Lenswork

[brYan]

Lenswork (fka Lenswork Quarterly) is a very good mag.

Usually three portfolios are presented, plus interviews and essays. I enjoy the essays as much as the portfolios.

www.lenswork.com

[bmac]

The quality of lenswork has improved lately, I enjoyed the latest issue very much. Has anyone here purchased any prints from them?

[brYan]

Have not purchased a photogravure, but have seen one. It was Jay Dusard's detail of a steam engine train. It was a good print, but wasn't impressed enough to buy it.

Maybe their silver gelatin prints are better.

[William Levitt]

I too was looking at the silver gelatin prints, but decided against it after reading about their reproduction system.

Now I must admit I've never seen one of their prints in person, and they may very well be indestinguishable from an origional print, but until I know for sure, I'll hold back on making apurchase. The prices are very reasonable, especially the specials including a free print with the purchase of a book, but as they say themselve, the prints are made to be enjoyed, and not to be considered an investment. If that's the case, then there are some very well printed calenders on the market that would serve that purpose equally well, and I'd get 13 images for the purchase price.

These statements are meant in no way to demean or diminish the quality of the merchandise beiong offered by Lens Work, and I do visit their website frequently, for I find the overall package to be well done.

[Les McLean]

I have purchased two photogravure prints and I'm well pleased with them. I have seen the silver prints and can find no fault with them. I understand that they are made on Ilford Multigrade IV paper and archivally processed.
I recall seeing Brooks Jensens original proposal for this series of prints when I was visiting Chip Forelli in New York a few years ago and I think he was making digital scans of original prints and having a film writer produce a traditional black and white negative from which the final print is made. I have no problem with that approach and have not purchased a print because I have not yet seen an image that I really want in my collection.

[William Levitt]

As I understand it, the final print is either scanned or a repro negative is produced, but is also screened using a very high resolution, but under a litographers lupe, dots will be seen.

[c6h6o3]

A friend of mine bought some photogravures of cathedral pictures by Bruce Barnbaum. His silver prints of these, which I happen to have seen, are simply glorious. The gravures were quite a disappointment. I'd stick with gelatin silver.

[G O'Connor]

Yes, Lens Work is nice. Though I'd buy it alot more if it were cheaper and carried at my local book store

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's cheaper if you subscribe. I subscribed to _View Camera_ and _Lenswork_ when I realized that I was buying most issues anyway. That way I don't miss any, and it saves a few trips to the newsstand.

[Jim Chinn]

If you get the two year subscription the cost per issue is just under $6.00 per issue as compared to $9.95 buying it on the newsstand.