IMPORTANT:
To be sure to get the image you want, please read the
sections below about CROPPING,
and CANVAS WRAPS (if
applicable) before you place an order.
WHAT IS PHOTOISLA?
My name is Robert Miller. I am a retired large format fine
art photographer that has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and
Europe. My prints hang in galleries and in private collections
around the world. These days, I'm either on Isla Mujeres,
Mexico acquiring Caribbean/Mayan/Cuban/Mexican images, or dreaming
about my next trip. I created PHOTOISLA to display and share
these images with others similarly passionate
about "Isla" and the Caribbean.
WHAT PHOTO LAB DO YOU USE FOR PRINT SALES?
After an exhaustive series of print tests, I have chosen BAY PHOTO
professional labs to print my images. This Santa Cruz,
California powerhouse creates the highest quality images of my work
possible. Add to that, fast
turnaround, quick shipping, wonderful customer support, and they
have my
highest praise: gallery prints that I would be proud to say I
made
myself (and hang on my wall.) Bay Photo is know as the top Pro
Lab
in the world.
WHAT KIND OF PRINT SHOULD I PURCHASE?
Fine Art is very subjective - it's what makes us HUMAN. And there
are so many choices. But if you ask me MY opinion of what
looks best, here's what I would say: It depends greatly on the
original image. Caribbean scenes are quite distinctive.
For scenes that showcase the bright,
bold, colorful qualities of Isla Mujeres, I recommend MetalPrints
(see discussion below about MetalPrints vs. metallic
prints.) No other kind of
print can capture the sharpness and almost three dimensional quality
of a
print actually infused into aluminum. For soft, pastel or
painterly scenes, a CANVAS print captures the subtle watercolor
painting feel (a more traditional look.) There is NO right or
wrong here - whatever makes you FEEL. Go for it!
WHAT
TYPES OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SURFACES ARE AVAILABLE?
- TRADITIONAL
PRINTS:
- - Kodak ENDURA
professional photo paper with a fine grain pebble texture. This is our
normal surface paper.
- - Kodak ENDURA
professional photo paper with a glossy finish.
- - Metallic paper has a glossy finish and
metallic appearance that creates images with exceptional visual
interest and depth. In addition to delivering rich, vibrant colors and
flattering flesh tones, this paper offers century-plus image
stability.
-
- Perfect for fine art prints, Fuji Pearl offers sharp detail and high
intensity colors. Available
for print sizes 16 x 20 and larger only.
- SPECIALTY
PRINTS:
Giclée
Fine Art Prints: Giclée Prints are made with
highest-quality archival inks on fine art papers using an ultra
high-resolution large format inkjet printer. The premium inks produce
images with smooth tones and rich colors, making these prints ideal
for extraordinary presentations. Available in Watercolor and Canvas
paper surfaces.
Canvas
Prints: With Canvas Prints, you can display your
photos like a fine art painting. Our Canvas Prints are
true Giclée Fine Art Prints printed directly onto the canvas material
(the vast majority of canvas prints on the market are cheaply printed
onto photo paper first, or printed onto a canvas with an inexpensive
inkjet printer.) The
resulting image from our Giclée
Fine Art
Canvas Prints is a
true work of fine gallery art. Our Canvas Prints can be ordered
stretched and stapled onto a wood artists stretcher bar frame, mounted
on gator board, or delivered loose (unmounted). Our
most popular canvas prints are WRAPPED CANVAS prints.
With wrapped canvas prints, the image is printed on a fine
art Giclée.
The canvas is stretched over a 1-1/2" wooden frame, and
the image is wrapped around the frame, so it is visible on all
sides. All wrapped canvas prints are READY TO HANG right
from the box. Please be aware that you need to take the
part of the image that wraps around the frame into account when
you place your order (you will be able to crop it manually or
automatically as you check out) - see the section below
regarding CROPPING.
It's simple to do.
- ThinWraps:
First, your print is made on your choice of Lustre Paper,
Metallic Paper or Giclée Canvas material. Then it is over-laminated
with a soft Satin Laminate or a Glossy Laminate. The resulting product
is then mounted on Gatorboard, with or without a foam layer (Softop)
in between the print and the board. Finally, we apply a 1/2"
spacer to the back of the ThinWrap which allows the image to be hung
and appear to float from the wall. ThinWraps can also be ordered with
optional Easel Stands. No frame needed, these
beautifully mounted and finished prints are available in a wide
variety
of sizes.
MetalPrints™:
MetalPrints represent a new art medium for preserving photos by
infusing
dyes directly into specially coated aluminum sheets. Because the image
is
infused into the surface and not on it, your images will take on an
almost
magical luminescence. Metal Prints are available in 4 different
surfaces:
High Gloss, Satin, and Sheer with a Glossy or Matte finish. You've
never
seen a more brilliant and impressive print! Colors are vibrant
and
the luminescence is breathtaking. Detail and resolution are
unsurpassed.
Yes, it can be more expensive than a traditional print, but you do get
what
you pay for! (Remember that putting a MetalPrint under glass or
Plexiglas will greatly diminish the luminescence.)
- ***Metallic
paper vs. MetalPrints: Be very careful to remember which
is which: Metallic paper prints use traditional photo
paper that has a metallic-like surface.
Metallic paper prints are inexpensive (just slightly higher than
normal
paper surface) but outperforms normal photographic surfaces. MetalPrints
actually infuse the image onto and into actual aluminum.
