Issue 256
October 2017
Clipping The Blacks Epson's SureColor P5070 Keren Dobia: Affirmation Selling The Romance of Paper
JOURNAL
Cover
Keren D o bia
A P P M . P h o to g. I I
CONTENTS 4
We Should Also Value The Print
8
2017 AIPP Honours
AIPP President Vittorio Natoli suggests that having a love affair with the print and paper is one way to help our clients share in the passion of high quality professional photography.
Each year the AIPP honours a select group of photographers for their efforts within the AIPP and in the profession generally, for both service and photographic acumen.
14
Abraham Joffe – 2017 Producer of the Year The 2017 AIPP Australian Video Producer of the Year, Abraham Joffe APVP, cleaned up with category wins in both the Corporate and Documentary categories as well!
2017 AIPP AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
AIPP JOURNAL is the official newsletter of The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP). Editor Peter Eastway APP.L, FNZIPP, Hon. FNZIPP, G.M. Photog., Hon. FAIPP, FAIPP Disclaimer The information provided in the AIPP JOURNAL and associated publications is made in good faith, but is general in nature. Neither the editor, the publisher or the AIPP accept responsibility for or will be under any liability for any recommendations, representations or information provided herein. The AIPP JOURNAL presents information, opinions and suggestions for subscribers to evaluate in coming to their own decisions in the light of their own individual circumstances. The information should not be relied upon without readers first obtaining independent advice from their own financial and legal advisers. Unless otherwise noted, all articles are written by Peter Eastway. Publication The newsletter is published 10 times a year – monthly with November/ December and January/February being combined. The AIPP JOURNAL newsletter is published by Pt 78 Pty Ltd, ABN 75 003 152 136, PO Box 351, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097, Australia. Phone: (02) 9971 6857; Fax (02) 9971 6641. E-mail eastway@betterphotography.com Quietly celebrating 25 years of publication.
AIPP Membership Contacts Suite G.03, 171 Union Road, Surrey Hills, Victoria 3127 Phone: 03 9888 4111 E-mail: admin@aipp.com.au
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16
Changing The Perception of Women
18
The advertising industry has a lot to answer for in our perception of women's body shapes, so leading photography agency Getty Images is taking a stand on the images it will accept for stock.
Selling Photographs on Paper It seems so obvious, yet too few professional photographers are doing it: selling prints and albums. And it's no longer old school. In fact, paper is like film, experiencing a revival and this is good for both photographers and clients.
ISSUE 256 / OCTOBER 2017 20
1. Why Our Clients Need Prints Not Files
28
5. Pricing Prints, Boxes, Albums & Books
The majority of people lose their digital files over time, strongly suggesting that as professional photographers, we should not be providing digital files alone when asked to photograph families and weddings.
22
2. Why Prints Will Also Increase Our Profits If our clients associate digital files with 'cheap' and 'free', selling prints is one way we can increase the perceived value of what we provide – and at the same time provide our clients with a real benefit.
24
3. Making Prints And Photo Albums
26
If you don't wish to make your own prints and albums (and many professional photographers do not), learn how to produce good quality digital files and send them to a lab or bureau that will do the work for you.
4. Preparing Sample Products To Show As photographers, we have lots of imagination, but often our clients do not. They won't be able to imagine what a print or photo book looks like, so we must produce a set of sample products to show before they will feel comfortable buying their own.
Adding a margin to the price you pay for prints and albums is how you greatly increase the value and the profitability of your business. What that margin is, is up to you.
30
6. Packaging To Make Buying Easier A carefully designed product range can make the process of buying wedding and portrait photography a lot easier for our clients. Give them a series of options, but not so many you make it confusing.
32
Keren Dobia: Affirmation What does it take to become an AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year? The AIPP Journal interviews Keren Dobia about her award winning approach to photography.
44 48
Clipping The Blacks On Purpose! Conventional wisdom says we shouldn’t clip our tonal values, and while this is good advice when capturing our images, it doesn’t necessarily apply when we edit them in post-production.
Epson SureColor P5070 A series of minor refinements has now produced one of Epson's most consummate, reliable and robust printers for professional photographers – the table-top Epson SureColor P5070.
Platinum Sponsors 3
NEWS
We Should Also Value The Print AIPP President Vittorio Natoli suggests that having a love affair with the print and paper is one way to help our clients share in the passion of high quality professional photography. Paper could be brand new all over again, if
files to their clients who in turn produce an
professional photographers wanted to own it.
album for themselves. Surely this is a missed
opportunity for professionals?
Later in this issue, Peter Eastway presents
a six-point guide to selling our wedding and
It’s the same with prints and wall frames.
portrait clients prints, frames, albums and photo
How many of our clients are putting that USB
books. He is suggesting that unless we offer
drive in a desk drawer or having poor quality
these paper products, it may be difficult for us
prints produced at an office stationery store?
to maintain a viable business.
I remember early in my career walking into
a client’s house and being blown away by my
WHO'S BUYING?
own work hanging on their walls.
Recently, Michael Warshall from Nulab was
talking to me about the Nuova Albums his
seeing prints by John Whitfield-King up on the
company is producing for photographers.
wall.
TAGS
Pr in ting Busine s s
photographers would be his main market,
it always seemed to be after John had
but he’s finding more of his orders are from
photographed their portraits, but on this day,
consumer clients directly.
I walked into the home and there were six or
seven of my own portraits on the wall.
