© Theo Allofs © Theo Allofs © Theo Allofs

Dear Joe,

Thank you for sending us the latest print proofs so soon as usual. Having chosen to live near the "end of the world" in Canada's Yukon, we have to make concessions. One of them is the large distance to our clients as well as to our suppliers and photography related businesses. Most of them like your lab are located in the south. Even courier services to the north go at a slower pace than down south. Therefore I really appreciate the fast turnover of our work orders by your lab.

Already, proofs look fantastic. Color reproduction, contrast and sharpness match the original slides. I am especially pleased with the way you brought out the shadow detail in one of my recent tiger prints. Photographing wild tigers on elephant back in India's dark jungles is difficult enough. I am glad I don't have to spend extra time at home dealing with print corrections, color saturation, shadow details and profiling. As a freelance wildlife photographer working with endangered species and ecosystems I am away from my home and office for more than 7 months a year. Besides editing the images and planning the next trip there isn't much time to spare. For this reason I cannot afford to work with a business that isn't a 100% reliable and top notch. Over the years my wife Sabine - she is my business manager - and I have found, through recommendation, trial and error, a number of companies we can count on, and Calypso is prominent among them. It is always a pleasure working with you and your staff.

As a journalistic photographer I am a supporter of genuine images that capture the truth and are not composed or altered by computer. This doesn't mean I am opposed to digital technology. I am sure at the moment there is no finer way of making a print than with the advanced digital technology you are using. And on crystal archive paper the prints not only last years without fading but many decades. Which means they might indeed last longer than some of the endangered species I have photographed.

Allofs Photography
P.O. Box 31793
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 6L3 Canada

E-mail: allofsphoto@northwestel.net

or visit: www.theoallofs.com