Guy Tal Photography Newsletter
April, 2009
All text and images Copyright © Guy Tal.
Greetings, after a long winter hiatus. Spring is in the air in Utah's beautiful canyon country and one can't help but feel the quickening. Trees are budding and the young leave glow a vibrant lime green against the red cliffs. Dazzling Mountain Bluebirds streak among the junipers and pinyon pines, robins are busy pecking at the wet soil, male elk sport impressive new antlers, and even the human residents are up and about. My favorite little town of Torrey, Utah has officially opened for business these past few days and you can see some of my prints at the Robber's Roost Bookstore while enjoying a great cup of coffee.
As if that was not enough, I was alerted today that one of the West's greatest adventure mysteries and one that haunted my imagination for many years - the disappearance of Everett Ruess - may have finally been solved. National Geographic Adventure magazine posted a teaser on their site for the full story to be published in the next edition. I'm looking forward to the conclusion.
New Articles In Print and Online
Among other things, I've been busy writing. A couple of my articles appeared in recent editions of Popular Photography Magazine, and several more on my own Web Journal. As always, reader feedback is very much appreciated and I'd love to hear from you.
The Ultimate Guide to Digital Nature Photography
 As some of you may remember, I joined a very talented group of photographers - the Mountain Trail Team - last year. The first project in what I hope will continue to be a very productive collaboration is a beautifully illustrated guide to digital and nature photography co-authored by the ten members of the team. Autographed versions of the book are available to order on my web site. The book is due from the printer any day now and I hope to begin shipping orders within the next 4-5 weeks.
Random Recommendations
I'll go out of my way in this edition to draw attention to the works of fellow photographers that helped inspire and educate me in the last few weeks. Winter is always a contemplative time for me and I don't generally travel much during the season. This allows me to spend time researching and discovering things that ultimately help shape my own work.
Disclaimer: I have no stake or financial interest in any of the products or services listed below. These are things I found personally interesting or useful and wanted to share.- Custom printer profiles by Michael Gordon. I can credit Michael for igniting my interest in digital image processing and printing many years ago. Michael is now a full time professional, selling his images, teaching workshops, and providing services to fellow photographer. Among these is the production of custom printer profiles. Most photographers these days are already aware of benefits of a color-managed workflow and how important it is to the production of fine-art prints. Custom profiles are the last link in the chain - they calibrate your own personal printer and selection of papers (as opposed to using generic manufacturer's profiles). You will be startled to know the differences in color accuracy between two printers of the same make and model. If like me, you are obsessive about color accuracy - give these custom profiles a try. Considering the cost of a professional printer and screen calibration equipment, the extra $25 for a custom printer profile is a no-brainer.
- Meditations in Monochrome ebook by William Neill. I've been a fan of Neill's work since the first time I cracked open his book Landscapes of the Spirit. Like many, I always associated him with color landscape images (funny that many of us even make such clear distinctions between color and B&W photographers). Meditations in Monochrome was a very pleasant surprise for me. Not only does Neill carry over his excellent composition skills but his processing and presentation, which are paramount in B&W photography - arguably more so than with color - are simply superb. Equally surprising to me was the experience of appreciating fine photography in an ebook format. Something in me always associated such work with quality paper and proper reading light. The ebook images are of very high resolution and quality and, when expanded to fill a high quality screen, look very impressive. For those who want to take the time and research further - some of these are B&W versions of work previously published in color. It is fascinating to see how some of these images are not only converted but transformed when presented in monochrome, taking on a completely different mood.
- Resurrection: Glen Canyon and a New Vision for the American West by Annette McGivney and James Kay. Some fifty years ago, Glen Canyon was featured in the photography of the great Eliot Porter, with passionate narratives by David Brower in a book titled The Place No One Knew. The book decried the loss of an immense natural treasure as a result of damming the Colorado River near the town of Page, AZ. The resulting "lake" drowned some of the most stunning and delicate places on the Colorado Plateau. In recent years a prolonged drought brought many of them back from the depths. Kay and McGivney offer the next episode in the Glen Canyon saga along with superb photography.
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