'The Red Chair' Print Offer (Three Days Only)

I have to say I think I've landed in a little pocket of paradise. I'm constantly amazed at the beauty of my surroundings here. I wouldn't have guessed there could be so much to see in one little 1.78-acre patch of Earth. I often find myself reaching for a camera (even the one in the phone) just as a way of responding to something I see—a way to take note of it. The other night, for example, I went to take the dogs out at twilight and there, after a heavily overcast day, was the full moon coming over the steep hill in back, through the trees. It practically took my breath away.

I feel like a tourist in my own backyard sometimes.  :-)

This ice storm, and the snowfall afterward, propelled me out of the house with the Fuji. Before the storm, I'd been feeling kind of guilty about not putting the red chairs away in the barn at the end of the fall. But when I saw this picture, I was glad I hadn't. And it didn't even look like this for one whole day. By early the next morning, although some of the snow still clung to the trees, the magic of the scene was gone.

It's a lovely spot. In warm weather, that red chair is where I sit and watch the waterfall and read to the sound of falling water, for half an hour or forty-five minutes as the sun goes down.

The print
"The Red Chair," taken last week with a Fujifilm X-T1 and 23mm ƒ/1.4 lens, is 9x121/2 inches on 11x15-inch Canson Baryta Photographique paper, expertly printed on the new Epson P800 printer by Ctein in California. It's a quiet little picture and a quiet little print. To me it speaks of the beauty we can find in familiar places if the conditions are right, and of the consolation we find in beauty.

$120 unsigned, $170 signed. Please click here to order and/or to see a high-quality JPEG of the picture. [UPDATE: Link removed; sale ended 1 p.m. Sat. Feb. 27. Thanks to everyone who ordered!] $25 per print for packing and shipping to anywhere in the world. Payment by PayPal only, please, since this is a minor sale. As usual, all prints will be shipped within 60 days (you might get yours much faster than that) and have a 100% money back guarantee. Anyone who for whatever reason does not like the print is free to return it within 30 days and their money will be refunded. Any print damaged in shipping will be replaced at our expense.

My plan is that my share of the proceeds will go toward creating a lovely little photography display gallery here, so people who visit will have some cool stuff to see and discuss with me. I'll tell you more about that soon. This sale will kickstart that project, which I've been very enthusiastic about. It's something I really want to do. (Every picture in it will have a story behind it, probably.)

Three days only. Sale ends this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time (that's 6 p.m. in London, 10 a.m. in Los Angeles, and 5:00 Sunday morning in Sydney).

I really hope you like the print! As for me, I don't think I'll ever be able to look over at the red chair, even when the light is gloomy and those trees are dark, and fail to smile at the memory of this scene.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2016 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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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Jon: "This print hits all the right buttons for me. Technically, it uses the camera I purchased last summer, and the printer I'm thinking of purchasing. Locationally, I spent my college years in Ithaca, New York, and another 16 years in Vermont / New Hampshire (and here in Portland, Oregon, I miss snow!). And, most important, aesthetically this is just lovely. I am drawn to monochrome images that aren't monochrome, and outdoors images with a touch of humanity. And the splash of color is wonderful. With all of this, I was still not willing to pull the trigger, as I have several other Print Sale prints that are not yet on my walls. But I showed it to my awesome wife...and she is getting it for my birthday. Life is good."

Mike replies: Whew! That comment had me worried there. But it ended well.  :-)

Tom: "You said: 'I think I've landed in a little pocket of paradise. I'm constantly amazed at the beauty of my surroundings here. I wouldn't have guessed there could be so much to see in one little 1.78-acre patch of Earth.' Welcome to western/central New York. I live just south of not-coincidentally-named Eden, New York (there are even some apple orchards there). Your ice storm view will be almost an annual event, to be seasonally replaced by equally enchanting scenes. I've become convinced that almost everywhere on earth has its own special beauty, but if you were intrigued by your ice storm, you will really enjoy your new home."

