Elizabeth Ellenwood: Darkroom Printer, Photographer & Friend

Photographer: Bruce R. Wahl

Elizabeth “Liz” Ellenwood will be leaving Panopticon Imaging to pursue her Master’s Degree in Photography at the University of Connecticut! We are so very proud of her and her decision to go back to school.  Sadly, she will be leaving Panopticon on July 8th to move and get settled in her new home. We hope that you have time to stop by or give her a call and wish her luck. 

We wanted to share some of the wonderful times we’ve had over the years. Liz has been an integral part of Panopticon Imaging since 2012. She met Paul while interning at Panopticon Gallery. Shortly thereafter she started working one day a week and eventually became a full time staff member. Her first project was working with Paul in the darkroom printing Harold Feinstein. Liz loved working directly with photographer Tony King both in Massachusetts and his home in Maine. Not to forget the darkroom and digital clients whom she shared her insight with over the years (I could go on for a very long time). She represented Panopticon at Filter Photo Festival and the local and national Society for Photographic Education conferences. Also, we were able to share in her photographic milestones of solo exhibitions: “Of light and Line” at Danforth Art and “These Times and Shapes” at Sharon Arts Center Gallery.

Liz is always more than happy to pitch in and is a great source of joy for us here. Most notably she became known for being easy “spooked” by Nick, Chris, and Bruce. It would happen so often there are two compilations of the spookenings.  Liz also never turned down trying to fit in the various shipping boxes that would arrive in the office and it became a fun game.

But in all seriousness WE LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH! Enjoy grad school and we know some good printer & framers in case you need help (wink wink). We truly wish you the best Liz and hope this doesn’t make you cry too much.

With all our love,

Paul, Patty, Brandon, Bruce, Chris, Elena, Nick, Sloane and Shannon

Digital Paper Options

The world of digital papers is endless but not all papers are created equal! Here at Panopticon we use a variety of papers with Canson and Epson  being our preference for their archival natures. While we have our favorite papers to work with we are always happy to custom order papers for you and create new printing profiles for our printers. Paper choice is a personal preference and we recommend that you come in to review the options and talk to us about what you are looking for. If you are not able to come in to the office we can provide you with test prints on a variety of papers so you can review them at your convenience.

Our price lists offer two qualities of paper: standard and exhibition. Both paper options use archival inks. The only difference is standard papers are a lighter weight than the exhibition papers. If you think about it in old school darkroom terms, standard paper is the equivalent to RC paper and exhibition paper is fiber paper (for a more in depth look at darkroom papers visit our Darkroom Details blog post!)

Here are some of the papers we offer for digital printing:

* - marks "standard" papers"

MATTE PAPERS:

Epson Hot Press Natural

Epson Hot Press Bright

Epson Cold Press Bright

Canson Rag Photographique

Hahnemuhle William Turner

Epson Enhanced Matte *

GLOSSY & LUSTER PAPERS:

Canson Platine Photo Rag

Canson Baryta

Epson Premium Luster *

Breathing Color Vibrance Metallic

Harmen Fiber Based Wamrtone

Ilford Gold Fibre Silk

Hahnemuhle Fine Art Pearl

We are going to FILTER!

What is Filter Photo Festival?

“Filter Photo is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Chicago, Illinois.

Filter Photo’s mission is two-fold: first, to serve and support the photographic communities of Chicago and the Midwest; and second, to highlight Chicago as a vital center of the national photographic community.

Since 2009 Filter Photo has organized the annual Filter Photo Festival, a multi-day celebration of photography that includes workshops, lectures, exhibition receptions, artist talks, and other diverse programming. A primary component of the Festival is the portfolio reviews, through which photographers are able to connect with national and international curators, gallery directors, editors, and other elite professionals.”.

How do I apply to Filter?

You can register here. Sign up for 5 or 8 portfolio reviews and/or workshops. Reviewers included Paul Tagnorelli of the Griffin Museum of Photography and Kat Keirnan of Don’t Take Pictures. Workshops are presented by artists such as Keith Carter, Brandon Thibodeaux, Karen Irvine, April Wilkins, and S. Gayle Stevens. Also, artist talks by Alice Q. Hargrave, Patty Carroll,Leonard Suryajaya, Ross Sawyers, exhibition receptions, and much more. Some of the workshops have already sold out so make sure to get your spot!  Joel-Peter Witkin is this years keynote speaker and he will be giving a lecture on Thursday September 22.

What to expect from us at Filter?

This is our first time at Filter and we are very excited! This means a lot to our small business and we can't wait to meet the artists, speakers and the Filter Team in person. You will get a chance to meet our talented staff members Elizabeth Ellenwood and Nick Schietromo.  They are thrilled to visit Chicago and share Panopticon’s photographic printing practices and knowledge.

