Better Scanning Trays

After reading about Jackson's success last year with the "Better Scanning" trays, I had to give it a shot. I just completed a whole bunch of tests and this is what I have gathered. The top image is a 100 percent crop @ 2400 DPI with the standard Epson 4x5 plastic trays that come with the V-750. The bottom is also a 100 percent crop @2400 DPI with the Better Scanning 4x5 tray. The difference in quality can easily be seen. The Better Scanning 4x5 tray is a little different than their medium and smaller format trays, in that you can either wet or dry mount the sheet to the glass. I opted for the anti-newton ring glass so I could dry mount (faster and easier) or have the option of wet mounting. What really made the difference was a matter of .2mm.

Street Vendors

Here is a quick unedited scan of a portrait I made about a week ago in Union Square. It is for my street vendor series, in which the USP grant is supporting. This guy was ridiculous. He was rehearsing to me a very fictional and confusing story about "Sausage Head" (the book he is holding). He was very anxious to leave and I literally set up the tripod, leveled the camera, focused, put the film in and pulled the darkslide in under 2 minutes flat. Everyone moves so fast in the city, I still do not know where 95 percent are going. I am also pretty sure cab drivers are like hermit crabs, once one car dies they crawl into the next and drive away.