Nash Editions: Photography and the Art of Digital Printing [Paperback]

Garrett White (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321316304 | ISBN-13: 978-0321316301 | Publication Date: December 22, 2006

"This is the magnum opus on digital printing and the book to read before color calibrating your monitor or wondering about differences in pigmented and dye-based inks. With little in the way of “how-to,” the book focuses more on why and showcases eloquent photographs, including a heartbreakingly beautiful portrait of Marilyn Monroe, a naked World War II bomber tail gunner, and the inevitable “Emperor’s New Clothes” work. Equally heartbreaking for far different reasons is Henry Wilhelm’s essay “A History of Permanence” that includes a section called “The Totally Lost Kodacolor Era” that will leave you stunned by the corporate callousness that’s described. This book not only deserves to be on the bookshelf of anybody who cares about photography, it deserves to be read."  -- Joe Farace, Shutterbug

Most of us know him as one member of the band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, but what you may not know is that at the same time Graham Nash was rocking the world, he was also pursuing a parallel career in photography and digital imaging. Nash Editions—the world’s premier fine-art digital printmaking studio, which Graham co-founded with R. Mac Holbert—represents the pinnacle of those efforts. This book uses thought-provoking essays and glorious artwork to sum up not only Nash Editions’ achievements but also the state of fine-art digital printmaking. After a brief history of printmaking, you’ll reach the heart of the book: an essay by Holbert on the genesis of Nash Editions and fine-art digital printing (which details the studio's interactions with major artists like David Hockney); an essay by MoMA consultant Henry Wilhelm (which includes a technical comparison of traditionally and digitally prepared prints); and commentary from Nash Editions artists. The book’s more than 100 illustrations include Nash Editions artwork, photos of artists in the studio, images of the machines used in digital printing, and illustrations of the proofing process.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the magnum opus on digital printing and the book to read before color calibrating your monitor or wondering about differences in pigmented and dye-based inks. With little in the way of “how-to,” the book focuses more on why and showcases eloquent photographs, including a heartbreakingly beautiful portrait of Marilyn Monroe, a naked World War II bomber tail gunner, and the inevitable “Emperor’s New Clothes” work. Equally heartbreaking for far different reasons is Henry Wilhelm’s essay “A History of Permanence” that includes a section called “The Totally Lost Kodacolor Era” that will leave you stunned by the corporate callousness that’s described. This book not only deserves to be on the bookshelf of anybody who cares about photography, it deserves to be read.  -- Joe Farace, Shutterbug

Review

This is the magnum opus on digital printing and the book to read before color calibrating your monitor or wondering about differences in pigmented and dye-based inks. With little in the way of “how-to,” the book focuses more on why and showcases eloquent photographs, including a heartbreakingly beautiful portrait of Marilyn Monroe, a naked World War II bomber tail gunner, and the inevitable “Emperor’s New Clothes” work. Equally heartbreaking for far different reasons is Henry Wilhelm’s essay “A History of Permanence” that includes a section called “The Totally Lost Kodacolor Era” that will leave you stunned by the corporate callousness that’s described. This book not only deserves to be on the bookshelf of anybody who cares about photography, it deserves to be read.  -- Joe Farace, Shutterbug --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press (December 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321316304
• ISBN-13: 978-0321316301
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #785,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Photography & Video > Digital Printing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful work..., January 15, 2007

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nash Editions: Photography and the Art of Digital Printing (Paperback)

Most of the time when you view photography, you think about the image and composition, not the process of how the image is put on paper. In Nash Editions: Photography and the Art of Digital Printing by Nash Editions, you'll think more about the printing process than usual. And there's some really stunning photography, to boot!

Contents:
Introduction - Graham Nash
The History of Nash Editions - R. Mac Holbert
The Four Stages of Photography - Richard Benson
A History of Permanence in Traditional and Digital Color Photography: The Role of Nash Editions - Henry Wilhelm
Selected Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index

This book consists of four essays centered around the process of image creation on paper. Nash Editions focuses on the creation of high-end digital image printing, and as such has learned a lot about the process and history of how photos are transferred to paper. From the chemical-heavy techniques of the early days of photography to the digital printing processes of today, you'll gain insights into issues such as color fidelity and permanence. I now know why all those pictures of the sixties faded out so badly... The more visually stunning part of the book consists of the large number of images throughout the book. From black-and-white landscapes to portraits to abstract compilations, each page turn gives the reader another treat to ponder and enjoy. Very beautiful compositions... If this were a hardbound book, it'd be a classic "coffee-table" book. As a paperback, it doesn't have quite the same outward impact as other books similar to this. But it definitely holds its own in terms of content.

This is a book that any serious photographer would enjoy owning...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A must have book, but ..., June 13, 2007

By 

Stephen Best (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nash Editions: Photography and the Art of Digital Printing (Paperback)

Nash Editions deserves all credit for kick starting the fine-art/inkjet revolution but I'm not sure this book adds much to what is already well known. For sure there's lot of great images herein, but the presentation is a bit sloppy. We hear the same story over again from multiple participants and (in my copy at least) the more interesting narration from Holbert ends mid sentence. If you're interested in the history of the inkjet, this is a book you'll have to have but the lack of care/thought in its presentation does seem a little like exploitation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars High expectations, May 5, 2007

By 

Charles I. Maas (Anchorage, AK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nash Editions: Photography and the Art of Digital Printing (Paperback)

Just a few years ago the terms "art" and "inkjet print" weren't tolerated in communal context. Now, as with many media evolutions, sensibilities have to a large degree changed. One of the forces instrumental in altering the art community's entrenched mindset against the inkjet process has been a small digital fine-art inkjet photography studio by the name of Nash Editions. Through the collaborative pioneering of a handful of deep-pocketed, influential, and very determined artistic entrepreneurs, Nash Editions helped develop, refine, and establish broad acceptance for the digital fine-art inkjet printing. This is their story.

At first blush this lavishly printed (and expensive) book promises a consuming elegance that sweeps you away. It has star power too, with one of the leading personalities none other than Graham Nash of Crosby, Still & Nash fame. It also includes rich and very personal histories of the birth and labored growth of the digital printing service company, of permanence in various photographic media, and of photography itself as a medium of expression. The book also includes images by a broad selection of visual artists spread throughout in an eclectic smorgasbord.

But there are a few elements that detract somewhat from the book's rich objectives. With several authors contributing, certain parts of the story get repeated - several times in fact - and the tone at times begins to sound slightly obsequious and self-lauding, to the point that one is led to the impression that Nash Editions (the company) was pretty much the sole entity that dragged digital printing from practically nothing in the early 1990s to it's high level of sophistication and acceptance today. While Nash Editions can certainly claim historic "firsts" in several categories within the digital printing revolution, a thoughtful person might wonder if there weren't just a few other significant contemporaries working toward the same goals. And on a purely technical note, one of the sections of the book ends in the middle of a paragraph, leaving the reader guessing as to the intended conclusion; perhaps a little tighter editing would have been helpful.

So, should you buy this book? Yes, if you're a photographic artist interested in the history of the digital printing process or the concept and science of photographic media permanence. And of course it will serve too as visual stimulation and a contemporary two-dimensional artwork study; one can learn a great deal by looking carefully at other artist's work.