Dye Transfer Prints

My dye transfer prints are all made using original Kodak dye transfer paper and dyes. The paper stock is double- or triple-weight fiber base with an air-dried F surface. The prints have oversize white borders around the image area, and I title and sign the prints in archival ink under the image.



more from "Jewels of Kilauea" & "Hawai'i"



click here for a full-screen image

Two Jellyfish, Honolulu Aquarium HI ~ 2000

A few rays of sunlight bring out delicate shades of gold and azure in the two jellyfish floating under their reflections in the surface of the water. (111K JPEG)

Image area: 8" x 9.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Three Jellyfish, Honolulu Aquarium HI ~ 2000

Three jellyfish are accompanied by their reflections in the watery surface overhead. Delicate shades of orange, gold, blue, and azure dapple their seemingly luminescent surfaces. (147K JPEG)

Image area: 9.5" x 8"


click here for a full-screen image

Medinilla Berries, HI ~ 2002

Medinilla berries and their stalks are brilliantly colored with rich magentas, violets, purples, and indigos. The deep blue-green foliage makes the stalks and berries stand out in almost three-dimensional relief in this dark and rich composition. (172K JPEG)

Image area: 7.5" x 10"


click here for a full-screen image

Lotus Pond, HI ~ 2002

Bits of sunlight filter through the palm fronds of the tropical forest to create splashes of bright yellow-green light on the shrouded lotus pond, portrayed in dark shades of peacock-green and malachite that verge on black. (287K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 8"


click here for a full-screen image

Lava Icicles & Stalagmites, Pua Po'o Lava Tube HI ~ 2000

As hot molten rock seeps through the walls of the lava tube, it cools into thin icicles of shiny black rock. The molten rock that drips off the tips forms fantastic matching stalagmites dappled with browns and golds that glow against the stark blackness of the lava walls. (225K JPEG)

Image area: 7.5" x 9.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Actinomyces Colonies, Pua Po'o Lava Tube HI ~ 2000

Actinomyces bacteria colonize the walls of the lava tube. Captured with flash, they are a brilliant pinkish white against the inky lava, in a scene that resembles a star-filled astrophotograph. (242K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 7.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Branches on Folded Pahoehoe, Hilina Pali Rd HI ~ 2002

Rusty brown folds of cracked pahoehoe spread out like fractured ripples in a petrified pond. A dead, angular branch, shaded in harsh tones of white, gray, and soot black, “floats” on the surface. (496K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 8"


click here for a full-screen image

Cracked Tumulus, Hilina Pali Rd HI ~ 2002

A huge pillow of lava breaks through the yellow and green scrub. Its layered arches of pale browns and deep ebonies stand in strong contrast to the singularly blue sky in the background and the stark white tree branches in the foreground. (356K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 7.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Dried Ferns, May '73 Flow, Volcanoes Park HI ~ 2002

Only the barest hints of color break the monochrome impression of this photograph. Faint shades of pale browns and extremely subtle blues and yellows tint the neutral grays, whites, and blacks of this seared landscape. (397K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 7.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Ohelo Sprouts in Lava Wall, May '73 Flow, Volcanoes Park HI ~ 2002

Riotous splashes of color are splattered across this lava-wall, as if buckets of orange and ocher paint had been flung at it. The pearly blue-black pahoehoe supports a few young ohelo sprouts, themselves brilliant in intense reds and new-growth greens. (520K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 7.5"



Astronomy and Space



click here for a full-screen image

Baily's Beads & Chromosphere, Cabo Pulmo Mexico ~ 1991

The very last moments of the solar eclipse of 1991. The sun is just reappearing around the edge of the moon; a bit of a magenta-hued prominence can be seen hanging above the rim. Off to the sides, the cherry-red chromosphere still glows, not yet obscured by the rapidly increasing glare of the sun. (209K JPEG)

Image area: 18.5" x 14.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Inner Corona and Prominences, Cabo Pulmo Mexico ~ 1991

Blue white wisps of corona fan out like delicate petals around the black disk of the obscuring moon. Pink-white prominences hang above the solar surface, delicately painted against the arching coronal plumes. (86K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Prominences and Chromosphere, Cabo Pulmo Mexico ~ 1991

A striking “horse-head” prominence rears up from the surface of the sun in glorious magenta splendor, while small wicks of magenta flame issue on the opposite rim. The prominences stand against the backdrop of the cool blues of the inner solar corona, while bits of the cherry-colored chromosphere peak around the edge of the moon. (82K JPEG)

