Digitalsilverimaging

The Fine Art of Printing in a Digital World

DSI Blog

Instant Image Archive Compared to Drum Scan

by

The Instant Image Archive Service produces drum scan quality at a fraction of the price and in a fraction of the time. We can make this claim because we ran a test. The examples in this post show the same black & white negative reproduced by drum scan and by the Instant Image Capture System. These are straight reproductions, just as they would be delivered with only the image inversion performed. 

From these samples it is obvious that there is no qualitative difference between the two. This is amazing in that the Instant Image Capture is 1/5 to 1/10 the price of most drum scans and it takes only 1/60 of a second, allowing for 100s of high resolution captures in a day.

If you have 500+ negatives, transparencies, or prints up to 20×24” you’d like us to scan we can bring our system to you! Our On-site Instant Image Preservation Service™ brings our system to your location in a custom built van. Now you don’t need to worry about moving or shipping your valuable archive. This service is available anywhere in the contiguous USA. Contact us for more details or for a quote.

b&w image of a hose coiled over a fence
Instant Image Capture – full frame
b&w image of hose coiled on a fence
Drum Scan – Full Frame
detail of hose coiled on a fence
Instant Image Capture – Detail
detail of drum scan
Drum Scan – Detail

 

Digitally Capturing Elliot Erwitt’s Photo Archive

by

Scott Nidermaier and Elliot Erwitt review a digitally captured image
Scott and Elliot Erwitt review digital captures.

Elliott Erwitt’s many photographs have become part of the world’s visual vernacular. His images for Look, Life, and Magnum capture a world of humor, beauty and irony. His prolific output has filled over 20 published books, with a new book just released in 2021. Elliott’s prints are in virtually every major museum collection in the US and abroad. At the age of 92, Elliott Erwitt hasn’t slowed down much, he’s involved in a variety of projects and working on his archive.

Elliott Erwitt’s archive is where Digital Silver Imaging comes into the picture. Rick Smolan, former Time and National Geographic photographer and Elliott’s son-in-law, came to us with an idea for on-site film digitization. He said that Elliott was reluctant to have his archive leave the studio—a concern widely shared by other photographers—so high resolution on-site high resolution image capture would be ideal. Within In a few short months we had sourced the required high resolution equipment, hired PhaseOne and CaptureOne expert Scott Nidermaier, and formed the Digital Silver Imaging On-site Image Preservation Service™.

view of elliot erwitt's studio
On a chilly Sunday afternoon, Scott and DSI’s Eric Luden got to work digitizing Elliott’s archive. Over the course of the next several days the pair would set up in Elliott Erwitt’s studio and rapidly capture some 3,400 negatives and transparencies. For some photographers such an undertaking could take months or even years, but utilizing our On-site Image Preservation Service™ the job was completed in under three weeks. At the core of the system we utilize a high resolution digital camera mounted with a flat field lens. This method of digital capture produces drum scan quality images with a click of the shutter. Unlike drum scanning, this process minimizes contact between film and machine, dramatically reducing the risk of scratching or damage.

Scott has emphasized that each job is different and attentive preparation is the key to a smooth digital archiving process. The On-site Image Preservation Service™ operates on the principle that every archive is unique, and we customize the service to fit the needs of each client.

elliott erwitt negative strip in holder
Negative strip loaded into “touchless” magnetic holder and ready for digital capture

Much of the credit for the efficient digitization of Elliott’ Erwitt’s archive goes to his studio manager, Mio Nakamura, who organized the film by box, contact sheet, and negative with a corresponding spreadsheet, so there was no confusion about which images to capture. With the digitization of Elliott’s prized images now complete, his entire film archive will be housed at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. It’s a comfort to know that Elliott’s film will be preserved in perpetuity.

elliott erwitt digital capture on computer monitor
Reviewing a capture

Looking back on Elliott’s project, Scott reflected, “It was fascinating to see a sheet of great negatives and wonder why Elliott picked one negative over another. Also, we digitized many images of family that obviously had personal significance to Elliott. Elliot Erwitt lived with a camera in his hand. Sure the Marilyn Monroe and celebrity images are amazing, but there are so many great images that have never been seen before. It makes you realize that archiving is not just about a financial legacy, it’s a personal legacy. It tells you so much about the life of the artist.”

door bell of elliot erwitt enterprizesDigital Silver Imaging is grateful to Elliott Erwitt, Mio Nakamura and Rick Smolan for inviting us to collaborate on this important project. We feel that we played a role in photo history, providing a service to one of the greatest living photographers.

If you are interested in our On-site Image Preservation Service™ please contact Scott Nidermaier at scott@digitalsilverimaging.com.

Webinars & Video Tutorials

by

Visit and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to see all our videos.