We will be including details on how to prep for a portfolio review within the next few weeks so stay tuned!

Antique Pendant Restoration

We recently restored & made copies of this beautiful antique pendant. The delicate necklace was only about an inch around and held a photograph of the clients father. We were able to enlarge it to a 3x3 (seen on left) and made small copies as well.

Tech Blog: Colorspace, File Formats and Untagged Files

Have questions about digital printing? How to get images to us? What type of file to send? We have tried to start simply and move onto the more complex questions. If you have questions regarding any of this or just want to review the process with us, please call or email us! First things first… You can upload us files here and you will see this screen from Hightail. You can drag and drop your images for upload to us.

Do I send Jpg, tif or psd? Raw?

You can send us any of the above. We have provided some details below about the difference between each type of file.

Raw are the proprietary file from the camera manufacture. Some examples are: Canon (.crw, cr2), Nikon (.nef, .nrw), Sony (.arw, .srf, .sr2), Pentax (.pef, .ptx).  Raw files hold the most data from your digital camera and are the easiest file to adjust exposure, contrast, white balance and other fine tuning. We can edit your Raw files however this requires an editing charge.

JPG is best for web use, but still can be printed from if it has high enough resolution and was saved at a high enough quality. (80+ in Lightroom, 10+ in Photoshop).

PSD is an Adobe Photoshop proprietary format. It can handle all of Photoshop’s features, but has some compatibility issues with non-Adobe products and Lightroom. PSD has a 2gb files size limitation.  Due to the compatibility and size issues, PSD has been (or should be) replaced by TIF by most photographers.  We prefer TIF.

TIF is one of the most universally accepted formats. It can be opened by most image editing and page layout software. TIF supports all the same things as PSD and has a larger file size limitation (4gb).

Ultimately, just send us what you have and we’ll figure it out. Got layers, send us those too. We can always provide assistance with your files or if you want to sit with one of our Digital Technicians and review files in person.

OK, so a tif  file, 16bit or 8bit?

Either one is fine. Whatever works for you.

What color space should I sent it in? AdobeRGB98, sRGB, ProPhotoRGB

You can send us files in any of these color spaces. You should be working in either AdobeRGB98 or ProPhotoRGB to begin with. sRGB is meant as a web colorspace, anything you upload to your website or facebook should be in sRGB.

As far as AdobeRGB98 or ProPhotoRGB goes, it could go either way. ProPhotoRGB is much bigger than AdobeRGB98 and can produce more colors. However, you must work in 16bit with ProPhotoRGB otherwise you can end up with posterization effects (banding). The other down side to ProPhoto is it includes imaginary colors. Yes, I said imaginary colors. They (Kodak) made the ProPhotoRGB color space so big that 13% of the colors included do not exist in the real world and are not visible colors. This can lead to color issues when printing. Some colors will become over-saturated or will be estimated to its nearest in gamut color and can cause banding. Even the best printers in the world can’t print imaginary colors.

AdobeRGB98 is larger than sRGB, is easily printable by commercially available printers and includes no imaginary numbers. Its not perfect, nothing is, but it is the standard most of the photographic world uses.

If you have a gray scale file, that is fine as well. Gray Gamma 2.2 will do just fine.

What about CMYK?

Leave that to the offset printers. If you send us a file with a CMYK colorspace we will convert it to AdobeRGB98.

What about an untagged file?

If you send us a file with an untagged colorspace you will get a call from an angry elf… just ask Ron Cowie. Again, you can just send us what you have and we’ll figure it out. Following our recommendations makes it easier, but we are happy to help in whatever stage you are in!

Artist Spotlight: Fern Nesson

Fern Nesson is a fine art photographer living in Cambridge, MA. She practiced as a lawyer for twenty years and taught history at the Cambridge School of Weston and, for the past ten years, she was the College Advisor at the Commonwealth School. Fern is currently in her first year of the MFA program at Maine Media College. Her abstract work is rooted in the elegance of light and line and is currently on display in our gallery until May 14, 2016.

"Light Lines 1"

• You have a background in law, how did you transition into the art world?

FN: I have taken a long journey through many, varied careers – lawyer, American historian, fiction and non-fiction writer, history, math and law teacher, college counselor -- but the spine of photography has run throughout my life. My father gave me my first camera when I was 8 and he taught me to develop my photos in the darkroom not long after. Since then, I have been engaged in looking at the world through a camera.

Until recently, photography was my hobby. I knew several great photographers (my father included) and followed their work with interest. About ten years ago, I interviewed my father and we published a book of his work. I have also collected photographs for many years. I am proud to own photographs by Michael Kenna, Ansel Adams and Bruce Cratsley, among others.

