If you are in the market for a new camera bag, and you happen to be of female persuasion, you might want to look into Jill-e Designs.

Co-owner Jill Dorn and her partner traveled to Imaging USA last year and scoured the trade show looking for camera bags. They returned home determined to design, market and sell a line of camera bags and accessories specifically designed for women. Dorn has a background in sales and marketing, specifically for photo retail; her partner has a background in product management. They also enlisted the aid of their husbands. One is a professional wedding/portrait photographer whose feedback was instrumental in the design of the bags. The other helps with logistics. Together they formed Jill-e (rhymes with Billy) Designs, designed the bags, found a manufacturer to make them, and have hit the road. The Web site (www.jill-e.com) went live in June, and they sponsored PPA's Chicks Who Click retreat for women in photography, also in June, to great success.

The product line consists of large, medium and small camera bags, as well as wristlets, lens cloths and camera straps. Currently large bag orders have exceeded production, so there is a back order those items, but the small and medium bags will ship immediately.

The large bag has the best applications for the full-time working pro. It’s a rolling bag that accommodates a laptop, and, according to Jill-e Designs, will also hold two camera bodies, two lenses, two flash units, plus miscellaneous gear. There are four pockets on the outside of the bag, and a set of movable Velcro encrusted pads for the inside, plus a pocket for the laptop.

I had difficulty fitting all that gear into the bag and closing it—an extremely snug fit! I stored owner’s manuals, memory cards, batteries, and a wallet in the four pockets and tucked other miscellaneous items into the extra spaces created by the Velcro pads. This bag is perfect for travel; it's within the size specifications for carry-on bags, and you can easily pack in a laptop, one body, lens and flash, plus extras for a trip. The large bag currently comes only in black, but Jill-e plans to introduce a moss green suede with brown trim in the fall. This bag sells for $259.99.

In the field, the large bag felt very comfortable on my shoulder, fitting nicely into my waist. It rolled well and looked great! However, I had a tough time fitting the volume of gear that I like to carry to weddings: emergency care kit, manuals, spare cords for everything, lots of memory cards, lots of batteries, lens tissue and cleaner, squeaker (for kids and dogs), pens, business cards and my personal items such as wallet, lipstick and aspirin. I never did figure out what to do with my flash bracket, so I stuck it in another camera bag. All in all, this is a great bag that I will probably purchase when the new colors come out, but not to use for weddings, only for portraits and travel.

A rolling backpack with handle will be available around October. This bag will be larger than the rolling large bag, with a few more compartments.

The medium bag holds everything the large rolling bag holds, except the laptop. It also has four pockets on the outside, plus an attachable shoulder strap and a nifty little purse that attaches to the inside of the bag, for holding personal items. This bag currently comes in black, but soon to be released are chocolate brown suede with brown leather trim and bone with black trim. Price is $209.99

Jill-e says the small bags are designed to hold one body, one flash unit and two lenses. They are the same width as the medium bags, just not as high. They also have the same cute little purse for personal items and attachable shoulder strap. They come in red, yellow and bone leather, as well as a brown nylon waterproof version. These bags are designed for the part timer and the MWACs. They sell for $159.99.

You can buy any of the Jill-e products from Adorama, Calumet, Dodd Camera, Jack's Camera Shop, Pro Photo Supply, and Showcase. There is also a shopping cart on the Jill-e web site where you can purchase your bag directly. Contact Jill-e Designs at 1-888-445-4553.

Karen Linsley is owner of Image Angels, a portrait and wedding photography studio based in Lake Tahoe, California.

“Once I narrowed down the field of projectors that I might ultimately use, I began testing them for quality, ease of use, and functionality,” said Sexton. “The first projectors I tested had low resolution, resulting in terrible picture quality. I realized that I needed a higher level of resolution to convey the subtleties of my large-format photographs, which whittled down my choices. I tested the Canon REALiS SX6 and a competitive model, and there was just no question. The Canon REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector was my number-one choice.”

