The fine print is much more than a mere reproduction
of an image. It is the culmination of the inspiration and vision of the
photographer. It is the clearest, most direct and powerful form of the image,
and has the ability to move beyond words, ideas and concepts to touch and
move the viewer in the most direct and immediate way. In its highest form,
the fine print can be a transparent vehicle, boldly communicating with whispers
and suggestions of worlds previously unseen and unknown.
No other form of the image can convey as powerfully
the subtleties, the presence and the luminosity which can exist in the
fine print. The fine print is, in actuality, the culmination of the photographic
creative process; each print can legitimately be considered an original
work of art.
One of the unique advantages of photography is that
multiple prints can be made of the same image, with tremendous creative
interpretation possible in the printing process. The form and framework
of the image exists at an intermediate stage within the negative (or transparency),
but is unrealized and unmanifested until the creation of the fine print.
The fine print is a vital and necessary part of the
whole creative photographic process, and is the final step which conveys
to the viewer the essence of what was seen and felt at the moment of exposure
of the film. With a complete understanding of all the intermediate steps
that lead to culmination in the final print, the photographer can work
most effectively with the photographic materials at hand, and can best
use the whole process in the most creative way.
To master the photographic process, it is necessary
to intuitively understand the nature of light and color; and their interactions
with film and sensitized materials, from the moment of exposure to the
final print. Only by a complete knowledge of the entire process can a
person fully utilize the materials for the clearest and most complete
artistic expression.
This is why I am the only one who will print any of
my own photographs, both now and in the future. You can be assured that
each print is carefully and meticulously printed, one at a time, by myself,
to the highest standards. When I print, I spend unlimited time on each
image, working to fine-tune the image until it reaches a point that is
close to perfection, and expresses that which I see and feel.
Only in this way is it possible for the print to have
the ability to speak to the viewer of the mysteries around us; those that
fill earth and heaven, and make our souls sing with thanksgiving and praise.
This is the purpose and goal I pursue endlessly.