Behind the print

Technique

Behind the print

Claire Gillo shares her top tips and tricks for getting her documentary monochrome image ready for print

1To make the most of this image I am going to convert it to black & white.

2I will also reduce the noise in the image as it was shot at a high ISO.

3I need to bring out the detail in the shadows to create a subtle blend from dark to light.

4I don’t want to push the highlights too far so they overexpose but I also need to exaggerate the strip of light.

GETTING IT JUST RIGHT

Claire Gillo

Claire is a very experienced photography journalist and a former Technique Editor on AP. She now works as a freelancer from her base in Devon and enjoys taking and editing a wide range of images. For more information see her website at www.clairegillo.com

Collectively around the globe we shoot trillions of images annually. Although many images are not worthy of printing there are some that will benefit greatly, and will transform from being a nice image on screen to a great work of art. The problem with printing your images is that it

1 The basics To make the basic edits to my image I imported it into Adobe Lightroom Classic. I then converted it to black & white, and boosted the Exposure, Contrast, Highlights and Shadow sliders to ensure the highlights and shadows had enough detail. I finally tweaked the Clarity to boost the midtone contrast.

2 Noise As my image was a tad noisy I scrolled down to the Noise Reduction panel and played around with the Luminance slider. When you reduce noise it comes at the expense of losing detail, so keep zooming in and out until you are happy. It’s often a compromise between keeping the image a little grainy and maintaining fine detail.

3 Soft proofing I don’t have a printer at home that will do my images justice, so I send my images to an external printing service. However you still need to soft proof them. Check the Soft Proofing box (in the Develop module on the bottom bar). Press Create Proof Copy so you can work on a duplicated copy and save your original.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

requires thought and cost, even if you are doing it yourself from home. What paper are you going to use? Are you going to frame it? Do you want a mount? Glass? However, if you invest time into printing your images (even if it’s just one a year) you will pick up new skills and have something to hang on your wall and show for all your hard work. I rarely print more than one or two images a year, however I’m a great believer in quality over quantity. If I’m going to turn one of my images into a material object – I want to do it well.

I love capturing people and this image was taken at a festival last year. I decided to convert the image to black &

white at the editing stage and make a few basic adjustments to tweak the end result. See my top tips and step-by-step workfl ow for advice on how to print in monochrome.

You can fi nd out more about me and my work at www.clairegillo.com or follow me on Instagram @clairegillophotography.

Top tips for printing

1Don’t print for the sake of it Printing your images is an investment and there is no point in doing it just for the sake of it. Think about how you want your printed image to be viewed. Is it part of a series or a standalone piece? Is your image going to be framed, or mounted? Is it for yourself or for a client? Answer all these questions fi rst before you splash out.

2You still need to calibrate your screen Although you might not think you need your screen correctly colour calibrated for black & white printing, you do. If your screen is too light you won’t see the highlight detail and if it’s too dark you won’t get accurate shadows.

3Which paper? When picking the right paper for black & white there are many things to consider, from the weight of the paper to the fi nal fi nish (do you want it matte, glossy, silk). For black & white printing it’s also crucial to look at the paper’s Dmax rating (this is the deepest tone of black available to your paper/printer/ink combination). Matte papers absorb more ink, whereas glossy papers don’t and have a higher Dmax rating. This means on a glossy print the blacks will be deeper.

4ICC profi le Whether printing from home or sending your image to a lab you’ll need to use the correct ICC profi le for your paper. An ICC profi le basically tells your printer how to handle the colour space to get the colours or tones in a black & white image correct.

4 The right profi le Companies such as WhiteWall enable you to download ICC profi les for your paper. Once they are downloaded and installed on your computer you can select it from the Profi le list on the side bar. Also check Simulate Paper and Ink, and tweak your image until you are happy with the tone and look of the end result. Export out.

WhiteWall recommends

‘Claire Gillo’s black & white image above perfectly captures the intimate atmosphere of a concert. In order to underline the original grunge look, I would recommend going with WhiteWall’s Direct Print on Aluminium Backing. Another option would be our Baryta Paper. This heavy black & white photo paper has a glossy surface and a silky shimmer because of the baryta texture. And as a fi nishing touch, adding our solid wood frame Hamburg in black oak and a white passe-partout gives the picture an elegant, high-class and extraordinary look.’ Jan-Ole Schmidt, Product Manager WhiteWall.com