Cool Unboxing Video! (and Paris Print Update)

I'm pleased to report that all of the orders from our recent "Peter Turnley's Paris" print offer have now shipped. If you placed an order and haven't received it yet, you should receive it within the next few days.

As regular readers know, we're suckers for the occasional "unboxing" picture sequence or video—although maybe we get enthusiastic over different kinds of things than do other "unboxers" on the internet (gear—meh. Books and prints, yeah). Here's another great one, courtesy of TOP reader Pak-Ming Wan:

If you've ordered and paid for your Paris print(s) and for some reason you don't receive your package in the next two weeks, please get in touch with me (my contact details can be found in the right-hand sidebar on any page on the site).

Speaking personally, one thing that moved me in particular with this print sale were the number of people who told me they've never purchased any original art of any kind before this sale. There were quite a few. This site is all about enjoying photography, which has been one of the enrichments of my life, and I'm gratified to have helped introduce a few more people to the pleasure of owning and enjoying original art and of patronizing the work of active, living artists and craftspeople.

Mike
(Warm thanks to Pak)

P.S. If you can't see the video above, the direct link to YouTube is here.

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Original contents copyright 2010 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Comments

[Pak-Ming Wan]

Hi Mike,

Firstly, thanks for putting this video up on TOP: I'm glad that it resonated with you (in the way I hoped it would)! There were two things going through my mind when I shot this:

1. my reaction to the print for the first time, and
2. potentially sharing this with the artist and those who made it possible.

I wonder for all the paintings in museums today if their artists ever got to see them appreciated. In the end, I am only too happy to have been able to close the artistic loop.

Pak

[Rob Atkins]

Great! That was better than watching kids open their Christmas presents.

PLEASE NOTE: Its a good practice to completely remove all tape from packaging before taking the print out of its envelope. You don't want to catch the print surface on the tape for obvious reasons.

[Dave Karp]

I had sort of put this out of my mind. Now I am champing at the bit!

[Simon]

I was just starting to get very jealous of Pak-Ming Wan unboxing his Turnley print when my colleague came over with the box containing the one I ordered for my wife's birthday. I have had a quick look and it's a lovely looking picture in the flesh. Thanks to Peter and Voja for the print and to Mike for making it possible for me to buy another piece of original art to enjoy.

[Hernan Zenteno]

I have not the money but is very nice to share the joy of open the envelopment and discover the print. Honestly i would ripe the envelope because my impatience. Thanks for this, you make me smile. There are some identification with other people that appreciate beautiful work. A chemical print. Artisan work. Very nice.

[Ramses]

This gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling (good things happen).

[Daniel]

I wish I could have afforded a print as well. I have yet to buy my first print, but tried unsuccessfully to cut corners so that I could own one too.

I believe that the personal stories about printing that occurred on this blog helped a lot of us really appreciate the delicacies in printing from film.

Thanks for all you do with this blog.

[John Gillooly]

I received mine last week and had similar difficulty with the many detailed layers of very secure tape!:) I am very happy with my first "collected" photographic art print!

[Thingo]

No video at my end, nor the careful use of gloves. I just used scissors to cut away the tape, and careful packing, to reveal a stunning print.

Many thanks to Peter for making his prints available, and Mike for this third round of offered prints. I feel most privileged to have participated.

[Peter Turnley]

My heartfelt thanks to Pak-Ming Wan for sharing this very touching video and moment. Ever since the first time I saw Cartier-Bresson come into Picto to sign his collector prints, a sight which had tremendous impact upon me, I have thought that the realm of signed collector prints represents in some ways the summit of the photographic experience.
Watching Pak-Ming Wan open his box and put on the gloves to take his print out, and then his comments, all touched me very much. I will be sure to show it to Voja who of course made the prints-he will get a kick out of this.
I am grateful to Mike, and to everyone who participated in this sale, and to all that have shown interest. To know that many people around the world will have an image/images of mine on their walls, and in their midst, gives me great life and artistic inspiration and strength.
In case it could be helpful to anyone interested, I do suggest from my own experience as a collector of others prints-that everyone be very careful taking the print/prints out of the box, and suggest that you carefully remove the tape that fixes the print to the cardboard support, before trying to open the print-photographic paper is relatively fragile.
Also, it might be helpful to know that when you frame a print, it is always advisable to never put any adhesive directly to the print-the print should be held down to an acid free matt board with corners, so no adhesive touches the print. You should also always use acid free matt board, and it would be advisable as well to use an Ultra Violet ray glass as a glass for the frame. All of this will give archival protection to the print for many generations to come. It might be a good idea to have the prints framed by a reputable framer shop that has experience with photographic prints.
Again, my sincere thanks to Pak-Ming Wan, to Mike, to Voja, to my assisant Harold Batista who helped tremendously with the logistics of shipping and handling the prints, and to all of you that have shown interest in this print offering. I'm writing from Calcutta, India, where I've been seeing and photographing amazing scenes since I arrived several days ago. Warm regards, Peter

[V.I. Voltz]

It's mistitled, of course. It should be called "Opening Voja Mitrovic's print of Peter Turnley's photograph".

