I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, USA. So, the love of the outdoors came naturally and photography has been a part of my life since high school when I took some photography classes. I became one of the school's photographers in my last two years. The school's equipment was a 4"x5" press camera with state of the art flashbulbs. Boy, those were the days when you carried flashbulbs in your pockets and burned your fingers when you had to change flashbulbs fast to get the next picture. Of course we did all of our own developing and printing in a space under some stairs in the basement of the school (our private little hideaway).

My first camera was a 35 mm Voigtlander Vitessa which I purchased in 1955. It had a fixed lens which popped out of a fairly small metal body which made it great while mountain climbing, skiing or other outdoors activities. Of course it did not have a light meter, so I either carried one or used the "sunny 16" rule. In 1973 I purchased my first SLR, a Konica Autoeflex T2 with through-the-lens (TTL) metering and a full assortment of fixed and zoom lenses. This was where I really started photography as an art form. Many of my images were published in ski area brochures and displayed at ski shows in Washington, Idaho, British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. In the late 1990's I upgraded my camera body to a Konica FT-1 because of the collection of lenses I already owned. In 2001 I took the plunge and upgraded my total system to a EOS Canon system. As you might guess, I have never been one to chase technology. My theory has been that it is the person who makes the photograph, not the equipment (to a point).

All of my work is done on 35 mm color slides. My films of choice have progressed from Kodak Kodachrome 25, Extrachrome 64, Fuji Velvia 50, Provia 100Fand now Velvia 100F. I think I like the Fuji Velvia 50 the best, but also like the extra f-stop I get with Velvia 100.

When I need digitized images, I scan my slides with a dedicated film scanner into Photoshop. So, I am working my way into digital photography, but have not taken the final plunge for a digital SLR. However, that is in my future, I am sure.

Over time, people have requested copies of my photographs and one thing has led to another, which brought me to developing this website to share with others my passion, or should I say obsession.

My subjects are mostly of the outdoors, around the western United States and Canada. These images run the gamut from wild flowers, trees, mountains and landscapes to rock formations. My passion is for things of beauty in nature.You will find a few images of things that do not meet these criteria, but they will be few and far between.

Care and Handling of your PHOTOGRAPHS

The Image

When a print is purchased from me, a certificate is automatically included that has all related data and information on the location and subject regarding each image. I use no filters, save an occasional polarizer or Graduated Neutral Density filters. I have used several lenses and cameras to compose the image, as I view it. My Cameras and lenses are the only tools used in my craft, but the beauty I see and capture with them is the art that I love to create and share.

The prints

It has been my experience that if I turn the printing over to a photo laboratory, I can no longer control what they do with my image. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. Therefore, I now control the printing process from the time I press the shutter button on the camera until the print is ready to be delivered to my customer.

All my prints are done with museum quality, archival Fine Art or Photography papers with carbon or pigment inks to stand the test of time. These materials have been tested to not fade or change in color for a range of 60 to more then 200 years depending on the environment the image is displayed or stored in. This meets or exceeds the standard chemistry processes used.

Matting and Framing

Subtle, tasteful, and complementary is my approach to traditional framing. The following is a guide that I recommend when matting and framing an image.

The top mat must be acid free and may be off-white or some other neutral toned color that goes well with the colors in the image. It may have a black or white core. If a second mat is used under the top mat, it should also be acid free and show a narrow accent color under the top mat. This under mat color is chosen to complement the image. A V-groove maybe cut into a colored top mat of large size to add to the display. The images must be mounted on an acid free mounting board as are all the mats.

I prefer a frame to be a quiet, visual border between the mat and the wall, complementary, quiet, and not noticed for the most part. Several subtle colors are used, and they are chosen to complement the image. However, a black or smoke gray frame goes well with a Black and White image.

The frame should be sealed on the back with a piece of acid free paper to keep dust and other small critters out.

Glass

Guarantee

When you purchase one of my prints, it comes with a guarantee against workmanship and defects. If for any reason you do not like one of my prints, return it to me (at your expense) within 30 days of purchase and I will return your money (less state sales tax), no questions asked.

Copyright

All photographs are copyrighted to Bill LaFever. All rights are reserved and are the exclusive property of Bill LaFever. Photographs (prints) may not be reproduced, copied, or manipulated without the written permission of Bill LaFever. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustrations is a violation of copyright.

Of course all of these images are for sale in sizes of 8x10 inches to 20x30 inches.

I do hope you like some of these images. If you would like more information about any of these images, or prices, please E-mail me. Click here to send me an E-mail

Bill