Comments

[Bruce K]

I love the image. Well, other than that little orange flag off to the far right. Apologies for being picky. I bought a print anyway, though. :-)

[Mark Kinsman]

This is a lovely print, but comes at a bad time for my budget. Best of luck in the sale, I hope it exceeds your expectations.

[MikeR]

"I feel like a tourist in my own backyard sometimes."

Same here. About 16 years ago my wife and I stumbled into this little wooded pocket about 40 miles NW of Philly. Ten minutes drive in any direction, and it's either suburbs, small towns, industrial areas, or farms. But from our home, you would never know. Quiet. Really dark at night. Wildlife.

Our 2.3 acres had a rarity: a stand of old American Elm trees, some as much as 80 years old. Somehow, they had escaped the Dutch Elm disease blight that devastated the species in the US beginning about a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, a couple of years after we arrived, apparently the elm bark beetle did also. The elms all gone. I let stand one particularly fine snag situated out of harms way, which the woodpeckers soon made a buffet and an apartment of. I called this tree "woodpecker" and have photographed it repeatedly over the years, as it became more hole-ridden, dropped limbs, and developed character. It finally fell last summer. I have no idea how many images I have of it. So, "tourist in my own backyard?" I know well how that goes.

And by the way, noticing that you have edited this post since it first went up, I just would like to extend my well wishes for you as time, and you, move forward.

[Steve Smith]

there, after a heavily overcast day, was the full moon coming over the steep hill in back, through the trees. It practically took my breath away.

I had a similar experience last night. I was out for my evening walk and as I came round a corner, the moon came into sight, low on the horizon with a reflection on the sea. It was the most beatiful orange/pink colour I have ever seen.

[Fred Krebs]

Very nice. A little aside: it appears that you have expanded the wonderful "share the chair" idea from our friends to the north, Parks Canada http://www.pc.gc.ca/voyage-travel/serapprocher-connect-twitter.aspx
Nicely done! And thank you for your very enjoyable and informative blog!

[Peter]

I don't remember the exact timing of your move, but think that you have not been up there (I'm down state)for a Spring/Summer. Besides being in one of the more beautiful parts of the state, you are also located in an area that will allow you to explore other parts of New York that should be very appealing as a photographer. Many people are unaware of the sheer size and scope of NY State; parts of the Adirondack wilderness had not even been mapped until recently.

[Jayson Merryfield]

I don't know if he has the time for it these days, but I always love reading Ctien's commentary on how he went about printing a picture, the challenges he overcame, stuff like that. I'd love to hear his thoughts on printing this particular picture.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

To no small degree this image represents the magic potential of photography. There might be a stack of junked cars outside the left of the frame, a squalid camp of squatters off the right, and something that looks disturbingly human hanging above the top border. (Of course there's not, just sayin' for exposition here.) But in this rectangle there is a placid winter paradise. A place we imagine ourselves to be just for a moment. No other medium can testify to the reality of such a place. Drawings and paintings reflect only impressions and memories. This photograph tells us that this place exists and that that chair waits for us.

Yes, your new setting does look lovely Mike. But, to my surprise, it's no longer my Eden. When I was in my 20's and 30's I craved beautiful wilderness and longed for the day when I could live so remotely. Today, while I still appreciate beautiful rural places I have no desire to live there. I've become very much an urban dweller who craves everything in walking (or typing) distance. I could never live a life dependent on having a car or driving.

But I can buy your picture of Eden to look at whenever I need a fix.

[Mike Potter]

And by the way, noticing that you have edited this post since it first went up, I just would like to extend my well wishes for you as time, and you, move forward.

I didn't see the original post, my condolences if something sad has recently befallen you, Mike. Wishing you all the best.

[Richard Pickup]

Mike,

Just ordered a signed print. It caught my eye on your original posting of the image. This isn't the first image I've bought from TOP; I teach photography in the UK and use them as reference prints to show students. I think the value of seeing fine prints by others is really underestimated.

Anyway good luck with the gallery / pool room, and I hope I've made a small but useful contribution.

Richard