“I’m very interested in the tactile qualities of the photographic image,” Sexton continued. “That’s why I work with large-format film, and the one reason why I needed a projector that could take the subtleties that I work so hard to bring out in the darkroom and put into my prints, and display them so that people could appreciate what I see upon capturing the image.”

Sexton used his black-and-white images to evaluate color projectors. “I’ve told people since I began investigating digital projection that if you want to test a color projector, display neutrals on it. You will see the oddities such as color crossovers, magenta highlights, and green shadows quite easily when it’s all shades of grey,” Sexton noted.

Sexton’s testing revealed that control of a projector’s brightness can be essential for displaying the delicate subtleties of black-and-white photography. He was able to achieve this on the Canon REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector by switching the projector to its Quiet Mode, which dims the intensity of the lamp, as well as reducing its operating volume to 31dB. “To simulate still photographs, I find a lot of projectors are simply too bright. The REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector’s Quiet Mode makes the projector almost silent and allows me to tame the brightness down if I’m in a small room, and that’s how I run it most of the time.”

REALiS-tic Color Reproduction

Canon's REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector offers outstanding color reproduction with its Adobe RGB Color Match System. A special RGB color filter on the REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector enables virtually accurate Adobe RGB color and sRGB, both of which are used by professionals for critical color-matching applications. Canon's REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector enables users to project still or motion images with crisp clarity and color accuracy.

Canon’s proprietary AISYS (Aspectual Illumination System) optical system maximizes the next-generation LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) display technology employed by the REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector to produce lattice-free, rich-color pictures at high resolution. Canon’s AISYS-enhanced LCOS achieves crisp, color-rich, intricately detailed motion or still images by efficiently utilizing and equalizing light from the projector lamp. The REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector includes a wide variety of digital and analog video and computer display input interfaces.

For Sexton, the REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector’s high resolution and color reproduction were absolute necessities for his presentations. “It’s so important to me to try and get the best possible image quality, and that very quickly led me to Canon,” he declared. “Because of how I wanted to use the product at various venues, with the brightness I was going to need and the color spaces I needed to work in, I decided that the REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector was an easy choice. Between the performance of the projector and its higher, SXGA+ level of resolution, my photography looks as good as it possibly can with today’s technology.”

Exceeding Expectations

Having made his choice, Sexton embarked on a 10-city lecture tour, and the projector's performance in venues of various sizes exceeded his expectations. “If my photographs don’t look good on-screen to the people who aren’t familiar with my pictures, then my words are meaningless,” said Sexton. “There aren’t that many times in life when you buy something that really lives up to and exceeds your expectations, and this is one of those times. The REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector is an exceptional piece of equipment. It has worked beautifully. Without it, I just don’t know how I would have done the lecture tour.”

Sexton wasn’t the only one impressed by the Canon REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector’s output. The audiovisual professionals at the venues on his tour were clamoring for information about his projector. “I had to ask Canon to send me brochures, because everywhere I lectured, the audiovisual people came up to me afterwards and said ‘What kind of projector is that? We want to know about it,’ ” Sexton recalled. “The performance and compact size of the REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector is what impressed these  professionals. I brought in a portable projector, and my presentation looked better than their permanent installation.”

During previous tours to show his work, Sexton had displayed his photography on a 35mm slide projector. The switch to the Canon REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector has given him a newfound flexibility in his presentations, of which he has taken full advantage. “It gives me the ability to fine-tune a lecture,” Sexton elaborated. “I get an idea while I’m up at the podium before the lecture starts, and I can instantly change the order of a couple of my images. I can be very spontaneous, and that gives me something I never had with 35mm slides. I could never be that spontaneous. I couldn’t fine-tune a lecture to a group or to an idea that came to mind while I was there at the venue and reacting to the situation. With digital projection I can, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

With every venue he lectures at, Sexton tests and compares his REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector to the in-house projector before deciding which one to use. Almost invariably, the REALiS is the projector of choice. “In nine out of 10 lectures I’ve run my Canon SX6 instead of the projector on-site, and the one time it came up short was against a $100,000 projector, so I feel that my investment is worth every penny,” Sexton stated.

