late, but oh so magnificent

I'm a paper person. Seriously. There's a name for my condition. It's papyrophilia. Just one of my many neuroses.

I revel in beautiful handmade linen papers and Japanese oragami paper. I'll buy a book even if I don't want to read it if it has beautiful end papers.

It's really quite out of control. But what is there to do? I'm too tired these days for any self introspection anyway.

So needless to say, I take announcements and invitations very seriously.

It took forever to finally get Henry's birth announcement finished, but here it is.

I think they turned out magnificent.

Photographer Siobhan Ridgway

Taken using a Mamiya Twin Lens on black and white.

Letterpress onto 220 lb. 100% cotton paper by Page Stationary

And now, a word about the photographer.

And when I say photographer, I mean it in the truest sense.

Bear with me here. I'm going to express an opinion. Scary, I know. What comments will I get? The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the population at large.

Having said that, I want to say this: Let's call a spade a spade shall we? I mean, it seems that there are a kabillion people running around these days calling themselves "photographers". To that I say, ummmmm. Sorry but no.

I get compliments on the photos I post here on my blog and to my Flickr page. And when I get those compliments, I feel inclined to tell whomever is the complimentor, that I am not a gifted photographer, just a girl who has a good eye for composition and knows how to use Photoshop and I think this is true of most people taking photos today.

Digital cameras have become so incredibly good, they are almost fail safe. And what the camera dosen't take care of, Photoshop can.

And then there are little gems like Siobhan Ridgway.  Siobhan took the photo of Henry with an old camera she most likely bought on ebay or found at an estate sale. She came to my house and found a room with the kind of lighting she wanted and she took a few shots. Not five hundred. Remember, this is old school. She used specialized square format film that she loaded one exposure at a time.

Siobhan shooting Henry (These photos are totally Photoshopped)

She did not use Photoshop or even crop. What you see is all her.

Think about it. When was the last time you saw a photo that was totally untouched?

When I meet Siobhan I was a little intimidated. First of all, she's beautiful. A natural kind of beauty. She used to live in New York and shoot for fashion magazines. She showed me her portfolio which included some tintypes she had shot last Summer.

That night I dreamt about them. No joke.

They take my breath away.

A computer screen doesn't do these justice. It doesn't allow for the shiny nature of the tin or the weight of each photo when you hold it in your hand.

Siobhan lives in Southern California. You can see her tintypes in person at the Del Mar Fair or by appointment. You can see more of her work on her website, Siobhan Photography.