[Mark Crean Participant Posts: 27]

New Article Announcements & Discussions

on: January 3, 2023 at 8:58 am

Just wanted to say how much I appreciate Jan Bell’s essay. While I shoot slightly different subject matter, his whole approach to photography and interpreting the image, and his love of black and white,  really resonates with me. Best wishes for a full return to walking those trails!

[Mark D Segal Silver Member Posts: 784]

Re: Jan Bell Hits the Spot

Reply #1 on: January 3, 2023 at 12:14 pm

I agree. More than that, I think this is one of the best articles on creative photography that PhotoPXL has published to date. The distinction made between what is “fine art” photography and what is not is succinct and well put. The contribution of well-done Black and White imagery is well stated and beautifully illustrated in the magnificent photos presented here. I agree with Jan’s philosophy regarding photographic composition and interpretation. One need not, and in many cases, should not confine oneself to the view of a scene at the moment of capture. There is often much scope for construction and adjustment that makes photographic sense and better conveys the emotion and inherent beauty of a scene. Whether one works primarily with Lightroom or Photoshop I think is an input consideration, the choice depending on what one is comfortable with, and what tools are needed to achieve an objective. Finally, I agree with Jan’s comment re Hemlock Printers in Vancouver Canada. I published a book with them (“Paint the City Black” which I wrote-up for this website). They are technically excellent, and truly most helpful people to work with. I bought a copy of Jan’s book, and highly recommend it.

Mark D Segal Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8, SilverFast HDR, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop". Please check the PhotoPXL Store for availability.

[Peter McCabe Silver Member Posts: 1]

Re: Jan Bell Hits the Spot

Reply #2 on: January 6, 2023 at 1:26 pm

Likely my favourite article to date on PhotoPXL. Well written and interesting to read his thoughts. A trip to his website was a wonderful way to spend a half an hour.

Best Regards

Peter

[Kevin Raber Silver Member Posts: 1163]

Re: Jan Bell Hits the Spot

Reply #3 on: January 7, 2023 at 10:20 am

For more from Jan Bell and an interview please type Jan Bell into the search bar on the main page.

Kevin Raber
Publisher, photoPXL

[Jeremy Roussak Gold Member Posts: 859]

Re: Jan Bell Hits the Spot

Reply #4 on: January 8, 2023 at 2:21 pm

I too enjoyed the article very much. It struck several chords with me.

Jeremy

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