Originally Michael expected professional
In other words, there are lots of professional
photographers out there, handing over digital
4
I was used to visiting client homes and
While I was happy to get the wedding,
This client really valued photography. It was
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5
NEWS
a display of her family’s love and romance, and
What are we missing out on?
no doubt all her friends responded in the same
We used to take photos of the rooms in
way.
our clients’ homes so we could drop in sample
prints, allowing the client to visualize what a
The prints had great personal value.
large print could look like on their wall. With
SHARE THE EXPERIENCE
Photoshop, this is incredibly easy to do.
The challenge for photographers today is to
And then much easier to sell.
share this type of experience with their clients.
Perhaps we should take more pride in our
How do we show our clients, clients who often
own personal photography.
think they only want digital files for social
media, what their photos will look like up on the
Award at APPA, perhaps we should make a
wall, or in an album?
bigger print and hang it proudly on our studio
wall in a frame.
I look at my own artistic work and I think
For instance, if we earn a Silver or Gold
it’s beautiful. I have all my files organized in
Lightroom, but no-one wants to open up my
days working on an image for APPA, so surely it’s
laptop to see them on a screen.
good enough to make a print just for us?
In comparison, if I have a physical, tangible
A photographer will spend hours or even
Share this genuine experience with your
print in my hands, suddenly there is a
clients and see what happens…
conversation and it’s this conversation we need
to have with our clients.
not real and I think there’s something to this.
Michael used to say that if it’s not printed, it’s Prints might have their roots in old
WALL FILLERS
technology, but they are still a part of our future.
Clients are used to seeing wall art. They go to
furniture stores and for a few hundred dollars,
to buy prints, but imagine how improved our
they can hang half a dozen cheap prints in their
profitability would be if we convinced even half
home. I remember someone calling these ‘wall
of them?
We can’t expect to convince all of our clients
fillers’.
Another client explained that a house
wasn’t complete until there were a few prints up on the wall – so why shouldn’t these
6
prints be of the family, taken by a professional
vittorio.natoli@aipp.com.au
photographer?
0400 418 888
AIPP PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY CONFERENCE
5-6 May 2018. Stay tuned. #lenscape18
Platinum sponsors
7
AWARDS
2017 AIPP Honours Each year the AIPP honours a select group of photographers for their efforts within the AIPP and in the profession generally, for both service and photographic acumen. in its decision to take the unusual stance of presenting the award to not one but two candidates.
Sometimes a commitment or workload falls
upon more than one person and it would simply be unfair not to recognise all parties.
A few years back now, after a change in
direction from the Board, Melinda Comerford and Mark Zed found themselves in the unenviable position of co-chairs of the newly formed Awards Committee. Our thanks once again to David Simmonds for taking the official photographs at the AIPP Gala Dinner. Above: Mark Zed and Melinda Comerford flanked by Honours Committee members Richard Bennett (left) and Greg Hocking (right).
MELINDA COMERFORD & MARK ZED
several people and a huge amount of hard work
Claude McCarthy Award 2017
Claude McCarthy was the founding father of
that the APPAs did not fall in a heap and worked
what we know today as the Australian Institute of
tirelessly with old and new APPA identities,
Professional Photography.
past and present board members and anyone
with advice to help forge a strong future for
The Claude McCarthy Award is named in his
ahead, it would be easy to walk away. Not these two, they hung in there, ensuring
honour as a reminder of the hard work he put
our Awards system, both at a state and national
in to create what we all enjoy today. This award
award level.
recognises a significant contribution to our
Institute.
commitment you have shown to what we all
hold so dear.
When discussing nominations for this year’s
award, the Honours Committee was unanimous
8
With little experience, a lot of negativity from
Thank you, Mark and Mel, for the
– Ian van der Wolde
a contributor to the AIPP drone SIG.
Geoff coordinated and photographed
the AIPP Reflections project in the ACT and southeastern NSW.
He has won ACT Commercial Photographer
of the Year a remarkable 10 times, the ACT Landscape Photographer of the Year seven times, and was ACT Professional Photographer of the Year in 2008 and 2015. Geoff Comfort was awarded his Grand Master of Photography in
GEOFF COMFORT Fellow Like many photographers before him, Geoff Comfort joined the AIPP as a student member in 1993, then volunteered to help at APPA in Canberra that year. This has been a familiar first
2016.
In his unassuming way, Geoff has quietly
and effectively helped to nurture this Institute, particularly in the ACT, and in so doing has earned the appreciation and respect of his peers. – Richard Bennett
step along a familiar pathway to success.
Geoff Comfort won three silver awards that
year and has entered APPA every year for the past 24 years.
After being accepted as a member, Geoff
joined the ACT AIPP council where he has contributed for the past 22 years. His outstanding work includes ACT president from 2007 until 2010; ACT print awards coordinator and chair of jurors from 2003 until 2011; and he has been
JOHN GOLLINGS
a panel chair and judge at ACT, ACT/NSW and
Honorary Fellow
APPA for many years.
It is said, that the vast majority of people in the
Geoff is a specialist aerial photographer and
world only experience the beauty and grandeur
has presented at numerous AIPP events, business
of the world’s most important buildings through
boot camps, print critique nights and judge
the medium of photography, as they never get
training programs. He is also a folio assessor and
the opportunity to view the building in the flesh.
9
AWARDS
In Australia, John Gollings has been making
the pack.
photographs of architecture for over 40 years.
John works in the Asia-Pacific region and much
to man' of Australian architectural photography
of his work involves long-term cultural projects
and is recognised worldwide as a leader in his
in countries such as India, Cambodia, China and
field.
