man & nature # 223 ~ dazed & confused?
Friday, August 28, 2009 at 10:45AM 
Bill's Bait & Beer Shop ~ Brainardsville, NY • click to embiggenOver the pst year or so, it has become increasingly apparent to me that a fair number of amateur photography "enthusiasts" tend to run into a wall of sorts when it comes to making better-than-average prints of their pictures. That wall is almost always the one associated with the learning curve involved in coming to grips with Photoshop.
And one of the hurdles involved coming to grips with PS has nothing at all to do with PS or even picture making per se - it's a simple matter of computer literacy. On a very regular basis, I am continually amazed at how many intelligent people I know sort of freeze up when they sit down in front of a keyboard and a computer. Add to that the dizzying idea of keeping up with the computer Jones - constant software, operating system, and even hardware upgrades - and the whole thing just seems intimidating and unnerving.
So, I'm curious - how many of you feel that you making or even capable of making better-than-average prints? Does PS seem like some sort of alien species language? Do ideas of screen calibration, ICC profiles, and the like seem overwhelming?
Reader Comments (13)
Yes, there is a lot to learn, but there are a lot of resources available to learn from. If I had the time I would do just that. As it stands, with two young kids and a busy family and work life, my Epson printer has been idle for months. The only prints I've had for a long time now have been film prints.
Learning how to make a good print from a digital file takes patience and persistence.
I know I am capable of making better-than-average prints but I rarely do so. I am comfortable with--I love, in fact--the time I spend in Lightroom and Photoshop and managing all the bits on my computers and drives.
The biggest thing that stops me from making more prints is a lack of frames, or of tools and skills to make my own. For whatever reason, I find the ratio of typical "large" sizes of 8x10 and 11x14 unappealing. Instead, I end up cropping a lot of my pictures square (just like you do), or to a more panoramic 16:9. And I often leave pictures at the 3:2 ratio from the camera.
But I have a devil of a time finding reasonably priced frames for anything printed as, say, a 10"x10" or 12"x12" print.
Any suggestions on this?
After buying prints from a high profiled photographer occasionally writing for the Luminous-Landscape website I am sure that my prints are very good, because they are very much better than the prints I bought!
...and in case you wonder: I'm no computer wiz. In fact I hate every second I spend in front of the monitor. I got Barry Haynes book and have never looked back. To me the perfect picture is the one coming straight from memory card to printer with no adjustments needed. Lucky me who are into documentary photography.
Even though I shoot 100% film, I've done nearly all of my post processing over the past seven or so years in photoshop. I also have used the application professionally for the past five years, so I feel I got a good grip on things.
What bugs me though, was when I encountered a photographer who was very pro-digital, and only had been shooting for about a year. The guy kept trying to belittle me because he seemed to think I knew nothing about photoshop since I use film. I'm willing to bet could post process circles around him.
"So, I'm curious - how many of you feel that you making or even capable of making better-than-average prints?"
I'm ready to find out if you are.... give me a shout.
Richard
I'm fairly confident that my prints can hold their own. I've never found the post processing/printed part to be intimidating or difficult. I'm sure that if I spent years working with the software and fine tuning my profiles I would be able to make slightly better prints but that just isn't my thing.
I feel I have better than average photo printing skills, but I believe there is always a Lake Wobegon--all Landscapist readers are above average--effect in this sort of self assessment. That said I've been able to sell a fair number of 13" x 19" prints relative to the effort I've put into doing so.
And I'm certainly computer literate. Yet in recently setting up my new Mac Pro I was locked out of my system altogether and then my backups--all four sets--for a couple of days. With help from Apple techs, the problem was resolved, but never identified. None of them can envision a set of keystrokes or anything else that could have accomplished what happened. A number of other users on the mac forums have had similar experiences. In general these have been folks--myself included--who aren't afraid of the command line yet aren't experts. Computers are complex things, operating by rules that are arcane and unforgiving relative to the ways our other household machines operate.
Same goes for PS and digital printing relative to traditional darkroom work. Despite the success I've had in printing I have found it one of the more frustrating aspects of the digital photography world. Perhaps I just need to print more but it has never become semi-intuitive for me in the way that PS has.
I consider myself highly computer literate. In fact, I spend much of my time in front of a PC or a lap top, frequently in aid of a colleague in computer trouble. I hate Windows and have given up on the likelihood of Microsoft ever getting it right. I may switch to Mac. I love Photoshop, but do not get the point of Lightroom (unless you cannot lay out the cash for Photoshop—I couldn’t either were I not able to get their educator’s discount). But printing just pisses me off to no end. I know I will never match what is on my screen—the contrast and color gamut are just not the same. But *%%@)$& it all I should be able to come close. Soft proofing is a cruel joke. No matter what I do, my printer lays down too much magenta. I have not yet figured out just how much I need to remove to get a decent skin tone, or anything else for that matter. It does do a nice neutral BW, but color accuracy is my goal. I might try another printer and see if that solves the problem. I would also be interested in a reasonably priced workshop in printing, if anyone want to offer one.
I calibrate my monitor with an easy to use calibration kit, and after processing I send the file to the lab and instruct them to print it with no corrections or adjustments. I get back C-prints and silver gelatin prints that look exactly as I expected.
I worked in my own darkroom when I shot film because it offered options and control I couldn't get from the photo lab. With digital I can control the lab machines from home. I don't see it as much different from printing at home except the cables between the computer and printer are 150 miles long instead of 15'. Also I have the option of C-prints and silver gelatin prints as well as ink jet prints. I couldn't afford those sort of machines in my home. The chemical printing process has been around a lot longer than ink jet, and more of the bugs have been worked out. I find it easier than ever to great looking prints that look just as I envisioned.
I think I'm going to get lambasted for this heresy but strangely I feel a need to be honest. Our RGB color system is a sham and technology based on this sham just doesn't appeal to me. The more one gets into the details, such as ICC profiles and calibration the more difficult it becomes to rationalize the problems with RGB. I've just wound up throwing my hands in the air and tried to stay away from the details not because it is overwhelming but because it is misleading. If anyone is interested I've written a couple of posts that delve into the RGB problem:
http://rvewong.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/color-theory-implosion/
http://rvewong.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/bayer-filters-and-accurate-color-not/
At first color calibration and printing was a huge mountain but I've gradually gotten better equipment and a better grasp of what I need to do. But I don't feel I have total control.
A lot of truth hidden away in the joke.
My main problem with making better than average prints is my building disgust for how often I have to replace inks in my Epson printer. I've just about given up on home printing because of the amount of ink that gets wasted cleaning heads and recharging nozzles after changing ink cartridges.