Phase One Interview with Jeff Puckett
As a fine art photographer specializing in handcrafted photogravure prints, Jeff Puckett has spent decades combining modern digital photography with traditional printmaking techniques dating back to the late nineteenth century. This interview by the Phase One team explores Jeff’s approach to fine art photography, the process of photogravure printmaking, and the tools Jeff uses to bring his prints to life.
In the interview, Jeff shares how a neighborhood friend first introduced him to photography at the age of twelve, teaching him to shoot black-and-white film and develop prints in a basement darkroom. That early experience sparked a lifelong passion for monochrome photography and eventually led Jeff to honing in on traditional printing processes like photogravure.
Jeff discusses how studying platinum-palladium printing with Don Messec and later working alongside Jon Cone gave him his introduction to and appreciation for photogravure—a meticulous, hand-crafted process that continues to shape nearly all aspects of his work today. While digital photography has transformed image capture, photogravure remains the gold standard in fine art photographic printing. Photogravure printing has the unique ability to translate a photograph into a handcrafted work of art with extraordinary depth, tonal richness, and archival permanence.
In this conversation with Phase One, Jeff also explores why he uses the Phase One system for both landscape and still-life photography, and how the Phase One XT and XF each serve different creative purposes. He explains why the exceptional resolution of medium-format capture complements the photogravure process. You can learn more about Jeff’s fine art photography philosophy and how to develop your photographic eye in this post.
There is a certain richness and depth that is produced in a gravure. There is zero doubt that the incredible resolution that comes out of the 151 megapixel sensor of the Phase One IQ4 Back is a huge contributor. Combine that with the top of the heap Rodenstock and Schneider lenses, and you end up with prints with so much depth that you feel like you can reach into them.
Jeff Puckett, fine art photographer and printmaker
If you're interested in learning more about the photogravure process and how Jeff has mastered the art of hand-inking and pulling each print, reach out to him and schedule an in-person visit to his downtown Denver gallery.
Curious about why Jeff continues to embrace traditional printmaking in a digital world? How Phase One gurus Drew Altdoerffer and Lau Norgaard have inspired him? Why his Phase One equipment is such an important piece leading to the final prints?
Collecting Photogravure Fine Art Prints
Because each print is individually created using traditional intaglio techniques, photogravures are limited edition, signed photography prints rather than mass-produced prints.
Collectors value photogravure for its exceptional tonal depth in black and white photography, a classic style for collectors. The handcrafted printing techniques use archival materials designed to last for generations, creating a collection of heirlooms to be passed down. These qualities make photogravure prints highly desirable for collectors seeking museum-quality photography prints or heirloom artwork.
Featured Photogravure Print
I carefully picked this 5 inch ball-o-seeds in a field at The Compass Rose in northern Colorado. The wind was blowing close to 30 mph. I shielded it with my hat until I could get indoors. Once arranged in a jelly jar, on the floor, near the fireplace, I captured one of my favorite images. This was created using photo stacking with the Phase One XF camera. Thirty-six images were captured at different focus points. The images were merged with help of a special software and stacked together into one infinitely sharp image. Who said weeds are ugly?