Several years ago, I decided to pursue my own photography more seriously. My initial goal was to learn to take better photos. I began by reviewing my past work and publishing several books of my photographs. Then I took a workshop in photography at the Penland School in North Carolina. Finally, last year, I quit my counseling job to do photography full-time.

It’s taken me a long time to accept the challenge of pursuing life as an artist but I am so thrilled to be doing it! Photography provides, as always, a wonderful way to experience the world and the improvement in the quality of my work as a result of studying and practicing it full-time is immensely rewarding.

"Morning Light 1"

• You are currently attending the low residency masters program at Maine Media, tell us a little bit about the program. How has your work changed since starting your studies there?

FN: For my first semester, I am completing synergistic studio and academic projects, both entitled “An Exploration of Seeing.” Since November, I have taken over 20,000 (!) photographs, read a dozen of the great books about “seeing ” and written three lengthy papers describing the evolution of my own artistic vision. As an intellectual and artistic experience, a Maine Media education can’t be beat!

"Light Lines 3"

• Your abstractions of light and shadow show a playful & insightful side to subjects we see everyday. How do you choose what you point your camera at?

FN: Light is the theme in all of my work. I don’t shoot objects for themselves; I shoot their interaction with light: are they illumined from within? Are they transparent? Are they reflective? Are they suffused with light? Do they glow? Are they in shadow? Do they sparkle? My subjects are quite varied but it’s all about the light.

"Morning Light 5"

• What inspires you as an artist?

FN: I am drawn to elegance. In choosing a subject or a scene, I seek elegance in pattern, line, color and shape. I prefer the intricate, small detail, over the panorama. My photographs are abstract but not in the sense of removing detail; just the opposite. I focus on an element and I abstract it through the use of an unusual perspective or point of view.

"Light Lines 5"

• Your current exhibition in our gallery space is a selection of images from various portfolios. How do you feel the individual pieces interact with one another as a whole?

FN: The photographs in my show, “The Light Dances,” are selected from three different series, which I shot in 2015-6. Although they are of radically different subjects – trees at night, a Calder stabile, and the curtains in my bedroom – they have certain underlying and essential characteristics in common.

First, they are each about light: light as it illumines and ennobles a dark object, light as it enhances a sculpture by throwing off shadows, light as it sparkles and brightens a cold winter landscape.

Second they are multiples. Varying the point of view on a single object takes advantage of all angles of the object and allows maximum concentration upon its interaction with light. The multiplicity of views points up what is so great about our existence: we all see things differently from each other and it is that very diversity that makes art and life so interesting.

Third, they use the power of black. Light as a subject shows up so beautifully when it is contrasted with black. Color can seem sometimes to be cheating; it can make even a dull picture interesting but black is a challenge. If you use it well, you get drama; if you use it badly, you get nothing.

"Stabile 1 - 4"

High-Resolution Scanning

We offer high resolution scanning of all film (color and black & white) sizes, from 35mm and 120mm film, to large format negatives, photographs and other flat surface materials.

Lets chat a bit about our FLEXTIGHT scanner.....

With its high-end optics and 3 line x 8000 pixel Kodak Image Sensor, the Flextight X5 produces images of superb quality and detail. Even though you can find scanners with larger sensors, you will not find better clarity and detail rendition when scanning photographic film. This is due to the electronic image handling of the sensor, the mechanical precision of the device, the quality of the filters, and the resolving power of the Rodenstock lens.

Due to their structure as virtual drum scanners, inside the flexible film adapters, the film is curved in a radius and by this way guided around the sensor.  The film is tightened so that it is in a perfect flat position. The Flextight gives you the beautiful quality of a drum scan without having the mess of using mounting fluid.

It is pretty much the Ferrari of scanners and we love it.

Local Art Scene: South Shore Edition

Looking for some places to view art or take some classes? We collaborate with a lot of local organizations and are happy to share what we know.

South Shore Arts Center, Cohasset, MA

The South Shore Arts Center is a non-profit organization located in the small coastal town of Cohasset. They have several beautiful gallery spaces with rotating exhibitions.  They have regular calls for entries with wonderful Curators and Gallerists as jurors.  Also, they have great classes that change with the seasons. Every spring for the last 60 years they have a Festival on the Commons with art exhibitions, craft vendors, great food and music!

firefly53, Pembroke, MA

Let your inner artist out at firefly53! Tim Waite, Owner & Instructor, hosts a variety of photographic classes which include Beginning Photo, Lightroom, Exploring B&W Photography and Paint with Light.  firefly53 changes their classes regularly and even hosts classes once a month if you can't make a weekly commitment. We can guarantee you will not be bored here!

