The staff of Image Arts, Etc., at Plaza 800 on Islington St in Portsmouth, includes Don Turnage, left, John Winslow, center, both photographers, along with Sue Winslow, head of sales and marketing. Staff photo by Rich Beauchesne

Photo shop for the digital age

By Jack Loftus
jloftus@seacoastonline.com

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PORTSMOUTH - The Image Arts, Etc. storefront resembles the digital photography work that is conducted inside.

The unassuming brick and glass leads into a vast photography and framing studio, expanding in size much like a small digital print becoming an 18-by-24-inch poster.

The white walls with high ceilings are covered with framing samples, paintings, photographs of wildlife, and portraits of smiling children and animals.

Further inside Image Arts, located at Plaza 800 on Islington Street in Portsmouth, the space expands further. It splits into a viewing area, fully functional portrait studio and finally a printing and laminating room. At the center of that room lies the centerpiece of the store, a giant Encad 880 Thermal Novajet printer that is capable of pumping out prints as wide as 60 inches using materials - like foamboard - that can be as much as half and inch thick.

Running all of this equipment are the three owners of Image Arts, Etc., John and Sue Winslow and Don Turnage. Between Turnage and John Winslow, the two photographers can boast more than 40 years of experience.

Winslow has been photographing his passion, wildlife, for 12 years. Turnage was teaching third grade and involved with photography for almost 30 years. Winslow’s wife, Sue, runs the marketing and sales end of Image Arts, utilizing her experience in real estate and business ownership.

Image Arts, Etc. specializes in portraits, reprints, expansions and photo editing and reconstruction. The difference between this store and many photo shops is Image Arts is completely digital.

"The immediacy of digital photographs is absolutely incredible," said Turnage.

He added that a family could come to Image Arts to get a portrait, have a first shoot, see the results on a PC located right in the studio, make edits and log comments, and then make a second shoot all in the course of a half-hour session.

High-quality prints can be processed in a couple of days, said John Winslow.

Families have the option of viewing a PhotoCD slideshow in the viewing room, and can purchase the CD of high-resolution images as part of a portrait package. Customers can even put music to their favorite images.

Customers can also make unique gifts with a printer that puts images on items like coffee mugs, key chains and tiles, said John Winslow.

One thing you will not find in Image Arts are rolls of film.

"By 2004 or 2005, Canon and Olympus will not be making film cameras," predicted John Winslow. "Film will always be around, though."

The appeal of digital photography, said John Winslow, is that there is no more waiting for development to see if pictures are the way you wanted them.

"You can just delete pictures as you see them (on the camera’s LCD screen), and there’s no output of pictures you don’t want," said John Winslow.

"It’s specific, (like) printing only a few pictures off a roll," said Sue Winslow.

"The store is all inclusive," said John Winslow, with Turnage adding that each area of the store, like framing and portraits, complements the other, addressing each of the customers needs in one store.

Image Arts, Etc. has been open since May 26, but a grand opening weekend is scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

The Friday event will involve the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce and a ribbon-cutting ceremony and photo opportunity. Saturday will feature an open house for family and friends, as well as an open invitation for all previous customers, and giveaways. The owners will also give tours of the store.

Call Image Arts, Etc. at 430-9222.

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