MetalPrints
are the highest expression of fine art image delivery systems
available,
and are not cheap.
- Novelty/merchandise:
Due to popular demand, I've included some photo novelty items
made from my images. Nice for mementos, souvenirs or gifts - they are fun, but I
wouldn't classify them as "art."
WHAT
IS "CROPPING?"
Back in the days of "film," photographic print sizes were determined
by a ratio of the dimensions of film negatives (similar to art
canvas dimension.) This produced print sizes of 4x6", 5x7,
8x10, 11x14 and 16x20, etc. These days, with digital cameras,
image output is based on the size of camera sensors (and there are
MANY types of sensors in DSLRs on the market right now.) My
pro DSLR (a lovely Pentax K-30) produces print sizes typical of the
majority of DSLRs out there - instead of 8x10, my images would be
8x12. Instead of 11x14, mine are 12x18, etc. If you have
your image custom framed (matted/mounted/framed) this is not a
problem (although it's not cheap.) You'll quickly find that
most stores (from art shops to Walmarts) typically offer only the
old-fashioned sizes inexpensively (8x10, 11x14, etc.) So, for
many of my print sizes, I offer BOTH versions (i.e. 8x10 AND 8x12,
etc.) In this example, an 8x12" print would give you the
entire image on the print. If you choose the 8x10
(traditional) size, the entire image (which is really 8x12) will be
too big fit on an 8x10 print. In these cases, you will be
asked to CROP the image when you check out. Bay Photo will guide you
through the cropping process (which is very easy and puts
you in complete control) as you
check out, if cropping is needed. If you do
not manually crop the image, they will crop the image for you
(trying to
optimize the end result, depending on what the scene is.)
This is especially important if you're ordering a
WRAPPED canvas print (where the image wraps around
the wooden frame and is visible from all sides.) Remember
that this
reduces the image area on the surface by 1-1/2" all the way
around. This
is not a bad thing at all, but you will just need to plan for it,
especially
when you order a "traditional" sized (8x10, 11x14, 16x20, etc.)
print which
will need to be cropped anyway.
If you get to the end of the process in your Shopping Cart, and
you either aren't sure what to do, or don't like what the final
output looks like, please email me at: info@photoisla.com
I want you to be delighted with your print!
HOW DO I DISPLAY YOUR PRINTS?
I recommend all art prints be mounted (typically on mattboard or
foamcore), matted to a slightly larger size (i.e. - 11x14 prints
would be matted for a 16x20 frame), and framed (I am partial to
silver aluminum gallery frames, although this is a highly personal
decision - I've seen beautiful results from frames made of
seashells, onyx, and even rough barn wood!) Even though all
products created by Bay Photo will be archivally processed, you
should protect all prints with glass (optically crystal
clear, but fragile) or Plexiglas (very light weight and unbreakable,
but can
scratch easily.) Exceptions to this rule would be true
MetalPrints
(any clear material over top of the print would degrade the clarity
and 3D
effect), canvas prints (which should be treated as a real painting),
and
ThinWraps (which come ready to be hung on the wall without a frame.)
This can all be done by Bay Photo through my website (but it can be
rather expensive, but simple if you're willing to make the
investment) or you could just order the print only and have it
finished by a local framing shop.
If in doubt, please email me and I'd be glad to offer advise
or help.
MATS: Mats do a very important job on
traditional framed artwork. Besides making the artwork look
good, the mat keeps the mounted artwork from coming in contact
with the glass or Plexiglas cover. Though all of my prints are
fully achivally protected, an emulsion
that contacts glass or plexi is in constant danger from humidity and
chemicals ON the glass/plexi or condensing on the
glass/plexi. The mat (our unsung hero) prevents this from
happening. Mats can be added to your order here on my website, or
can be made by your local art/framing shop.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY ORDER?
Once you place an order, it generally takes a few days to create
your print, then about a week for you to receive your order.
If it is a special order
(mounting/matting/framing/merchandise) it may take a few days
longer. Remember that each order is a CUSTOM order (they
are creating a custom piece of true art) made
just for you (this ain't Walmart!) If you haven't
received your
order within 3 or 4 weeks, (which is VERY unusual) and you've
contacted the
lab without satisfaction, please contact
me.
"Robert was a joy to work with. He worked very
closely with us on every detail
and incorporated some of our ideas as well.
He was creative, flexible and very professional. He was even
willing
to meet with us at different locales around Isla.
He had so many great suggestions which was helpful since this
was our
first time on Isla.
From beginning to end he made our vow renewal ceremony both
fun and magical.
Thanks Robert! Highly recommended!"
-MH
Just wanted to share these
beautiful
photos Robert Miller took for us in Isla last week.
He was so easy to work with and helped me bring my "vision" to
life!
Thank you for the billionth time.
-MP
Love the quality of all the prints!
It amazes me that you could get that many good quality pictures
of six of us!
Thank you so much for all your time we had a blast.
-CB
DO YOU DO LOCATION WORK?
Yes, I do. While on Isla Mujeres, I'm available for portrait,
ceremony and commission work.
The fee will be commensurate
with the time and travel required, and output desired.
I'm also available to do all that locally (in the U.S.) when
I'm not on Isla, too.
To check availability or to work on a photographic plan for you,
just email me.
WHAT IS THIS "ISLA MUJERES?"
You can wiki it here,
or find lots of info here,
or simply Google 'Isla Mujeres.'
A warning, though: visit Isla at your own peril.
Your life will never be the same again (in a GOOD way!)
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