4th Floor Artists, Rockland, MA

Located just down the street in Rockland are two buildings of artist studios! Rockland was a factory town and these old buildings have been converted to artists space. They house a number of artists working in all different mediums from painting and photography to quilting and sculpture. The 4th Floor Artists host an open studios event once a year and a number of art classes and a gallery in the ET Wright Building called Gallery 4. Stop by and check it out.

Plymouth Center for the Arts, Plymouth, MA

Take a drive, look at some art and then walk thru Historic Downtown Plymouth. This a beautiful gallery space in a historic building filled with light.  There is plenty of parking and just a short walk away great restaurants too. The gallery constantly has calls for entry and beautiful exhibitions. They also offer a diverse range of classes from watercolor to pottery.

Darkroom Details: What is a RC Print, Fiber Print & more?

We have three working darkrooms here at Panopticon Imaging. Each room has its own specific purpose. One houses the printing lab, one our film processor and the third is where we create LVT digital negatives. In our printing lab we hand/tray process each print to ensure the consistency throughout the printing process. The film processor darkroom details are listed here. Our LVT darkroom is where we can create new negatives from digital files (more details below). We are happy to share information about these processes that we know and love. Video by: Frank Hegyi

rccombo_ver1.2

What is an RC Print?

RC or Resin Coated Paper is darkroom paper with a base that is sealed between two polyethylene layers, meaning it has a plastic base. Since the base is sealed between the two layers it does not actually absorb the chemicals, greatly reducing the amount of time RC prints need to be washed. This is the most affordable darkroom option, however, the least archival. There is developer in the paper to increase speed of development. Over time this will deteriorate giving your print a lifespan of 20-40 years depending upon storage conditions. This is used for contact prints of negatives and prints. This paper was popular with press & newspapers as they needed images fast for breaking news. The RC paper we print on is Ilford Glossy or Pearl with a weight of 190 gsm (Medium weight) paper.

fiberprint_combo1.2

What is a Silver Gelatin Fiber Print?

Silver print, Fiber prints, Gelatin silver as they are commonly referred to and are one and the same. This is a museum quality, tray printing process (not machine processed). Fiber paper is a paper base that is coated with photographic emulsion. The base of fiber prints are not sealed like the RC paper, this makes for a slower process with washing and drying. These beautiful, archival, exhibition quality, black & white, silver gelatin, fiber prints have superior tonal range, durability, and resistance to fading for over 200 years. All prints are finished with a Selenium bath to assure archival permanence. There is the option of warm tone, glossy or matte Ilford Papers. Fiber paper is 225 gsm which is a double weight paper.

Selenium_combo

What is a Selenium Bath / Toning?

We use a Selenium bath to increase the permanence of our Silver Gelatin Fiber prints. For this process we use a combination of diluted Selenium, Fixer Remover and water for a short bath prior to a final wash. Selenium converts some of the original silver image to silver selenide, a more stable form of silver. The Selenium also increases the tonal range available in the paper, deepening the blacks and brightening the lights just a touch. If it is desired, Selenium can also be used to change the color tone of the print. A diluted solution of only Selenium and water will give you a red-brown tone. While a stronger Selenium solution with result in a purple-brown tone.

lvtneg

What is an LVT Negative?

LVT stands for Light Valve Technology. This process which is also known as a Digital Negative or Digital to Silver process is used to create a new negative from a digital file. We have several machines that can create these beautiful negatives on 8x10 sheet film. We have many clients that have damaged negatives that need to be digitally restored and then new negatives made. Also, if you are shooting digitally this give you the option to have prints made in the darkroom. Film is not dead!

LVT negatives: Stephen Sheffield

Packing Tips: Safe ways to wrap & handle Your Artwork

Here at Panopticon we have seen it all for packing material; Blankets, towels, trash bags or worst of all nothing. Framing is expensive and we have some tips on how to keep your frames and artwork safe!

1. Cardboard Corner Protectors

You can always DIY them yourself using scrap cardboard, buy them from Amazon in small batches or order bulk from Uline. This will prevent any rubbing / scratching of the frames. Corners are helpful if you have multiple frames that are all the same size. However, this will not protect the whole frame or the glass/PlexiGlas.

1. Properly Stack them

Make sure to stack your frames vertically and to place them glass to glass and back to back while storing them. This will prevent the hardware from rubbing against your frame. The metal hardware and wire will ding the wood or scratch metal frame very easily. This goes for when they are wrapped or unwrapped.

1. Bubble Wrap

Keep your towels for the beach! While towels might be helpful at home this is not a good or effective solution for preventing damage, as there is no spring to the towel. Foam wrap or bubble wrap will take the impact and prevent your frame from getting damaged. You can order bubble online, pick it up from Uline or your local office supply store.

1. Use Two Hands

Always pic up your frame using two hands! If it is a large image and you grab it by the top it can pull and your glazing can pop out of the frame. Ten and two just like driving school.

