Over on Printerville, I just posted a review of Epson’s EcoTank Photo printers, the ET-8500 and ET-8550. From the review: After working in-depth with the letter-size model, the ET-8500, for the past few months, I will say that these printers truly are the most exciting photo printers I have come across in a long time. They have excellent photo quality, flexible paper handling options and superb usability, with print costs that are a fraction of those found in specialized photo printers. The EcoTank Photo printers are not for everyone—you wouldn’t use one of these for gallery-ready prints, for ..read more

Over on Printerville, I just posted a review of Epson’s EcoTank Photo printers, the ET-8500 and ET-8550. From the review: After working in-depth with the letter-size model, the ET-8500, for the past few months, I will say that these printers truly are the most exciting photo printers I have come across in a long time. They have excellent photo quality, flexible paper handling options and superb usability, with print costs that are a fraction of those found in specialized photo printers. The EcoTank Photo printers are not for everyone—you wouldn’t use one of these for gallery-ready prints, for ..read more

Milky Way over Brookings, September 2021 After 20 months of cancelled workshops (2020 and most of 2021), Hudson Henry and I led four workshops this past fall. We were cautious and protective of our crew during the workshops — you can see our Covid-19 protocol for more — and, in the end, they were a lot of fun. It really was great to get back out into the field with a group of photographers; we shot the Milky Way (left) on the Oregon coast, wildlife and waterfalls in Yellowstone and the Tetons, and the amazing scenery throughout the Moab area. In 2022, I’ll be assisting Hudson on seven photo wo ..read more

Ben was recently a guest on Derrick Story’s The Digital Story podcast, talking about The Practicing Photographer and the overall concept of practicing. The episode, “Ben Long Says a Photo Practice Might Not Be What You Think,” Photographer/Writer Ben Long joins the show this week to explain his ideas on how to grow as a photographer, as outlined in his new book, The Practicing Photographer. In the interview, I ask him how practice can be fun. He tells me I have it all wrong. And off we go! I’m pretty sure this is a half hour that you’re going to enjoy. We’ve been friends with Derrick for dec ..read more

Our good friends Jeff and Kirk recently had Ben on their bimonthly PhotoActive podcast to chat about Ben’s new book: What does it mean to really practice your craft? In this episode we welcome back photographer and educator Ben Long to PhotoActive to talk about his wonderful new book The Practicing Photographer: Essays on Developing Your Photographic Practice. We talk about why practice involves more than grabbing your camera every once in a while, about getting out of creative ruts, and the value of studying other photographers’ works. It’s a lively and entertaining discussion on the topic ..read more

I’m happy to announce that Ben Long’s next book, The Practicing Photographer, is now available in both print and ebook form. Here’s the official blurb on the book, from the back cover: In The Practicing Photographer, Ben Long’s message is clear: if you want to become a better photographer, you have to think about practice. Musicians, dancers, actors and other artists incorporate practice into their work, yet most photographers want to talk more about camera settings and gear than they do about their practice. The short essays contained within this slim volume are designed to help you develop ..read more

My latest printer review, of Canon’s imagePROGRAF PRO-300, has been posted over on Printerville. Upshot: it’s a great pigment-based photo printer for people looking to get into printing, and probably the best value in the 13-inch desktop market. The post Canon PRO-300 review on Printerville appeared first on Complete Digital Photography ..read more

Over on Printerville, I posted an item about Epson’s new cartridge-free ‘supertank’ photo printers, the EcoTank Photo ET-8500 and ET-8550. Although they use six-color, dye-based inks — which some folks will dismiss — I still think they’re an important entry into the printer market, especially with regard to keeping the cost of printing affordable. The post can be read here. The post Epson EcoTank Photo Printers appeared first on Complete Digital Photography ..read more

I’m excited to announce that Ben’s next book, The Practicing Photographer, is currently in the final stages of production, and will be on sale here and on Amazon by mid-summer this year. This book grew out of discussions that Ben and I had about his primary teaching message through the years: if you want to become a better photographer, you have to think about practice. Musicians, dancers, actors and other artists incorporate practice into their work, yet photographers talk more about camera settings and gear than they do about their practice. But when we talk about the concept ..read more

My old website Printerville has sat dormant for a few years now, but yesterday, I rebooted it, and put up my first new post in a decade. I’ve tried to keep the look of the new site fairly clean, and it should be a bit snappier than before. I also pruned a bunch of the old content from there, except for a few posts that still come up in Google searches. Ben and I started the Printerville and Complete Digital Photography sites around the same time, cross-sharing relevant links. With my own ongoing interest in printing, and some of the interest I’ve seen from fellow photographers, it seemed ..read more