The Online Photographer: July Print Offer: David Dyer-Bennet

Lincoln Memorial print by David Dyer-Bennet, $95

Digital rescued this film photograph, which I think is a quiet masterpiece. It's by TOP reader (and frequent commenter) David Dyer-Bennet (a.k.a. DD-B). If his last name looks familiar to you, you might be a fan of folk music—his uncle was the British-born American folksinger Richard Dyer-Bennet. David took this on a break from college in 1975, a decade after the Civil Rights Act and not long after he first met Ctein.

Longtime TOP readers will remember this picture from back in 2007, when Ctein and David talked about the multi-decade-long path this photograph took from exposure to a print that did it proper justice.

Put your own subtext on it; you can see the picture for yourself. As for the print, it looks like neither film nor digital, but like exactly what it is: a fine inkjet print carefully made from an original B&W negative. Richly glowing tones on premium paper with a lovely surface. The print strikes me as just about ideal—and also remarkably “effortless," quite a feat considering how much effort actually went into it.

David took the photograph on 35mm Kodak Plus-X with either a Leica M3 or an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic. (He's not certain. I'll post his reminiscences of the shot and his comments about it in a few days.)

Our print—made with great care by David's friend Ctein, over a long process of back-and-forth consideration, first between David and Ctein in 2007, and then recently between David, Ctein, and myself—is printed on Canson Baryta Photographique paper with Epson Ultrachrome K3 inks. The size is 9x12 inches (~23x30.5 cm) on 11x15 paper. The prints are signed on the front by David and on the back by Ctein.

No vintage prints exist. The link at the top explains why—the picture was never printed adequately until digital came along.

• • •

The price for this month's print is $95 and $20 for shipping regardless of where it’s going. As usual, we accept orders for five days only. Sales close at 7 p.m. Central Time on Friday. Then the prints are made to fill the orders we've received. Prints cannot be ordered past the close date.

HERE'S HOW TO ORDER

[UPDATE: Sale ended 7 p.m. 7/11/14.

New orders can no longer be made.

For those who have already ordered but have yet to send their check, here's the info: you can send a cashier's check, money order, or personal check drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. funds made out to "Ctein" and mailed to:

Ctein
42 Skyline Drive
Daly City CA 94015

The price including shipping is $125 if you're in California and $115 if you're anywhere else. This is only for people who have already ordered—please don't send a check if you haven't already made an order! Thanks.

PayPal buttons removed 7 p.m. 7/11/14]

I've seen thousands of pictures taken at the Lincoln Memorial (like many people who ever taught photography in D.C.!) and tried to photograph it myself many times (I used to live within walking distance). This is my favorite picture taken there, in a print that is as good as can be made and looks wonderful. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2014 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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Featured Comments from:

Kenneth Tanaka: "Good choice! This image is pretty darn close to the feeling of some of Gordon Parks' work."