1. Have us wrap it for you!

If all of this material is too much to handle we can ease your burden! Wrapping images properly is fun for us. We take care of your beloved artwork and make sure it is safe for handling and transport. If it is local we can deliver it for you or even ship your images. Let us know!

Artist Spotlight: Tytia Habing

"Wild Onions"

Lets start this off right: her name is pronounced Tie-shuh, and she has definitely been making her name known in the photography world. Originally from the Watson, Illinois area, Tytia grew up on a small working farm and then spent the majority of her adult life in the Cayman Islands. She holds degrees in horticulture and landscape architecture and is a self-taught photographer. Tytia’s black and white photographs are full of mystery and child like wonder that keeps the viewer coming back for more. She has been published in Shots Magazine, Fraction Magazine, Lenscratch, and National Geographic (just to name a few!). Her most recent and exciting news is her work is shortlisted for the Black and White Photographer of the Year 2015 sponsored by Leica.

"Anna"

• While your degrees are not in the photography field, it still feels like they play a part in your photography. Can you tell us a little about how they influence you as an artist?

TH: I feel like it’s all very intertwined: my upbringing, my degrees, my photography. I’m not sure how or what I would shoot without the background I have. I love the outdoors, plants, animals, the earth,….pretty much anything nature related. My upbringing on a farm and being surrounded by fields of corn, soybeans and wheat and living on the edge of a large woods, I was always immersed in nature. That led me to seeking out degrees in both horticulture and landscape architecture, which I both dearly love, but neither of those degrees clicked with me the way photography did. As soon as I started photography, I knew, I just knew it’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life if possible. If you have a look at my portfolio, my images are mostly nature related. Even when I do portraits, I try to incorporate nature into them somehow. Both degrees gave me a deep knowledge of how man relates to nature and the many hurdles we need to overcome concerning that relationship. We try and fight nature, to conquer it. That isn’t our path. We’re on the wrong path. One day we will all come to our senses whether it’s from our own accord or we’re forced into it. I truly believe we take care of what we love, and if we can all love nature again, all of nature, even the unlovable parts of it, we’ll get on the right path. If my photography can help even the tiniest bit to make even one person appreciate nature more, I’ve succeeded. One of my favorite quotes is “Our greatest responsibility is to be good ancestors.” Jonas Salk

"Saved"

• How did you become involved in photography?

TH: It was a happy accident really. I never had any interest in photography previously even though my older brother graduated with a photography degree. I was in my last year at university working towards my landscape architecture degree and I had some electives I needed to fill. I happened to find an intro to photography class that fit into my schedule and it was in a building very near the architecture buildings so it was convenient. I thought it would be a fun, easy class to round out my schedule. Little did I know I would almost immediately become obsessed with it. I spent ever spare minute in the darkroom and my other classes kind of fell by the wayside. My intro to photography class suddenly had first billing! My last semester I took the follow up class as well, and that ended my official training in photography. Everything else has been self taught.

"Rhubarb"

• Your photographs of your son and his friends capture the excitement and discovery we all had as children. When you are photographing them how much of it is instinctual versus planned? Do you set up the scene or do you always have camera handy & ready?

TH: I always have the camera ready. Planning a scene with my son doesn’t work and trust me, I’ve tried. I finally realized my folly and gave that up long ago. Plus, the things he does on his own are so much more interesting than anything I could come up with. That’s not to say I don’t facilitate the photographs. I’ll take him for a walk or we’ll go down to the river, because I know he’ll always do something interesting. I plan a lot of the trips in the late afternoon so I have good light. From time to time, he’ll do something that I’ll miss and I’ll ask him to do it again. He doesn’t do it for my photo though. He does it because it’s fun. I’ll also gently suggest he play where there is beautiful light. Sometimes he’ll oblige, sometimes he won’t, but I don’t push it. When it comes to playing, he does what he wants to in the end, and that’s how it should be.

"Go"

• What motivates and inspires you to create art?

TH: Three simple things: family, nature and hope. I hope I can make some sort of difference in the world through my photography. Grand aspirations, I know, but why not dream big right?

"Wishing Weeds"

• What do you think makes a memorable photograph?

TH: I can only speak for myself, but what makes a photograph memorable to me is if it makes me feel something. It could be happy, sad, perplexed, whatever, but if I feel something, I’ll more than likely remember it.

"Eye Spy"

• You recently attended Filter Photo Fest in Chicago; can you share a few experiences you had while you were there?

