a full-service photography business in downtown Iowa City IA. We offer state of the art printing, Giclee art reproduction, film scanning, photo restoration, professional portraits, documentation, and more.
We are open Monday through Saturday 10am-7pm by appointment.
We print with Epson SureColor P9000 44‐inch‐wide pigment ink printers with Epson UltraChrome HDX pigment inks on archival Epson Hot Press Natural paper. Prints are rated at 200 plus years without fading. If you have a preferred paper, we can discuss options.
We are the only place in the area to offer printing on canvas. The image is ready to hang with no frame needed. Prints are rated at 200 plus years without fading.
“Barry is a true artist. I wanted prints made from 40-year old negatives for a birthday gift for my brother and got so much more. He took the vibe of a vintage photo, and elevated it with cropping, color correction, and quality paper. It feels like I'm giving my brother not just the reminder of a wonderful visit from our parents (who passed in 2020 and 2021) but also a piece of art. In addition, I was delighted that Barry was so friendly and service-oriented. Within 2 days of reaching out, I had my prints (and digital scans) in hand. The entire experience is what I imagine it's like to work with a master European craftsman--personalized service, top notch quality, and a custom product that can't be found anywhere else.” -Carol Ross, June 2024.
involves the digitization of the original photo and editing processes in Photoshop. We can restore the original color and remove any dust, scratches, and tears in the original. It’s even possible to upsize a small image for printing much larger than the original.
The image below of Skelly’s Truckstop was digitized on our Better Light system for the Coralville Historical Society. Most color images displayed in bright light fade to a magenta hue over time. The color was rebalanced, the sky was replaced, and mold was removed from the image. This was printed on archival paper to be displayed in the Coralville Public Library.
Click on above images for larger view.
The Giclée process involves the production of a digital image from the original art, the editing, and color management of the digital file, and the printing of the digital image onto paper or canvas.
The first step is to create a digital image of your art. We use a very special camera system from Better Light, made in California that has been used by museums and galleries around the world. We also use the lights provided by them, HID lights that produce little or no heat – safe for art. There is simply the highest quality system available.
We digitize art on an easel – up to 48 X 96 inches. For art that is highly reflective or mounted behind glass, we can polarize the light to reduce reflections. The Better Light system captures “Pure” RGB colors in a unique manner – without the artificial “Bayer Filter” interpolation used by traditional Cameras from Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc. Our system has a resolution equal to 348 megapixels – and we produce images that are about 800 MB each.
Pricing is $75. Discount available on multiple reproductions that are the same size and media.
“Barry became my new photographer and giclee print maker for my art business (watercolor paintings). I believe I am his first customer with this new endeavor. The studio I had worked with for the last 15 years closed. I was referred to Barry by my former studio. He dropped everything to photograph my work and produce giclee prints of the original in time for an art opening at the end of the week. The photograph of the original and giclee prints produced were exactly as I have come to expect. The final giclee prints were of highest quality. He was prompt, easy to work with, communicates well and showed that he cares about his final work product. I know that I will be pleased to work with him in the future and refer his services to my fellow artists.” - Barbara Weets, June 2024
The Better Light system. Artwork by Giselle Simón. Click on images for larger view.
Our Imacon (Hasselblad) virtual drum scanner can scan at 6,300 ppi. Pricing is $20 per scan. We can scan most film formats from 35mm to 4x5. Use this option for the best quality and for making large prints. Other options available starting at $7.50 per scan.
The Imacon Flextight Scanner. Click on images for larger view.
Film scan of a medium format black and white negative of the band Shellac. Photo by Barry Phipps.
Schedule an appointment to get things started.