The difference in the detail has been so significant that Sexton feels that he owes a sizeable portion of the credit for the success of his tour to his decision to purchase and use the Canon REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector. “If I would have projected with what was available on-site, I would not have looked as good; I would not have looked professional,” he concluded. “I would have spent the entire talk apologizing for what people were seeing on the screen. Instead, we had great audiences, they were very responsive, and at the book signing I got compliments about what people saw on the screen. And that’s what I wanted to accomplish. The Canon REALiS SX6 Multimedia Projector helped make my success.”

Press Release—Kingston Technology Company, Inc., has posted an interview with legendary photojournalist Harry Benson on its Icons of Photography microsite. A witness to history, Benson shares what it was like to be standing next to Robert F. Kennedy when he was assassinated, how he got his first big break as the only journalist allowed to interview a mass murderer in prison, and how it felt to march with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In addition to his photographic exploits, Benson expresses personal goals such as his longtime desire to become a professional football (soccer) player.

The interview marks the second in a series called 20 Questions, which gives site visitors an up-close-and-personal look at some of the world’s most respected photographers. Kingston encourages photographers who visit the Icons of Photography microsite to take an active role through features including Ask the Icon, which gives photographers an opportunity to pose their own questions and Critique My Image, which invites photographers to submit a photo to be constructively critiqued by one of Kingston’s Icons.

“Being a member of Kingston’s Icons of Photography means I have the support of professionals I can rely on to answer any questions I might have,” said Benson. “It seems rather apropos that Kingston would take it one step further and develop a program that allows photographers from around the world to ask questions and seek advice from us. Being involved in this way brings my career full-circle as it allows me to share my life experiences,” added Benson.

Benson has photographed every U.S. president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George W. Bush. In addition, he went on maneuvers with the IRA, was in the room with former President Richard Nixon when he resigned and was next to Coretta Scott King at her husband’s funeral.

For more detailed information visit the Kingston IOP Web site at www.kingston.com/iop.

Digital negatives have pumped new energy into the alternative printing arena. Since the first edition of my Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing was published in 1995 (I call that long-past period the Paleolithic era in digital imaging), I’ve heard from people all over the world who are thrilled with their new power to combine the old (chemical-based photography) with the new (digital capture and control).

Today the friendliest way to make digital negatives is with Photoshop and modern inkjet printers, using these inkjet negatives to print on classic photosensitive materials like cyanotype, platinum/palladium, and silver gelatin. When we do the steps properly, we can make contact prints that rival the quality of prints made from camera-original negatives. You gotta admit, this sounds like fun!

Figure 1: Windmills, Spain, Platinum/Palladium Print from a Digital Negative, by Dan Burkholder

We can break our negative making procedure into a couple fundamental steps:

1. Preparing our image with the proper contrast.
2. Printing the negative on clear transparency material.

Because our inkjet printers were not designed to make negatives on a clear transparency, we must prepare our images in specific ways before hitting “Print.” This preparation isn’t difficult, but it must be done with a certain amount of care if we want our negatives to print correctly. In a nutshell, we must change the contrast of the image before printing. A Photoshop Curve is the ideal way to do just that. Figure 2 shows a typical Epson 2400/7800/9800 curve I use to make a negative for platinum/palladium.

Figure 2: A Typical Digital Negative Curve for Epson 2400

This curve will not make your image look better on your screen. In fact, it will make your image look too light. That’s normal; you just have to remember that the finished negative will have the contrast you want and need for printing on photosensitive materials. Just as a glob of clay isn’t as pretty as the finished pottery, your contrast-adjusted image on your monitor is just raw materials.

Now that you know about changing the image contrast via curves, you’ll be happy to know that I’ve created a Photoshop file that semi-automates the negative creation process, including applying the Curve mentioned above. I call this Photoshop file a Template.

Dan’s Inkjet Negative Template

I call it a Template because it is a prepared image file into which you simply drag your flattened grayscale image. Figure 3 shows the Template. Think of it as a container for your image. Notice the included step tablet. This step tablet is an important troubleshooting/diagnostic tool; if your negatives don’t print properly, you use this step tablet to easily fix contrast problems.

