Why YOU Should Print Your Work

[@davidroberts6766]

For going on two decades, I kept a cork board at my office. I would print four 11x14 prints a month and display them there. Every 6 months or so, I would put all the prints out and offer folks to take what they liked. It was quite nice that I would often see my work hanging in staff’s cubicles, offices and even homes. Every time I looked at my board, the moment of capture replayed in my memory. Healthy, fun, memories to offset daily stressors.

[@damianip]

I printed color and B&W for decades. I started digital printing about 10 years back. I found that the pigment printers were a bit "futzy" and clog-prone. Not printing enough eventually killed the print head. Flash forward to about one year ago and I resumed with a new pigment printer. In order to keep the printer healthy, I make at least one or two small test prints (4x6) per week. In order to prevent myself from being buried in prints, I bought some 4x6 labels, I stick them on the back and I send them, as ad hock post cards, unannounced to friends and family. So far it seems to be a win-win situation.

[@3BMEP]

I like this!

[@NathenDanforth]

What an awesome idea! I'm going to start doing this!

[@frankiecalabro2617]

“Gestalt”…love it!!! I’m so glad to see your health doing well. May God always bless you and Claudia!

[@3BMEP]

And you! 🙏🏻😊

[@hiramabiff885]

As usual an eloquent and sensitive post. Almost 50 years ago when in film school I attended a print workshop with Ansel Adams, a cherished memory. As a photojournalist and later, a commercial photographer I had a wonderful darkroom with a large Omega enlarger with a cold light head and always did my own printing. Years later when I started going digital I has a dye sublimation printer then my first large format digital printer. I realized it was time to liquidate all my darkroom gear. It was an emotional parting. When I was a consultant to Kodak Digital Science Division I told them the heart and soul of the artform would die when film vanished. I was both right and wrong. As I am rapidly entering geriatric decrepitude I see an wonderful resurgence in photography and film, reminding me of the late 60's and 70's. I've sold my film cameras and lenses to young people, the most recent being my Rolleiflex 3F. That is a wonderful thing.

[@3BMEP]

Thank you for sharing such a richly informed perspective!

[@stuartmeador8993]

Hiram, I am curious if you traveled when you were a photojournalist.

[@maniveiszadeh8030]

The quality of content here is so impressive!

[@3BMEP]

🙏🏻😊🖖🏻

[@williamburkholder769]

Great insights, Hugh. I'm an ex-lab guy from the pro portrait and social lab arena - school portraits, commercial, sports and groups, family portraits, weddings, etc. Printing was once the main way we all DID photography. Probably one percent of images are printed in 2022. Bits beat the hell out of atoms over a decade ago. Our lab made it through the digital transition, but could not survive the smartphone, tablet, PC, Internet, and social media revolution. But for those special files that demand daily exposure, there's nothing better than a nice big print. Ironically, the technology has never been better, and the options have never been more plentiful. Thanks for reminding me of my past. (God, I feel OLD, now! 😂)

[@3BMEP]

I’ve found that being older has its compensations 😊. Thanks for weighing in.

[@davidromano2421]

A year ago I finally got my first printer, also an Epson P900. I'd had a darkroom in the 90s and loved it. Finally went digital in 2014 with Sony. But it took some time to get a printer. I really love printing, the difference in papers, really love everything about it. Makes you better at editing for sure. I build my own frames from rough lumber and cut my own mats. I've been trying to get away from glass, instead spraying the prints. Sure dust and lighting is a problem, as always was. I'm extremely particular about the surface texture of my papers. I don't like too much, but if it's too glossy it won't take spray well. I prefer Innova IFA-69. For matte paper, Canson Rag Photographique 310. Ink cost doesn't bother me. Paper cost is the main cost. For me and my work, the real enemy is pizza wheel marks. I'm currently working on a solution to that. Also, poor reliability. I'm on my 3rd printer. Buy the extended warranty. The print quality is nothing short of spectacular though. I'd never ever get a print this good in my darkroom, and I was good back then. We are lucky to have machines that can deliver this level of beauty.

[@alnoormeralli]

Bringing back memories of my Durst F60 enlarger. Hours spent in the dark with that printer. on weekends. Have to say I don't miss the smell of fixer. Welcomed color managed inkjet printing!

[@TheBumblebee84]

"I crop the crap out of it" t-shirts are very welcome. 😅 great video as always.

[@gui4j]

i started printing in a dark room to compete my b/w film process .. love every sec of it .. teaches you so much about your photography and it’s such fun and peaceful at one experience !! darkroom work is an art form / a craft .. do you want to drive a stick or an automatic?? do you want to sail or motor about about , do you want a prop plane or a jet ? i guess darkroom is for film and computers for digital shooters , each to your own !!

