Don’t forget the prints!

Having a fully digital workflow and with a great deal of work intended for use online, it is easy to forget that, in the end, photography is about the print. There is no substitute for viewing a printed image. This is because our visual system is designed to perceive the world through reflected light not emitted light. When we view an image on screen we are viewing emitted light which until recently has been a relatively abnormal experience.

For high end work, I will always make multiple prints as part of my workflow because it is only by viewing prints that you can really produce the best images. This is especially the case where images are intended for magazines, brochures or catalogues.  In the studio we have a beautiful (and very expensive) professional pigment printer from Canon with twelve inks which, if asked nicely, produces the most awesomely beautiful prints.

It is always a delight when a client requests prints of the pictures we have taken as there is a particular satisfaction in handing over a finished physical item rather than a high res computer file on a DVD. It is lovely to know that our work is on display to bring pleasure and impress our client’s visitors. We can print in-house up to 480mm x 330mm and supply larger prints produced by our friends at Peak Imaging.

Please ask for prints. Ultimately, it is what photography is all about.