I am truly lucky to know some outstanding photographers. Many of them are members of Monalog. When I came up with the idea for the Monalog Collective the first person I called was Jim Fitzgerald. I had met him a couple of months earlier at Steve Sherman’s PAX event and just couldn’t stop thinking about his work … and his accomplishments. First of all, his large format contact prints were beautifully seen with a vision unique to him. But, what really made his work so special was that they were produced with a little known historic process call Carbon Transfer Printing.

To be honest, I’ve never seen anything like a Carbon Transfer print and I never cease to be amazed when I look at Jim’s work.  Quite simply, they’re three-dimensional jewels. You can really look into the pictures! All I can say is that you have to experience this in person to appreciate such a thing. If you truly love photography nothing can prepare you for such a moment.

It takes an incredible amount of dedication to create work like this. That and a lot of time! It takes a minimum of four days to produce one finished print!  Think about that.  But when you have a passion to create one of a kind images that are a such a personal labor of love, then it’s worth all the time and effort.  At least it is for Jim.

Then, not satisfied with available commercially produced cameras, Jim decided to build his own to create the negatives he needed to pursue his craft – 8×10, 8×20, 11×14 and 14×17 beauties made from walnut.

But what really sets Jim apart in my opinion are the books he has made. No ordinary books mind you, they are made and bound by hand, and every image and the accompanying text is printed using the carbon transfer process. I was awestruck when I saw Jim’s first book, Survivors I, with its walnut paper cover. Printed using the finest watercolor paper, each image was exquisite – just like individually mounted prints! His second book, A Banquet of Light, composed of panoramic images is covered with amate bark paper and is 15 x 52 inches in size! Only several copies of each book will be produced.  Alas, while I’ll never be able to afford one, I will never forget what Survivors I looked like and how I felt that evening when I saw it!

What can one do knowing that such a person so driven in the pursuit of excellence for his unique vision and its presentation exists? There’s only one thing if you really care – continue to strive to be the best you can be, doing all you can to make your own art in your own vision.

Until recently, I walked five miles a day. I wanted to increase that to 10 kilometers. Sort of has a nice ring to it and was a good goal for me.  I’d been thinking about this for several months but hadn’t tried it yet. The last week a saw a news story about a women twenty-one years younger then me who had lost a leg to cancer. She had just completed running the equivalent of a marathon for 104 straight days!  I was inspired! Two days later I did my first 10K. I will never be able to do what she does … not even close.  And I will never do what Jim has done either. But like that incredible women, Jim’s accomplishments will inspire me to be the best version of myself … in my photography, and in my life.

Jim can be reached for information about his books, prints, and unique workshops (yes, he also teaches at Yosemite and other locations!) through the contact page on his website at https://www.jimscarbonartphotography.com/contact/

Stay safe,

Michael