yellowing or colour shift. It is the most advanced of which I am aware and produces unsurpassed durability and colour gamut. It is a pure bright white unlike many other canvases, has far fewer impurities, and no pinholes. This is why it has recently been acclaimed by the Fine Art Trade Guild and achieved an astounding 7.2 out of 8 on the acidity test (6 is enough to be termed acid free and fine art approved).

Pigmented Inks and Superfine Resolution
The printers use pigmented UV inks with an independently proven fade resistance of up to 200 years in ideal conditions.

Museum Grade Varnish
This sealer enhances colour depth and protects against moisture, scuffing and UV light. It won't dry out and crack like cheaper coatings and there is no chance of unsightly de-lamination or loss of canvas texture as with plastic sealed products.

Exhibition Quality Stretchers
Using the very best, 100% knot-free stretcher bars made from laminated sections of European pine (non-rainforest) to vastly reduce the chance of warping. The tensioning pegs can be used to tighten the canvas and avoid expensive re-stretching in the future. These stretchers are far superior to most others on the market.
Every canvas is made in-house by people who care about every last detail. They come fitted with a special canvas hanger and high-grade finishing tape to the reverse and include a ‘care sheet’

Framed Prints
The framed prints are printed on ‘Optica One’ 300gsm 100% cotton white smooth fine art paper from Breathing Colour (USA). using Epson Ultrachrome K3 inks that deliver high quality prints that look superb in any lighting condition: have excellent colour stability and outstanding durability. Longevity up to 75 years in colour and over 100 years in black and white.

The Print Gallery

To save confusion I have removed many of the 'Gallery' images that have normally been in the 'Image Gallery' section of this website.

They are STILL on the site but now only display in the 'PRINT GALLERY'section.

All of the frame codes are also still the same - click on the image to buy and it will display the selection of frames that the print will fit.

ALL my print work is sold unframed, due to the difficulty and fragility of glass in transit.

New Canvas Triptychs & Quadrics

Signed Limited Edition Canvas Triptych & Quadric prints that now offer a diverse selection of sizes & prices, available for print on the following Gallery sections; 'Reflections of London' & 'Reflections of New York'

'Triptychs' are square canvas prints consisting of three sections designed to be hung together as 1 image.

'Quadrics' are square canvas prints consisting of four sections designed to be hung together as 1 image (as above/right).

Any borders (black or white) shown on images are for illustration purposes only to assist viewing.

In the case of Quadrics The size ranges are from 1 meter square (100cm Sq x 4)down to half a meter square (50cm Sq x 4)These go down in 10cm increments -eg, 90x90cm x 4 -80x80cm x 4 etc down until 50x50cm x 4 (the smallest size I produce)

For the Triptychs the principal is the same except x 3

Prices apply to current exchange rates at the time of placing orders; taking advantage of favourable exchange rates presently existing against the GBP British Pound.

Should you wish to purchase a canvas piece the following steps may be of assistance:

Step 1. Choose an image type and style (Triptych or Quadric).
Step 2. Decide the size that match your budget, décor and available space.
Step 3. Select the image, size, type & price according to the list tables.

Prices are available upon request.

CHEAPER PRINTS FOR OVERSEAS BUYERS

Due to the falling GB pound against the Dollar and Euro there hasn't been (for a while any way) a better time to purchase from the UK. My prices are set as GB pounds and current exchange rates apply - regardless of how weak the pound is against the Dollar or Euro so real savings can be made by anyone wishing to aquire prints from overseas.

PAYPAL ENABLED

I have PayPal securely installed on this site, as most sites of this type do with these kinds of web transactions. It is used by millions of people safely and is really the only way to sell securely in this manner. If you are not comfortable with this method of payment then I am happy to take orders via email confirmation and cheque in a more conventional manner. Just email me at this address; studiof8fx@googlemail.com and I will be happy to discuss alternatives.

Paris 2009

Yes indeed, the suffering I endure to produce these images knows no bounds !

These images are from September 2009 and are still in the process of post production (which can take some time – especially in the case of the panoramas) I have put a small selection (40) up on line for now and will be adding codes and details when I can. The Images can be found in the ‘galleries’ section on the website – not surprisingly, under the heading ‘Paris’