Conveying a Sense of the Intangible

Photographer Gary Kessel, Memphis, TN, shoots his images with either a Canon EOS 10D digital SLR (6.3 megapixels) or a Shen Hao 4×5 for film (if the latter, he then scans using an Epson Expression 1600). For prints 13 x 19 or smaller, he utilizes his in-house Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer, Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper”?”I've used other papers,” he says, “but size availability is an issue”?and Epson Ultra Chrome pigmented inks.

For output larger than 13 x 19, he turns to Bennett Digital Productions (www.bennettdigital.com), also based in Memphis. That company's main workhorse is an Oce Lightjet 5000, although owners John and Kathy Bennett use their Epson 7600 or 9000, also with Hahnemuhle media and Ultrachrome inks, in order to better match Kessel's output. In addition, says Kessel, “they have made a profile just for me in order to match my prints exactly.”

Kessel says he tries not to get caught up in process. “To me, photography is more about the final image than the process used to capture it. I always shoot images for selfish reasons”?things that I want to look at later. I like to shoot scenes that convey a sense of the intangible, such as time. Sometimes it is an abstraction that gets my attention, and other times it is just a literal 'snapshot' of a subject I like.”

All of Kessel's prints are available in a limited edition of 50; each print is rated to last 100 years. (Gary Kessel: www.garykessel.com)