Monteferrante's "Winter Soulstice"

We're pleased to announce Judith Monteferrante's (aka awesome Moab Master) first solo NYC show at the Amsterdam Whitney from December 2, 2011-January 3, 2012.  Here's an excerpt from the gallery:

"Inspired by Rodin's credo to reveal both the internal intangible as well as the external tangible, Judith Monteferrante's impressive female figurative nude photography explores the complexities of the mature female nude figure and emotes a powerful psychological portrayal of the aging female. Celebrating the mature female form, Ms. Monteferrante's innovative photographs explore the complexities of aging baby boomers by blending a powerful psychological photographic portrayal resonating with a strong sense of empowerment. 

Her "Mature Nude Series" reveals a sophistication of form and shape that reflects an incredible force of vision reflecting an exciting vitality.  Celebrating the female nude as the raison d’etre of photography, Dr. Monteferrante, who is also a cardiologist, clearly understands the medical as well as the conceptual aging of the human figure."

All 6 pieces are printed on MOAB Entrada Rag Natural 300.

Andy Biggs printing seminar at Durys

If you are a photographer (and by reading this you probably fall into this category) and want to hear how to become more profitable in your business, Andy will lay it all out for you.  This Saturday, November 19th, Andy will present from 10-2 at Dury's in Nashville, TN.  The event includes a free lunch and happens to run in conjunction with a Canon Day, where printers will be on sale.

Here's the official blurb about the seminar:

As photographers I think we would all agree that one of the missing ingredients in completing our vision for an image is the final output.  Some of us work with color labs and are totally happy with that. However, most artists have always chosen to do it themselves; keeping a hand in the final product until it is delivered. Total print control with no excuses. A meet and greet will follow and Moab Paper swatch books will be available for all in attendance. If you are interested in profitability and control, make time to be with us.

Click here to register

Horowitz in China

Moab Master, Ryszard Horowitz, just had a recent exhibition in China that we wanted to share since it was printed entirely on the new Lasal Exhibition Luster 300.  

Wheelock Square, located in the heart of Shanghai’s vibrant Nanjing West Road district, hosted an exclusive Shanghai retrospective of the works of this renowned Polish-American photo-artist.

In cooperation with the cultural program to celebrate the Polish Presidency in the European Union across China, the exhibition took place from October 20 to November 8 with ten of his most famous works on display in the vast open ground floor lobby of Wheelock Square.

Austin Photo Expo 2011

If you happen to be in Austin this weekend (and, really, who won't be), the annual two-day Austin Photo Expo kicks off on Saturday, November 12th at the Norris Conference Center.  

Not counting the size of Texas, there will be two very big things happening at the expo: First, Andy Biggs will be giving his famous presentation on fine art printing on Saturday @ 2:10pm.  Second, all the seminars will be free and open to the public.

Since the seminars are free, entry is on a first-come, first-seated basis, so make sure you arrive early and plan to spend the day.

Self-Publishing in the Digital Age

We all love those large-format coffee table photo books, and with recent developments in technology, making your own custom edition is just a (few) clicks away. Our friends at SVA are hosting a panel discussion on the role of photography books and what this means to you.

Ink to iPad: The Photography Book Today
November 9^th 7:00-8:30 PM
SVA Theater • 333 West 23^rd St, New York City

Free & Open to the Public

Here's a description of the event.  HINT: Read the very last sentence at the bottom:

Until recently, the success of a professional photographer was often measured by the publication of a photographic monograph, which has typically been inaccessible to all but the most profitable or sought-after artists. Today, using on-demand printing and web distribution, photographers are exploring alternatives such as self-publishing and crowd-sourcing to design, produce, and distribute their own books.

• As digital technology has revolutionized photography, is the printed page still relevant?
• How can emerging photographers successfully produce and distribute their work?
• What is the role of the e-book in relation to the art book?

These questions are addressed by a distinguished group of photographers and publishers in a panel discussion moderated by Michael Itkoff, editor of Daylight magazine. Panelists include curator Susan Bright; Eric Himmel, editor-in-chief, Abrams Books; David Schoerner, founder and publisher, Hassla Books; and photographer Harvey Stein.