Figure 3: The Inkjet Negative Template

Figure 4 illustrates how I drag my flattened (no layers) grayscale image into the Template.

Figure 4: Dragging Your Image into the Template

Figure 5 shows the Template with the image on its own layer. Notice the Layers Palette to see where the image lands in the Template. Once the image is positioned in the Template, it’s as easy as clicking on one of the Layer Groups (in the layers palette) to have your image ready-to-print. In the Layers palette I’ve included Layer Groups for various Epson Printers and printing processes. There’s one for the Epson Stylus Photo 2400 and Platinum and another for the Epson Stylus Photo 2400 and Silver Gelatin. Just turn on the Layer Group that matches your printer and process, and you’re on your way.

Figure 5: The Image in the Template

With your image in the Template, it’s a simple matter to prepare it with the proper contrast. Figure 6 shows how I’ve turned on the 2400 Platinum Layer (made visible by clicking the eyeball column). This Layer Group applies a contrast adjustment curve and inverts the image to create a negative, exactly what you want to send to your printer.

Figure 6: Turning on the Layer Group

For Certain Printer/Ink Combinations we use a Spectral Density to create a colorized negative. This red-orange color blocks UV light and is ideal for making negatives for printing on ultra-violet sensitive processes like platinum/palladium. Figure 7 shows the Template with the Layer Group for the Epson Stylus Photo 1280 (a dye-based inkjet printer) turned on.

Figure 7: Colorizing the Image

When the image has the contrast and/or color applied via the nifty Template layers, you are ready to print on Pictorico OHP transparency Film. This material has a superior ink-absorptive coating and is the best I’ve found for making digital negatives. There are cheaper materials available, but you’d be amazed at how many stories of wasted time and paper I’ve listened to from users who tried to save a few cents per negative. Use the Pictorico OHP and you won't be one of those unhappy souls.

In Figure 1 you can see the final hand-coated platinum/palladium print as made from the digital negative. One of the huge benefits of working from digital negatives is that every print gets the same exposure time with no burning or dodging needed since all those corrections are made in Photoshop before making the negative. This first-print-is-perfect way of working saves you massive amounts of time, paper and chemistry in the darkroom.

As I wind up this short synopsis of the digital negative making process, I hear readers bemoaning that, “there has to be more to it than that.” Yes, I have truncated the steps for brevity. In the spirit of full disclosure, here are a few other issues you should know about:

• As you may have guessed, the settings you make in the Print dialog box play a big role in how your digital negative turns out.
• You might have to adjust your contrast curves to meet your combination of variables (like papers, developers, humidity, sun spots, etc.).
• You might have to swap black inks (costing you money) for your digital negs. Most printers do better with the Photo Black (PK) rather than the Matte Black (MK) ink.
• Though I’ve limited my testing to Epson printers, other brands of printers can make swell negatives.

My Inkjet Negative Companion goes into much more detail on these (and plenty of other) digital negative issues. This supplement to my book provides a thorough step-by-step for those wanting to use Epson printers to make great negatives for their contact printing needs.

There’s nothing like combining the precision of digital imaging with the elegance of the handmade print. Now that you can make high quality inkjet negatives right on your own desktop, you can experiment and play with your photography like never before.

The classic darkroom once again becomes the magical place where creativity and chemistry mix to create beautifully crafted fine art.

Things You Need to Make Inkjet Negatives
Your shopping list is actually pretty small.

• Photoshop CS or later
• An Epson Stylus Photo 2400, 2200, or 1280 printer (or their “big sister” equivalents)
• My Inkjet Negative Companion (includes the Template image and complete how-to PDFs)
• Pictorico OHP Transparency Film (www.pictorico.com)
• Oh, and a computer…
• …and electricity

Dan was one of the first photographic artists to embrace digital technology in the early 1990s. His book, "Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing" is regarded as a photographic benchmark. His forthcoming monograph, "The Color of Loss: an Intimate Portrait of New Orleans after Katrina," is being published by University of Texas Press. You can learn more about Dan’s photography and digital negatives at www.DanBurkholder.com.