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RICH BENDA PHOTOGRAPHY ABOUT the ARTIST RICH BENDA
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Self Portrait of the Artist testing a film stock at 4:00AM
Hi, my name is Rich Benda and I got into Digital Photo Imagery quite by accident. In fact I got into my career in the motion picture business quite by accident; I jumped off the tour tram at Universal Studios ran into the Camera Department and asked for a job. They didn't say, “No.” Today I work mostly on Movie of the Week or Mini Series projects as a Camera Operator and occasionally as a 2nd Unit Director of Photography. For those of you who might like to verify this please go to, www.IMDB.com and type in my name, Richard Benda or Rich Benda in the Search by name Drop Down Menu.
The Digital Photo Imagery accident started when I decided to buy a computer; a device I thought I could do without and why not since I don't pretend to write and I'm not an accountant. I'm a visual person! I have my trusty 35mm SLR cameras and lenses along with a variety of film stocks at my beck and call. What more do I need or need to learn? To me computers are fancy adding machines and typewriters. These assumptions proved to be VERY WRONG!
I consulted with friends who had taken the plunge into the computer world and the consensus of opinion suggested that an Apple Mackintosh computer would be a friendly ally in my visual world.
I bought my first Mac, a Blue & White G3 tower. A friend came over and put Adobe Photoshop 5.0.2 in the machine saying, “Try this out and when you get familiar with it, buy your own.” I am proud to say that I have owned my own version since Photoshop 6. Well I started exploring the Photoshop program and quickly came to one conclusion and one question. The conclusion: I now have a use for a computer! The question: How do I get my 35mm film images into the computer?
The answer to the question came at a seminar about new digital devices available for motion picture and still photography given by The International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 of which I am a member. A Nikon Corp. representative was showing their brand new high-end 35mm dedicated desktop transparency scanner. The Coolscan 2000 delivering a 2700 pixel per inch scan was the obvious answer. I now use the Coolscan 4000 delivering a 4000 pixel per inch scan.
At this point in my self taught odyssey I could take a picture with my 35mm SLR, have the roll of film developed at a professional lab, scan each slide image on my desktop scanner and manipulate the digital images in Adobe Photoshop. A new question arises: How do I print the Image?
For the answer I search among terms such as; Gicl'ee, Digital Fine Art Print, Inkjet Print, Iris Print, Archival (this and that), Archival Inks, Archival Paper, Piezography™BW , D.P.I., Silver Gelatin Print (AH! I know what this is. It is a black and white print; something very familiar). The answer: Epson Inkjet printers to the rescue. I started with an Epson 3000 Color Stylus printer and quickly added another 3000 dedicated to Piezography™BW Ink followed by the Epson 1200 6 Color Photo Stylus Inkjet printer. To be quite honest decent color printing at a professional level was not happening. So I switched the 1200 to the Piezography™BW Ink. I am pleased to report that professional color inkjet printing is available with the Epson 2200 Photo Stylus 7 color printer. I added one for my printing needs.
Please Visit My Digital Imaging Workshop Information Page
I have developed an easy to learn Workflow that allows you to obtain Professional level results in Color Inkjet Printing at home on your desktop.
I hope you enjoy your tour through the prints and purchase some for your home or office. Thank You
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