Indonesia.
John got hooked on photography as a boy,
books, his work is held in significant national and
but later went on to study architecture and holds
international collections, films have been made
a Master’s Degree in Architecture from RMIT
about him and he was the 2010 co-creative
University.
director of the Venice Architectural Biennale.
John’s journey into professional photography,
In the ensuring years, John has been the 'go
John has been published in numerous
John has been a two time recipient of the
started in 1966 when he took a year off from
Australian Institute of Architects Presidents
his architectural studies to work part-time in a
Prize, awarded the inaugural William J Mitchell
commercial photography studio.
International Committee Prize and in 2016 John
was made a Member of the Order of Australia
In the late 1960s, John branched out on his
own, photographing for fashion and advertising
(AM) for 'significant service to photography
clients.
through the documentation of iconic
architectural landmarks in Australia and the Asia
At the time, he also photographed the first
Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan tours of Australia.
Pacific region'.
- Greg Hocking
In the early 1970s, John became a member
of the Institute of Australian Photography (now AIPP).
KATE GERAGHTY
Honorary Fellow
As it turned out, John’s journey to becoming
an architectural photographer really kicked off
There are many larger than life characters in
when many of his architectural student class
professional photography, who by personality or
TAGS
mates graduated and were looking for someone
design stand out in a crowd. Then there are those
AIPP Ho no u r s
to document their buildings.
select few who just stand out!
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At the time, John had a somewhat quirky
Kate Geraghty is one of those select few.
style and often used creative techniques which
Kate is an all-round storyteller. She is the
were new to architectural photography. This
ultimate professional. There is an integrity to
appealed to many of the new breed of architects.
her work and her skill in editing her photos into
concise portfolios, where no shot is wasted. It
John was an innovator and stood out from
AWARDS
makes her one of Australia’s most outstanding photojournalists.
Kate is a five time Walkley winner and works
for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers.
I first met Kate in the mid 1990s when she
was studying photography at Perth College of TAFE. I was one of her lecturers and one of my enduring memories of Kate was her quiet determination to follow her own star, which in hindsight, was probably a good thing having had me as a lecturer.
IAN POOLE
Honorary Fellow
Kate started her professional photographic
career at the Albury-Wodonga Border Mail in
In 1959, a teenage boy was brought by his
1997.
parents from a North Queensland sugar cane
She then freelanced in Cambodia and Australia
town down to Brisbane. Ian Poole continues to
before joining The Sydney Morning Herald. Her
live and work in this city today.
first assignment for the Herald was to cover the
2002 Bali bombings. Since then, Kate has covered
purchase of a Nikon F and Metz 504 flash gun, he
numerous stories of conflict and natural disaster
was working weekends at weddings and social
throughout the world.
parties. They were all razor sharp photos because
f11 plus full charge flash with no umbrellas,
Kate’s drive and determination to access
In 1964, following an overly optimistic hire
elusive sources is what makes her work stand
shapers or diffusers did that for you!
out. She gains the trust of those she photographs
and says. “It’s a privilege to meet people and
poorly executed photographs survive in photo
for them to trust us enough to tell their story”.
albums around Brisbane because they were
Kate’s job is not without danger as an incident in
printed on archival, double weight fibre-based
2010 demonstrated. On board the MV Samoud
black and white paper!
of Gaza, Kate was Tasered and later jailed by the
Israelis. Despite this, Kate still manage to transmit
young photographer whilst they attempted
her photos.
to blitz the Brisbane market. Or more a case
- Greg Hocking
of shooting weddings, parties, portraits,
The sadness, Ian says, is that many of these
By 1972, Ian was in partnership with another
11
AWARDS
12
commercial, used cars or anything to stay alive.
APPA at the HYPO Convention held on the Gold
Coast 1977.
In 1975 Ian Poole joined the Institute of
Australian Photographers (IAP), being nominated
by Institute luminary David McCarthy. In 1976
and participated in print critique events. He has
he was co-opted onto the Queensland Council
judged in most states of Australia and been an
of the IAP. He was a member of that council at
active and respected judge and chair at the New
various times for 22 years, holding the office of
Zealand Iris Awards for 10 years. He was made an
Queensland president, vice-president, secretary,
Honorary Member of NZIPP in 2014. He has been
treasurer, newsletter editor and education officer.
a judge or panel chair at the Queensland Awards
since their inception in 1990.
From 1984 to 1989 he was a member of the
He has judged, panel chaired, trained judges
Australian Federal Council, the equivalent of
today’s Board. In that time Ian was treasurer and
at various towns in Queensland, Sydney,
vice-president.
Melbourne, Launceston and Perth, as well as
three speaking tours of New Zealand and one in
From 1978 to 2005, he variously represented
Ian has delivered lectures or workshops
the Institute on many photographic college,
Japan. He has been an exhibiting photographic
university and TAFE advisory committees,
artist in nine solo exhibitions and 34 group
including writing the syllabus for three subjects
exhibitions, in Australia, New Caledonia, China
for Queensland TAFE.
and Japan, and has curated nine photographic
exhibitions.
