George Schaub

This is my last issue as editor of Shutterbug. It has been my pleasure to work on this and other photo magazines in the Shutterbug realm for the past 14 years, and it has been for me the most fun and amazing job one could imagine. I have witnessed, and hopefully reported on faithfully and accurately, the amazing changes we all have seen in photography, as well as worked with a great group of wonderful folks at the magazine itself. In our jobs, we are only as good as the friends, colleagues, and teams we work with, and it has been my great fortune to have been associated with hard-working and dedicated people who I have always considered as friends. They helped me greatly through the fun times, and the hard times, of this job and my life.

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) member magazines recently convened for their General Assembly to vote for the best photo and imaging products launched by the industry in the last 12 months. The voting took place during the General Assembly that was held in spring, 2014, in Vancouver, Canada.

Being in general a wide to moderate tele-zoom kind of guy, I have found myself occasionally frustrated by lacking a long zoom or tele prime when shooting in the great outdoors. There are some scenes and places that cry out for a longer focal length, and it’s not from laziness but more accessibility that creates the need.

If you, like me, had come to associate “watercolor” with a stippled and rough surface, my first tip on this paper is not to be concerned with the moniker. It is a somewhat rough surface, but more in its tooth than its topography, and is more akin to high-quality painting stock than some of the stuff that had been passed off as watercolor inkjet in the past. And while this paper might be aimed at the “fine art” market (reproduction of paintings and drawings for portfolios and presentation and possible sale) it is also quite apt for photographers who want rich color on an “archival,” matte/textured surface. Epson describes the surface as “unique,” and you can feel and “hear” the surface as you run your thumb over it. I found that while the surface texture is somewhat rough it does not intrude on the ink laydown; in fact, it seems to enhance it.