Accompanied by Selections from her Journals

Essay by Estelle Jussim

44 reproductions, 112 pages
9 5/8" x 11 1/2"

Limited to an edition of 2,750 regular hardbound copies and a signed, numbered, custom-bound and slipcased limited edition of 250.

Publication: 1994

Having come to photography after beginning a career as a painter, Paula Chamlee brings to her photographs a unique perspective and an original vision. Few women have attempted to photograph the American Landscape in the classic, large-format tradition pioneered by Edward Weston and Ansel Adams, and none so successfully as Paula Chamlee. Her photographs, sensuous and lyrical, subtle and complex, transcend their recognizable subject matter while remaining deeply rooted in her profound connection to the natural world. Through Chamlee's photographs and writings in Natural Connections, we are absorbed into her experience with the American landscape, and we are led to examine our own connections. Chamlee's photographs are included in numerous collections, both public and private, in the United States and abroad.

Natural Connections introduces for the first time a new process in the reproduction of photograp "laser Silver-Lit Tones", a variation on the tri-tone process using silver ink as the third color. In Natural Connections, we invite you to explore the vision of a remarkable photographer and to experience photographs reproduced with unsurpassed fidelity. With this book, we have attempted to extend the boundaries of what is possible in the reproduction of photographs.

Every detail of production of this exquisite book was supervised by the photographer. Produced to the exacting standards that are a hallmark of Lodima Press, this monograph reproduces Chamlee's contact prints with astounding fidelity to the delicacy and luminosity of the original photographs. The reproductions are printed on heavy cover stock by Gardner Lithograph using their newly developed proces "laser Silver-Lit Tones". Natural Connections marks the first use of this superior technology in the reproduction of photographs. The reproductions are from 8x10, 5x7, and 4x5-inch contact prints and are presented one to a page with blank-facing pages so that the viewer can fully experience the rewards of contemplative and prolonged looking. A sturdy French-fold dust jacket protects and complements the elegance of this fine book.

Interwoven throughout the book, accompanying the photographs are selections from Chamee's accounts of her experiences and insights while traveling and photographin " adding another dimension to our understanding of this artist and her work. The introductory essay by the award-winning art critic and historian, Estelle Jussim, reveals further insights into the development and creative life of the woman behind these extraordinary photographs. Altogether, the photographs, the writing, and the production values in Natural Connections combine to make a book that will be a valuable addition to photography and art book collections everywhere.