BetterPhoto Instructor Insights

Wild Buffalo on the Iowa Prairie

Corn fields and barns aside, I don't know what I expected to find on my first-ever visit to Iowa last week. I'm sure though that had I really put my brain to work thinking about it, the last thing I thought I would have found would be a herd of wild buffalo roaming across a vast open prairie. But that is exactly what I found--and what an exciting and fun experience it was.

I went to Iowa in part to attend a niece's graduation and also to shoot photos for a new book I've just finished writing. The first inkling I got of what Iowa would look like came during the long slow approach that the plane made to the Des Moines International Airport. Unlike the quick-left-turn-and-jam-it-onto-the-runway landings that I'm used to on the east coast, landing in Iowa feels more like a scenic tour of the countryside from about 10,000 feet. From that vantage point all I could see was the perfect gridwork of still-brown corn fields and dirt roads and perfect rectangles of green dotted with pretty white farm houses. Even before I landed I knew I was going to love Iowa.

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm

Alligator with Dragonfly Copyright 2005 Jeff Wignall

I've had a love-hate relationship with zoos and animal farms my whole life and I have to confess that as I get older, it's mostly a "hate" relationship. As a very young kid I loved being close to wild animals so much that I overlooked the uneasy feeling I got seeing these wonderful creatures locked behind steel bars and padding along on concrete floors. And I'm still thrilled to stand just a few feet from a lion or a polar bear or to come within touching distance of an alligator. But most zoos and animal "farms," as they often call small zoos in tourist locations, leave me cold. If we put as much money into preserving wild spaces as some cities do into creating zoos, there would be less need for the zoos. With all this in mind, I was very happy this past winter to come upon an animal farm that I felt good about after spending a few hours there: the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, Florida (http://www.alligatorfarm.com/).

SELECT THE RIGHT INKJET PHOTO PRINTER

Tips Provided by Peter K. Burian www.peterkburian.com
BetterPhoto Instructor

http://www.betterphoto.com/photocourses/PBN01.asp Digital Photography with Guest Instructor Peter Burian

Whether you shoot with a digital camera or scan photographs, print making can be one of the most rewarding aspects of photography. In the past, you needed a darkroom and a great deal expertise to make beautiful color or black-and-white prints. Today, anyone can make prints that are suitable for framing, without working with caustic chemicals. The pre-requisite of course, is a printer designed to produce optimal results when outputting photos.

There’s no simple method for identifying the ideal inkjet photo printer, because that depends on individual budgets, preferences, and printing plans. However, if you’re considering a letter-size inkjet photo printer that will make beautiful photo prints, look for one with the following features:

* A resolution of 1440dpi. Much higher resolution capabilities are available. However, the difference between a print made at 1440dpi and another made at 2880dpi is noticeable only by a critical observer.

* Six ink colors, preferably in individual tanks. Four color printers simply cannot reproduce an adequately wide range of subtle hues and tones. Individual ink tanks are ideal because you can replace only the tank that runs out. In the long run, that’s more economical than buying a large cartridge that includes three or six ink colors.

* An ink droplet size of 4 picoliters, or preferably smaller if you’re a perfectionist or make very large prints. Some machines generate droplets as small as 1.5 picoliters. (A picoliter is a millionth of a liter.) Smaller droplets offer several benefits: more subtle the gradations of color, more detail in the print and a smoother overall appearance.

* A lightfast or print permanence rating of 25 or more years. Such ratings refer to the life of a print (framed, matted and displayed under glass) before significant fading becomes noticeable. The latest Canon Pixma http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=103, Epson Stylus Photo http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/ProductCategory.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=-8165 and HP Photosmart http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/generic_category.do?storeName=storefronts&landing=printers&category=inkjets&catLevel=1 printers all meet or exceed the 25 year rating when using the printer makers’ premium or pro grade photo papers.

(For more information on permanence issues, visit the www.wilhelm-research.com web site.)

Hint:The quickest way to compare the specifications for several machines of several brands is on a photo retailer’s website. Also read test reports in photographic magazines or on the Web. Such Reviews can be invaluable in identifying machines that will meet your expectations.