TH: Filter was my very first photo fest and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t recommend it enough. It was totally out of my comfort zone since I’m a major homebody, but it was great. I was finally able to meet many photographers I’ve known only through social media and admired from afar. It was very cool to put a real face to a profile picture! I took two amazing workshops, one by Aline Smithson and the second by Elizabeth Avedon. I learned more in those two days than I’ve learned in the entire last year! Great classes and great instructors. I also did the portfolio reviews, which was fairly scary, but nothing horrible happened like my mind had imagined would. All the reviewers were very kind and helpful. I do have to add that everyone absolutely loved my black and white prints and wanted to know who printed them…..I have the BEST printer!

The bling bling frame

We recently framed a piece for a client in a beautiful water gilded frame and wanted to share the intricate process the frame makers go through to create such stunning frames. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67LM4Iovll4

The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold.

Here is the frame we used:

Staff Intro- Elizabeth Ellenwood, animal, cheese and film lover

Elizabeth Ellenwood is our fun loving darkroom printer and resident animal lover. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography from the New Hampshire Institute of Art in 2010. Following graduation she assisted Boston architectural photographer Peter Vanderwarker for a number of years. In 2012, she started working with us at Panopticon and became full time as of 2015.

Wet plate portrait by Mercedes Jelinek

Darkroom printing and development is her passion here at Panopticon. Elizabeth known lovingly as Liz is obsessed with all things film. She is an accomplished alternative process printer having studied and assisted at Penland School of Crafts. Over the years she has learned the alternative processes of Wet Plate Collodian Printing, Tin Types, Cyanotypes, Albumen Printing and Emulsion Lifts. Also, she has taken classes with Carl Weese at the Center for Alternative Photography where she added Platinum Printing to her repertoire. Recently, she had a one person exhibition of her work at Danforth Art titled Elizabeth Ellenwood: Of Light and Line. Which received a wonderful review by Mark Feeney in the Boston Globe!

Some fun facts about Liz. She loves cheese...I mean like really loves cheese. She is frequently known to throw a cheese party or two and loves to say "Queso for my Face-o". When not in the office you can find her chilling with her dog Ophelia and her drummer dude Josh who plays in the Boston-based band  Girls, Guns and Glory. She loves to travel and has visited Germany, Ireland, Italy (2x) and Switzerland in the last two years. Her next excursion is to Hawaii next year!

Check out Liz's process video:

Artist Spotlight: Stephen Sheffield

"Descent (ladder series #35)"

Stephen Sheffield, a native of the Boston area, is an alumnus of Cornell University, where he obtained a BFA in painting and photography. He received his MFA in photography from the California College of the Arts, in Oakland/San Francisco. He specializes in photography, mixed media and photo-montage and has exhibited nationally for over 20 years. Stephen creates large-scale commissions for private collectors, institutions, restaurants and hotels, as well as images and photographic illustrations for magazines and advertising agencies across the US.  In addition to being a full-time artist, Stephen runs the black and white photography major at the New England School of Photography in Boston and is adjunct faculty at the New Hampshire Institute of Art MFA Program. Stephen Sheffield is represented by Panopticon Gallery in Boston, MA.

• Your work has a sense of storytelling and a slight twinge of humor to it. Walk us through your process – do you sketch out the scene ahead of time or is more a spur of the moment?

SS: Ideas pop into my head almost at random. I then make sketches and do research as far as location and angle, props and “feeling”. Once things are set up and planned I get to work. Of course that is when things go wrong and I have to wing it. There have been very few shots I have taken that have ended up looking exactly as I imagined them. I think much of the humor comes from the “winging it” aspect of the actual shoot.

"Small Business"

• How has social media played a role in your photography?

SS: I use social media less for personal and more as a way to lead people to my work and to keep my work on their minds. It is also in a small way becoming a reminder to continue to make new work. You cannot show the same work forever.

Mixed media installation at Union Beer Company in Red Hook, NY

• You recently moved from Kenmore Sq area to the suburbs of the south shore. Has this changed or impacted your art making?

SS: The move has made a major impact on my work flow mainly, not the work itself. Good and a little more difficult. Good for space and my kids and my wife. It was tough moving my studio out of the Fort Point Channel after 20 plus years, but now the studio has been replaced by a carriage house and a darkroom in the basement. No more rent payments and no more commuting, but it is tough to find a good cocktail and quick access to galleries and museums. Making the work itself has the potential to be easier as I move forward. Time will tell.

"Smoke 1"

• What artists influence you and how do they influence your thinking, creating and career path? Because you are a mixed media artist do you look at more painters & sculptors than photographers?

SS: I am still mainly influenced by the masters. Minor White, Edward Weston, Imogene Cunningham, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Duane Michaels, I could keep going. As far as career path? There is no path anymore. These days it is every artist for themselves and ever-changing. I’m old and I need to stay quick on my feet. For my mixed media I am also still influenced by the masters, mainly non-photographic, but the Starn Twins and Gilbert and George are big ones. The biggest go-to influence who has never let me down has got to be Robert Rauchenberg.

