About Abstracts
The sumptuous glossy images that define the work of Claridge & Lilius are the result of two independent artists from divergent disciplines coming together and combining the best of their respective creative and technical skills. The large-scale high-resolution photographic prints of the finished works are the end product of a long and complex set of processes. They are the direct result of a painter and photographer working in harmony to produce a unique vision of colour and form.
Somewhat unassumingly the process starts out as little more than a 2”square being marked out on to Claridge’s palette. Into this area the painter starts work on a miniature oil painting. Sometimes this is based on a collection of colour sketches worked out beforehand, equally however he may let his mood take him and allow the brush to lead his hand. Once happy with a composition the finished oil painting is mounted vertically and it is at this point that the painters’ work is done and the two artists disciplines cross over.
A medium format camera loaded with an extra fine grain slide film and fitted with a macro lens attached to a set of extension tubes is brought into position millimetres from the surface of the still wet oil paint. It is at this point that possibly the most key decisions are made between the two artists as they decisively adjust the lighting and viewfinder to exactly create the composition that will ultimately be blown up 40 times the size of the original painting. Any mistakes made at this point will of course be 40 times worse in the final print!
When both are happy with what they see through the viewfinder Lilius takes over and makes all the appropriate and necessary adjustments for exposure, depth of field, direction of light and of course focus. He has to be incredibly precise in all these manual calculations. In macro photography these factors are absolutely crucial to the final result and any misjudgement will render the shot worthless.
Once the film is wound on and sent to the developer the agonising wait to see the results begins. The images are shot on slide film to ensure sharpness and colour reproduction of the highest quality. As soon as the slides can be reviewed the best shots are selected and then sent to be drum scanned which creates a huge digital file of incredible quality. This enables Claridge and Lilius to review the image for the fist time at a large scale. Any digital manipulation is kept to an absolute minimum. Only the removal of dust particles and the refinement of the crop are done digitally. The primary purpose of drum scanning the slide is to enable C Type printing at a scale and quality that would be impossible if done manually. Digital C-prints are photographic prints made by exposing a sheet of Type-C photographic paper to light inside of a light jet printer.
As the prints emerge from the printer it is a moment of incredible tension and excitement as for the first time the finished work is revealed and the depth, richness of color and fine detail present themselves on the glossy paper.
Glossary
300 dpi
Dots per inch (DPI) refer to the physical size of an image when it is reproduced as a real physical entity. The number lets the printer know the intended size of the image, or in the case of scanned images, the size of the original scanned object. 300 dpi is the industry standard for magazine cover resolution quality.
Crystal Archive paper
Crystal Archive paper is an incredibly high quality Type-C Photographic paper that ensures bright colors, sharp whites and prints that do not fade or yellow.
Digital C-print
Digital C-prints are photographic prints made by exposing a sheet of Type-C photographic paper to light inside of a printer instead of to light projected by an enlarger. This technique uses red, green, and blue lasers, yielding a digital C print. The digital C-print is then processed in a color processor just as traditional C-print would be.
Drum Scan
Drum scanners capture image information with photomultiplier tubes (PMT) originals are mounted on an acrylic cylinder, the scanner drum, which rotates at high speed while it passes the object being scanned. Film is where drum scanners continue to be the tool of choice for high-end applications. Because film can be wet-mounted to the scanner drum and because of the exceptional sensitivity of the PMT’s, drum scanners are capable of capturing very subtle details in film originals. Drum scanners remain in demand due to their capacity to produce scans that are superior in resolution, color gradation, and value structure. Also, since drum scanners are capable of resolutions up to 12,000 PPI, their use is generally recommended when a scanned image is going to be enlarged.
Macro Photography
Macro photography is close-up photography. The classic definition is that the image projected on the film plane is close to the same size as the subject. This can be achieved by placing an extension tube between the camera body and the lens. The tube has no glass in it; its sole purpose is to move the lens farther from the film. The farther the lens is from the film or sensor, the closer the focusing distance (and the greater the magnification) and the darker the image. Tubes of various lengths can be stacked together, allowing for increasing levels of magnification while simultaneously decreasing working distance The shallow depth of vision in macro photography requires narrow aperture. Flash or low shutter speed is required for shooting with narrow apertures. Normal flash units do not deliver adequate lighting. Ring flash or twin light horseshoe flashes solve this problem, however these units are quite expensive when compared with normal flash units.
Medium Format
Medium format has traditionally referred to a film format in still photography and the related cameras and equipment that use this film. Medium format has moved from being the most widely used film size (1890s through 1950s) to a niche used by many professionals to achieve the highest possible quality.
The main benefit of medium format photography is that, because of the larger size of the images (up to six times larger than 35 mm), a much higher quality can be produced. This allows for bigger enlargements and smooth gradation without the grain or blur that would characterize similarly enlarged images produced from smaller film formats. Compared to 35 mm medium format is usually limited to professional photography and can be prohibitively expensive.
Reversal film (transparency)
Professional photographers when working with traditional film generally prefer reversal film. Slides are sharper and have better color reproduction.