Re: why not small prints?

[CMPatti@aol.com]

I'm glad to see someone raise this issue, because I also have a thing for 
smaller prints and have been "going small."  After doing 8x10 contacts for a 
while, I started to experiment with 5x7 (mainly to increase portability of 
the camera gear), and I find that I really like the prints I've made at that 
size.  Depending on what presentation is intended for the prints, I do think 
that size can influence subject matter.  If they are to go on the wall, I 
find that subjects with lots of complexity and detail work less well at the 
smaller size.  But I've also been putting together a mini-portfolio of prints 
of from a single project.  I've mounted the 5x7 prints under 8x10 mats and 
put them in an 8x10 black Century portfolio box.  They are intended for 
viewing in the hands, like a book, rather than on the wall.  Viewers have 
responded really well to this presentation.  It allows them to spend some 
time, up-close, with the photographs, and detailed subjects work well. 

I'm thinking about experimenting with even smaller prints presented in this 
way.  Perhaps panoramic "triptychs" made from 120 negatives.