Introduction
Welcome to the latest issue of our monthly newsletter, The
Magic Bugle. As The Bugle didn't appear in October,
this issue covers both October and November 1998.
First of all, let us make quite clear to new visitors that we
are in the business of selling original photographic prints. We also provide
photographic retouching/restoration services, and an internet gateway to a vast range of
exciting resources in the field of fine art photography. As well as peddling our
humble wares, it is our aim to provide an enjoyable, in-depth internet experience for
lovers of fine photography.
As nothing remains the same for long in the fast-moving world
of computing and the Web, the Bugle is our way of keeping you abreast of developments at
our site and more widely at related sites across the Web. We also have a Hot News
mailing list which you can join if you wish - see below. ( This is purely for our
mutual benefit. Under no circumstances will mailing-list details will be released to a
third party.)
This month, we have four main items of news - details of our
continuing free prize draw (including the winners of the September and October
draws), some changes to our Picture Gallery, two new 'budget' print services for
those who require a low-cost entry to photo-collecting, and a special fixed-price offer on
photo restoration.
You may wish to save this Newsletter to disk, or print a hard
copy of it, to read at your leisure.
Free (Yes Free!) Monthly Prize Draw for Fine Art Prints
Our free prize draw has been very well received, and we have
decided to extend it for a further three months. It is now scheduled to run until
the end of April 1999.
If you like fine photographs, why not spend a little time
having a browse around the monochrome collection in our Picture Gallery. If you would then
like to tell us about your favourite image in the Gallery and what appeals to you about
it, you will be entered in our free monthly prize draw. Until the end of
January 1999, one lucky winner each month will receive a free Fine Art photographic
print of their choice. This is a completely random prize draw, and a
chance to save £45. No strings attached. No sales pitch. No
purchase required. But only one lucky winner each month, and you have to re-enter each
month!
Please send us your name, your email address, your full postal
address, and your choice of image from our monochrome collection. Then tell us,
very briefly, what appeals to you about that particular image.
Email the details to us, using our on-line Grand Prize Draw Entry Form .
The winner of the September draw was Mr Paul
Moss of Houghton Le Spring , Tyne and Wear. His favourite picture from our Gallery
is 'Kids at Play - Liverpool 1960'. He tells us that he remembers similar
scenes in Tyne and Wear but that the derelict sites have thankfully given way to new
housing in the area.
The winner of the October draw was Ms Sarah
Cooper of Port Tennant, Swansea whose favourite picture is 'By the Seine - Paris
1990'. She tells us that she would like to escape into this quiet scene where she
says she can already feel the breeze and hear the river! What an imagination!
Paul and Sarah each receive, with our compliments, a
free Fine Art print of their favourite picture - produced to exacting archival standards,
toned, mounted and matted ready for framing. Congratulations to you both. You
should receive your pictures before the end of November.
We will publish the name of the next lucky winner in
December. Why not enter the November round of our free prize draw - nothing
could be easier, and you have absolutely nothing to lose. Don't forget that you have to
re-enter the draw every month to stay in the running. Even if you entered in
previous months, please enter the November Draw
right now. And remember - it
could be you!
Please remember also that you have to re-enter each month!
Good Luck!
The Picture Gallery - More
Monochrome Images
We are currently in the process of increasing the size of our
monochrome picture collection and rearranging it between two separate 'Galleries'.
This work should be completed by mid-November. In Gallery 1
we will have a selection of images from our basic collection, with the title 'Memories'.
This title is largely self-explanatory, as the gallery will contain personal images from
the past thirty to forty years - many of which are already in our existing gallery.
In the new Gallery 2 we will have another collection with the
title 'Monuments', a term which includes natural phenomena as well as
man-made constructions. Most of the images in this latter collection are quite
recent, although we have tried to give them a 'timeless' quality. Both galleries
will be updated from time to time and we have plans to add a third, and possibly a fourth,
gallery quite soon. (If you would like to be kept in touch - please join our 'Hot
News' mailing list - see the end of this newsletter for details.)
The Picture Gallery - More
Options
Disappointingly, there was not a great deal of interest in our
'sampler' postcards - which were designed to let buyers see a photograph 'in the flesh'
before committing themselves to a 16" x 12" Fine Art Print at £75.
Instead, we are now offering finished prints (hand produced, toned and signed
by the photographer) in two new sizes. Neither is strictly 'archival', being
printed on resin-coated rather than fibre paper, but the prints are at least as permanent
as anything you are likely to receive from your local minilab.
The first new offering consists of an 11 in x 8 in print
which is unmounted, but is printed on on a sheet of 15 in x 12 in paper (i.e. with a 2 in
plain white margin all round) which means that it can be attractively framed as it
stands, or 'sandwiched' in a window-mount (acid-free, please), or even trimmed to fit an
existing frame. At £20 per print, this represents an attractive and affordable
alternative to our mounted archival 16 in x 12 in fine art prints.
The second new offering consists of an 8 in x 6 in print which
is 'window-mounted' onto 12 in x 10 in white conservation board, using a very much
simplified procedure. There is no backing board, the print being directly
dry-mounted onto the reverse of the mount so that the image shows
through the window. This simple but effective procedure helps us to provides a
quality print at a budget price of £10, ready for insertion into your own 12in x 10in
frame, and indistinguishable from a more expensive window-mounted image.
Our main offering will, of course, continue to be our limited
edition 16 in x 12 in fibre prints, archivally toned and window-mounted on 20 in x 16 in
acid-free museum board. At only £75 per print, this remains the only choice for the
true connoisseur.
Full details of all our image options can be found in our
online 'Images Brochure'.
Incidentally, in browsing through the images in our gallery,
you may have noticed that a greatly enlarged version of each image
can now be viewed by clicking on the standard version. This still does not give true
'photographic' resolution, but gives a good indication of the detail shown in the picture.
If you wish, you can print out these enlarged pictures (they should print on your
A4 printer) and hang them on your wall, but please do not attempt to use them
commercially. (As a safeguard against copyright 'piracy' the images are overprinted with
their titles and with our website address. In common with all our images, they also carry
an invisible - and effectively indelible - security watermark from Digimarc.)
As these new enlarged images cannot really be seen to
advantage in the 'frames' version of the site, the 'no-frames' interface is now the
default. The frames version is, of course, still available - as http://www.parkphoto.co.uk/frames.htm .
The Picture Gallery - Colour
Images
Because of our work on the new monochrome galleries, we regret
that the long awaited 'Colour Collection' will have to remain be on the back burner for
the next couple of months! We now hope to complete this work during January. Do come
back and visit us then - if not before. Join our 'Hot News' mailing list (see the end of
this newsletter) if you would like to be kept in touch.
Collector's Corner
As we have said before, Photography is a popular hobby in
virtually all parts of the world, but the collecting of photographic 'Art' is limited to
quite a small part of the Western hemisphere. In some ways this is odd because it is just
as fascinating as - and much more affordable than - collecting 'traditional' forms of art
such as paintings or sculpture.
If you're not already a collector, why not use our website to
gain an insight into this fascinating hobby. We have a detailed 'Collector's Notes'
section - aimed primarily at newcomers to photographic collecting - an extensive
photographic Bibliography, and
several pages of Links to interesting
photographic sites, including many 'Virtual' Galleries around the world. We also have, in
our own Picture Gallery, a small collection
of interesting images for you to peruse and, if you wish, to purchase. Collecting
photographs can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it and we classify
our own photographic offerings as 'affordable', quality art. (If you don't believe us,
take a look at some of the material on offer elsewhere!)
Old Photographic Processes
We have said it in earlier editions of 'The Bugle', but
we'll say it again anyway. A number of old photographic printing
processes are becoming fashionable again and, in our view, quite justifiably. These
include Salted Paper prints (Pioneered by W H Fox Talbot in the 1830s), Gum Bichromate,
Cyanotype, Kallitype, Collotype and Platinum prints.
Most of these processes were abandoned commercially many years
ago, but were kept alive by small numbers of enthusiasts who valued them for their
artistic appeal as well as their historical significance. Because most old processes are
not 'cost effective' in today's terms, there are still relatively few modern examples
about, and original historical specimens can be very expensive as well as difficult to
find.
We are looking at the possibility of offering, at realistic
prices, modern prints produced by at least some these processes. All will be produced in
limited editions, to high standards of archival permanence, and may be regarded as
'collectable' as well as aesthetically pleasing. We are not yet sure about the likely
demand and would be grateful for your views on the subject. Prices are likely to be about
double those of our current monochrome prints - possibly more in the case of platinum. If
you are potentially a purchaser (however tentative) of such images, we would be glad to
hear from you. Please let us have details of your requirements or interests, entirely
without obligation. (This is intended purely as a market research exercise, and is
not a means of drumming up sales leads.) Email 'The Bugle' at the
following address:
bugle@parkphoto.co.uk
Even better, send your comments via our on-line Feedback Form.
