Fotoviva Art Prints

A 16 billion pixel image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper has been posted on the internet, giving art lovers a detailed view of the 15th Century work. The image is 1,600 times more detailed than those taken with a typical 10 million pixel digital camera. Experts will be able to see segments as though just centimetres away and examine otherwise unavailable details.

The posting comes amid claims a new system aimed at protecting the piece from Milan’s pollution is not working. The original work is displayed in the Italian city’s Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Art curator Alberto Artioli told Associated Press news agency the new resolution avoided the graininess when zooming in to regular photographs.

You can see this work of art in all its 16bn pixel glory at www.haltadefinizione.com

“You can see how Leonardo made the cups transparent, something you can’t ordinarily see,” he said. “You can also note the state of degradation the painting is in.” That degradation has been the subject of controversy this week. An Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, reported that a sophisticated monitoring and filtration system introduced during a restoration of the chapel in the late 1990s was not preventing particles or substances that could damage the work being brought in by visitors.

The Last Supper was painted by Leonardo da Vinci at the end of the 15th Century and, because of the experimental techniques he used, parts of the masterpiece subsequently peeled off and were badly damaged. The BBC’s Frances Kennedy says the paper reported that equipment monitoring air quality inside the refectory showed that levels of fine particle pollution had tripled in the past two years. It quoted experts suggesting these particles could settle on the work, eventually creating a dark misty layer.

More than 350,000 people visit the painting each year, and together with pollution levels rising year by year, this monster of an image may well be recorded now forever thanks to digital imaging.

Our Photo of the Month is a new feature where we showcase photographs of outstanding quality and beauty. For October we are presenting an incredible image by Tim Wallace called ‘Northern Tide’. This is such a dramatic photograph with wonderfully vivid colours. Tim says “Northern Tide is part of a set of images that I’m working on to produce contemporary photography using an old weathered chair, basically in places that you would not expect to find a chair.”

“This shot was taken just next to the pier at Saltburn on the North East coast at the very early hours of 4:50am as the sun was rising. The chair was placed in approx 3 inches of water as the tide started to wash in as I wanted a soft flow of water coming through the chair towards the viewer. It’s one of my favourite shots in the series and I think its quite peaceful overall with a gentle feeling of space.”

You can purchase this photographic art piece on canvas or as a poster from the Fotoviva store at www.fotoviva.co.uk. We also have more of Tim’s contemporary and landscape photographs available and you can check out his new photoblog here.

On the Apple site there is a great feature on Richard Walch, snowboarder and professional photographer. In the article he talks about his new found love, Aperture on the Mac. For those that don’t know, Aperture is similar to Adobe Lightroom and is one of the prefered choices for professional photographers who handle, process and organise large collections of RAW shots.

Apple’s Aperture software running on a 15-inch MacBook Pro is the foundation of the mobile digital darkroom that he carries in his backback — rain, shine or snowstorm — when he goes on a shoot. Aperture’s RAW-focused workflow is particularly important to Walch, who shoots RAW at up to eight frames per second in a bid to capture his fast-moving subjects. He explains: “When I get down the mountain after a full day’s shooting, I normally have around 10 gigabytes of data. Aperture handles it so quickly and so easily”.

Because of these remote locations, and because Walch is himself a rider as well as a photographer, it’s important to travel light. Walch can fit everything he needs — cameras, lenses, laptop, supplies — into his backpack, so that he can begin importing shots into his MacBook Pro while he’s still on the mountain. He explains the advantage: “We normally break for food at some point, and I take that opportunity to import and organise my shots in Aperture. This is great for me, because I can isolate any shots I’ve missed during the morning session, and get them in the afternoon”.

By the end of the day, Walch is frequently exhausted, which is where Aperture’s backup facilities come into their own. Walch says: “During a shoot, I usually hike for many miles, often just to get a single shot, so the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend an extra two hours backing up my work.

“Aperture is smart enough to know which photos haven’t been backed up to my external drive. With one click I can start the process and Aperture does the rest. For me, it’s one less thing to worry about”. Apple have a short movie with Richard’s voiceover here.

Some photographers prefer Aperture, some Lightroom - it depends on your own workflow preference. They both have trial versions so why not download them and see which fits your own style best - it might be that missing part of your photography kit. If you have a preference let us know why…