Image area: 14.5" x 19"


click here for a full-screen image

Comet Hyakutake Inner Tail ~ March 29, 1996

Comet Hyakutake stretches across the frame, from its lovely green and cyan coma to its twin tails, one a very delicate and subtle dusty yellow and the other the cold icy blue of ions. The comet passed so close to Earth that even in this five-minute exposure it moved visibly against the fixed background of the stars, which show slight streaks as a result. (197K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Apollo-Soyuz in Floodlights, Cape Canaveral ~ 1975

The Apollo-Soyuz Saturn rocket and its launch pad shine with ghostly brilliance in the floodlights. They stand against a deep blue-black sky, crisscrossed by deep indigo floodlight beams, while the reds, yellows, and turquoises of the launch complex and its lights are reflected in the lagoon in the foreground. (172K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Diamond Ring, Yakima WA ~ 1979

Enough of the sun peeks around the edge of the moon at the end of the 1979 total solar eclipse to illuminate the surrounding clouds. The wonderful refractive rainbow pattern is dominated by blues, yellows, and pinks with hints of greens and oranges. The inner corona is still visible around the edge of the sun; the sky hasn't yet brightened enough to completely wipe it out. (250K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 8"



Natural (almost)



click here for a full-screen image

Moon and Birches, Campbell CA ~ 1975

An eerie long exposure catches the moon as a fiery trail behind birch trees blowing in the wind. Urban street lamps give the trees a ghoulish green and blue cast, with hints of brown, in striking contrast to the red-magenta glow surrounding the moon. (352K JPEG)

Image area: 18" x 12.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Blue River, Canyon de Chelly ~ 1978

Late afternoon at the Canyon leaves the river in deep indigo shadows, accented with hints of purples and reds. In contrast, the warm late afternoon sunlight paints the red rocks of the canyon in incandescent hues of yellows and molten oranges. (229K JPEG)

Image area: 15" x 19"


click here for a full-screen image

Moon & Bare Branches, WI ~ 1978

Fall in Wisconsin, as a harvest moon rises amidst the branches of the trees. This delicate composition is painted in subtle shades of mauve, dusky blue, browns, and greens. (299K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Wizard Island, Crater Lake OR ~ 1978

Crater Lake after sunset looks as coldly blue and icy as its snowy banks. The lake reflects the delicate pink sky of dusk in shades of lavender. (319K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Mercury Lamps and Leaves, Pasadena CA ~ 1972

Mercury street lamps and urban lighting create a surreal scene. The lamps make the leaves of the trees nearly fluoresce with intense greens and cyans, while the collective city lights tint the sky a deep reddish-purple. (406K JPEG)

Image area: 18" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Monterey Bay Aquarium Kelp Tank, CA ~ 1990

Kelp catches the rays of sun at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As the light filters through the water, it becomes progressively bluer, painting the kelp in a subdued rainbow of colors with browns and oranges near the surface and deep greens, cyans and blues in the depths. (303K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Garden Wall & Bishop Hat Peak, Glacier International Park ~ 1986

The Park's glaciers appear in ghostly shades of grays and greens in this cloud-shrouded scene. Their delicate pastels stand in strong contrast to the rich yellow-browns and forest greens of the meadows below. (369K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 14.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Red Rainbow, OR ~ 1977

Only minutes before sunset, the rays of the sun are filtered ruddy by their long passage through the atmosphere to create this delicate golden red and yellow rainbow. It hangs suspended in a pink-dappled sky and is reflected in the soft gray greens of the pond, surrounded by the subtle forest greens of this restful landscape. (201K JPEG)

Image area: 18.5" x 14"


click here for a full-screen image

Pennsylvania Forest ~ 1972

This photograph is all about the greens, save for the important color accents of brown, sunlit bark on the trees. Lime-greens, yellow-greens, jade-greens, forest-greens, and more paint the scene, from the brilliant highlights into the deepest shadows. (442K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Power Lines Sunset, L.A. ~ 1972

Smoggy sunsets can make for lovely light. The last rays of the setting sun tint the sky and the landscape a panoply of lovely warm hues ranging from deep purple-magentas in the shadows through reds and oranges, shading into a delicate lavender sky. (94 K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Birches & Fallen Leaves, Upper Michigan ~ 1978

Late fall light in upper Michigan paints a landscape in yellows and golds, almost luminescent in its backlit brilliance. The warm orange and hazel colors in the fallen leaves contrast nicely with the pale luminous screens and perfect, intensely-light yellows created by that waning sun. (467K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 14.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Rainbow over Buttes, AZ ~ 1978

Late afternoon rainstorms in Arizona clear near sunset, allowing the sun to cast the buttes in rich chocolate tones under a sky suffused with pale violets, fiery oranges, and a lovely, warm-hued rainbow that arcs down from the heights. (164K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Overcast Cornfield, Lakeland MN ~ 1978