In 1986 he was Australian Delegate to the
World Photographic Conference in Cologne,
West Germany. In 1996 he was the recipient
degree of G.Dip Visual Arts from Griffith
of an Australia Council of the Arts Residency –
University and CN404 - Instructional skills from
four months of photographic research in Tokyo,
Southbank Institute of TAFE, Brisbane. As a part-
Japan.
time photographic lecturer, he worked for 19
years at the College of Art, Griffith University and
From 1997 to 1999, Ian was a member of the
In 1993, he was awarded the post-graduate
APPA Committee. In 2004 he produced, on behalf
subsequently for five years at the Queensland
of the AIPP Board of Directors, a review of the
University of Technology.
Australian Professional Photographer of the Year
Award – Judging the Future. Since 1986 he has
(MNZIPP), New Zealand Institute of Professional
judged most years at APPA. He entered the very
Photography in 2016 and his currently one of the
first APPA and was awarded a silver. He was part
assessors of new members for the Institute.
of the organising committee that ran the first test
- Ian van der Wolde
Ian was awarded Master Photographer
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How To Win Photo Competitions An eBook by Peter Eastway G.M. Photog., Hon. FAIPP, Hon FNZIPP, FAIPP I have judged many photography competitions and there are lots of little things that entrants forget to do. If only I could let them know before entering the competition, they would do so much better! Well, as a judge I’m not allowed to ring up and help entrants, but I can write a book that distills what I have learnt over the last twenty years that will give you a great head start. Of course, no one can give you an iron-clad guarantee that you will read my book and then win the next photo competition you enter – and I explain why in the book. However, what I can guarantee you is that if you read my book, you will improve the quality of your photography. You see, whether you’re aiming to win a photography competition or just take a better photograph, the advice is very similar. And I know that the tech-
niques and approaches I’ve developed over the years will help you capture and produce better photographs. My book is called How To Win Photo Competitions. It begins with a little about me. After all, it’s easy enough to write a book about winning photography competitions, but it’s better if you have a little bit of experience. Fortunately for me, I’ve been lucky enough to win quite a few competitions, plus I have a lot of experience as a judge. I can talk to you about both sides of the competition. Add in the fact I’ve been a magazine editor for 30 years and I hope I’m able to communicate my message pretty well. So, in just a couple of pages (I don’t want to bore you), I explain why I know what I’m talking about (even though my Dad told me not to boast). We then look at competitions and how they work, how you should
approach them, and how to use the results to assess your own photography. It’s important to set the scene before we get into creating photos that win competitions. The next two sections are the nitty gritty. We begin by talking about taking a great photograph in the first place. Competition winners begin with the camera and so we talk about camera technique, colour, composition, framing and so on - little tricks and hints that will make a world of difference to your photographs. From here we step into postproduction – using the computer to improve the images our camera has captured. Most readers will have dabbled with Photoshop, Elements or Lightroom and this is all you need to enhance your images so they are in the running for a competition win. These days, no matter how good your camera is, you simply must do a little post-production to finesse your entry.
I finish the book with some useful background information about how competitions work (generally speaking), and then I analyse some of the images that have won awards for me, pointing out the aspects that the judges responded to in a positive way. The book has lots of photographs and illustrations to explain exactly what I’m talking about. And it is an eBook. It is easy to read on a computer, laptop or iPad, and you need Adobe Reader (Acrobat) to view the book. There is no paper version of this book, although you can print out the Acrobat Reader file if you wish. I have created a sample eBook for you to look at on the Better Photography website, so please visit and have a read. If you like what you see, I hope you’ll purchase a copy. And for your next photo competition - good luck! – Peter Eastway
For more information and a read of the free sample, please visit:
www.betterphotography.com
WinPhotoCompAdvert-2014.indd 94
14/03/2014 7:08:21 AM
13
AWARDS
Abraham Joffe – 2017 Producer of the Year The 2017 AIPP Australian Video Producer of the Year, Abraham Joffe APVP, cleaned up with category wins in both the Corporate and Documentary categories as well!
Abraham Joffe on location, 2017 AIPP Australian Video Producer of the Year.
For the first year, the video arm of the AIPP held
the Year were presented to Abraham Joffe APVP.
its own awards and conference separately from
the stills photographers, marking a maturation
category wins must have helped elevate him
of video within the Institute.
to the overall winner, the 2017 AIPP Australian
Video Producer of the Year.
Proudly endorsed by Olympus as the sole
And while no guarantee, Abraham's two
Platinum Sponsor, both the judging and the
conference proceeded in fine style.
his acceptance, acknowleding all the work done
There were just two Gold with Distinction
by his production team at Untitled Film Works.
awards, both earned by Abraham Joffe who has
Whether weddings, documentary or corporate,
certainly made his mark on the video profession
video production tend to be collaborative
this year.
efforts.
In addition, there were 11 Golds, 17 Silvers
True to form, Abraham was very modest in
Judging was held on 26 September
TAGS
with Distinction and 25 Silvers, a total of 55
at Swinburne University, with a specialist
Awa rd s Video
awards.
convention the following day featuring Karen
Hollenbach, Sue Maslin, Steve Hubbard, Peter
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The 2017 AIPP Australian Wedding Video
Producer of the Year was awarded to Jared
Szilveszter, Jared Kettle, Jacob Williams and
Kettle APVP, while both the 2017 AIPP Australian
Lorna-Jean Bradley.
Corporate Video Producer of the Year and 2017
AIPP Australian Documentary Video Producer of
again for its valued support.
