Why Make Your Own Prints?

in ,


“I don’t care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.” Edward Weston

With all the great on-line photo labs out there, why would anyone take the time and make the effort to make his or her own prints?

Well my friends, here are a few good reasons:

1) Total creative control. What could be more rewarding for a photographer? You set the color in your
digital SLR for creative color, and you fine-tune your exposure with the +/- EV setting, so why not have total creative control over your prints?

If you calibrate your monitor and printer, and use the correct ICC profile, what you see on your monitor should be what comes out of your printer.

2) A good way to relax. Put on your iTunes and experiment with different cropping, color and brightness options.

3) Be proud of the complete process. Look at your printing session as the final step in your creative photography process. When your print comes out of your printer, you can say, with a big smile, "I did that."

4) Sell "custom, signed, hand-printed" images. Hand-printed and signed images sell for more than machine prints.

5) Immediately see the effects of using different papers. On-line labs offer many different papers, from metallic to matte. Many different paper styles are available for home printers, too. My advice is to experiment with different papers to see which one best suits your photograph.

My main printer: Canon IPF 6350 (on left).
Here's a tip on printing: Don't Drink and Print. Coffee, Coke, beer, wine and so on affect the way we see color. So if color is important 2 U, don't drink and print. Age, being tired and your emotional state also affect how you see color.

If your monitor and printer and not calibrated, now is the time do so. I use the ColorMunki:
ColorMunki Photo - Monitor, Printer & Projector Profiler

Explore the Light,
Rick

P.S. Here is a video I made on using the ColorMunki and on HDR photography.

Two Pros Join My October Master Your Flash Workshops

in ,

Great news: Laurence Yang will be our model for my October Master Your Flash Workshops.

I have worked with Laurence before and I can tell you that she one of the most professional - and most fun - models with whom I have worked.

Laurence also wrote a cool article for my blog on Make-up. Check it out.


Click here to see more of Laurence's work.


More great news! Joe Brady, who took this picture on my 2010 Croton workshop, will be my co-leader. Joe is a master photographer and expert on Pocket Wizards. He, too, is a ton of fun!

I hope to see you in October here in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.

Explore the light,
Rick

Next Kelby Training Class Coming Soon: Composition - The Strongest Way of Seeing

in , , ,

This past July, I was down in Oldsmar, Florida recording my next class for Kelby Training: Composition - the strongest way of  seeing. The class is being edited and should be available this fall.


The class, which is more than one hour in length, features some of my best photographs (over 100) and covers all the rules of composition - and info on when to break the rules. In addition, I included many good/bad examples so you can see how to turn a snapshot into a great shot.


I think the most important thing about composition is that it is very subjective. My advice is to check out the rules, look at the work of other photographers, and then follow your heart.


Composition played an important role in the above photograph, which I took in the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan. See how the young monk-in-training is positioned off to the side of the frame and how he is looking into the frame - and not at the camera. Notice how the dzong in the background is "facing" the young monk. Notice the good depth of filed. Check out the cropping.

When you think about composition, you will have a stronger way of seeing.

I'll let you know when the class is up and running.

Explore the light,
Rick

9.6.11 Tuesday's Talented Twitter Find: Ed Dombrowski

in

This week's Tuesday's Talented Twitter Find is Ed Dombrowski. Follow Ed on Twitter: @ej_dombrowsk


About my Tuesday Talented Twitter Find: Each Tuesday (when I am not traveling) I will pick a talented photographer I find on Twitter - and promote the talented photographer here on my blog and on twitter, etc.

Nice work Ed!

Explore the light,
Rick


P.S. If you are not following me on Twitter, click here to keep up to date with what I'm doing. And, keep posting interesting photo stuff on Twitter!


The Times They Are a Changing For Publishing. Become Your Own Publisher!

in , , ,

After publishing 36 books, I think I can say the future of publishing - for me - is apps, ebooks, DVDs and on-line training. I have many photographer friends who feel the same way. 


Self e-publishing can work for you, too.


Apps, DVDs, ebooks and on-line lessons are easier, faster and less expensive to bring to market than books. You can also track sales on a daily basis, rather than waiting six months to check your sales - and to get checks :-)


Here's a look at my electronic publishing ventures:

DVDs


The screen grabs below are from AppVis, a program I use to track daily sales. Left shot is for my iHDR app, right shot is for my 24/7 Photo Buffet app. These are geography charts - showing that my app sell all over the world, which is not true for all my books. So the message is: getting a percentage of a $5 app is better than not selling a book and getting $0.





With apps, ebooks and DVDs you are in total control of content and design. And with apps, you can easily update. And, when it comes to the iPad, pictures look fantastic on the screen!



When it comes to on-line training, it' cool and creative. My first books were actually how-to camera manuals, written back in the late 1970s. 


Today, my camera manuals for Canon cameras are on Kelby Training. And my next on-line training session will be on creativeLive in October.


I had a ton of fun producing 36 books, including my 3-D children's books series for The Nature Company. Flying Flowers won the Golden Light  Award. And my book, Hide and Seek Under the Sea, won the Ben Franklin Award for one of the best children's book one year.


However, in this world of iPads and computers, apps, DVDs, ebooks and on-line training rule.


If you have a book idea, I would suggest looking into electronic publishing. Keep in mind, however, that you will basically become the PR/marketing person. It will be up to you to use Social Media to get the word out!




When it comes to traditional books, Exploring the Light is my favorite. For a limited time, if you would like an autographed copy (which may become a collector's item), I can send you one for $35, which includes shipping and handling. US only, sorry.


Make a PayPal payment to Ricksammon@mac.com. Shoot me an email to let me know you ordered the book. Also tell me to whom the book should be inscribed... For Jack... etc.


Explore the light,
Rick