New York April 15th ICP Symposium

[Calzone]

I have been invited to present at ICP a symposium on Friday April 15th 6-9 PM on my use of the Monochrom, LR5, and Piezography to make my prints.

My guess is my prints are pretty good and have impressed some people. LOL. Also I use my Monochrom in a different/unusual manner than most, and understand that in my prints is displayed obsessive behavior when it comes to image quality and wanting to print big.

My thinking is a lot like the luxury housing boom in Madhattan. My logic, though deeply flawed, is make big prints and some rich guy will buy them. LOL.

Anyways I find it amusing that I will be presenting my work at the same place as Salgado's Genesis because while I am no Salgado, I am a guy who is pushing IQ to print crazy big, but in a different manner. Also understand that even though ICP offers a BA, a Masters and a MFA in photography I don't see them exploiting Piezography in any of their programs. By the time I give this symposium I hope to have my Epson 7800 on line and mucho large prints. The real reason to come to this symposium is to see that the Leica Monochrom and Piezography is a way to photograph and print with little or no compromise that is ideal.

I was instructed to create a "Bio" and what I learned in my MFA is that the best way to write your own "Bio" is to write it as your own obituary.

Calvin August Lom is a lazy slacker who somehow gets large format results from a Leica Monochrom using Piezography (7 shades of black). Mr. Lom kinda prints crazy big, even though he lives in a meager luxury 650 square foot apartment with a fashion blogger, all her clothes, and a vicious lap dog named Beagle-Face. What distinguishes Calvin's clearly obsessive behavior is how close he can get to large format results although he shoots small format. He is known to be rather clever in minimizing post processing, using filters for best image capture, and for spending crazy amounts of money on the best equipment. The results speak for themselves.

Anyways my approach to this three hour event is to make it like a three hour show where I will bring out the "monster fiber wet prints" from Digital Silver Imaging (30x40) to compare with 24x36 Piezography prints. I will share over 3 years of experience learning how to optimize utilizing the Monochrom and over a years worth of serious printing using Piezography. All this from a reformed B&W film only guy who went to art school in the 70's.

Seating is limited and the costs is $20.00. Please PM me with your e-mail address to reserve your spot. Interesting to see how close to a Salgado I can get without the best lab in Paris at my disposal. Basically if a poor slob like me living within constraints can get great results so can you if you are a little crazy.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Over the weekend I made 17 prints that were inspired by this event where I purposely made prints as examples of work flow though a series of work prints that developed into a three shot series of exhibition prints, which I will raffle off to the attendees as a set.

The process of editing and development kinda flowed from a group were chosen from a set of ten images of a gargole chained to a run down storefront in the Bowery. Made a straight print 13x19 to just see the output of the camera, made a second print of the same file using "Auto-tone." Remarkably right out of the camera a broad histogram without any adjustments made a pretty good print, but this image of this statute of Satan offered a lot of possibilities to kinda go extreme and towards HDR kinda look to try and look like large format using Tri-X.

Anyways I was rather aggressive and performed cropping which is something I normally never do. I also zoomed in and printed to suggest what a larger print would impact print quality, and along the way I developed the idea to print small to display fidelity, creativity and resolution by making 1x1 inch thumbnails printed on excess margins as a watermark on a 13x13 print of 17x19 paper, and 1x1 1/4 thumbnail on a print that uses 4x5 format to suggest a large format.

I also created an almost full sized 17x22 that is only seven shades of black as an example of a print without the gloss overcoat for illustrative purposes.

One sample 17x22 is composed of different 2x3 images that can be cut out into 2x3 inch business cards. I hope to get a rubber stamp made up with some contact info. I got 56 cards to a sheet, BTW my MAC displayed a beach ball for several minutes because of all the information it was processing, and for a while I thought that I locked up my computer but good.

Anyways I'll let the pictures do the talking by example.

Anyways the three artist proofs are ""You Suck," "Welcome To New York," and "Eat Me." The way I have the layout designed using quotes in the title makes it easy for the viewer to imaging that the statue representing Satan is actually speaking to the viewer like a rude New Yorker from the seventies.