Optimize Your Image for Print with Capture One – Capture One expert Scott Nidermaier walks you through the process of preparing your image for print. Capture One is powerful software that has the best inversion (negative to positive) capabilities in the business. Join us for this informative 30 minute presentation followed by an audience Q&A session.

 

Instant Image Capture, Better Than Scanning – Come along for a tour of our Instant Image Archiving Service and the hardware and software that make it all possible. Our new service digitally captures your film, print or artwork at a uniform 150 megapixels in a fraction of a second. We can make digital files of your work as quickly as we can safely prepare them for capture – transparencies/slides, negatives, prints and flat artwork can all be reproduced with the highest standards of accuracy. This webinar ends with an extensive Q&A.

 

The Art of Underwater Photography with Jake Stout – A deep dive with photographer and scuba diver Jake Stout – Jake began his SCUBA journey in 2017 and never looked back. A year later, he was the recipient of the Boston Sea Rover’s internship in which he traveled around the world doing underwater photography with marine scientists, BBC and National Geographic photographers and filmmakers. In 2019 Jake had the honor of presenting his work at the Boston Sea Rovers Film Festival, the longest continually running dive show in the world, and was inducted as a full active roster member in 2020.

 

Using Photography to Elevate Your Design – A beautifully finished and well crafted photograph can be the defining element of an interior space. As a designer or architect, you are confronted with questions like, what are the best photographic printing processes? How can I finish a photograph to best complement my design aesthetic? What should my photography budget look like? How do I work with a gallery or photographer? These questions and more will all are answered in a this Zoom panel discussion. The panel will consist of fine art photo lab owners Eric Luden and Andrea Zocchi, architect Tim Techler and art consultant Lynne Kortenhaus who has helped numerous clients acquire images and design interior spaces with photographic installations.

 

Converting Your Image to B&W with Joe Brady – How you execute your black and white conversion can make-or-break your image and your print. Simply selecting “grey scale’ results in soulless black & white conversions. Photoshop® and Lightroom® expert Joe Brady will share how he converts his images from color to black & white. Joe steps you through the process in clear easy to follow steps. Also included is a howto on the Nik Silver Efex Pro plug in. Joe and the team from Digital Silver Imaging will answer your questions live in this informative and interactive webinar. Included in the webinar: Starting your edit in color for the best black & white Using the graduated filter function to even exposure How to properly spot your image Using color channels to make amazing black & white conversions Using the brush tool to make black & white images that pop Best practices for exporting your image for print.

 

Photographing in India and Nepal: An Insider’s Guide – Join us with Roro La Velle and Craig Semetko as we take you on a journey through India and Nepal. Both of these Roro and Craig have experience as photographers, travelers, and tour leaders in these fascinating and photo friendly countries. Roro La Velle is the founder of Two Wheeled Expeditions, a company that takes participants via Royal Enfield motorcycles on tours of India and Nepal. Craig Semetko is a Leica professional and author of the book “India Unposed.”

 

Creating a Successful Kickstarter Campaign with Barry Schneier and Lou Jones – We speak with photographers Barry Schneier and Lou Jones about their successful Kickstarter projects. Barry’s book project on Bruce Springsteen was the second most popular photography book on Kickstarter in 2018. Lou has had 2 successful campaigns on this crowdfunding platform. We will discuss what made their campaigns successful and some important tips and suggestions. We end with Q&A from the attendees.

 

Online Printing Made Easy – We will walk you through the steps to using our new online Value Print Service for uploading your files for beautiful high quality prints and reasonable prices. An easy way to become acquainted with our online Value Print application. Includes a Q&A session with webinar participants.

Art Reproduction & Giclée Prints

by

Mention this ad and receive 10% Off your first Art Reproduction order. Use Promo Code ANE2020. This is a limited time offer.

We approach art reproduction as a collaborative process. At Digital Silver Imaging we use the highest standards of image capture, color corrected workflow, and archival print reproduction. We utilize the best digital capture device for the job. Our primary art reproduction tool is the Digital Heritage System, the same system employed by MOMA, The National Gallery of Art, and the Denver Art Museum just to name a few. However, it takes more than sophisticated equipment, or a giant digital file, to make a good reproduction. Duplicating art takes a high level of craft and an understanding of the mediums used. No print will ever duplicate an original painting, drawing or mixed media work, but we strive to achieve a visual and perceptual match with every print.

©Carolyn Young Hisel, website: cyhisel.com

Our Art Reproduction Process

  • Your artwork is digitally photographed to accurately reproduce color and texture.
  • All files are color balanced.
  • Proof print included with Premium Reproduction service.
  • 10% Off Prints with Premium reproduction service.

