The objective of this course is to establish what the best printing process is to print your photographs, in order to suit the style of your work and achieve print sales. The course is given in two 2-hour sessions, with time allowed in between each session to complete a series of print tests.
In our first session I will explain all of the different print processes available to you, and the myriad of options and decisions that each entail. I will illustrate each print process with examples of prints for you to critically examine, and I will then look at your own photographs and make suggestions as to which printing process might be best suited to the aesthetic of your work; we will discuss the size of your prints and I will outline the marketable value and demand for prints made using each of the different processes. We will examine silver gelatin prints, made in a traditional darkroom using wet chemistry, archival pigment prints made using inkjet printers, waxed pigment prints, C-type prints and so on.
After I explain how each printing process works, you will begin to appreciate how the look and feel of each varies, and we will discuss in detail which process might be best suited to your own work, and its target audience. I will outline the costs of each printing process, along with practical considerations such as the expected lifespan of the prints, and proceed by organising a series of cost-effective print tests for you. By way of an example, if you are a colour photographer looking for the perfect fine art paper and pigment ink combination, I will have one or two of your photographs printed on 6-8 test papers which we know have a track record of selling and might suit your work. Post-production and help preparing files for print is available during the process.
When we meet for your second session to review the results of our print tests, our aim is to settle on a printing process that you are confident shows your photographs in their best light. We will complete the course by establishing your very own signature finish, addressing how the prints are to be editioned, signed and stamped.
Throughout the course I will give you an indication of how the different types of prints might be best mounted and framed, and this is covered fully in my framing course here.