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DIGITAL: PHOTO PRINTING
a fantastic added-revenue stream to
photographers and artists. LFP product manager,
Canon UK, Shane Burchett, said: “We
have seen a significant increase in
interest for LFPs from photography
studios as a way of cutting print
outsourcing costs, while adding new
solutions which add value to a business.
Our customers can see the potential
added revenue they could achieve from
printing their own images and realised
that it is more cost-effective to bring this
work in-house.
“With the current economic climate
still proving challenging, it is important
for businesses to streamline their practices. Bringing large
format printing in-house is one way of doing this.”
One photographer reaping the benefits is David Boni, a
photographer and commercials director who set up The
Picture House UK photographic studio in Scotland and
recently set up an on-line venture to unite eight of
Scotland’s best photographers. David has also won a pitch
against five competitors to shoot the first limited edition
Scottish Widows calendar with images shot on location in
Sutherland and Caithness.
Epson's Stylus Pro 9900 delivers perfectly spherical dots with precision
Seeking digital resolution
placement making it ideal for fine art applications
Until recently, David was using only film, but when market pressures meant he
was often shooting digitally, he opted for the top of the range Canon Digital SLR.
He explained: “At first I felt like a fraud, but now I am enjoying the creative missed before and there are shots I simply wouldn’t have been able to achieve
advantages. You can shoot on the fly, which captures moments you would have physically. The Scottish Widows picture ‘The Knee’ would have been impossible
without scaffolding and a safety harness, but with this camera I can just lean out
and shoot with one hand.”
Photographer, David Boni, used his
Canon digital SLR to capture photos
Although David was thrilled with his Canon digital camera he was hesitant
for a Scottish Widows calendar when it came to digitally printing his work. “Some of my contemporaries were
using non Canon printers but I wasn’t impressed with the results. They looked
flat and dull, with too much black with a digital feel to them, rather than
photographic. I wanted to sell my own prints from my web shop, but didn’t want
to compromise on quality, so I bought Canon’s A2+ 12 colour printer.”
“Like many photographers I shoot 16 bit raw images and play around with
them. Often when you come to print them you lose the detail, but this printer
uses an Adobe PhotoShop print plug in which preserves the smooth tonal
graduation and shadow detail.”
The plug in converts the 16 bit images to the 10 bit format required by the
printer, enhancing quality without the use of a RIP.
David concluded: “The prints were stunning – the output was genuinely
photographic. Suddenly I feel like I’m back in the dark room – only with no
chemicals and I can work in the light.”
Furthermore, the inks are lightfast for 120 years so any print David sells will
literally last a lifetime.
And finally
Everyone wants to own a work of art and over the past few years the
sophistication of digital technology has allowed this to happen. With more and
more artists and photographers going down the digital route it is clear that we
can expect to this trend continue with exceptional results.
www.epson.co.uk
www.canon.co.uk
| 14 | Screen Process & Digital Imaging | July 09 Visit us online at www.spdi-online.com
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