The AIPP wishes to thank Olympus once
THE 2017
2017 AIPP AUSTRALIAN VIDEO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
AUSTRALIAN
ABRAHAM JOFFE APVP
VIDEO PRODUCER
AWARDS CORPORATE VIDEO PRODUCER ABRAHAM JOFFE HAS BEEN NAMED OVERALL WINNER AT THE 2017 AIPP AUSTRALIAN VIDEO PRODUCER AWARDS
2017 AIPP AUSTRALIAN CORPORATE VIDEO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
ABRAHAM JOFFE APVP
2017 AIPP AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY VIDEO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
ABRAHAM JOFFE APVP
THE AIPP AND OUR P L AT I N U M SP O N SO R 2017 AIPP AUSTRALIAN WEDDING VIDEO PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
O LY M P U S W O U L D L I K E T O CO N G R AT U L AT E A L L O F T H E CAT E G O RY
JARED KETTLE APVP
W I N N E R S O F T H E 2017 AIPP AUSTRALIAN VIDEO P R O D U CE R AWA R D S!
AVPA AUSTRALIAN VIDEO PRODUCER
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15
AWARDS
Changing The Perception of Women The advertising industry has a lot to answer for in our perception of women's body shapes, so leading photography agency Getty Images is taking a stand on the images it will accept for stock.
TAGS Pro fes s i o n Sto ck Adver ti s i n g
16
Does the average woman in the street look like
Submission Requirements globally to ensure
the average woman in a fashion magazine? And
that such retouched creative materials cannot
if not, should she?
be submitted.
From 1 October Getty Images will no longer
"For many years now, the Getty Images team
accept creative images depicting models
has been tracking the evolving representation
whose body shapes have been retouched to
of women in imagery and seen a positive shift
make them look thinner or larger.
in customer choices (fueled by consumer
demand) toward those images which show
This has been standard practice for a high
percentage of fashion and beauty photographs,
more realistic and authentic representations of
which in turn filters through to the photo stock
women.
library industry.
has gone up +219% over the past year,
According to the press release, the new
The associated search term “unfiltered”
restriction is "an industry first and an important
“authenticity” has increased 104% and “real life”
step for Getty Images and authentic visual
up 99%.
representation globally, because accurate,
healthy depiction in advertising imagery has
Getty Images announced a content partnership
a direct correlation on fighting stereotypes,
with MuslimGirl.com that aims to tackle
creating tolerance and empowering
misrepresentation of Muslim women in the
communities".
media and advertising.
According to Getty Images, the change
The press release noted that earlier this year,
"Together, they’ve created an offering of
has been spurred by a new law in France that
new, high quality images that authentically
requires clients who use commercial images in
represent Muslim women in a fresh and
the region to disclose whether the body shape
contemporary light. MuslimGirl.com is the
of the model has been retouched.
largest Muslim women’s online platform in the
United States."
Getty Images has amended its Creative Stills
Proudly supporting the AIPP ATKINS PRO LAB
ATKINS PRO LAB
17
EDUCATION
Selling Photographs on Paper It seems so obvious, yet too few professional photographers are doing it: selling prints and albums. And it's no longer old school. In fact, paper is like film, experiencing a revival and this is good for both photographers and clients.
TAGS Pro fes s i o n Pr in ts Album s Sales Busine s s
How do we excite our members about paper
ritual of checking social media and put our
- about prints, frames, mattes, print boxes,
photographs somewhere else. Of course, this
albums and photo books.
isn't possible for a practising professional who
needs to use social media as part of his or her
How do we excite our clients, or is this
already happening?
marketing strategy, but we can make it possible
for our clients.
Over the past decade or so, paper products
have declined from our vocabulary because we
We can show them prints.
have been impressed by shiny, high resolution
We can show them framed prints.
screens with bright, vibrant colours. This has
We can show them albums or photo books!
applied to both photographers and their clients
One thing is for certain, it is very difficult
– and it's been a lot of fun.
to make a reasonable living from wedding
and portrait photography selling only
However, as digital photography matures,
our clients are becoming immune to the
digital files. The vast majority of financially
marvels of smart phones, tablets and television
successful professional wedding and portrait
screens. They no longer stop to enjoy the
photographers are selling something more.
high quality output, they just consume it with
They are selling paper.
avaricious zeal! High quality is expected, after all.
And they are earning a good living.
So, how do you start selling paper? If you've
If you're lucky, you might get a Like, a Heart
or a quick comment - and then your viewer is
never thought about it before, on the following
gone, onto the next image and the one after.
pages is a step-by-step introduction to the art
of selling paper, whether prints, frame, albums
How do we get people to slow down and
enjoy what we produce?
or books.
To begin, we have to break the digital image
cycle. We have to step aside from the daily
18
And in future issues, we'll flesh this out with
more specific advice on sales and production.
Prints Albums Books Frames 19
EDUCATION
1. Why Our Clients Need Prints Not Files The majority of people lose their digital files over time, strongly suggesting that as professional photographers, we should not be providing digital files alone when asked to photograph families and weddings. Throughout its short history, digital
generally have an expectation that their
photographs have been supplied to our clients
photographs will last at least their lifetime - and
on magnetic tape, floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, USB
hopefully that of their children and beyond.
sticks and now as downloadable files.
How should we respond to this knowledge?
With our current understanding of
How many of these files will be discoverable
by future generations?
technology, it is suggested that professional
photographers cannot in good faith provide
Unlike the small colour and black and white
prints found carefully preserved in albums and
digital files alone and expect those files to
shoeboxes by our grandparents, digital files are
survive for very long.
less likely to survive in our modern lives. Prints
and albums are physical, while digital files rely
files to our clients, suggest that they make
on the media they are stored upon, and as
copies every few years and update the media,
professionals, we should be well aware of the
but we know that in many if not most cases, this
limitations of these media.
won't happen.