Some lucky attendee will win the set of these artist proofs.

Cal

 

[Timmyjoe]

Hey Cal, congratulations on being invited to present at ICP. That's quite an honor.

It would be impossible for me to make it to NY for your presentation, but would love to read about your process of going from the Monochrom to the Piezography large prints.

Do you have anything published about your process?

Best,
-Tim

 

[icebear]

Hi Cal,
great opportunity, congrats! Looking forward to attend. Sending PM.
Cheers
Klaus

 

[Calzone]

Hey Cal, congratulations on being invited to present at ICP. That's quite an honor.

It would be impossible for me to make it to NY for your presentation, but would love to read about your process of going from the Monochrom to the Piezography large prints.

Do you have anything published about your process?

Best,
-Tim

Tim,

I'm no expert, and I'm relatively new to both digital (bought the Monochrom about 5 months after it first came out), and have been only printing using Piezography since January 2015. Took a long time to garner the funds because my intent was no compromise, and to print big. I can understand why not many people print due to expense, but my printing has become mucho expensive.

I read for two years everything on Jon Cones website while I saved money. I bought a new 3880 taking advantage of a $250.00 rebate and stored it for over a year never loading the color inks. I eventually gave the full carts minus the chips to my friend Joe. I knew that I would need a calbrated monitor to make the most out of the added resolution so a 27 EIZO set me back $2.3K. Not counting the fully loaded MacBook Pro which I bought right away with the MM.

In January 2015 I ordered $3.2K worth of paper and ink just to get started printing, but realize that before 2015 was over I added to the $3.2K many more orders of paper and ink where I eventually spent $8.2K in total in 2015 just for paper and ink. Just let's say I have been printing a lot, but I also have to stockpile. LOL.

I have not published other than in threads on this forum so here is as good a place as any to share my experience. My mode of printing and shooting is trying to emulate large format photography. I use filters extensively to maximize image capture. My friend Steve says,"You can't print what's not there," and understand I do everything to maximize image capture as if I'm making a perfect negative for contact printing.

I learned that the Monochrom responds well to yellow filters, and it is even suggested that Leica Engineers designed the Monochrom to use a yellow filter to be acromatic in a Michael Reichman artical review I read. I also discovered that specifically Heliopan 2x yellow filters marked "DIGITAL" also have both additional UV and IR filters built in, and when compared to B&W yellow filters the difference in the histogram is huge. First off the additional UV and IR filters remove noise for a cleaner histogram; it also removes signal that does not add visual information; and it removes levels of light that contribute to clipping. Overall I'm able to expose more to the right to record more information and also have bigger signal to noise ratio.

Piezography undoubtedly is the highest resolution way to print digitally. I spent about $1.5K to buy $2.5K worth of printing from Digital Silver imaging to explore making silver digital wet prints on fiber. DSI printed for me several 24x36 images on 30x40 paper captured with my Monochrom. Even though DSI use a system of laser projection, kinda like projecting/enlarging using an condenser enlarger there is a softness to the image that gets amplified as you scale up the size. The prints are spectacular, but note when compared to Peizography it seems like the Piezography print looks more like a contact print, have more shadow detail, and display higher resolution.

Anyways the point I'm trying to establish is that the looks of these two prints are really different in look and character, and I would say a Piezography print has a look all its own. I will also add that the DSI wet prints present a familiar smoothness we all know and love.

A pretty recent epiphany I will share is that I can print more than I can see on my 27 EIZO in both the highlight and shadow detail. Know that I have my EIZO dimmed down to 80 Lux in a darkened room to resemble the brightness of light reflected off ink and paper. The Monochrom combined with Piezography allows you to print detail and tonality that you can't even see on a dimmed down calibrated monitor. Anyways realize that my mode of printing has an aspect of abstraction because you are printing what you cannot see. Most people don't know whats there.

