Piezographer of the Month

Photographer of the Month – Jenny Ellerbe

Jenny Ellerbe always had a camera nearby while growing up in Louisiana but it wasn’t until 5 years ago that she became seriously addicted to the art of photography. First shooting slide film then moving to digital, she explored the bayous and lakes near her home, photographing the wildlife and scenery found there. Completely self-taught by using the internet, books and lots of trial and error, her focus soon narrowed to black and white photography of the often overlooked scenery near her home.

“The bayou has so many moods and mysteries that I could probably photograph it forever without running out of inspiration. There are so many small, intimate scenes that are continuously changing that even explorations into very well known territory usually offer something new.”

Getting those scenes into print has also been an adventure. “Digital printing was really beginning to take hold just as I was ready to embrace it. But finding the proper media and ink combination proved to be a challenge. I tried using Epson inks and paper, black only printing, various RIP’s and ended up being handed an old Epson 1160 and piezotone inks by a very good friend. He suggested I give it a try and I was soon hooked. Using the carbon sepia inkset and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag paper, I was finally able to achieve the smooth tonalities, richness and depth I had been searching for. With the purchase of an Epson 4000, Roy Harrington’s Quadtone RIP, a borrowed densitometer and a blend of carbon sepia and neutral K7 inks my choices and my control are finally a perfect match to my vision.”

Ms. Ellerbe recently had her first solo exhibit at the Afterimage Gallery in Dallas, Texas. That exhibit marked the first time anyone using a digital camera and making digital prints was given a one-person exhibit at the Afterimage, one of the oldest photographic galleries in the country. She has also had work displayed at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana; Maryland Federation of Art in both Annapolis and Baltimore, Maryland; the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel, California; as well as the Masur Museum of Art in her hometown of Monroe, Louisiana.

note: Jenny's Piezography prints are subtly split-toned between Neutral and the warmth of Carbon Sepia. InkjetMall does not provide split toning profiles. However, Curves for use with the Quadtone RIP, Piezo K7/Carbon sepia inks and an Epson 4000 are available for download, courtesy of Carl Schofield (another long term user of Piezography inks) at: http://homepage.mac.com/scho/FileSharing2.html

More of Jenny Ellerbe's photographs can be seen here.

January - 2006