Photography Business
April 11, 2010

Printing Digitally

http://www.jamesmaherphotography.com/images/0000/0823/digital_printing.jpg

I now realize that this photo looks like I just pushed a button and the print magically came out.

I read a great quote today by Mike Johnson of The Online Photographer blog and it made me realize that many people have no idea how hard printing digitally is.

"And may I just say, I really have no idea why people keep repeating the old platitude that to print digital, "all you have to do is press a button." What? Have those people never printed digital? That's nothing close to my experience. Printing digital badly might be easy. Printing digital really well is hard. It requires attentiveness, knowledge, investment, preparation, and a certain thoroughness of mind." - Mike Johnson


*If you like the photos in this post please help me spread the word by sharing. Thanks.



6 Comments for "Printing Digitally"
Steve says:
April 12, 2010 09:46
Jimmy, while I have no doubt that this quote is true, there may be a hint of defensiveness to it. That is, there has been an explosion of amateur photographers due to DSLRs and associated printers. Some of these amateurs have posted their photos on websites and are paid a small amount to have them included in stock photos. Professional photography, like so many aspects of our society, is being roiled by the whole digital experience. - Steve
James Maher says:
April 12, 2010 17:05
I agree about the defensiveness, Steve, as it certainly is a sensitive subject, and one that often puts photographers on the defensive. I'm not sure exactly what to make of this whole issue with the explosion of cheaper digital cameras. It is really hurting stock photographers for sure and it's getting to the point where I've seen the same cheap looking istock photo used on many different websites. I'm starting to not be able to stand looking at these plain-jane business handshake and random family photographs on every website. The trend will continue to get worse, but I also think there will be a backlash at some point. Cheap stock photos are obvious to pick out, and I think companies are better off taking professional photos of the people that actually work there. At this point if I see two identical websites, but one has photographs of the actual people at the company then I will certainly choose them to give my business as it shows an added level of thoughtfulness.
James Maher says:
April 12, 2010 17:06
But in terms of fine art, I don't think there will be as much of a problem for photographers. The products to make these prints are certainly coming down in price, but the real value is in the experience. It takes a lot of knowledge, time and practice to make a truly great print from a digital negative. It's as if you gave a high-performance race car to a random person on the street. That person would have the tools, but would still not be able to beat Jeff Gordon in a race. There is just no substitute for the experience gained creating prints and printing day in and out. There is a problem though with the change in perception that is being created from amateurs selling their prints cheaply over the web. The prints might not look close to as good on the paper, but the fact that people see these cheap prints everywhere makes them devalue fine art photographs as a whole.
Steve says:
April 12, 2010 21:58
Jimmy, interesting analogy. I used to own a Jensen-Healy which opened me up to the concept of high speed racing. While I could never beat Mario Andretti, I discovered a whole new experience in driving while racing against porsches and vetts on the SF freeway. A combination of ballet, chess match and risk taking (I was a lot younger then). Likewise, taking up photography has given me a third eye. I find myself much more aware of lighting, perspective and framing while walking or driving around town. It’s the creativity that turns me on. To be able to both appreciate and then create a documentation of my vision gives me great pleasure. I print, frame and hang my photos, giving some to friends for their enjoyment. This is not fine art but art nonetheless. I’m not sure what impact it will have on the professionals. I think there will be those masters that will produce and teach at a high level. But some boundaries will be blurred between amateurs and lower tier professionals. I agree that experience is important but, as in creating babies, one’s own creation garners a certain amount of love and attention. Anyway, keep up the good work. I enjoy taking in your love of the city. Any chance of capturing some images from Zabar’s? I used to love going then when I lived in the Bronx. - Steve
James Maher says:
April 13, 2010 19:24
That's something I never knew about you Steve! Sounds very James Bond-ish. I'm glad to hear that you've been more perceptive walking around. I used to always space out while walking around (with my ADD) but photography has made much better at paying attention to what's going on around me. And I wasn't trying to knock your art or anyone else's art, but was more commenting on the general quality of prints that you can buy cheaply these days and the knowledge and investment that goes into printing well. The area has certainly blurred significantly between amateurs and professionals. Ten years ago I would have never became a photographer.
James Maher says:
April 13, 2010 19:25
I'll get to Zabar's one of these days as soon as I'm in the area. It's been awhile since I've been near there with a camera. Also, I need to figure out how to get return to work to create new lines in these comments.