"Lust"

• What are some tips/advice you would give to someone just starting out in photography?

SS: It is super tough out there these days, and and like I said before, there is no clear path for success. My advice is to try to be good at all of it! The technical, the creative, the marketing, the social, the hustle. Go to everything, (openings, museums, lectures) meet everyone and talk to anyone. Always be making art, but don’t show everyone everything. Edit! Edit what you show and edit what you say. Also, never forget to be a good and generous person. That last bit will get you through more doors than interesting or clever art.

"Eddie 2"

Staff Intro - Bruce R. Wahl, Company Bad-A$$

Introducing..... BRUUUUUUCE!!

The newest member of the Panopticon crew, Bruce R. Wahl joined us just last year as a part time-er. He is currently finishing his Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and is a freelance photographer working for clients throughout the Boston area. He brings years of photographic experience as well as some pretty sweet facial hair to the Panopticon team.

You can usually find Bruce at the matting table or jumping into the Panoptivan for a delivery, where ever he is you can be sure there's a story he will have to share.

When he is not at the office or at school, you can find him nerding out over old school motorcycles & film cameras, editing his own work, chillin with his cat Mr. Whiskey, and perhaps indulging in a glass of whiskey (yes there is a coincidence with the cat name) or a brew-ski. Needless to say Bruce fits right in here!

Jaime Johnson - Same print, Different presentations

"Spine" Courtesy of  Jaime Johnson, Tea-toned cyanotype on Japanese rice paper

Don't Take Pictures Magazine is a biannual print, online & tablet-ready magazine run by Kat Kiernan who is receiving this years Rising Star Award at the Focus Awards hosted by The Griffin Museum of Photography.

The online magazine also sells an exclusive limited edition images by an artist featured in the magazine. Working with the artist, they select an image, which is then hand-printed by the artist, signed, numbered in an edition no higher than five, and priced below $200. Because they believe in helping emerging artists build their careers, the full amount of the sale goes to the artist!

First, let us say that this is a FANTASTIC print program that not only helps the artist but opens the door to smaller or new collectors. Liz & Shannon from the office recently purchased the same beautiful print by Jamie Johnson through the program. Since presentation is a big part of what we do here at Panopticon, we wanted to show the way that each print was framed to suit the collector's taste.

Shannon's Frame:

- 8ply mat board

- slight bottom weight

- decorative brushed silver & gold wood frame

Liz's Frame:

- 4 ply mat board

- heavy bottom weight

- dark natural wood frame with a silver beaded fillet

About the artist:

Jaime Johnson grew up in Mississippi where the sounds of wild animals outside her window became her daily melody.  Jaime received her BFA from the University of Mississippi in Imaging Arts and her MFA in Photography from Louisiana Tech University. Johnson was awarded Honorable Mention for her experimental short, Flutter in the 11th Annual Oxford Film Festival in 2011.  Jaime was named a finalist for the 2015 Clarence John Laughlin Award and her work has been shown nationally in venues such as the Center for Fine Art Photography, The SOHO Photo Gallery in New York, The New Orleans Photo Alliance, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art . Her work has been published in Shots Magazine, Don't Take Pictures, Light Leaked, and Seites, and her series Untamed recently won the Grand Prize in Character: Portraits and Stories that Reveal the Human Condition, sponsored by Maine Media Workshops.

Make sure to check out Jaime Johnson's website and Etsy shop!

Staff Intro - Chris Mulready, The Jack of All Trades

You know that guy you know that can fix everything and make it seem effortless? Put a Graphic T on him and that's Chris! A photography graduate of the Center for Digital Arts and a Mathematics degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Chris has been a part of the Panopticon team since 2011. His expertise & skill set stretch from the darkroom & film processor, to the digital world, to the framing table and hits everything in between. Chris started his photography career at Ritz Camera then continued on to EP Levine and assisting as a second shooter for weddings. As a full timer here, his days are filled with a little bit of everything: meeting with clients, digital printing, scanning, custom framing, and maintenance of all the machines. Needless to say we like to keep him busy!

Fun Facts:

- Chris's favorite M&Ms are crispy so if you need to bribe him bring a few packages of those.

- He is an avid Foo Fighter fan.

- He is a happy new owner of a 2014 Triumph Bonneville Motorcycle so you can catch him cruising around town.

Sum sum summertime- that's a wrap!

Whoa! Summer is always an exuberant time to go down the Cape, have some BBQ and for us down at Panopticon Imaging, make work! Our artists have been busy, so we have been having a great season of working with them on finalizing images, prints and exhibitions! We were so excited to work on so many of these projects we lost track of the time, but don't worry- there were a few outing with the Panopti-crew where we were able to steal some sun and fun. We ushered in the season with quite a bang at the Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward Festival! We have been working with the Festival and it's artists for the last three years, and it is always fantastic and quite a different array of work every time.

