CamB
Loc: Juneau, Alaska
johngault007 wrote:
After about a year or so of learning this great hobby, I decided to use an online service to print two photographs as a way to examine my work in printed form. What I've learned from this are two very important things.
1. I really need to calibrate my monitor. Or at least know that my monitor has much more contrast and color range than a printed version will. I will not say I'm disappointed in the printed version but there is a drastic difference with what I see on my computer and the service I use. But I do know if I use this service again I will add even more contrast and saturation to the file before I submit it for print. I can invest in a very good printer, but honestly I have other priorities and that may come further down the line when my other more costly hobbies (drumming) start slowing down.
2. Touching a physical print changes your perspective. Having those prints in my hands was an eye opening experience and I was able to see things that I can improve upon and some things that I truly enjoyed about the photograph. Being a drummer of 30+ years, I have developed the mindset that nothing is perfect. And with a critical eye, you always find different ways to improve on every aspect. The physical print shows me things I might not have seen in the capture process, post processing, or even cropping if necessary.
I encourage anyone else who has had similar experiences to chime in and discuss some things they have learned from printing their work.
After about a year or so of learning this great ho... (
show quote)
Many comments here about the cost of printing yourself. My solution to this is, when ordering Inks and paper from Epson and papers from Red River, just before I push the PLACE ORDER key, I close my eyes.
I love printing at home. As a studio owner I dealt with professional labs for years (mostly Burrell in Indiana) but shipping back and forth from Alaska, first the film for proofs, then the masked negs for prints, seemed to take forever. If I didn't like the final prints I would have to send them back again. By this time my customers were wondering where there pictures were. I was a quick convert to digital and printing at home and am happy to pay what it costs to have the control that doing it yourself allows.
...Cam
johngault007 wrote:
After about a year or so of learning this great hobby, I decided to use an online service to print two photographs as a way to examine my work in printed form. What I've learned from this are two very important things.
1. I really need to calibrate my monitor. Or at least know that my monitor has much more contrast and color range than a printed version will. I will not say I'm disappointed in the printed version but there is a drastic difference with what I see on my computer and the service I use. But I do know if I use this service again I will add even more contrast and saturation to the file before I submit it for print. I can invest in a very good printer, but honestly I have other priorities and that may come further down the line when my other more costly hobbies (drumming) start slowing down.
2. Touching a physical print changes your perspective. Having those prints in my hands was an eye opening experience and I was able to see things that I can improve upon and some things that I truly enjoyed about the photograph. Being a drummer of 30+ years, I have developed the mindset that nothing is perfect. And with a critical eye, you always find different ways to improve on every aspect. The physical print shows me things I might not have seen in the capture process, post processing, or even cropping if necessary.
I encourage anyone else who has had similar experiences to chime in and discuss some things they have learned from printing their work.
After about a year or so of learning this great ho... (
show quote)
Right with you. I have never judged my images in other than print form. >Alan
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