Print on Azo and make the most beautiful photographic prints that your negatives are capable of yielding.

We are now authorized by Kodak to be dealers of Azo photographic paper. We are committed to stocking and carrying all available grades and sizes and we are committed to keeping this most beautiful of all current photographic papers in production. To make ordering the paper more convenient for you, we will shortly have e-commerce. For now, place your order by email or phone.

Background: Why we are doing this

As most of you know, we contact print our negatives on Azo paper. In our opinion, we have not seen contemporary photographic prints on any other photographic paper, including all platinum and other "alternative" papers, that consistently rival the depth, luminosity, and tonal range of photographs printed on Azo paper.

Over the years, we have heard many rumors that Azo has been discontinued. On investigation, we have found that these rumors always began when a photography supply store informed their customers that Azo was discontinued. Even the big stores have done this. It seems they simply did not want to bother stocking Azo, or even ordering it. In light of this, it is no wonder that sales of Azo have decreased over the years. If your regular supplier told you a product was no longer being manufactured, you would look for an alternative, too. Many of you may have already done so.

In 1999, Kodak offered us a limited dealership with Azo. Since we already have more than enough to do with our own photography, we tried to find an existing photography supply store that would make a commitment to carry this fine paper. Eventually, we contacted Freestyle Sales in Los Angeles and when they agreed to stock it we did not feel the need to become dealers.

But now (2001) Freestyle says that demand is insufficient and they no longer want to handle Azo. In March they told us they would no longer be stocking or selling Azo and asked us to buy all of their remaining inventory, which we did. We then spoke with Kodak and asked if we could still become dealers of Azo. Shortly thereafter, our request was granted.

Our Commitment

We are committed to keeping Azo alive and in production. Because we are users of Azo ourselves and want to eventually amass a lifetime supply for our own use, we will be buying more than we would sell if we were not using the paper ourselves. Because of this, we should never be "out of stock." This is unlike regular photography supply stores, who will only stock as much as they can readily sell.

Many of you know that in 1994 when Kodak discontinued Super XX film we bought all that remained—what we believe (and hope) is a lifetime supply. Since we did not have the money to do that, we paid for the film with Visa Cards, which took us five years to pay off. We do not want to go through the same thing with Azo, and that is one reason we are committed to trying to keep it in production. The other reason is that we want everyone else who makes contact prints to be able to make the finest prints their negatives can yield.

We have no illusions of making money from this. To try to keep this fine paper in production is reason enough to become Azo dealers. And if everyone buys their Azo from us we will be able to buy sufficient quantities to keep it in production for many years. Why us? Because we know of no one else who cares about this product enough to stock it, sell it, and answer questions about how to use it. We would have been thrilled if the photography supply stores would have taken care of your (and our) Azo orders, but that simply did not happen.

We'll keep Azo alive as long as we can. Our minimum yearly order is a staggering amount and we need everyone to get it from us if at all possible. We'll happily keep what we do not sell, but in order to be able to buy the required quantity we will need to make many sales. We are becoming dealers of Azo not only for our own benefit, but also in the spirit of service to the large-format photography community, and we hope that is the spirit in which it is taken.

Please help spread the word. The more Azo we are able to sell, the more likely it will be that we can buy enough to convince Kodak to keep Azo in production. Thank you.

Prices, Sizes, and Availability

8 x 10 - 100 sheets	$84.95		Grade 2
	$101.95		Grade 3 (Now a special order to us from Kodak. We are the only supplier in the world that has Grade 3 in 100 sheet boxes. We will always keep it in stock.)
8 x 10 - 500 sheets	$322.95		Grade 2 and Grade 3
20 x 24 - 50 sheets	$229.95		Grade 2 and Grade 3

Shipping

Shipping is at actual cost plus $6.00 per size. Shipping will be Fedex, UPS, or by mail.

When we are not on the road, we will try to ship orders as they come in. When we are away, we will have the paper shipped once a week.

Ordering

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
Or send a check or Money Order made out to Smith/Chamlee Photography

To Place Orders

E-mail: michaelandpaula@michaelandpaula.com
Call: (610) 847-2005

Write:	Smith/Chamlee Photography
	P.O. Box 400
	Ottsville, PA 18942 USA

E-commerce should be up and running soon.

Weekend Workshops

We currently teach a weekend workshop, Vision and Technique, that we refer to as "the last workshop you will ever need." It includes printing with Azo. For a complete description, dates, and comments by former participants, click here.