The ability to scan 4x5 negatives and print them has expanded my ability to see what a final print might look like a lot faster than going through the steps in the darkroom. I can also sip tea, eat breakfast or read mail while an image is being scanned.

     Erin asked for a picture of her and her son, along with her prized horse prior to leaving the area. I took the picture in the evening during practice for the World Famous Suicide Race. I don't think I realized how dark it was going to be.

     Erin's son stood still, but ended up out of focus due to my shallow use of depth of field and a tilt that I forgot to change in my haste. This was an image where he actually was moving during exposure, and so it looks natural for him to be a blur instead of holding still and being blurred by poor use of depth.

     Erin moved to Spokane then to Alaska. I hope she sees this some day. Digital prints are waiting for her at the front office.

     Inspiration for the image was Jay Dusard, a really neat guy who published a book in the early 1980s that is considered a classic for western portrait photography.