The creative use of all this added detail I found needs to be scaled up. In small prints it seems like HDR, but in large prints you can really jump in formats. At PhotoPlusExpo in 2015 I brought a 13x19 to give to my friend Robert Rodreguez who is the annual Artist In Residence at the Canson booth. I brought my black SLR-MOT that Sherry had just built from two donor cameras that looked like a time capsule from 1975, and went over to the Leica booth to harass them which is a tradition I do every year. I went over to the SL booth and asked them why I would buy a new SL when I already own an old one.

Well it didn't take long before I borrowed that print back from Robert Rodreguez to show Richard Herzog of Phase One fame who was manning the SL booth with others. Anyways I kinda blew them away with my print. BTW Richard Herzog is a large format guy who uses Phase One backs on large format.

I'll be posting more on this thread. I'm almost at the point where I need to put this Epson 7800 online. It became very evident from the very beginning that a 3880 (17 inch wide printer) was not big enough. Somehow by divine intervention I got a nine year old 7800 that only made 1802 prints before I got it. The miracle is I only paid $100.00 for the printer because Mike the owner was moving back to Japan. The second miracle is that the printer was used and maintained enough to not have any issues or clogged print head. Now this is where printing gets even more expensive: about $15.00 a sheet for a 24x36, and the carts hold 350 ml.

My guess is one has to be a bit crazed to do what I'm doing, and this is also a reason why you can't really read about it.

What is really funny is the multiple 2x3 images I printed as business cards. You see the detail on even the tiny prints. Tonight I'll be putting on the gloss overcoat so I'll see what I really have.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Hi Cal,
great opportunity, congrats! Looking forward to attend. Sending PM.
Cheers
Klaus

Thanks Klaus,

I'll be bringing out those 30x40 DSI prints that presents that wet print smootness we all know and love. You are second on the list. My friend Mike will be attending who is the real deal: a pro Fashion Photographer/hipster. LOL. He'll be number 3.

Seating is limited.

I'm at the point where I have to upscale the printer because I'm running out of cut sheet paper. Time to roll out the 50 foot rolls of 17 and 24 inch wide papers. Been putting off using Canson papers due to the known problem of "Pizzawheeling" on a 3880. Down to my last 3 sheets of Epso Exhibition Fiber in 17x22.

Understand the Jon Cone Type 5 that I have been printing on kinda has a satin finish while the Canson papers are more of a true glossy that looks more like a wet print. It seems like Canson papers are mighty thursty also and require mucho ink. God help me. Up to now I've only been printing work prints and it is both exciting and scary of now printing say 20x30 on 24x36.

Anyways printing has made me into a better shooter. Something to consider if you want to go crazy. Also realize that you'll be handling lots of prints, and will be able to feel the papers in you hands. I'll be sharing a lot what I learned from my pro framing friends at AI Friedman.

I'll take some shots of my studio which is very-very crazy. There is this wall of shelves filled with paper and ink; then there are two printers (one I call the Jersey Barrier) then all this table space for print drying. Meanwhile this bedroom is also a fashion bloggers closet full of shoes and clothes. Imagine having to move a wheeled clothes rack to open a closet.


Cal

 

[Calzone]

IMPORTANT: if you are signing up I need your e-mail.

Also know I have to get a list together since this event is at the ICP school and you need to get past security.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

So I find out today there is an April 1st cut off date to sign up. It seems that because this will be held at the ICP School that a list has to be compiled to get through security.

Already have been writing to get all my thoughts organized. During this process I had an epiphany because the Piezography printing I'm doing currently is really an extension of my analog photography. For many years I shot Acros and Tri-X and used Diafine, a compensating developer to kinda do analog HDR.

Know that Christian once said, "With negatives like these you don't need a 4x5." Christian was looking at some 6x9 negatives that had fine grain and a broad tonal range like a large format negative. I never though about or realized before that using my Monochrom and printing with Piezography is really an extension of my analog work which was even more crazy than my digital workflow. One summer before I got my Monochrom I was averaging shooting and processing 150 rolls of film a month.

