Greetings from Philadelphia

Mike McCarty · 03-17-2004, 12:00 AM

Garth,

In the way of cyber introduction, we have another friend who frequents this forum who is a pretty nifty scultor, Heidi Maiers at this link : http://portrait-sculpture.com/

Garth Herrick · 03-17-2004, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike McCarty

Garth,

In the way of cyber introduction, we have another friend who frequents this forum who is a pretty nifty scultor, Heidi Maiers at this link : http://portrait-sculpture.com/

Thanks Mike, I think her work is pretty nifty too. I am curious about her revolutionary methods of working in her E-book ad.

I also hope to be a positive contribution to your digital photography forum. I'm using the Nikon D100 and I think its one of the best choices for serious digital reference photos. Does anyone else use a digital slr?

Garth

Mike McCarty · 03-17-2004, 12:32 AM

Garth,

I'm pretty sure that Morgan Weistling uses a D100.

I am still shooting film but am on the verge of doing the digital. The one that's in the running for me is the new Nikon D70 slr due out in a couple of weeks. A bit of an upgrade of the D100 and at a slightly more reasonable price. The body goes for $999 and a kit price with a very nice lens for $1200 I think. An interesting comparison chart at this link : Nikon D70

Garth Herrick · 03-17-2004, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike McCarty

Garth,

I'm pretty sure that Morgan Weistling uses a D100.

I am still shooting film but am on the verge of doing the digital. The one that's in the running for me is the new Nikon D70 slr due out in a couple of weeks. A bit of an upgrade of the D100 and at a slightly more reasonable price. The body goes for $999 and a kit price with a very nice lens for $1200 I think. An interesting comparison chart at this link : Nikon D70

WOW! Thanks Mike for that comparison. I have not looked at the D70 before. There are many upgrades from the D100. I would get one too.

I think these SLRs have better picture quality than the new small 8mp cameras because the pixels are so much bigger on the SLRs.

Garth

Marvin Mattelson · 03-17-2004, 02:17 AM

Hi Garth,

Very impressive work. It's nice to have you aboard. Philadelphia is my home town although I have been a New Yorker since 1970. I graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art with an illustration degree and no knowledge whatsoever. I always wondered what path my life would have taken had I gone to the Academy instead.

I'm also considering the leap to digital. I'm considering the Canon Powershot Pro 1 as well as the D70 and the Rebel.

On one hand the Pro 1 comes with an "L" quality lens. A zoom lens alone goes for over a thousand. It can shoot at an ISO of 50 which would eliminate noise if one was shooting under good light as opposed to the 200 ISO of the Rebel and the D 70. This coupled with a far superior lens and more features makes it seem very appealing. I too am waiting for the review conclusions to make my final determination. The 8 mp files will blow up to 20 x 30 inches.

On the other hand here is a review of the D70 http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70.htm that also has my full attention.

Welcome to the forum.

Josef Sy · 03-17-2004, 08:34 AM

Welcome to the forum, Garth. Looking forward to seeing more of your beautiful works.

Mary Sparrow · 03-17-2004, 11:09 AM

Welcome Garth, your work is beautiful. I have always wanted to try sculpture, but don't have a clue where to start!

Celeste McCall · 03-18-2004, 09:48 AM

Dear Garth,

Welcome, and your work is absolutely wonderful. This is absolutely unbelievable work! Just fantastic. I don't have enough words to describe how impressed that I am with it.

Heidi Maiers · 03-18-2004, 11:06 AM

It definitely sounds like it got too hot. Did you invest in a computerized kiln, or did you have someone else fire it that has one of those?

A full size computerized kiln is another item on my long wish list, but now I wonder how reliable they are. My old pyrometric cone style one has never let me down and is still going strong after 16 years. Its size is a restriction though (18") which is why I want to go bigger.

Thanks much for the lighting tips - I'll give that a try.

Garth Herrick · 03-18-2004, 11:59 AM

Thanks, Celeste and Heidi:

Dear Celeste, Thankyou, I feel the same about your work. Actually I feel at a loss of words to express how high in caliber so much of the works are by forum artists.

Heidi,

I don't have a kiln. This piece was fired by the retail ceramic supply store where I had bought all my clay and tools. They have two kilns running on a reservation schedule for customers. I opted for the whole kiln, and not just a shelf, for peace of mind.

When the technician notified me that the firing was done, he exclaimed about the beautiful bright golden yellow color he has never seen from this clay before. I immediately knew something was wrong. I have long wondered if the technician wrongfully set the computer for cone 11, and the covered his tracks by resetting it later to cone 6. We had a written contract for cone 4 which he denied, saying I last said 6. Anyway it looks like the firing went way beyond 6. The computer had on record a maximum temperature reading that was definitly within the upper limit of cone 6. So would this be a human blunder and cover-up, or a computer sensor failure?

Garth