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

I've been using Printique/Adoramapix for over a decade and they've never let me down. One of my favorite things about prints is that it gives the images a sense of finality that a digital image doesn't. When you put something in an online space, 100 people will see it 100 different ways on their respective devices. The colors might be different, the resolution might reveal or hide fidelity you hadn't intended. And the people I've taken photos of absolutely adore seeing themselves on prints. Once again, I think it is that nature to pixel peep that makes most people second guess a digital image of themselves. Even a print with a high DPI is going to resolve a more flattering image than something zoomed in 200% on a 12 inch tablet or 32 inch monitor. Having said all that, I used to work for a certified service center for one of the big printer manufacturers. It was always tempting to use the employee discount to buy one of the professional quality printers for my images. But I frequently saw what happened to them when ink wasn't regularly run through them. Since I wasn't making money off of my images, it was not worth the investment to put hundreds of dollars a year towards ink charges (the printer function, not the cost of ownership). If I were selling prints and doing it regularly, I'd love to own a fancy photo printer. It was always fun to print something through a $1200 to $20,000 printer and see what could be calibrated differently to get the best results.

[@3BMEP]

Thanks for sharing such a rich perspective. Love your handle, BTW!

[@spyhunter6411]

I am picking up a second hand printer this weekend. Can't wait to be able to do it myself.

[@martinblizard1882]

Thank you for putting it into words for me. I have 2 prints on my bedroom wall do I see them every morning and I had a small book made. I did have them printed for my though.

[@janradtke8318]

Had my own B&W darkroom in the 90‘s. No point in going back there. If you are not going full pro, the results will never be even close to what you get from a digital workflow. Iterations are slow, repeatability is a problem, repairing dust spots is a nightmare. Having my own printer is an alltogether different game, having full control of the process and learning fast. Also I wouldn‘t have printed a tenth of the pictures I did print if I would have had to send them to a printshop. People who complain about ink cost I can‘t take serious: Spendening thousands of $ for cameras and lenses and then don‘t have 2k$ to print some 1000 pictures on your own printer to free those images from your harddisk and bring them into the world seems - unreasonable.

[@EELinneman]

Beautiful and inspiring. Time to resuscitate my printer.

[@3BMEP]

😊🖖🏻

[@johnhjic2]

Hello Hugh, I total agree print your images is so good. I know for a lot of people they do have a small printer and are disappointed with there results. That when they should consider a pro printing service or like me invest in a good printer then take the time to learn the art of printing, there is far more to it than just hitting the print button, but when you see a print of one of your images then have it frame and on the wall. it can be so satisfying. (I must admit that I now make my own frame including carving the mouldings, and they do but a smile on my face. ). Thanks for the great videos keep well, keep safe and enjoy you photography.

[@3BMEP]

😊🖖🏻

[@CraigBergonzoni]

Great video Hugh! I love printing my own work. I recently upgraded my photo printer to the EPSON P700 and couldn't be happier. I'm experimenting with my paper of choice for my black and white work right now.

[@Sotangy247]

Thanks for another great video, Hugh. Very topical for me, as printing has been heavily on my mind , lately.

[@edruttledge342]

A person means, my grandfather built a house in 1950 around his fully equipped darkroom. No kidding - he head the house designed so the darkroom was a separate windowless feature surrounded by the house's windowed living space. He had been a serious amateur photographer since the early 1930's, reputedly the first photographer accepted into the Detroit Art institute's Scarab Club. This is where I learned B&W enlargement/print workflow. I do not miss it. The chemicals were toxic and the process was a slog before getting any hint of a result. Fast forward to 1992 (maybe 1993) and I saw a display of something called "digital photography" at the Ansel Adam gallery (then located in SF) and I thought, "this is the future." I switched over to a Canon Powershot digital camera in 1997 - basically retiring the OM-1. I have had a series of Epson photo printers - my current model being an XP-15000. But, I print stuff only to get an idea of what it will look like. Real printing/mountain requires mass investment into the infrastructure and knowing the magic of it. I send serious stuff out to various outsourced printers, including Printique. The selected vendor depends on the mounting options or surface (for example - I send my stuff for aluminum prints to a smallish place in LA).

[@jnparesa]

I watch this video several times and loved it. Do you offer a course and editing for black & white printing

[@vorpled]

Your talk about darkrooms reminded me of a wonderful photographer, the late Douglas Fairchild, who also told wonderful stories. I’ll find his story of designing dark rooms for the photographic division of the Texas Highways department back in the day and send it to you. It’s a doozy.