Sunlight broke through the cold, gray overcast sky to waken the distant fields of golden cornstalks, backed by lovely crimson-orange fall foliage. Hints of deep forest green makes the warm hues appear all the more intense. (287K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Grasslands at Dusk, Badlands National Park ~ 1984

Under a faded turquoise sky, the Badlands appear painted in watercolors, a full yet soft spectrum running from subtle reds and russets through oranges and yellows, into limes, greens, and delicate powder blues in the dusky shadows. (225K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Frosted Field, Upper Michigan ~ 1978

Frost rendered this landscape nearly monochrome, icily brilliant in the overcast morning light. Subtle waves of dark brown and pale green in the grass and leaves relieve the cold gray of that chilly morning. (393K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Red Sumac and Stones, WI ~ 1978

Aptly named red sumac spills over the boulders amidst stands of dried yellow grass. (467K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 13.5"


click here for a full-screen image

Rockwell Peak across Two Medicine Lake, Glacier Park ~ 1986

Overcast sky and clouds shroud Rockwell Peak and distant glaciers in this delicate and somber scene. The waters of the lake, reflecting the gray heavens, look like molten lead. (172K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 14"


click here for a full-screen image

Fiery Clouds and Blue Arcs, Herring Cove Beach MA ~ 2004

A flaming sunset in a dark blue sky burns with saturated reds and oranges, molten golds, and incandescent yellows. This most vivid print does not at all exaggerate the intensity of tone and color in the original scene. (217K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

White House & Red Leaves, Ann Arbor MI ~ 1977

A soft and restful fall scene, the delicate blue-green shadows on the walls of this house lay in soft counterpoint to the subtle oranges and yellows of the fall leaves. (332K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Yellow Leaves and Purple Wall, Ann Arbor MI ~ 1977

Complementary colors define this photograph, with the soft, deep purple walls of the house providing backdrop to the brilliant backlit yellow and green tree leaves. (504K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Irish Gravesite Amidst Palms, Mission Dolores S.F. ~ 1992

Protected from the sun by dark green palms, the gravesite and statuary appeared in shades of deepest, coldest blue, just visible in the shadowy landscape. The sun shines hotly on the yellow and green surroundings to create this near-silhouette of a composition. (315K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Girl on Tombstone, Mission Dolores S.F. ~ 1992

Nearly monochrome in composition, this old weathered stone is speckled with uncountable points of color -- blues, browns, greens, and yellows, all subtle and all intermingling to create an impression of grey stone. A pointillist composition in real life. (385K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Friar Francisco's Grave, Mission Dolores S.F. ~ 1992

Brilliant fuchsia bougainvillea overlook the gravesite sculpted in cold white stone and somber brown metalwork. (233K JPEG)

Image area: 14.5" x 19"


click here for a full-screen image

Grumpy Toad, DC ~ 1977

Yes, it's anthropomorphizing, but it's all about the expression on this toad's face. Her mottled yellow, brown, and black skin fits nicely into the soft jade greens and yellows of her surroundings. (201K JPEG)

Image area: 10" x 7.5"



Unnatural Beauty



click here for a full-screen image

Walk/Don't Walk, Pasadena CA ~ 1972

This long exposure caught both the green and red illuminated tubes of a crossing sign, creating a visual illusion the eye could never see. Where the tubes overlapped in the exposure, green light combined with red to create various shades of oranges and yellows in a fascinating pattern of stripes and swirls around the bends of the tubes. (262K JPEG)

Image area: 17" x 13"


click here for a full-screen image

Brass Horn, Pasadena CA ~ 1972

Light flows like molten metal across this corroded musical instrument, illuminating it in radiant yellows, oranges, coppers, golds, and siennas. (258K JPEG)

Image area: 13.5" x 11"


click here for a full-screen image

Trojan Plant Cooling Tower, OR ~ 1977

The steam plumes from this nuclear plant created billowing cumulus-like puffs that seem to blend naturally into the late afternoon sky. The waning rays of the sun cast everything in warm tones of yellows, oranges, and olives, save for the insistent dusky blue of the distant sky. (168K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 15"


click here for a full-screen image

Corrugated Galvanized Steel, Julian CA ~ 1990

Corrosion creates an intricate pattern of colors and textures on the blue crystalline zinc coating on the steel. Streaks of vermillion and orange mix with intricate textures in the same hues. Warm tones and cold tones are mirrored in a counterpoint composition. (291K JPEG)

Image area: 19" x 13"


click here for a full-screen image

Bank of America HQ, S.F. ~ 1978

A view straight up the side of the Bank of America headquarters at night becomes an abstract composition in poster-paint colors of jade green, ruddy orange, yellow, and deep saturated blue. (111K JPEG)

Image area: 15" x 19"

  
copyright © 2012 by Ctein. All rights reserved