Fine arts photographer?s images pass test of time

BOULDER ? The fine arts market places three demands on photography, according to the owner of Mondragon Gallery of Art in Boulder. Photos need to be large, detail needs to be fine-tuned, and the print needs to be made to last a long time.

Carl Mondragon meets those demands by combining his photographic talent with top dollar high-tech equipment.

He opened the Mondragon Gallery of Art upstairs at 1320 Pearl St. on the Pearl Street Mall about a year ago where he displays his fine art photography in a space of 15 feet by 50 feet.

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For more than 25 years, Mondragon has been a one-man operation capturing scenes with a wide range of cameras. He doesn?t stop at the 35 mm film format. He uses large-format cameras that use film that?s 2 1/4 inches by 2 1/4 inches, 4 by 5 and 8 by 10. He creates prints as large as 44 inches by 96 inches.

How does he meet the quality standards of fine art galleries?

?Big film, a good lens and high resolution,? Mondragon said. ?With bigger format film, you start with a bigger original and can make the print big while still holding the detail.? To the viewer, his large prints reveal details that even the naked eye could have missed.

In one large print, the texture of moss appears as detailed as it could be on the tree. Because of the size of the print, it feels like you?re actually standing in the scene.

Mondragon?s large-format cameras enable him to capture settings he personally develops, scans, retouches and prints. To create a panoramic print, he takes two or more photos with his 8 by 10 camera and overlaps the scene he?s focusing on with each photo. Back in the lab, he blends the photos by retouching the seam, pixel by pixel, until it is no longer visible.

?I think I?m the only one who implements multiple 8 by 10s for a panoramic scene,? he said.
He added that carrying the heavy cameras, lenses ? 600 mm to 800 mm in size ? and tripods into the field puts about 60 pounds on his back. ?You have to really want the picture to do what I do.?

His four cameras combined cost about $50,000.

Mondragon?s photographs range in price from $200 for an unframed print to $5,000 for a deluxe gallery framed print.

Because of recent technology in the photographic process, archival ink and archival paper, prints like Mondragon?s can last more than 100 years when protected with ultraviolet-control museum-grade glass. ?These will outlast a watercolor painting by far,? he said.

In addition to creating his own pieces and maintaining his gallery, Mondragon runs a separate service business called PremierScan.

?I provide scanning service, printing service and retouching service,? he said. His clients include local companies like Boulder-based Brock Publishing and national clients like the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

?They (National Gallery of Art) photograph all the art that goes through there and then digitize it for archival purposes, for posters or books and to just have a record for things like insurance purposes.?

Typically, printers and prepress service shops use scanners that are close to the quality of Mondragon?s for posters, color separations and coffee-table books. The one he uses, however, is so top shelf that there are only four in the United States ? and the other three are used in research labs, he says.

His Heidelberg Primescan D8400, costing in the range of $100,000, scans with resolutions up to 11,000 pixels per inch.

?The quality of my final product was always limited by my scanner,? Mondragon said, referring to the impetus behind his investment.

After creating a digital file from a photograph with the acrylic drum scanner, he sends it to another high-end piece of equipment. His Epson printer uses seven colors to create close-to-exact colors to the scene he?s photographed. The printer cost about $5,000.
Aside from equipment costs, Mondragon has invested more than $100,000 of his personal funds into his work and gallery. ?I?ve invested a lot over the years rather than making an overnight investment,? he said. ?It?s been a multidecade process to get to where I am today.?

About 25 percent of Mondragon?s income comes from PremierScan. His combined annual revenue is in excess of $50,000.