Printing Images
(click on images to view them full size)
Taking Images to a Different Level.
I have been making images for about 10 years now and while I feel like I’ve progressed in terms of technique, editing ability and creative expression, there is one area that I have been hesitant and even resistant to pursuing in any significant way and that is printing my work.
A morning light image from Kingsbrae that I have wanted to frame and hang on the wall - but haven’t printed. (EXIF data f4.5, 400mm, 1/1200s, ISO800)
Editing images for use on a computer screen or social media or a blog is much different than editing them to be printed. For starters I tend to use lower resolution images for my blog and social media as the file sizes are smaller. Also, images viewed on a screen are backlit and they appear brighter and a bit more saturated than when they are printed. As a result there are different editing steps used for printing to bridge some of these differences.
Confidence and Details
When I participated in A Year With My Camera part of the course was encouraging us to print our work. There were a number of great reasons for doing this including building confidence in our work. An image looks much different when it is printed and even more so when it is framed and hung on the wall. It is a real confidence booster to see my work in print and in addition printing enables me to see my images differently. It is amazing the number of times that I see defects or small distractions in a print that I don’t see on the screen.
For some reason I have been very hit and miss with printing my images. I got into a habit of printing 10 images every three months and framing them to put up on the wall of my studio. I really enjoyed doing this, however I haven’t done this since my 2023 trip to Iceland - yes I’m very delinquent in printing. I’ve done some ad hoc printing, but nothing has been framed despite strong encouragement from my photography friends and Kory. This has gotten me curious about why.
Iceland images from 2023 are the last I’ve framed and put up on my wall. (EXIF data iPhone image)
At first I was unsure of the technical aspects of printing (e.g., sharpening for printing and resizing images for different print aspect ratios), but I spent some time with several of my more prolific photography friends who print regularly to understand their workflow. I think that I understand this part of the process better, but I was still hesitant to print. Why?
Perfectionism?
I started wondering if my hesitancy was linked to my All or Nothing mentality (i.e., worrying about the result not being perfect and therefore it is better to not try and fail) - this state is quite paralyzing and can result in me not moving forward with actions I’d like to take. This is a recurring theme for me which is quite frustrating. I even bought a book about printing entitled - How to Print - The Ultimate Guide to Achieving the Perfect Photographic Print. Now there’s some irony in that title!
“There’s something magical about holding a photograph in your hands, something that no digital screen, no matter how advanced, can replicate. Yet for years I avoided printing altogether…” (Glyn Dewis - How To Print - The Ultimate Guide to Achieving the Perfect Photographic Print)
What am I worried about failing? Printing images is not a costly venture and if an image doesn’t work out the way I envision I don’t have to do anything with the print. The potential learning and improvement that can come from printing far outweighs any “failure”.
There seems to be something about that word “failure” that is paralyzing in itself - there is a fear associated with failure when I stop and reflect on my hesitation to print. Is it fear of failure or fear of success? What will I do with my images? What will people think? Will they like my images? Will they think I’m full of myself?
The thoughts and questions continue to spin around in my mind. I suspect that this is not an uncommon issue for creatives and especially ones who are not relying on their creative ventures for a living, but more a hobby or a way to express themself.
Prints I have made that are still awaiting framing. (EXIF data iPhone Image)
Having a Purpose
So many wonderful images to choose from for a Zambia photobook. (EXIF data f6.3,600mm, 1/1250, ISO2500, -1.0EV)
I think that it is important for me to have a purpose to printing my images as this helps me to overcome a lot of the questions and concerns spinning around in my head. By this I don’t mean some larger than life purpose, but rather a focus such as creating a photobook of our Zambia images (still on the To Do List) or making a print to hang on the wall in our powder room.
I have made progress and printed one of Kory’s images from Zambia (which I helped edit) up large (18” x 24”) in preparation for printing it on metal - it’s a wonderful image and looks amazing in large print. One of the good learnings from printing is finding small blemishes (dust spots or small features along the outside frame) that are distracting and need to be removed before printing for framing. I am amazed at what I find when I print an image that I didn’t see on the screen.
Additional Motivation
Wondering about a more abstract subject matter for this gallery exhibition. (EXIF data f4.5, 200mm, 1/15s, ISO400)
I’m not sure why I feel like I need additional pressure also known as a kick in the backside, but maybe that is what I need for a final push to get over this printing fear. What I’m referring to is that I have agreed (and am excited about) exhibiting 2 prints with my friend Heather (Nova Scotia photographer) next July at the Viewpoint Gallery. We are finalizing a theme for our images and then I’m committed to going out and making images, editing and getting them printed!
I am excited to do this project and I think one of the main reasons it appeals to me is that there is a purpose to the work - an end product and final exhibition of the work.
Overcoming Resistance
I’m sure that some people will find it odd that I have such a fear/resistance to printing and hanging my work, however there are some very logical and some not so very logical reasons for this. As I continue to delve into the reasons and work through ways of overcoming this resistance I’m feeling more and more comfortable with showing my work. I think that this also has to do with overcoming the imposter syndrome that I face as do many other photographers and creatives in general.
Is there something that you’ve been wanting/meaning to do, but find that there is internal resistance to following through and doing it? I’d love to hear about your challenges and how you’ve overcome them in the comments below or drop me a note directly by clicking on the Connect With Me button.
Sometimes you have to seize the moment and just move forward despite internal resistance. (EXIF data f76.3, 1/800s, 600mm, ISO400, -1.0EV)
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
