Printing the Image - Dan’s Turn
As the last post suggested, my initial reason for working on images for printing was to give the printer a work-out so that inks don’t dry in the printer head. Or at least that’s the excuse I gave myself. Either way, I enjoyed working on these images and I’m pleased with the results.
I naturally continued with the recent Q2MR images to see how they print, of course knowing that it would only give the gray and black ink channels a good workout. Nonetheless, I’m glad I did because it gave me time to think about an image that initially didn’t strike me as compelling as another scooter image I’d made. I’m not so sure my first reaction to the two images was the correct one.
For me, one of the signs of a good image is that you can look at it again and again, and see new things each time you revisit it. Over time I’ve come to realize that this image has that characteristic, from the quality of the light in the different parts of the image, to the textures and the details the shadows reveal. There’s even a spider web that once you see it, your eye steadily returns to it. And best of all, all of that comes out in the print.
It’s one of those images that just seemed “right” to make, that calls out to the subconscious to stand right here and frame this just so. There is so much going on in the image that it was impossible to see it all at the time it was made, so one can’t say it’s entirely intentional. But it is. At one level it’s just a street scene (a still-life?) of a scooter and stacked tables in front of a closed shop gate. But it’s also so much more for the eye if one spends some time with it. I have to say, I’m really pleased with the print.
The second image was more of an experiment than anything else. I really had a couple of thoughts about this image - first, would the water print with that stunning reflection it had that morning in the Lamar Valley, and second, would the hillsides get lost in a dark mush in the print.
For once I printed the image somewhat large, and the brightly-lit colors in the sky and water are spectacular. Regardless of the light the print is viewed under. But like Ann’s early morning photograph, if the print isn’t illuminated just right, all of the shadow details on the hillside get lost and one can barely even see the tonal transitions in the layering of the mountains just off to the left. It’s only when the lighting is just right can you see the textures in the hillsides and the layering that gives the image a real sense of depth. Like Ann’s image, the lesson here is that if we’re ever to print these early morning images to retain that early morning feel, we’d better make sure the lighting for the print is just right. It was a good reminder of how unforgiving a print can be - both in the print itself and the conditions under how it’s viewed.
The last image I printed was another experiment. As I’d done before, I simply opened up an annual catalog (2018) picked a date and then scanned that day for an image to work on. This image was from a morning’s exploring in Yosemite NP. I selected it to hopefully learn something about how images convert to print. I’d always liked, but been a bit troubled by, this image. Digital photography can capture some amazing textures, which is a key component of this image as you can see. What always disturbed me was that there was a harshness in the tonal gradations that I could never figure out a way to get rid of. It was a heavy overcast morning, and we were on the shadow side of the valley, so there was no reason I could think of that the wood would seem harsh and contrasty. But it did. I decided to see if the image printed better than it showed even on my calibrated monitor.
I’m pleased to say that it did. The print reveals a tonal smoothness in the wood coloration that is not present when viewed on a monitor (or phone screen). In a print it looks like wood, particularly when compared to the adjacent rock. Heck, it feels like wood and stone in the print, which is what you want. I’m glad I selected this image to work on and then print because I’ve come to learn to trust the sensor and the print - as refined as our monitors may be, even calibrated, they are a weak point in the process. I may just need to revisit some of my other compositions that appear a bit . . . rough.
Oh, I also learned something else from working on this image again. Little did I realize at the time that I was photographing Groot! Take a look towards the top of the tree. I’d say this was a pre-teen Groot, probably just before he started copping an attitude.
Overall, this was a mighty fine printing session for both us; definitely a great learning experience!