There will be a reception immediately following the discussion, hosted by Moab Paper.

PhotoPlus Expo - Day Two from the floor

The mood here is electrifying.  We're having a blast meeting all the Moab fans out here and introducing Moab to new photographers.  

We began to notice something interesting happening with our Moenkopi Japanese Washi papers.  It seems the Bizan, in particular, is stealing some of the limelight away from Slickrock. We only brought two 13x19 prints made on the Moenkopi Bizan, but these little guys have been getting a ton of attention at the show.  Of course, it could be Geoffrey Agrons images, but we like to think the paper has something to do with the extra interest.

We're giving away Moenkopi samplers (excluding the Bizan), but if you're not attending the show and want to try out these Japanese papers, then drop us a friendly request here to have one sent to you.

PhotoPlus Expo - Day One from the floor

Blogging from a very crowded show floor on day one of PPE.  The buzz has been SLICKROCK.  This is a shot of our Slickrock Metallic room featuring large format prints on the new Slickrock Metallic Pearl.  It's a paper that really causes pause.  You find yourself staring at the image wondering what's going on. The photos pop off the paper.

The other buzz at the show is the new Canon PIXMA PRO-1 printer.  The new professional 13" printer officially launched today in the US.  We were fortunate enough to get our Moaby hands on this machine a few weeks ago to test and build profiles, and we can honestly say the PIXMA PRO-1 is a phenomenal printer.  The crazy amount of detail the printer is capable of reproducing is breathtaking.  

If you're at the show, stop by our booth to see the PRO-1 in action spitting out prints on Slickrock for you to take home.

Did I mention profiles for the PRO-1?  Yup, we got 'em.

Experience Moab at PhotoPlus Booth #446

We attend a bunch of trade shows throughout the year, but we aim to make each experience unique for our Moab fans out there.  Next week we'll be exhibiting at PhotoPlus Expo in NYC (booth #446) and we guarantee to deliver on this Moab Experience.

If you haven't seen our new Slickrock Metallic Pearl paper, then you're in for a thrill. We've pushed the envelope to deliver a metallic pearl paper that will transform your image into something stellar.  Our metallic gallery will demonstrate the power of this paper that you've literally got to see to believe.  Be sure to grab the printed samples that we'll be giving away.

Another new paper that we'll be showing off is our Lasal Exhibition Luster 300.  This is not your mama's photo luster.  Lasal Exhibition Luster is a hefty 300gsm paper that produces images that will blow you away.  Thanks to the latest state-of-the-art, fourth generation coating (4G anyone?), you'll see stunning details in your images that only your photo sensors were privy to (until now).

We'll also be featuring our Moenkopi Japanese Washi paper at the show. Photographer Geoffrey Agrons printed out some stunning images on the Moenkopi Bizan that will make you drool.

Speaking of drooling.  We'll be featuring original photographs from Enzo Beretta, Andy Biggs, Robert Farber, Jim Graham, Joshua Holko, Ryszard Horowitz, Christian Lalonde, Jim LaSala, Michael Soluri, Salvatore Vasapolli and Michael Zide.

Oh, and the free passes.  Click here and fill out the online form and you'll be good to go.

Where in the Moab?

Our seasonal 'Where in the Moab?' contest kicks off with a somewhat challenging image (we think). Correctly guess the location of this image for your chance to win $100 of Moab paper.

This photo comes courtesy of Jon Fuller of Moab Photo Tours. Good luck!

MoabTV

We just launched a new page on our site for all things video.  MoabTV will feature how-to demos ranging from feature-length seminars to short snippets of Moab love.

Our first post comes courtesy of Will Crockett @ ShootSmarter titled, "Make Better Inkjet Prints."  His tell-all presentation is a whopping one-hour 25 minute video. Will covers everything from downloading and installing profiles to selecting the right paper for your print.