While it is possible to transfer digital files
On the other hand, if we offered our clients
from one media source to another, or from
prints, there is a very good chance the prints
one cloud platform to another, the reality for
will survive as intended.
most consumers is that these files simply get
lost on an old computer, or the media is no
this modern digital age.
longer easily readable because computers no
longer have DVD drives or even a thumb drive
clients believe prints and albums are over-
connection.
priced or that they can produce their own prints
and albums. We can't force our clients to buy
Yet the families that entrust their
photography to professional photographers
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Yes, we can explain the limitations of digital
It is much easier to find a shoebox, even in Many clients want to have digital files. Many
prints, but we can offer them.
Business's like Art's Edge Photo & Frame in Perth are a great source of ideas for printed products - and they can make them for you too. http://artsedge.com.au/
21
EDUCATION
2. Why Prints Will Also Increase Our Profits If our clients associate digital files with 'cheap' and 'free', selling prints is one way we can increase the perceived value of what we provide – and at the same time provide our clients with a real benefit.
22
Many people associate digital files and
downloads with the adjective 'free'.
20 edited portrait files as a download, but be
very happy to pay $1000 for a large wall print,
When a photographer spends several hours
A client may struggle to see $1000 value in
photographing a wedding or family portrait,
a collection of loose prints in folders, and the
and then many more hours in post-production,
same 20 edited portrait files.
it can be difficult to assign individual files (or
photos) their fair value, especially when our
download link, they are carrying out a beautiful
clients have a starting price of 'free'.
product, of their family, which they can hang
and store in their home forever.
Over the past decade, 'shoot and burn'
Instead of walking out with a USB or a
services have devalued photography and so
What's the difference?
there is a further association of 'cheap' with
It's very hard to sell the digital files alone
'digital files'.
for $1000, but if we spent $150 on framing and
printing, it is much much easier to package up
All this conspires to make it very difficult
for professional photographers to earn a
the files with physical paper products.
reasonable income by selling digital files alone.
but we make many more sales because our
So, if your objective is to be fairly paid for
We earn a little less ($1000 - $150 = $850),
the photography you shoot, consider selling
clients see value and so we have a much more
something in addition to digital files.
viable business.
And we are acting professionally.
income from photography, adding prints, print
The sale of paper products is a win for our
boxes, photo albums and photo books to your
clients (because they have something that will
price list makes excellent sense!
last) and it's a win for us because we are able to
earn an improved living from photography.
Certainly if you wish to earn a full time
Suddenly you're not just selling 'free' files,
you're selling something tangible.
products?
And this is incredibly important.
Why wouldn't you want to sell paper
In addition to loose prints, framing and a host of other services, Atkins Pro Lab offers a range of packages which you can onsell to your clients. http://atkins.com.au/
23
EDUCATION
3. Making Prints And Photo Albums If you don't wish to make your own prints and albums (and many professional photographers do not), learn how to produce good quality digital files and send them to a lab or bureau that will do the work for you. One way to separate yourself from the majority
2. JPEG files are excellent for making prints.
of photographers is to learn some very simple
Set up Lightroom, Photoshop or Capture One
skills around printing and albums. It is not at all
to output JPEG files, quality setting 9 or around
difficult!
80%, in the AdobeRGB colour space.
If your photo files look good on your
computer monitor, then they can look good as
inches or centimetres), this will vary depending
a print or in a photo book. Here are a few tips to
on who is printing them, but most printers and
help make this process very straightforward.
bureaus will automatically re-size your files to
the size of print or page you have ordered.
1. Use a good quality monitor that is
calibrated. If you have been to a television store,
you may have noticed that the screens are all
instructed to make them smaller. Set up a pre-
slightly different - some are too green, too blue,
set in Lightroom or Capture One to automate
too light or just right.
the process.
Which one is your monitor?
3. Photos straight out of the camera are rarely
Obviously you want your monitor just right,
perfect, but don't edit (retouch) all your files as
Start with a full-size file unless you are
so use a colorimeter like Datacolor's Spyder to
this is time-consuming.
'calibrate' your monitor. It is a simple process.
files, others edit a small selection from which
If you're using an Apple computer, the
Some photographers show clients unedited
screen is very capable of showing you accurate
clients can choose (on the basis you never get a
(enough) colours. Eizo also makes an excellent
second chance to make a first impression).
range of monitors designed for professionals
which suit both Mac and PC computers.
are retouched.
However, very cheap monitors may never be
capable of showing a satisfactory image.
24
In terms of size (number of pixels, size in
Ensure all sensor spots and facial blemishes From here, visit some of the suppliers shown
on these pages for sample products.
You can go further than paper - create prints for your clients on metal, wood and other novel ways! Stand out and be different! http://www.chromaluxe.com/products/photographers/ http://www.hcpro.com.au/ –– http://www.print2metal.com/ –– http://www.rgbdigital.com.au/
25
EDUCATION
4. Preparing Sample Products To Show As photographers, we have lots of imagination, but often our clients do not. They won't be able to imagine what a print or photo book looks like, so we must produce a set of sample products to show before they will feel comfortable buying their own.
26
What products can you sell to your clients?
and have them return finished products for sale.
