Just to be accurate: Fatali does not use any digital, so he is not getting the intense saturation through photoshop tricks.
He shoots on highly saturated transparency film (Velvia, E100VS) and prints on Ilfochrome. He may be doing a lot of work in the darkroom with masking techniques and filtration to get the highest saturation out of his materials (ie. color darkroom tricks).
Too bad photoshop doesn't allow 16bit in layer manipulation.
Actually Adobe Photoshop CS does and there are ways around the 8 bit limit in Photoshop 6 & 7, but they are very time consuming.
Thank you Steve, I'll try emailing Flickinger, last time I spoke with Fatali he didn't tell me anything...I agree with you, that the rock formation should be in the Paria Wilderness-Grand Staircase Escalante area: one of the BLM ranger at the Paria Ranger Station is a very good friend of mine, I'll try to ask her, she was very useful when I asked her about the "White Hoodoos" (another famous Fatali's subject)...I'll let you know if I discover something... Ciao Marco
Like Tuan said - the "glow" you describe is a result of Mr. Flickinger's digital skills. It's no different than the glow of a Burkett Ilfochrome or a Sexton silver print. Contrary to common belief in this forum, producing quality results in a digital process requires as much training and skill as any other.
It's sad that some folks just can't find it in them to say anything good about anybody else. Anyone thinking they can just "pull the saturation slider" and get the same results is setting themselves up for a lesson in humility if they ever want to present their work side by side with masterfully produced digital prints.
Guy
Sorry Michael, Fatali does use digital and most if not all his prints are done by someone else! Perhaps in the past he made all of them himself, but not lately. Of course he does not talk about this as it doesn’t go with his famous “Waiting for the Light” bull.
Even if once upon a time he did his own work he employed extensive “manipulations through colored masks” to get his images as saturated as they were. (He alludes to this in that View Camera article about him).
Other then giving out his later work for others to print he is a Master Printer himself. The fact that others produce his work is quite widely known in some circles, and also that he does not pay his bills to those hapless souls.
On the subject of location of certain photographs, it is best if you keep you knowledge to yourselves as pasting information on the Internet is a sure way of destroying those locations. If you don’t believe me, (I know Mono Lake is well known) but just look at all those Tufa Formation destroyed just in the last few years. Sadly I have many more examples.
I know the aforementioned rocks’ location, but will not tell! It is sad that someone will. What a pity!
Photoshop CS practice: 35mm provia, scanned with Polaroid 45 Ultra
I dont know why some people dislike saturated color in landscapes.. Arguments seem to be 'it doesnt look real' or 'its been done too much'. -Those dont seem like well though-out reasons. Speaking of which, some people sounded like they disdained the digital process as well. That also seems unfounded, since most of the digital techniques were first used in film proesses. Anyway, I really dont want to make this a film-vs digital thread.
-Back on topic, I tried the technique That QT Luong suggested, but it really didnt seem any different than adjusting the color saturation.. I had some pics of colorado that I took with Fuji Reala 100. They were pretty colorfull to begin with, I just tried to give em a little more punch.
Geoffrey, telling any of us the location of the rocks in these images, or any other location, won't hasten their destruction any faster than not telling us. The magazines like Outdoor Photographer, and even the Park Service itself , has freely given away the exact locations of so many wonderful places. The tuffas were in trouble well back into the 50's. And it usually isn't a photographer who does the damage. It is too often the local who does the damage. Anyone remember how beautiful Monument Valley was until the Navajo started over grazing it? Telling a photographer won't matter a bit. The destruction of our landscape comes from too many people alone and not from photographers. I support the theory that photographers have instead brought about protection of many resources through their images. The rock formations in question are in the Coyote Buttes section of the Paria Wilderness. BLM will give you all the information you need to go photograph them.
I have to agree with James, photographers are not the ones who do the damages...I have to add that sometimes photographers don't tell the exact locations only for commercial purposes and not for the land conservation's sake: once I was intentionally given the wrong directions by a professional photographer, risking my life in long backpacking trip in the desert without knowing that I was heading nowhere and that I was deceived...here where I live (Italy, generally speaking Europe) I never keep a location "secret", I trust landscape photographers and their sense of respect for the land... ciao
Marco
There are many reasons to keep a location secret. This is a topic I have given much thought to and eventually decided there's no good reason to share information about these locations.
Many of these spots are on public lands, far from sight, and some are downright fragile. To say that photographers don't cause damage is naive at best. There are documented cases of photographers chain-sawing trees, trampling sensitive soil or rock, destroying formations (whether to prevent others from duplicating their work or as a result of plain ignorance), and I won't even go into the fire thing. Some photographers are more trophy hunters than naturalists and will stop at little to get the "been there done that" or a "better than such-and-such" image. Not knowing what someone's true motivations are, why would I put these beautiful places at risk?
Another consideration is the safety traveling to these places. Some of them require hiking, 4wd driving or other outdoor skills and, not knowing how adept someone is, I do not want to be responsible for them getting hurt or killed trying to follow my directions.
Last but not least is the "code of honor" that goes with these secrets. Many of them are passed on by word of mouth based on trust. If I disclose something revealed to me in confidence, why would anyone trust me again?
James - if you think OP or the park rangers are telling you something that is not already public knowledge, you are dillusional. And no offence to Marco, but there's nothing in Italy or all of Europe for that matters that comes anywhere close to the vast public lands of the American West which are very difficult if not impossible to protect from those who would do them harm.
Guy
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks