A PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PHILOSOPHY

Photography lends itself well to many fields; family snapshots, news, advertising, social documentation, scientific records and much more.   Usually the photograph is seen as a very casual and rapid form of record keeping.   Little consideration is given to anything but speed and convenience.   For me, photography has nothing to do with either speed or convenience.   Like anything worth doing, it takes time and commitment.   Quality is a must! Procedure and technique must be mastered and used to create photographic images that are both aesthetically and technically correct.   Much effort must be directed toward making the image both beautiful and permanent.   I will not sacrifice quality for quantity.

I use only large format view camera equipment with film sizes of 4x5 to 16x20 inches.   The view camera has full perspective control capability thus allowing realistic renderings of objects without distortion.   This precision control also allows intentional distortion to be introduced into the subject where needed.   Either way, I consider the camera movements an integral part of my technique.

The precise movements of the view camera also make it possible to move the plane of sharp focus so that it will encompass the subject.   Edge-to-edge sharpness is a must for me.   Total control of the image, from making the negative, to creating the finished fine print, is a must also.   The artist has to use whatever tools are best suited to their style.   For me, nothing but a large format camera will do what I want.   For a look at what using a view camera is like, please visit my SNAPSHOT ALBUM.

Large negatives make the most detailed realistic photographic prints possible.   A 4x5 negative has over 4.5 times more resolution than a 35mm negative .   .   .   the 8x10 negative has more than 7 times the resolution of a 35mm negative.   This increased information in the negative helps to intensify the illusion of a 3-dimensional look and feel in the finished print.

I photograph only in black & white and use time honored fine art materials and procedures because I feel that the images I create should last.   Color images will fade (sometimes to nothing in 40 to 60 years).   There is no reason why, with proper care, a quality black & white photograph should not last at least 200 years, or more.

THE COMMITMENT TO QUALITY

Photographic images by J.B. Harlin are made using the highest quality materials available.   Each photograph is hand-crafted in his own custom lab.   Only the finest fiber base printing papers are used.   Each photograph is selenium toned and archivally processed for maximum permanence.   All mounts and mats are hand made from high quality 100% rag, 4-ply, museum-grade mat board for maximum long-term stability.   Each photograph is hand mounted and each mat custom cut.

This is a slow painstaking process that cannot be done hurriedly or in mass quantity.   J.B. Harlin creates quality gallery-grade photographic images, made one-at-a-time, in limited quantities, in the tradition of the true craftsman.   Photographic fine art prints for today and tomorrow.