Fire Island Tide, July 22, 2005 Fire Island Tide page 22 Fire Island Tide page 32
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Titus Kana grew up in Bellport, Long Island in the 50s and 60s. Inspired by Ansel Adams, as well as his grandfather, Herb Austin and father, Milan Kana, both aspiring photographers who promoted the area, he began a photography career in High School, predominately shooting landscapes and seascapes in the area around Bellport and Fire Island. He exhibited his early works at the Sou'wester Bookstore in Bellport and the Westhampton Art show in 1973 and 1974.

After graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology Titus moved to New York City and began his career as a photographer, working for such major clients as Saks Fifth Avenue, Altman's, J. C. Penney, Sony, Woman's Day, Cosmopolitan, Simplicity and Town & Country. Click here to view Titus Kana's commercial web site.

In 1994 he took classes in Photoshop and bought his first Macintosh computer. As the technology grew, his knowledge grew and he now is at the top in all aspects of digital imaging. He has been an expert adviser on AllExperts.com in digital imaging and the business of professional photography.

In 1989 Titus and his wife Jayne who at the time was a fashion editor for Cosmopolitan Magazine and their four year old daughter, Betsy, bought a house in Davis Park , Fire Island.

In 2002 Titus exhibited at the Davis Park Art show with his digital landscapes and seascapes and his first digital panorama, a 7"x 36" print consisting of about 50 images of dune front houses and many people enjoying the warm August ocean.

Soon after the first digital cameras capable of infrared photography were introduced to the market Titus began to experiment with taking images and rendering them in Photoshop, thus was born Ile de Feu Infrarouge (Fire Island Infrared). Using a custom modified Canon 20D camera he captures the shot in both the infrared spectrum and the visible spectrum. Then he combines the two in Photoshop to create surreal views of the beauty of Fire Island.

In July he made a trip out through the Moriches Inlet to photograph the dune front houses from the ocean, expanding the concept that he began 2 years earlier producing Ile de Feu Panoramique. The photos can comprise up to 25 shots stitched together to create the panoramas. Panoramas as large as 24"x130" are on display in the Casino Restaurant in Davis Park, Fire Island.

Adding to his legacy, he has made available historic pictures taken by his grandfather, Herbert Austin and father, Milan Kana, chronicling the earliest days of Davis Park and Fire Island creating Ile de Feu Historique. Herb Austin settled in Patchogue in the early part of the 20th century. His profession was insurance but his passion was photography and he was an enthusiastic proponent of the Patchogue area. In 1929, he organized the first official airmail delivery to Fire Island as sanctioned by the U.S. Post Office. During WWII he produced two "Patchogue Family Albums" with his photographs of the area to send to the soldiers in the war. He met Milan Kana at the U.S.O. in Patchogue and through their mutual interest in photography, he was introduced to Nancy Austin. Milan and Nancy settled in Bellport and had 3 sons including Titus.
The prints that you order are produced with the latest state of the art technology and will give you a life time of satisfaction....in fact, the prints will last a couple of life times if kept in a proper environment of low humidity and subdued ultraviolet light. Titus Kana produces each photo on an Epson Stylus Pro 7600 utilizing ultrachrome inks in his NYC studio. They are carefully mounted on a specially coated archival foam board which has a plastic barrier on the back to prevent moisture from leaching through. The best archival mats are used and each print is sealed in a moisture proof clear acetate sleeve for protection. The artist has selected the finest frames to show off your artwork and does not offer cheap metal or Walmart frames.The barn wood frames give the prints that rustic feel and really go well with images that have boardwalks and trees in them. The whitewashed and black gallery frames give the prints that classic feel and look beautiful in your apartment or formal home environment. Heavy 1/8 inch plexiglass and quality hardware is used to complete the frame. Any frame can be specially ordered upon request. The artist offers hand made panorama frames for the larger sizes prints. They are cut and assembled from raw cedar planks and then stained to match the tones of the image. You may also request a stain of your choice.

To learn more about the beauty of Fire Island, please visit fireisland.com