Like any good DJ, we also take requests.  Looking for something specific? Click the comment button below and let us know.

Creative Mornings

Creative Mornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types.   Think of it as a local morning mini-conference and inspirational community boost before work. Nothing fancy, just good people and a great talk by a guest lecturer. 

Free events are held in 16 (and counting) cities around the world.  In the US, the lineup included NY, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Seattle.

The new Portland event is hosted by local artist (and Entrada user) Tsilli Pines.

Framing your prints

We (naturally) spend a lot of time talking about paper's contribution toward the final print, so we thought it high-time to post an article about what happens after you've printed on Moab.

Tim Holten, of Holten Frames, is a Master Framer. His blog features numerous articles on his craft with the sole intention "to revive the art and craft of framing pictures."

Tim's latest series of articles focus on framing photographs - specifically, framing photos printed on Japanese paper - specifically, framing photos printed on Moenkopi Bizan.  OK, that last part, albeit true, is not a prerequisite (or focus of the article). 

We think you'll enjoy the information that Tim reveals in the article highlighting numerous examples of choosing the right frame to match each unique print.

Douglas Kirkland and Entrada

Douglas Kirkland, the famed photographer and icon, has long used Entrada Rag Natural for his final gallery prints.  At any given time, Kirkland has multiple show openings scattered around the globe: Japan, Germany, United States - and one in Italy that opened over the weekend: Bassano Fotografia 2011.

Bassano del Grappa - the small city in northern Italy and home to the Grappa spirits - was taken over by a multi-artist photo show headlined by Kirkland.  Featuring a selection from Kirkland's vast collection  of images, the exhibit was printed entirely on Entrada Rag Natural 300.

Moab at ProFusion in Canada

Coco Chanel

If you happen to be swinging through Tokyo today, then make a point to stop by the Coco Chanel exhibit featuring a collection of photos from Douglas Kirkland circa 1962.  

In 1962, world-class photographer Douglas Kirkland spent three weeks with the most important fashion icon of all time, Coco Chanel. Over the course of this stay, Kirkland photographed Coco with her friends, on the runway, and in the privacy of her homes. Kirkland reveals these never-before-seen photographs in all their vibrancy, shedding new light on one of the world's most enduring, multi-faceted, and bestselling fashion legends of all time.

The exhibit runs from September 4-29 at the Coco Chanel Ginza and all the images were printed on Entrada Rag Natural.

How to ship your (Moab) prints

We are often asked how to protect Moab prints for shipment, so we thought to ask Andy Biggs, the one person we know who ships his images all over the globe. Here's what he had to say:

"As far as shipping a print, the best way is to ship it flat. I do this by placing my print in a clear bag from clearbags.com, and then I tape the corners onto a flat piece of cardboard. I then cut out similar sized pieces of cardboard and sandwich them in front and in back of the original piece of cardboard. I will typically have 5 to 7 pieces of cardboard in total. I then tape all edges together, which then makes for a very rigid shipping item.

If shipping flat isn't an option, as in when I ship large prints 20x30 and up, I will wrap the print in between two pieces of glassine or tissue paper. I will tape up the package after I place the print into a durable shipping tube, as I want the diameter of the print to be the same as the inside of the tube. So I place the print in about 1/3 of the way, letting the print expand slowly to match the inside diameter of the tube. I then tape the rolled up print onto itself (actually the tissue paper). Then I let the whole thing down into the tube.

Voila! I recommend tubes from Yazoo Mills. Great product and they ship out quickly."

Hurricane Irene

NASA just posted some incredible images of Hurricane Irene depicting the enormity of this storm.

All of us here at Moab send our thoughts out to those in Irene's path and wish everyone a safe weekend.

Why the camera's meter is better than the eye

If you get past the annoyingly dramatic soundtrack, here’s an awesome video of the checker shadow illusion.

It takes us back to those graphic design 101 classes when color is first introduced.

Long Exposure Photography

Every now and then we come across some cool photo sites, such as this one featuring a bunch of creative long exposure photos.  We especially like the stick figure taking a leap into the water.