There are many for portrait and wedding
photographers to consider:
budget for promotional products. Many
• Framed wall prints
suppliers will give you a discount price if they
• Framed desk prints
know they are promotional (because if you sell
• Loose prints in paper folders
the idea to your clients, you will order more
• Loose prints in storage boxes
products). Order in samples of the products you
• Matted prints in storage boxes
want to sell.
• A traditional wedding album
• A wedding album as a photo book
what a framed print or photo album will look
• Smaller albums for parents
like. If you want to make regular sales, you MUST
• Family portraiture album
show them samples.
• Family portraiture photo book
If you already own an inkjet printer, you may
samples must be exciting and of high quality.
wish to do a lot of the printing and presentation
If you're using photos of existing clients, make
yourself. However, even if you do, take a look
sure you have their permission to use their
at the products already available in the market
photos.
by professional suppliers (see the list of AIPP
sponsors for suggestions, some of whom are
room where their samples can be displayed,
shown on these pages).
so if you're working out of your car and visiting
your clients, consider how you will transport
When you set up your business to offer
And here's the fun part. Set yourself a
It is very hard for our clients to 'imagine'
Naturally, the photos you use in your
Not all photographers have a studio or sales
paper products to your clients, create a system
and present your samples. You may choose not
that makes the process quick and easy for you. It
to include large wall prints that don't quite fit
is much easier to send digital files to a supplier
into your car!
Many labs and bureaus have easy-to-use online ordering systems with delivery to your front door. It's easy to do! http://fitzgeraldphoto.com.au/
27
EDUCATION
5. Pricing Prints, Boxes, Albums & Books Adding a margin to the price you pay for prints and albums is how you greatly increase the value and the profitability of your business. What that margin is, is up to you. Many photographers enter the profession with
charge your client?
little knowledge of retail selling, yet this is what
wedding and portrait photographers do.
properly – and we will do so in more detail in a
future issue – but the simple answer is that we
It may surprise you to know that while the
mark-up on a computer or a camera could be
must charge enough to cover our costs of being
as little as 10% or less, smaller items can have
in business and to pay ourselves a reasonable
100% or 500%, depending on the product and
wage, just like any other employee.
where it fits into the market.
For instance, a high-end fashion label
business for several years and understand their
might sell a dress for $2000, but the cost of
costs are charging between $500 and $1000 for
manufacture maybe as little as $100. At the
a 20x24 inch / 50x60 cm wall print, yet the cost
other end, a budget clothing label might sell a
of the wall print to the photographer may be
skirt for $20, yet its cost of manufacture could
the same, somewhere between $50 and $100.
be as little as $2.
in the perceived quality of the photography
Retailers make their money on the margin
Top end photographers who have been in
Like the fashion industry, there is a difference
between the cost of the product to them, and
and the product. You'll be challenged to charge
the sale price to their customers, and out of that
$1000 for a framed print unless all the other
margin they have to pay all their overheads –
aspects of your business point towards a high-
such as rent, staff, superannuation, telephone,
end product.
equipment and so on.
is that it is okay to mark-up the price for the
Making a profit on products we sell
The point to take away from this article
isn't a matter of ripping off our clients, it's
products you sell.
fundamental to being in business.
you don't mark-up the price for your products,
So, if you're buying a framed wall print from
your supplier for $100, how much should you
28
This is a highly complex question to answer
No, that's not correct. It is more than okay! If
you won't stay in business.
If books or albums are your thing, Momento also has some brilliant software to help you easily design magnificient looking publications! https://www.momentopro.com.au/
29
EDUCATION
6. Packaging To Make Buying Easier A carefully designed product range can make the process of buying wedding and portrait photography a lot easier for our clients. Give them a series of options, but not so many you make it confusing. When a client asks you for the price of your
selling techniques and so they are naturally
photography or products, it's important you are
wary.
confident with your answer.
us about what to buy.
Many photographers feel a little awkward
when they're starting out about charging
anything at all for something they enjoy doing.
range and price list. We need to have an
However, after a few shoots and a lot of hard
opinion and an answer for them.
work, they soon decide that there's no point
being a professional photographer and working
bridal couples have a wedding album or a
for nothing.
photo book because we believe in having a
printed product for longevity.
A price list makes this process a lot easier.
This is where we come in with our product
For instance, we may recommend that all
Instead of answering off the top of your head
or making something up, you can refer to
wedding photography and an album for a fixed
a printed price list (or it could be on your
price.
website).
a small desk print and a set of 10 loose prints is
The printed price list is a position of
Our price list could 'package' up the
Or we may think a large framed wall print,
authority and your clients are less likely to query
an ideal package for a family portrait shoot, so
you if it is written down (although many clients
we might create one or two different packages
these days will still try to negotiate a lower price
around this concept, at different price points.
or extra products).
part of this equation and so we'll cover these
Most of our clients don't employ
Sales techniques become an important
professional photographers very often, so the
techniques in future editions of the AIPP
process is new to them.
Journal.
Many clients will also have heard how some
professional photographers can employ hard
30
Even so, they are looking for guidance from
In the meantime, now you know how to
turn your business onto paper!
If you're interested in a modern album with a traditional feel, take a look at Nulab's Nuovo lay-flat albums. https://nulab.com.au/photo-albums/nuovo-albums
31
FEATURES
Keren Dobia: Affirmation What does it take to become an AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year? The AIPP Journal interviews Keren Dobia about her award winning approach to photography. Like most passionate professional
a key member of Sue Lewis’s mighty team. So
photographers, Keren Dobia says her bread
perhaps this is how Keren found the inspiration
and butter work is drastically different to the
she needed, being so close to so many award
personal work she entered into the AIPP Awards
winning images over the years?
system.
prints.