Anyways my negatives and digital prints has an enhanced shadow detail, a huge midrange that suggests a larger format, and highlights that are kinda like the product of a stand like development. I believe that due to my extensive usage of Diafine that while I have a HDR like effect that it does not get too "crunchy" or saturated which is so easy to overdo with HDR. Anyways I now recognize that somehow I have developed a signature and a style.

Last night printed two more example made especially for the Sim-Pose-E-Um. One features a wonderful split-tone that helps define the composition (warm shadows-cool highlights), and the other is a kinda high contrast shot. Both are landscapes.

I'm down to my last 17x22 cut sheet, and very soon I'll have to load the 7800 with ink and start using the roll paper. Expect 24 inch wide prints soon.

Cal

 

[jsrockit]

Cal, who and when do we pay?

 

[Calzone]

Cal, who and when do we pay?

Somehow I think this is all tied into the April first deadline and the E-mail list that I was told to compile.

Anyways this has been a learning experience about thinking about presenting my own work, and has been really helpful to define myself and my sense of style. Without this event I wouldn't have sorted through all the time and thinking that has made me into the photographer I am today.

Somehow what I do makes sense, at least to me anyways. LOL.

Cal

 

[jsrockit]

Somehow I think this is all tied into the April first deadline and the E-mail list that I was told to compile.

Does that mean we pay you or ICP? or you don't know yet... I can give you cash on Sunday.

 

[jwlee]

You can pay the registration fee at Puck Fair on Sunday, March 13. You can pay by PayPal by contacting Cal via private mail for instructions. -John

 

[Calzone]

To register all I need is your e-mail. Your PM address is no good.

Payment does not go through me. I'm a lazy slacker and am not responsible.

Anyways everyone will get more than there money's worth. Firstly I'm pulling out all the stops to impress and have been printing examples to avoid being a talking head; you will learn a lot; you have pretty good odds of winning a big prize of three very cool artist proofs; and you will really see how far are the limits of small format photography illustrated by prints that were especially made for this event.

I will do the followup to compile a list of all the interested parties. One part of the list will be the people that gave me their e-mail; and the second part of the list is those who only PM'ed me that have yet to provide me with an e-mail address. Basically at this point all I have is another disaster.

PLEASE JUST PM ME WITH YOUR E-MAIL. This is all I need. Also don't be anxious about payment. Payment is being handled by others.

Just PM me your e-mail if you want to attend.

Again just e-mail me with your e-mail if you want to attend.

Last night I did something I never did before: I printed the landscape shot of the Domino Sugar Refinery at 150% on 17x22 to display a zoomed in crop that resembles the detail of perhaps a print printed on 25.5 x 33 inch paper. Safe to say a print slightly bigger than 20x30, but not quite 24x36. I am kinda blown away, and yet again I am presented with the problem that I yet again need a larger printer like a Epson 9800 or 9880 that can print 44 inches wide, not quite as big as Salgado's 4x5 foot prints from Genesis, but almost the same size.

It seems that I can actually do a Salgado and print crazy big. The 7800 that I call a "Jersey Barrier" I now look upon as my small printer, and an Epson 3880 is my tiny printer. I have no doubt that I can get 8x10 quality from my Monochrom.

It seems that the zoomed in crop revealed even more detail than I ever seen. Also it seems that contrast got increased with the 150% zoom.

Understand that I never add sharpening to my prints and the 25% default setting is what gets used. Another point is that the contrast slider kinda rides or is in proximity of wherever the exposure slider is set. In other words I do very little adjustment to the contrast control.

Tonight I will add the gloss overcoat to see the image fully developed. It is very much like in an analog darkroom where you can only view the fully developed print after the print is in the fixer, otherwise it is under safelight.

I'm amazed.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

LIST OF ATTENDEES THAT SENT ME THEIR E-MAIL:

Helen
Joe
George
John G.
Klaus
Steve J.
Chris
Keith
John L.