Photo Restoration Offer
We have a wide range of prices for photo restoration -
depending on the amount of work involved. But most black and white photographs -
particularly portraits - lend themselves to a simplified and affordable solution and only
a very few fall into our most expensive category. For a limited period, therefore,
we will restore any black and white (or sepia) photograph and produce a 6in x 4in black
and white or sepia print for a fixed all-in cost of £20. (We
reserve the right not to accept your photograph for this service if we consider that the
result would be unsatisfactory.) The offer is available until the end of December
1998.
If you would like to take advantage of this service, please
use the special (blue coloured)
restoration order form.
Christmas is Coming (Again!)
Well, it's now most definitely time to draw up the 1998
Christmas Present List, and a good time also to reflect on Christmas 1997, and
particularly on any difficulties you had in finding or choosing gifts. Whether it is
Christmas, birthdays or anniversaries, you know what a problem it is trying to think of an
interesting and appropriate gift. There is always the friend who has absolutely
everything, and the parent/grandparent or other family member who doesn't want
anything at all.
We have a special offer that you might like to consider for
those desperate cases. How about a Restoration Magic restored monochrome (black and white
or sepia) photograph that says something personal about the past - or even about the
present. Until the end of December 1998, we will restore your chosen photograph,
enlarge it to 12ins x 10 ins, mount it, frame it tastefully and gift wrap it with a
personal message, all for £50. Use our special (lime green) on-line Order Form to place your
order. Orders will normally be despatched within 14 days of receipt, but please
allow 28 days to avoid disappointment.
If you do not require the full mounting, framing and
gift-wrapping service why not simply take advantage of the fixed-price (£20.00)
restoration offer described above, which includes a 6in x 4in black and white or sepia
print. If you want a more substantial enlargement, and do not require the
'inclusive' 6in x 4in print, you can trade off its value (£3.00) against the cost
of your chosen enlargement. (See our restoration
price list for details)
Alternatively, for those with an artistic turn of mind, a
mounted original fine art photograph from our Picture
Gallery makes a tasteful and imaginative gift with a touch of class, at an
affordable £75. (£99 framed.) If your budget doesn't stretch to these levels,
don't worry. For just £20 you can now have an 11" x 8" 'unlimited',
non-archival version of any of these photographs - hand-printed on 15" x 12"
resin-coated paper, toned and signed by the photographer.
Hot Sites on the Web
We never cease to marvel at the rich variety of material that
is available on the Web. While there is nothing quite like seeing art 'face to
face' and 'in the flesh', the Web provides a more than acceptable standard of access to a
vast amount of fine photography in 'virtual' galleries around the world.
Our 'useful links' section provides classified lists of hundreds of photographic
sites which many of you have already enjoyed exploring. Through this newsletter we
will try to keep you informed of anything especially exciting that comes to our attention.
This month we can recommend two excellent sites that you might like to explore.
The first is the Gallery of Prints at the site of American fashion
photographer Robert Farber (http://www.farber.com/farber.html).
Webmasters, eat your heart out! The second is the monochrome photo exhibition
entitled 'Herman Leonard's Jazz Memories' at the Barbara Gillman Gallery in Miami
Beach, Florida (http://www.barbaragillman-gallery.com).
Happy surfing!
Finally - Spare a Thought for the
Poor Old Webmaster
It's pathetic really. The poor chap sits here night
after night, hunched over a flickering screen, bony fingers clattering over the keyboard
until three o'clock in the morning, while the rest of us are, of course, out partying
among the bright lights of the world-famous South Shropshire Night-club Circuit.
We do, of course, leave the old codger a crust of bread and a
bowl of gruel for company! But what is really pathetic is the sheer
gratitude on his wrinkled old face when someone takes the tiniest bit of trouble to sign
his Online Guest Book. So please try to shine a little light into his sad
nocturnal life and Sign his God-forsaken
Guest Book !
Did you hear that? For Pity's Sake, Sign
His Guest Book!
Thank you for helping keep the old boy happy!
Until Next Month
We hope you have enjoyed reading The Magic
Bugle and exploring the Park Photo site. If so, please bookmark the site and
join us again in December for an update on what's cooking . |
