… to a new photographer..
It would be…
Print your Work
If you think about it (historically), just about all of the photographs that inspire us were created to be printed. Be they album covers, news photos, fashion photos, etc, almost all of them were meant to be consumed (I hate that word) in the printed format; in a Newspaper, Magazine, Gallery. They were not created to be viewed on a computer screen (and even less on a phone screen).
Printing your images, whether it is in a small 6×4 format or much larger, is the best way to get a distance from the image, to stand back, to be able to view it objectively, not just technically.
Yes photography is a technical pursuit (its physics folks), but the technical is a means to an end, it is not the end itself. (Read that again).
The technical is a means to an end, it is not the end itself
By printing the work, you, the photographer can understand the finer points of the image.
- Is it sharp enough (if not why not; Focus? Resolution? etc)
- Is there too much noise?
- Do the tones of the image work (important in both monochrome & colour works)
But more importantly
- Does the image show what you want?
- Does it tell a story?
- Does it have an emotional punch?
It is surprising how, if the image is powerful enough, if it is strong enough in these final 3 points, how much less the first 3 points matter…
So.
Even an A4 print is enough; it’s larger than 10×8″ and A4 printers of a high enough quality are not too expensive.
So when you budget hundreds if not thousands on a camera and lenses, do not forget to add a couple of hundred for a printer.
What are your thoughts? Do you have a printer? Do you print your own work?
I look forward to hearing from you.
J
Julie Edwards-X 
The problem with this is storage. My 20th century pictures are shut away in albums and rarely see the light of day. More recent work is available on my ipad and is browsed regularly
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My thoughts here are the iPad does not give you the same distance and objectivity, The surface is wrong as is the viewing distance.
You dont have to keep them…. (and if the thought of waste is the issue, which I 100% get, make gifts of them…)
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it’s why I’ve been running a photo print gallery for 22 years and exhibiting work even longer than that – the print is everything 😃
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That was not the advice I was expecting ! I have 2 printers sat unused because I have been terrified by gamuts, calibration, paper profiles etc etc. Despite various zooms and workshops I still do not feel I am capable of switching the damn thing on. But really want to make my own little photo books. So. I need to get my act together. I know that you are right !
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Ooo – now I want to know what you was expecting!
Forget all that at the moment. Just connect the printer. Let it manage the colours and see what comes out.. Then go from there… Small Steps…
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Thanks Julie, I was expecting advice maybe to shoot on auto in tricky situations and not worry about camera settings ? I’m black and white so the colours – (except magenta casts …) wouldn’t be a problem. I need to gIve myself a good talking to and stop procastinating so thanks for the push !
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I do have an office printer, but still send my print work to labs. Your post makes me consider looking again at self printing, thanks. Without prints, I fear our heirs will discover us to be digital Vivian Maiers: with boxes filled not with film negatives, but with Jaz and Zip drives, CD-roms, CF cards, SD cards, and hard drives with various cables.
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I shoot advertising and sometimes pop-promos! I dont go to an ad-agency with digital files only, I go there with A3 size prints followed with the digital images!..you do not give a client a memory stick or whatever with just digital images!
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