Cal

ADDITION: Mike

FURTHER ADDITION: Randy

BTW Randy send me your e-mail address.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

So I rounded up ten and Chris S. says that he has a few others so perhaps we have about 15.

Not sure about where the cut-off is. It would be great if John L. would chime in.

Anyways I showed off the compete set of 3 artist proofs that will be given away at the March Meet-Up. I used up the last of my 17x22 cut sheets so soon I will have to load up the 7800 and start printing 24x36. The zoomed in crop of 150% indicated that a 33 inch wide print just shows more detail and now the IQ is definately more like 8x10 Tri-X in resolution and tonality.

An interesting perception exists because the perceived contrast seems higher in the larger prints due to the added increase in detail. Side by side one can see though that the contrast is the same. Seems the real reason to print big/huge is to add detail.

Anyways even with macrovision and nosing a large print it seems that the detail suggests that even a 40 x 60 print will not fuzz out. Anyways on Salgado's prints from Genesis his work was free from any digital artifact. At that show I did a lot of nosing the prints, and I even saw framed prints from Genesis that were displayed without any cover glass separately in a gallery in Chelsea. Even more amazing than the show at ICP.

At the Sunday NYC Meet-Up there was some talk of how this event really is about putting yourself and your work out there in a "pop-up" kinda fashion. I gained many insights to my identity and my connection to my work that otherwise I might not have made (how Diafine and film was really about jumping IQ to suggest a larger format, and how this analog work got translated into digital using my Monochrom and Piezography).

I also began writing to gain insights, gather my thoughts, focus, and became organized for preparation. I think this really added a lot of clarity to my identity as an artist. Then some inspired work came about (the artist proofs I'm going to raffle off). Then I furthered advanced my skill and craft.

Anyways I talked with Chris S., one of the organizers of this event, if it were possible to offer this kinda " Pop-Up Peer Review" where it does not have to be Leicacentric, and I got a very positive open response.

Anyways some of the people coming to my "Symposium" are people who I have seen their work being shown (George, John G., Keith) might want to do a presentation/proposal for a pop-up event. Understand that because the space and time is limited this constriction is both good and bad, but it can really nudge you in a great direction like it did me.

Please join the discussion because I think we can create something new and on going.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

Everyone who sent me their e-mail should have gotten one from me.

Please confirm if you did not get the message I sent to Chris.

The only outstanding e-mail address I need is from Randy.

Cal

 

[jwlee]

Randy is accounted for. He attended last year.
Jeff C., John G. and Jor S. have paid up and are registered.
-John

 

[Calzone]

At this point I have a full month of printing left, and now is the time to lock and load the 7800 where I can make the jump to 17 and 24 wide rolls of paper. Also now is the time to load up on Canson papers because I will not have to deal with the "Pizzawheeling" that the 3880 is prone to.

I have to download some paper profiles for the 7800 and patch in the 7800 as another printer and I should be good to load ink. Already have about $3000 worth of paper and ink for the 7800.

Anyways for papers Epson Exhibition Fiber for highlight glow and true glossy that looks like a silver wet print; Canson papers for those mids and glossy Baryta vintage silver paper look; and Jon Cone Type 5 for enhanced shadow detail and blacks on a satin finish as my matte paper.

Anyways three papers, three tonalities. Big interaction between the tone (warmth and coolness) between each paper, the image, and the splitone inkset.

Basically there is a true black; warm shadows; cool highlights and then the tone of the paper.

At this point I have no clear favorite: I just see what suits the print best. Nice to have a selection. I'll be busy printing.

Cal

 

[jwlee]

LIST OF ATTENDEES THAT SENT ME THEIR E-MAIL:

Helen
Joe
George
John G.
Klaus
Steve J.
Chris
Keith
John L.

Cal

ADDITION: Mike

FURTHER ADDITION: Randy

BTW Randy send me your e-mail address.

Cal

I need to hear from Joe, George, Keith and Steve J.
If all are attending, then there's seating one more and the registration list is close.
-John

 

[gdmcclintock]

I sent a Paypal as instructed.

Thanks,

George