Photos and Prints

I am currently using a 21 megapixel camera, the equivalent of a medium format film camera such as a Hasselblad. Images can print at photographic quality up to and beyond 40”x60”. Most panoramics are comprised of multiple images, currently my largest piece can print at 17 feet wide. Images taken in 2007 and earlier will have size limitations. If you have particular sizing needs please contact me.

All photos are true images.  I draw out the tonal range of scenes to bring out the detail, especially in clouds, and sometimes increase the saturation of the natural color. Lightning is photographed using a longer exposure time.

All prints are done at professional labs on archival photosensitive paper, much like the traditional c-print paper used in darkroom printing. These papers are durable for 75 years and are museum grade. Finished as a plaque the print is further protected. Each piece is signed and comes with a certificate of authenticity, ensuring that your piece of art is an original David Mayhew.

All materials are of the highest quality to ensure longevity of the art and are both acid free and archival . I will not sell poor quality prints, some cropped images may have limitations in print size that I will not exceed.

Size Matters

Investing in top of the line camera equipment I am able to print photos at large sizes and at high quality. For the website my images have been reduced to a small thumbnail for easy navigation and to safe guard the image, ensuring your print is an original David Mayhew piece of art work. Below are examples of the quality to which I work. "Sky Net" below shows the photo detail obtainable from my Canon 1Ds Mark III camera, printable to 40"x60":

With many of my panoramics I have stitched together numerous images to give an even higher quality image. "River Bend" is a combination of 11 photos joined side by side. The resulting image is over 85 Megapixels and can be printed 17 feet wide at photographic quality:

Image size restrictions are 40x60 for the Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24x36 for the Canon 20D and 20x30 for the Minolta Dimage 7i. Photos with different maximum print limitations will have the Max Print Size listed in the image description.

Website

This website is a gallery of images that best represents David's work. It is but a mere snippet of his extensive archives and represents what he is capable of. A hidden album exists to hold images no longer in the main galleries as well as alternative versions of images, such as black and white versions of color images or other similar photos taken at the time of shooting. This helps keep the albums trim. By searching for a particular category or the same photo title you may locate these images. Please contact me if you are looking for something specific.

To be sure you are correctly viewing the images please visit the Color Management link for calibration assistance. Uncalibrated monitors may display the photos at a different brightness and may have a color tint. I take great pride and skill in editing my photos, so rest assured that all images of highest quality – I am my own harshest critic!

All images are downsized and reduced in quality for the website. All images are Copyrighted to David Mayhew and watermarked to that affect. Use of images without the express permission of David Mayhew is prohibited.

Search Engine Keyword Suggestions:

Country search - USA, UK, Italy, Iceland...
Location search - London, Chicago, Colorado CO, Texas TX, Millenium Park, Sears Tower...
Year or Season search – Winter 2007, Spring 2009…
Animal, Insect, Flower, Bird, Wildlife
Blue Sky, Clouds, Supercell, Lightning, Tornado
Panoramic, Silhoette, Abstract, Black and White, Time Exposure
Mountain, Sunset, Reflection, Forest, Lake, River, Sea
Waterscape, Landscape, Cityscape
Try something more specific - Moose, dew, fire

The keyword search works with multiple word combinations to help find specific scenes, such as "Chicago Lightning" or "Kansas Tornado".  A list of keywords for each photo is listed underneath the image, simply click on a keyword to find more images with the same keyword. Photos appearing in more than one album will appear multiple times in any keyword search.

 

Color Management

Color printing has always been an issue, even for film prints. The eye sees a much broader gamut than a monitor can reproduce and the monitor can show more colors than can be reproduced in a print. However, with the latest progress in the color management field it is possible to control these changes. Consistent monitor calibration, using workspace profiles and printer paper/output device profiles it is possible to create a printed image that gives the previsualized effect and colors that are desired.

Images as seen on the website have also been adjusted for the webspace gamut. The final print will not be an exact match to the image you see on the website, but a very close replication that you are unlikely to notice the difference. Don't forget how you see the images on screen depends on how you have your monitor settings. It is advisable to calibrate your monitor with Adobe Gamma or other software that you have available.

Monitor Calibration for those without the specific software can be approximated by using the following guides:

1) Adjust your monitor's brightness and contrast controls so that at least the first 12 steps e.g. from white to 95% black are visible, the distinction between 95% and 100% should just be barely visible. To achieve this you should first set your monitor contrast (adjusts how bright white is) control to maximum, then adjust the brightness (adjusts how dark black is).

2) All of the images on this website have been optimized for display on a gamma 2.2 calibrated monitor. The steps outlined above should result in you obtaining near optimum white and black levels. To check your actual monitor gamma level you should sit back from the monitor, squint a little, and establish which of the inner numbered boxes comes closest to blending with the patterned gray surround. A typical PC Windows monitor will approximate to gamma 2.2 and a Macintosh computer to gamma 1.8. If you find that your gamma value is less than 2.2 my images will appear darker than intended.

3) Below I have provided a quick visual reference to compare correct and offset images. In each of the images below the correct version is the central, just to give an idea of how my photos should appear on your computer.

Brightness

Too light Ideal Too dark

Contrast

Not enough Contrast Ideal Too much contrast

Color Saturation

Under saturated Ideal Over saturated

Installations

David's work is ideal for both business and home. David's art can add a feeling of power and assertiveness to a conference room, or an atmosphere of serenity and relaxation to the home. Large pieces add continued interest, allowing new details to be discovered over time.

Below are examples of installed work, showing how David has met the need of the client and enhanced the ambiance of various locations.

Images pending...