Voltz

[Lou]

I just love that pentax MX on the table. Way cool !

[Nigel]

I opened mine this morning, with the same sense of suppressed excitement as Pak - and, I think, the identical swiss army knife, but lacking the cool white gloves.

Like Christmas come early !
(Apologies for the nasty office light.)

I too would like to express deep gratitude to Peter, Voja and Mike for their combined efforts in making this possible.

[John MacKechnie]

A simple act shared. Delightful. Thanks Pak.

[Jeff Warden]

I too received mine and all is well. The quality of the image and print are both outstanding, and the packaging, as seen in Pak's excellent video, leaves nothing to chance.

Thanks all!

[Rick Brandt]

notice how tape is always a problem...

--- aka
dirt in the hole...
how it comes out is different than how it went in...

[Keith I]

I cannot wait! I was one of the first time buyers, although I did intend to buy one of the Chicago prints and was just too slow.

[Keith I]

Any tips for framing? I am terrified of messing it up while trying to get it into a good frame.

[Mike Johnston]

"Any tips for framing?"

We will publish a post about best framing practices within the next few days. A week at the outside. If all goes well. I hope. (I should never make promises....) Anyway, it's planned.

Mike

[Bryce Lee]

An amazing recording of a "special" event.
The white gloves were a special touch.
And as has been noted prior, how does one "preserve" such an image once the package has been opened.
By framing, or placing the print in a sealed container in a climate controlled atmosphere 10,000 feet underground?

[Michel]

I am having non-buyer's remorse.

[David H.]

Well, I didn't think watching a video of someone opening a package would be very interesting, but I have now watched it 3 times. The fact that Pak received the print that I had considered buying makes me very much regret the fact that I had only "considered" it.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

Thanks for letting us watch! That was my favorite of the images, too.

I'm not exactly having non-buyer's remorse; it remains true that that's a chunk of money I can't spend casually. (I feel like I know the market well enough to have an opinion: these prints were a fantastic bargain; I'm not complaining about the price, merely being unable to bring myself to write the check.)

Not too many years ago I had an interchange with somebody who worked professionally with very old and fragile books (so best-practices may differ for photos). They said that, at that time, the use of protective cotton gloves was controversial in their field. Some people strongly favored it, some were opposed, and they both had some evidence available. Washing hands carefully and fairly frequently was clearly better than gloves that weren't changed often enough, for example.

I use gloves when I have to handle bare film chips (like dismounted slides), but not for handling strips of negatives (I've got decades of practice at just touching the edges).

[Darryl Gilbert]

That was very cool....
Thanks Pak for sharing the moment.

Thanks also to Peter for commenting on framing issues and I'm looking forward to Mikes post covering that subject.
I noticed Peter's signature on the print and was wondering what he may have used?

[Tom]

I also have a question about framing, but it is about framing from the artistic perspective rather than the physical viewpoint.

I purchased "Rooftops" as a gift for my adult daughter, and plan to have it professionally framed before giving it to her. I am aware that artistic choices made during the framing process have the potential to affect the end result, and that some photographers - and some painters - have strong opinions about how an image they have created should be framed.

Accordingly, I have a question for Peter Turnley: Do you have a preference for the "style", type, or appearance of framing for this print of "Rooftops" that you feel would best fit your own vision of that image? In the absence of your input, I will rely on the judgment of the professional framer, but I would prefer to end up with a frame/image combination that is the product of a single vision - if possible.

Thanks in advance,
- Tom -

[Keith I.]

My print has also arrived! Thank you so much for setting up such an incredible opportunity. I may try to resist opening it until after the framing tips are posted.

[Pak-Ming Wan]

Thanks for all the great comments and the advice! I never imagined I'd get this kind of feedback for just the simple action of posting a video...

@Peter / @Mike: Thanks for taking the time out to respond and to put this post up. On framing: I'm looking for a good framer in Paris at the moment and I'll take your pointers along with me. Also, I sincerely hope that Voja enjoys the video too.

@Rob / @Peter: The tape has been removed! I only figured this out AFTER I had the gloves on and for continuity's sake I kept on going (but the point of the tape on the print is especially pertinent)...

@Lou: Very observant! It's actually a ME Super + 50/1.4 and my M6 + 35/2 is right next to it. And yes they just happened to be there when I set up the video camera -- they are always on my main table so I can grab them on my way out...

Pak