FAQ

What are your prices?

Prints

Good Night, Ocean View book

Screen saver

Gift certificates

Shipping and sales tax

How can I contact you?

What are your policies?

Returns

Discounts

Payment options

Technique

Do you use film or digital?

How do you get those colors?

Do you use really fast film?

What kind of camera do you use?

How long are your exposures?

Do you add light?

"I got the print today, and it's gorgeous! It's better than I even imagined."
C. Ingram, Weston, CT

What are your prices?

Prints

Size Edition* Framed Matted Unmounted
32″×40″ 5 $1999 $1499 $1199
24″×30″ 10 $999 $749 $599
16″×20″ 20 $599 $399 $299
11″×14″ Open $299 $199 $149
8″×10″ Open $149 $99 $79

* Prints larger than 11"x14" are limited editions. After an edition sells out, no prints of that image in that size will be available. Prices increase as the edition sells out.

Sizes are approximate. Colors on your screen may differ from those in the prints. My 11″×14″ and smaller prints are digital pigmented prints. The larger ones are Lightjet prints made by exposing traditional darkroom paper with lasers. I use acid-free materials. The white mats and contemporary black frames I use complement the prints nicely. My choice of materials helps ensure the longevity of the prints you take home.

I sign the back of every print. Limited-edition prints are also numbered and include a Certificate of Authenticity.

The copyright message you see in the images on the website do not appear on prints.

Please contact me for multiple-purchase discounts or leasing options.

Good Night, Ocean View book

Photo of Good Night, Ocean View book

You can enjoy 30 of my best night photos in my book, Good Night, Ocean View. All the images are from my West Berkeley neighborhood called Ocean View, which I've been photographing at night since 2003. The book is available at my online bookstore, where you can preview it, and buy it in software or hardcover. Or you can get it from me at my studio. I'd be happy to sign your copy.

Screen Saver

Photo of Night Photos screen saver CD

You can also enjoy my work in a screen saver. Imagine a slideshow of around fifty of my night photographs on your computer. Get mesmerized as they fade in and out. Oodles of fun. It's a great conversation starter, too! Check out my Night Photos screen saver page for more details.

Gift Certificates

You can buy gift certificates in any amount starting at $20. They are the perfect solution Gift certificate to the challenge of giving a meaningful gift. Just specify the dollar value and click the "Add to Cart" button.

Shipping and Sales Tax

Shipping and handling charges are reasonable and can be reviewed before finalizing your order. These charges will be refunded if you pick up your purchase at my studio. Sales tax will be added to California orders.

How can I contact you?

You can call me any time at 510-558-7470 or use the contact page to email me. I'm very responsive and will get back to you within two business days. Probably much sooner.

What are your policies?

Returns

Every print comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply return the print within 30 days in its original condition for credit (less any shipping and delivery/pickup charges) toward another in-stock print.

Discounts

You can enjoy a 10% discount off regular prices when you purchase more than one print at a time.

Payment Options

By phone, you can pay by credit card. By mail (please call for my address), you can pay by check (made payable to "John Vias"), cash, and money order.

Forms of payment accepted (where available)

By phone or online, you can use a major credit card, PayPal, or eCheck (where available). Javascript must be enabled in your browser for e-commerce features to appear. I use PayPal, a trusted and secure payment processor, but you do not need a PayPal account to order by credit card. Ordering online is fast, convenient, and secure.

Thank you very much for your order.

Technique

Do you use film or digital?

I use film. One reason is that it allows me to get better highlights and shadows. Digital cameras tend to let highlights get overexposed, losing all detail and turning white. The opposite can happen with shadows: They get too dark. My night photography often involves high contrast, so I need film's ability to maintain detail at the exposure extremes. Also, see the answer to the next question.

How do you get those colors?

Film's failure to reproduce colors accurately over long exposures works to my advantage. I don't use filters or digital effects. On a computer, I make the same adjustments I could in a traditional darkroom--contrast, brightness, and so on. The otherworldly colors you see in some of my images are caused mostly by the reaction of the film to long exposures it wasn't designed for. Everybody wins.

Do you use really fast film?

That's a reasonable assumption, but in fact I use very slow film, often ASA 64. Slower film has smaller grain, so the resultant prints are smoother and not as grainy. Also, film speed doesn't necessarily hold true at the exposure times I use--at night, a fast film make take longer to be exposed than a slower film.

What kind of camera do you use?

Exhibiting photographers get this question a lot. I'm never sure why people ask it, so Relative sizes of 35mm and medium format negatives. I'm never sure how to answer. Are people asking if I use film or digital? (Film, see the film or digital question.) Are they asking what brand camera I use because they're inspired to try night photography themselves? (Great, but the camera doesn't make much difference as long as it can handle long exposures.) Or perhaps my studio visitors are simply making conversation, which is fine. I'm happy to talk about my work.

Anyway, I use a Bronica GS-1 medium format camera. Medium format is larger than 35mm but smaller than large format, which is the old-timey kind of camera with bellows like an accordian's and the photographer under a black drape. It lets me capture more detail than 35mm, so I can make larger prints. As high-resolution digital cameras continue to increase in quality and decrease in price, I'll probably switch, but I have others reasons for sticking with film (again, I refer you to the film or digital question).

Do you add light?

The light you see in my photos is almost always existing light--mostly street light and moonlight. Occasionally, I use a spotlight to lighten shadows. Also, I rarely manipulate a scene at all--what you see is what was there.

How long are your exposures?

My exposure times range from one to 12 minutes. That's minutes, not seconds. There's a lot of thumb-twiddling in night photography. I also bracket my exposures, which means I make multiple exposures of the same scene, each at a different exposure time, hoping one of them will be the right one. Usually, one is, but it's certainly possible to over- or underexpose at night. I've heard.

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