1.            What is the difference between a traditional and digitally enhanced image?

 All of the photographs you purchase from this web site are traditional hand printed, fine art images.  This means that the images have been photographed by exposing film negative to light.  This negative is subsequently developed and is then used to create a photographic print by shining light through the negative using an enlarger onto light-sensitive photographic paper.  The exposed paper is then passed through a series of baths to develop & fix the image so that it is no longer sensitive to light and that it resists fading for a generation or more.

 This is a very different process from digital photography. A digital photograph is created using a computerised camera which is then uploaded to a computer where it is typically enhanced digitally to improve the colour and quality of the image.  The image is then printed onto paper using a computerised inkjet printer  The inks used in digital printing will fade over a relatively short period of time but a photograph printed using the traditional darkroom method will remain unchanged for generations.

2.            Will my purchased fine art print look exactly like the web gallery version?

 No – your selected Black & White fine art print will look BETTER than the print you see on the web gallery because the prints you see on the web are merely scanned images of the ORIGINAL photograph which lack the superior resolution, contrast and tonal quality of the original negative image. Scanned images are always a generation away from the quality of the original darkroom print.

3.            What does “hand-printed” mean?

 Unlike the majority of photographic prints available for purchase today on the web which are generated by inkjet computers, Martin uses only the traditional darkroom method to create each of his fine art prints.  This involves the process of manually exposing each photograph by hand and taking each print through a series of chemical and water baths before hanging the print to dry in the darkroom overnight.  Consequently as each print is individually hand produced there are some natural variations giving each photograph its own unique personal signature and authentic mark – allowing it to be your own exclusive piece of fine art.

4.            What is a traditional darkroom?

 Photographic paper is sensitive to light.  Therefore it is necessary to work in a light-controlled darkroom when hand-printing photographs.  A darkroom is a special light-sealed room where light exposes the photographic paper using an enlarger to produce an original image each time.