Friday, February 8, 2013

Handmade books - Harold Davis

This is a direct copy of an email sent out by Harold Davis. It includes costs and samples of this amazing project, and although he is a pro and not a local club member, I thought you would find it interesting. DPS, the west digital club of the Camera Council, spent a year thinking and working on how to expand their photography into book form and one of those members, Judith Barat, brought this to my attention. I very glad she did. It is inspiring. I hope you enjoy it.

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If you've been following my work, you've probably read quite a bit about Botanique. I'm very excited that Botanique has finally emerged into the light of day, and that copies are shipping. I am particularly grateful to my Kickstarter supporters who have made this possible.

I love surprising people when I open the Botanique box, and they begin to see that the handmade book inside is larger than the exterior of the box.

It is almost as if the box is a door to a parallel universe. Open it, and find that the botanical art is more colorful, luscious, and life-like than the “real thing”—almost the Platonic ideal of floral art rather than the flowers themselves!

I hope you enjoy learning about my unique project. You may be interested to know that based on Botanique's artistic and commercial success I am planning to create additional limited edition handmade books and folios!

It's important to me that readers of my list get the first opportunity to buy Botanique at the current pricing (already substantially more than when it was offered via Kickstarter). If it is within your budget, please consider purchasing a copy.

Very best wishes in photography,



Acclaimed as “origami in a box” and said to be “destined for major museums,” Botanique is an innovative artist project that astutely blends old craft and cutting edge new technologies to create an exquisite limited edition art book and art object that is completely unique.
Working together in their studio, legendary photographer and digital artist Harold Davis his wife, graphic designer Phyllis Davis, have combined advanced digital pigment printing with the luscious botanical art of Harold Davis. Every aspect of the project has been carefully designed and hand-crafted.
Botanique’s archival presentation box has been hand-assembledBotanique book plate
The display font used in Botanique is derived from Walt Whitman’s handwriting
According to Popular Photography Magazine, the floral prints of Harold Davis “border on the spiritual.” Botanique contains twenty-one luscious floral prints that emerge delicately and seductively from the hand-assembled presentation box. The clam shell box measures approximately 9.25″ X 12.5″ X 1″ deep.

The Botanique project was originally successfully funded and crowd-sourced via a Kickstarter project.
Pricing for the twenty-five hand-signed and numbered copies is arranged in tiers of five copies, with the initial price for the first five copies $500 (these are sold out) and ranging to over $2,000 for the final five copies in the edition. The current price for Botanique is $750.
Note that Botanique contains twenty-one prints. At the current price that works out to less than $40 per print, a small fraction of what each print is worth individually.
Some of the botanical prints that are in each Botanique
Uniquely conceived and handcrafted using a blend of new and old techniques, Botanique is expected to be the first of a number of limited edition artist projects from the creative Davis photography and design studio.

About Botanique: This Camellia japonica is one of the prints in Botanique

Botanique is a limited edition, handcrafted book of original, luscious botanical prints by legendary photographer and master printer Harold Davis
Botanique is strictly limited to an edition of twenty-five copies, plus five artist proof copies. Each book is hand-signed and numbered by the artist, and presented in an archival hand-assembled presentation box suitable for display.
Botanique is hand printed on an Epson 9900 StylusPro printer using archival Ultrachrome HDR inks. Within the book there are twenty-one prints on archival substrates including Moenkopi Unryu Washi, Moenkopi Kozo Washi, Moab Slickrock pearlized metallic, translucent archival vellum and Lasal Exhibition Luster photographic paper. Each book is hand-cut, and hand-assembled in the artist’s studio. An added origami-like feature includes three oversize foldout prints in panoramic format (two are horizontal and one is vertical).
Each copy of Botanique ships with a signed 9″ X 12″ print of Harold Davis’ popular Red Poppies image, suitable for framing.
Star Magnolia by Harold Davis
Botanique includes three oversize pull-outs like the Star Magnolia panorama shown on Unryu washi paper
Botanique pricing and ordering information: The current price for Botanique is $750.00 (plus shipping and sales tax as applicable). There are two copies remaining at this price.
Botanique limited edition pricing:

Edition Number
Price
1-5
$500 Sold out
6-10
$750 Only two left
11-15
$1200
16-20
$1950
21-25
TBD
To place an order or for more information, please contact the studio at 510.528.9977 or by email at info@photoblog2.com.
A pair of Daffodils, printed on Kozo washi, grace the pages of Botanique.
Links for more information:
About Harold Davis: Harold Davis is a widely-recognized artist and a leading contemporary photographer. His work is commissioned, collected and exhibited widely.
Harold Davis is acknowledged as a Moab Master for his printmaking prowess. His work demonstrates that advances in the technology and craft of digital photography have created an entirely new medium that begins with photography and continues as digital art. This extraordinary imagery builds on the masterworks of the past while embracing revolutionary innovations in photography. Harold Davis’s handcrafted digital botanical prints on Washi rice paper are particularly sought after. As Popular Photography Magazine observes, “Harold Davis’s ethereal floral arrangements have a purity and translucence that borders on spiritual.”
Harold Davis is the author of more than 30 bestselling books, including “Creating HDR Photos: The Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Photography” (published by the Amphoto imprint of Random House) and “Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Worlds with Harold Davis” (published by Focal Press).
papaver and iridaceae
The delicacy and boldness of Papaver and Iridaceae is presented as one of Botanique’s pearlized metallic plates.




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