[@RobJorg]

14:12 - 14:19 good shots Hugh.

[@3BMEP]

Thank you, Rob!

[@BrentODell]

I bought an Epson ET-7750 last year, which prints up to 17x11, and the cost wasn't TOO bad. I think I paid $7-800 for the printer, and ink is not bad, either, and a set of refills lasts quite a while

[@sara505sings]

I spent many years in the dark room, developing and printing, and the last 20 years working in digital photography. For me, the print is everything. Without the print, photos are trapped on a screen and become a part of a soul less stream, a mind numbing glut of images. I left all social media for this reason. I am lucky enough to have my own gallery where my favorite images go up on the wall. But what to do with the fact that I have thousands of images over a lifetime , obviously too many to go on the wall? The answer for me is both books, which I have a hard time finding time to create, and simple black archival boxes, in several sizes, 17x22, 13x19, 8.5x11. While I can grow weary of the photos on the wall, and try to change them from time to time, the photos in the black boxes never get old and I'm adding to them all the time. Every time I open the box it's as if I'm seeing the image again for the first time. LOVE my Canon Pro 1000. For me, there is NOTHING better then having an idea, taking the photo, processing it, and seeing it all the way through to where I'm holding it in my hands. A very timely video for me, after being without my printer for a couple of months due to the unavailability of Canon's maintenance cartridge, I am back in business and am presently in printing heaven. Thank you for the great content. Sara from the Vineyard.

[@3BMEP]

Thanks for such a thoughtful contribution, Sara!

[@jnparesa]

If this comment shows up twice my apologies. I saw this video twice and loved it each time. Do you offer a on line course for editing in black & white for printing. You work is breathtaking. I have been doing large format printing for many years but to edit black and white well is something I need more work on. A course by you would be appreciated.

[@3BMEP]

So glad you enjoyed it! We don’t currently offer a course like that; we prefer more experiential, live shooting workshops, ergo Streets of New York!

[@AndyNormanPhotography]

Looks like Hugh's head has become disembodied!!

[@gpappas4332]

Hugh love the segment as always. Thank you. In your outside printing part of the video, the first print you referenced was a 20x30 Silver Halide print on lustre paper. Is this an inkjet process or a traditional process? Was this done from a digital image file or digital negative or traditional silver negative? If digital to silver, can you tell us who did it for you? If digital to silver halide was offered at printique, I missed it. Thank you

[@3BMEP]

It was printique. The paper is silver halide, and as I understand the process, the paper is exposed using a laser printer and then goes through the standard chemical process. But it is on my list to visit and confirm!

[@njrivetelite]

I'm definitely entering

[@3BMEP]

Looking forward to it!

[@mwales2112]

Thanks Hugh...

[@3BMEP]

😊🖖🏻

[@CanadianArchivist]

Years ago i did black and white at a college level. Different papers, toners, mounting, copywork etc. I love black and white. I don’t qualify because i’m in Canada, but l’ll still tag you in ONE image from my instagram account

[@3BMEP]

Please do. 😊🖖🏻

[@LebronPhoto1]

I used to work in a pro la making custom color enlargements (both B&W and color). These days, I’ve embraced the digital darkroom and have a printer capable of printing 13x19. Anything larger, I would send out to print.

[@richardowen4558]

I still have my original Gralab timer but, like you, haven't used it for making prints in several decades. But I have used it recently for developing my Tri-X in a darkroom bag. I never was a proficient printmaker so I don't miss that. Currently using a Epson R2400 converted to a monochrome printer with Piezography inks and print only up to 12" X 18".

[@CalumetVideo]

I love your videos. You have a unique, critical thinking approach to photography, you contrast and compare and make interesting points, which leave one to really ponder. Thanks and keep up the great work. I still use the darkroom for some of my prints, with my 13x19 and smaller prints, I print myself on a Epson printer. Anything larger or on special finishes, one cannot beat the quality of outside printing such as Printique. I do think that one should print their photo out before sending off the file, I find that the print on the screen does not normally match an actual print.

[@3BMEP]

Agreed!

[@alantuttphotography]

I spent many years in my own darkroom doing color prints. Never did B/W, as it was a completely different process, and my interests were much more focused on color images. Was surprised to find how much light you could have and not affect the prints. Once I switched to digital (2013), I never did miss the old days. I'm happy printing 13x19 and smaller at home and letting professional labs print anything larger. I would have to be printing a LOT of prints to make the investment to do larger prints cost effective.

