Last months I have been busy with printing. After spending lots of time improving my editing (thx to many photographers like Elia Locardi), I had this idea of diving into the world of printing your own pictures.
So I studied on printers, types of ink, paper textures, print profiles. Etc.
: The different types of paper I tried (photo made with Canon G7X handheld).
During this process I bought an A3+ printer: Canons Pixma IP8750, because besides a black dye ink, it also has a black piment ink, witch is good for deep blank-and whites mattes. I also tried different types of paper: glossy, luster, matte (al these three both the normal and the pro version) and also divergent sorts of fine art papers. And about these last ones: I especially started to like the Hähnemuhle German Etching for it’s great texture. It really fits some of my best images. Besides this fine art paper Canons Pro Luster paper my another favorite.
: Canons Pro Platinum Photo Paper works great with city scapes: bright lights and dark areas (photo made with Canon G7X handheld).
: The wonderful texture of Hähnemuhle German Etching (310 gsm). It really looks like if the tree on the right is standing out. The texture of the paper separates it from the background. But don’t use this paper when there is a lot of sky: the paper works great on fine textured elements in the photo (trees with leaves for example) but not on skies, unless they contain a lot of thick clouds, which are usually textured elements themselves (photo made with Canon G7X handheld).
Being busy printing, you would almost think forgot going out to make photographs. Actually I didn’t, but I have to admit I spent more time indoors than usual.
Since the weather was rather dull photographically speaking, this was not much of an issue. I really learned a lot and noticed I started to look at photography in a different way. The reason being was that for the first time I saw this entire ‘chain’ that was new for me: from idea to photograph to print. Of course I had printed my family photos before, even at home, but never before I had looked at my pictures at high quality or fine art paper.
Suddenly I started to see what a potential picture in the field could look like printed on the paper I choose it to print on. Besides ‘this is how I can make it look on the internet’ I had a new point of view: ‘this is how it can look in print.
: Same photo, two different types of paper (photo on the left is printed on Canon Pro Luster, on the right on Hähnemuhle William Turner 310 gsm) (photo made with Canon G7X handheld).
I never had done much with prints and printing, but this opened up a new world. It was a ‘whole new kind of experience!’. And I loved every minute of it. I started to look at photography in a different way. I seemed to watch better, or maybe different. I tried new options. I even dove into making more ‘intimate landscape photographs’.
So printing delivers you new insights, new ways of looking at photography and great fun. So start printing yourself!
: Some of the results after a month of printing at home with different kinds of paper (photo made with Canon G7X handheld).