This year we helped with the printing and installation of the 7 shipping containers that were on the Rose Kennedy Greenway for all of May! In coordination with the Fence, this outdoor exhibition was so much fun, and such a great experience working with the international artists that made up the roster. Each shipping container held a solo exhibition from artists like Angélica Dass and Gregor Schmatz. 

Angélica Dass's solo exhibition in the shipping container.

Along with the Fence, we had the great pleasure of working with Boston Globe Legend Bill Brett on his Flash Forward solo exhibition.   We take great pride in managing and implementing all production for these kinds of exhibitions- from the proofing with the artists, printing, framing and even delivery to the exhibition venue.  This was the fist of the two large-scale exhibitions we helped produce at the beginning of this summer, the second being a brand new relationship we started with artist Emil Cohen!

The crew with Emil Cohen at the William Scott Gallery

Emil Cohen came to us for assistance in producing his solo exhibition, "Portraits in Provincetown" at the William Scott Gallery that was held in July.  The exhibition would be of 76 portraits he made of the good people of Provincetown, both large and small scale to be displayed.  The portraits are beautiful as well as playful and sometimes mischievous- just as you might expect from P-Town. Working from London now, Emil needed to produce the exhibition remotely, and we were happy to take on the task.  When the exhibition was finally ready for air-time, we took that opportunity to join him in P-Town for a little out-of-office research and development.  We hope if you were there this summer, you were able to see Emil's work, or him photographing for the project!

Our whole summer did not just consist of large-scale exhibitions, though.  We work on any photographic endeavor, and were happy to work on both printing and framing projects for a multitude of new clients.  Artists such as Lazaro Montano stopped by to have one of his great Color Block pieces printed and framed; as did Toni Pepe, who had some of her new work in this summer's Community of Artists exhibition at the Danforth Museum of Art.  It was also great to do some expert framing for the end-of-summer exhibition Landscape as Fetish at Gallery Kayafas, introducing us to the work of Angela Mittiga and Mark Dorf. 

Finished framed work by Lazaro Montano

It has been a delightful season, and we hope that the fall brings even more exciting projects as we get to see what everyone has been working on all summer! And don't worry, we haven't slowed down one bit.  We are currently preparing artist Betsy Schneider for her exhibition at Harvard's Carpenter Center, and looking forward to the great work that will be in the Griffin Museum of Photography's annual Atelier exhibition in September! Stay tuned for more, and have a great rest of August!

Somerville Toy Camera Festival

"Childhood(The Boat)" by Andrea Buzzichelli will be featured at the Nave Gallery Annex during the Somerville Toy Camera Festival

We are proud to be a supporter of the 2015 Somerville Toy Camera Festival! In it’s 3rd year running, the team that puts on this marvelous, analogue photography driven extravaganza is bringing exhibitions, photography events and panel discussions to celebrate the art of all things lo-fi photography. Jam packed with work selected by Juror Aline Smithson, the over 100 artists shown between the Festival's 3 locations will bolster your love for photography and surprise you with the immense variety and beautiful imagery that can come out of a toy camera. From holgas to lomos to self-made pinhole cameras, ‘toy camera’ seems like a simplification for artists that are attracted to making pieces without control, and enjoying the results in the beautiful unknown that will be on display.

"Ungaurded Area" by Toy Camera Festival Juror Aline Smithson

We at Panopticon look forward to the festival every year, as we get to work with some of the artists on their prints and framing presentation. Let’s be honest, the opening receptions are also some of the most fun! Between the Nave Gallery in Somerville’s Teele Square, the Nave Annex in Davis Square and the Washington Street Art Center outside of Union Square, you will not be at a loss for stimulating exhibitions to see.

"Spring Time" by Francine Weiss will be featured at the Washington Street Art Center.

The openings for the festival will run the weekend of September 10-13. This year also has the exciting addition of workshops and an artist panel discussion! Please check out all of the STCF events as they get closer on their website, and enjoy the great photography with us!

Frederica Paoletti will be featured at the Washington Street Art Center.

Jane Mansfield & Sofia Loren Iconic Image

This iconic image of Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren came in other day from a wonderful client. Needless to say we were so excited to frame this beautiful image. This image was taken at a party at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. Loren is quoted as saying:

"Paramount had organized a party for me. All of cinema was there, it was incredible. And then comes in Jayne Mansfield, the last one to come. For me, that was when it got amazing. . . . She came right for my table. She knew everyone was watching. She sat down. And now, she was barely . . . Listen. Look at the picture. Where are my eyes? I’m staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I’m so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow—BOOM!—and spill all over the table." Full article in Vanity Fair Magazine.