[@yannisvaroufakis9395]

From the perspective of an old timer going back to the 70s, photography to me = prints. Photographic images, being art, should be displayed as such. I know of nobody who would rather look at Van Gogh paintings on an iPad rather than on the museum wall. Why should photography be different? Plus I would like to leave images behind to my progeny who I know will be able to enjoy them into the remote future. I never got over my anxiety after switching from film to digital over the incorporeal, insubstantial, nature of electronic images. I'm constantly copying them to redundant storage mediums so they can remain safe and accessible as time progresses. It's a neurosis I never had with film and print images. My original Kodachromes and even more so, my Tri-X negatives, stored in the cool dark, will last a very long time, and in 50 more years, they can be looked at without any technology issues. And the Kodak dye transfer prints and archival B&W prints I had made in 1979 still look spectacular even after decades of display in the light. I never had any of my digital images printed, however. I like fairly large prints -- 16X20 and 20X24 or 30, and don't have the $ or space for a pro printer in such sizes. But I really wanted gallery quality prints, and have been searching for a print shop to make them. I live in NYC and checked out Duggal, but their prints, mounted and framed, cost as much as a new camera. I will definitely look at Printique. Thanks for the timely info!

[@3BMEP]

Thank YOU for such a rich contribution to the discussion!

[@valbou1089]

Each time I go to a photo exhibition I realize how stronger the images are on paper than on screens.

[@451804]

Excellent. I’ve been printing at home and professionally as wall art and magazines for years. I have affinity publisher to MagCloud templates and resources to share if you need. And I deleted IG.

[@3BMEP]

😍

[@GilbertTV]

Art is meant to be on walls not just swiped on instagram 😎

[@amereinterlude]

For those of us who’ve ever worked day in and day out in a darkroom, well - for me, at least - there is no zen. Only a morale-shredding sense of isolation from sunlight, or even bright artificial light, and ordinary human interaction. The chemicals are bloody horrible, too. So I will take the monitor and the inkjet printer if I may.

[@3BMEP]

Excellent counterpoint from my friend who knows! 👍🏻😊

[@leoalejandrolive6020]

hi im a jersey city based photographer. perhaps one of these days you would like to shoot with a large format camera, sinar camera with an aero ektar.. im just curious what a amazing photographer like you can create.. and I'm sure prints from a 4x5 would be very amazing.. you can borrow my camera and I'd be glad to bring it to you .. thanks ..

[@3BMEP]

Did you see my Intrepid 4x5 vs GFX 100? I wish your faith in me was warranted, but…

[@oldcamera1]

Hugh you just scared most photogs from printing by going into the nightmare of wet printing. Only Ansel could get a good print that way. Develop the negs, yes, then scan the keepers and edit them in photoshop. With a good printer they’ll get the dream without the nightmare. In color or BW.

[@RandomLifeProductions]

I want to do printing, but am petrified that my photographs are not good enough or all the noise will come through. But your right, printing is a gift because you can look at the science and perhaps change a perspective…. In the next couple of months I am going to rise to this challenge…

[@3BMEP]

Good on you! Enjoy the journey!

[@451804]

You have to start somewhere

[@MartinCHorowitz]

I have a 44" 12 ink roll plotter, no argument from me.

[@MartinCHorowitz]

If you want a larger format and print infrequently by an HP Z series printer.

[@Notmy00000]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@3BMEP]

😊🙏🏻🖖🏻

[@martingreenberg870]

I have a confession to make. I could make 28,000 images and not produce even one that is remotely as good as any of the images I look at in my photography books. I know enough to know what good is and it ain’t in my portfolio. Some of my images may be OK. Do I want to look at merely OK images on my walls? Loosely speaking I am an artist. Anybody with a cellphone camera can call themselves an artist. I am a hobbyist. I go out can create some images. The pleasure is the process. I see images or try to. I try to capture the images I see with a variety of success. I place the images onto the hard drive and there the images will live until they are wiped for maybe a backup of my tax return. There are 1,000,000,000 images produced a day. I should contribute to that number. Will my images be better than 1/2 of these images? In school I made the upper 90% of the class possible so maybe I’m not going to get into the upper half of all images produced in one day. I don’t know if I could look at my images for long periods. Proposition: some people’s images belong only on their hard drive and not printed. Mask On Nurse Marty

[@3BMEP]

Fair enough, Marty: your place may be alongside photographers like Vivian Maier. Vive le difference!

[@3BMEP]

Good point, Marty! You may belong alongside photographers like Vivian Maier, who clearly preferred the process to the print. Vive la différence!

[@charmerci]

It hasn't been necessary to say or type www for a long time now.

[@runzizhu3099]

I am sorry but I think the lower parts of the background is too dark with your shirt, and it makes the video looks like a single head along is talking

[@rolandgibbs9036]

I miss my darkroom