Fine Art Inkjet Prints

  • Our Inkjet/Giclée* prints are made on the highest quality pigment printers.
  • You can choose from a variety of fine art paper stocks and surfaces.
  • We guarantee archival quality.
  • Limited editions,  serialized holographic labels, and certificates of authenticity are available.
  • For more information on our printing see Custom Color Inkjet Pricing.


Matting, mounting and framing is available at reasonable prices. We can also custom build a portfolio box or case for your edition. Once complete we can ship your prints directly to a client in the next state or around the world.

Basic Capture Premium Capture
Flat artwork up to 20x24"For dimensional artwork requiring custom lighting or pieces over 20x24"
Original size20x24” Max Dimension24” Max Dimension30” Max Dimension40" Max Dimension48" Max DimensionOver 48”
Pricing$75 Each$150 each$195 each$250 each$300 eachCustom
3 to 4$50 Each$125 each$165 each$200 each$250 eachCustom
5 to 10 (call for 10+)$45 Each$115 each$150 Each$175 Each$225 eachCustom
Upon review prices may change depending on artwork surface and materials. Basic Capture multiple piece price applies to works of a similar size.

File Delivery

  • Hi-res files transferred to thumb/flash drive provided by customer – No Charge
  • Hi-res files transferred via electronic upload free
  • Hi-res files provided on DSI 8gb thumb drive $10

Contact or call us at 617 489-0035 for more information about our fine art reproduction services.

*Giclée is French for “splash” or “squirt.” A Giclée print is simply an inkjet print. There is no agency or standard that makes a print a true Giclée. We use the term “inkjet” because we believe it is a more honest way of representing our printing method. We are one of the few labs in the North East that is a Hahnemühle Certified Studio and a Canson Infinity Certified Print Lab. This means our staff, equipment, and printing practices meet rigorous professional quality standards.

Creative Bingo by J. Sybylla Smith

by


Here is a Bingo Card of ideas to keep you engaged in your creative practice. Dig deep into areas of interest, experiment in new techniques, discover new resources and build new relationships. Your creative toolbox will expand while your photo community roots grow strong. 

BINGO

Be a student. Here is a list of courses to choose from compiled by the creative mavens at Don’t Take Pictures. https://www.donttakepictures.com/

Initiate playing a daily round of Punctum Practice – a photo-centric Concept Aware® tool. Select 10 random images from a magazine or online at sites like Foto Fever. Seek diversity  mix genres, timeframes, processes, and taste level. Set a timer for 1 minute and write 10 reactions to each photo. This exercise increases your visual vocabulary. This growing list of words can be useful to how you write about your work. Punctum is the emotional impact of an image – you want to cultivate this in your images.  

Never been to Paris Photo or Foto Fever? Go now! Take a virtual tour and/or listen to each of the photographers at Paris Photo discuss their creative practice on the Paris Photo website. Foto Fever’s  mission is to offer price points which encourage collecting. They will send an artwork and information to your inbox each day when you sign up.. 

Go back to kindergarten. Two ways to do this – tear magazines, catalogs, paper ephemera -including text and images- anything that  sparks a response. What grabs your attention? When you have complied 15 – 20 pieces start to arrange them into a collage which pleases you – no rules. The second method is to take screenshots online and create a folder of image and text to arrange. Take a photo of your creation. These mood boards offer insights into your visual propensities. They may spark an idea for your next project. 

Object study. Pick one object or place to photograph every day. This will increase your observational skills.

Special Offerings

Portrait of J. Sybylla Smith

To Find out more about independent curator, portfolio consultant, lecturer, and the creator of Concept Aware® visit the website of J. Sybylla Smith.

Using Photography to Elevate Your Design

by

Join us on March 31, 2020, 6:00 – 8:30 pm.

A beautifully finished and well-crafted photograph can be the defining element of an interior space. As a designer or architect, you are confronted with questions like, what are the best photographic printing processes? How can I finish a photograph to best complement my design style? What should my photography budget look like? How do I work with a gallery or photographer? These questions and more will all be answered.

The event will start with refreshments and a tour. The lab’s team will then give a brief demonstration of several display techniques for finishing photographs. The demonstration will go beyond the basic white mat and frame, showing how to use aluminum and acrylic for a contemporary look. After the demos, architect Tim Techler will speak on his experience working with photographs, followed by Iris Gallery owner Alison Collins who will address working with galleries and photographers. A question and answer period will conclude the evening.

To give all participants the ability to interact with the presenters, the number of participants is limited to 30.

You must RSVP.  RSVP using this link.

6:00-6:30 – Craft beer, wine, and snacks. Lab tours.
6:30-7:45 – Photographic print presentation demonstration
7:45-8:30 – Presentation and Q&A with architect, Tim Techler and The Iris Gallery owner,  Alison Collins