Shooting portraiture for commercial
“I kept showing up every day, just to see the
outcomes, clients presently include a number
"The quality was amazing and, being out
of not-for-profit organisations and she also
the back, we knew who the photographer was
lectures at Melbourne Polytechnic (formerly
as the judges talked about the print. When Sue
NMIT) and RMIT.
asked me to come onto the APPA Awards Team, I jumped at the opportunity.
UP CLOSE WITH THE PRINTS
But it’s her personal work and APPA that keeps
and the connection. None of the girls in the
her motivated. In fact, APPA has been a large
team really have anything in common other
part of her photographic life since she started
than photography, but we get on really well and
out the back as an APPA volunteer in 2008.
have a strong friendship outside APPA itself. You
can’t trade that.
“Some of the students such as Katrina
Ferguson and Kenny Foo were a year ahead of
me in college and they were raving about how
my students through and getting them excited
good it was, so the next year I put my hand up
about professional photography and the art of
to see what it was all about.”
the print.”
And APPA hasn’t let go. Keren is still closely
involved with the organization of the event and
“And now that I’m a lecturer, I’m bringing
Keren says she loves entering APPA, partly
because of her competitive nature, but more
Opposite: The Filmmaker. Photograph by Keren Dobia
32
“It’s an unpaid job, but I love the camaraderie
33
FEATURES
importantly so she can push herself to do
of the old filmmaker wasn’t planned, but just
better and improve. “I enjoy seeing the quality
happened because a friend of Keren’s car broke
of work from year to year and what others are
down outside her home. And then she took
producing. It’s a great benchmark to see where
advantage of the opportunity.
my work fits in.”
so he asked me to give him a lift there before he
This year it was pretty obvious where Keren’s
work fitted in!
“Tom had left his wallet at his parent’s house,
could get his car fixed. I was going to wait in my car while he grabbed his wallet, but he invited
TAGS Awa rds Po r tfo l i o D o bia Po r trai tu re
THE FILMMAKER
me in to meet his parents, John and Valerie,
Most winners at APPA spend a lot of creative
because he wanted to show me his dad’s
time and energy producing their four prints.
garage.
Sometimes the amount of effort required is lost
on newer entrants who think that pulling out
pretty much like it does in the photograph,
four good files at the end of the year is all that’s
hundreds of old, dusty film canisters stacked
required.
one on top of another.
“I’ve done that in the past. I’ve let myself get
“John was a filmmaker and his garage looked
"It was amazing! I knew nothing about what
lazy and pulled together four prints just before
Tom’s dad did until that day and then I spent
the deadline, but this year I took a different
a few hours talking with him. Three days later I
approach.
was shooting his portrait in that same garage.
"I wanted to be producing good quality
“I enjoy telling stories and I also like
prints all year round so that when it came time
organized chaos, so the garage was the ideal
to enter, APPA wouldn’t take over my life.
location for my filmmaker. It would be a bit like,
‘Where’s Wally’! “
"All four of my entries were shot before
February this year and completed months
ago, and while none of them were specifically
discovered a great location, but somewhere
created with the intention of entering APPA, I
there must be a reason? An idea? A driving
always had in mind that I could if they turned
force?
out okay.”
portrait commission for Joshua Holko two years
With that background plan, Keren’s photo
So, Keren has turned up at a friend’s house,
“This series of portraits was triggered by a
Opposite: Behind the scenes photo of John, the filmmaker being helped into position in his garage. There are a lot of film canisters in there!
34
35
More behind the scenes photos showing how the garage was slightly rearranged to accommodate the filmmaker.Â
36
FEATURES
ago. That image was really well-received at APPA
few days before he leaves again.
and I loved that it was mostly shot in camera. I
wanted to go back to the roots of photography,
again which gave me four weeks to prepare for
rather than using tons of post-production.
the shoot. It was up to me and my dad (he’s a
builder) to put together the set.
“I think post-production was making me a
“After choosing the concept, Joshua left
bit lazy. I used to shoot and think I would put
it all together in post-production, but you can
Melbourne Polytechic in the back of a ute.
always get a better result when you get as
much as possible in camera.
so Joshua could just walk in, have ice put in his
beard and take a few frames. I tested everything
"And you can still put the things you can’t
“We transported the set to the studio at "I set it all up the day before and propped it
shoot into the photo during post if required.
with a model who was a similar size.
This year’s set of four portraits were mostly shot
in camera.”
and I quickly realized that with the fake snow, I
"We had smoke machines and fake snow,
only had time for four or five frames before I’d
THE HOLKO PORTRAIT
have to clear the set and start again.
Joshua Holko approached Keren for a cinematic
style portrait that told a story about what he
few pieces of snow were spotted out and the
does: a polar photographer.
colour cast was added during post-production.
I guess I call colouring this a ‘cinematic’
“That was the brief - and the best type you
“Most of the image is created in camera. A
can get because it gave me a lot of freedom to
treatment.
create something from the ground up.
the past 20 years, you’ll see the different colour
"We had a meeting and I interviewed him
"If you watch many of the movies made over
to understand how he got to these locations,
treatments they use and how effective they are.
whether by ship or plane, because I knew
I use this as my inspiration for colour.”
nothing about what he does. I wanted to know if it was really cold, what ice does to hair and
NO CARPENTRY
skin and then figure out ways to replicate that
So, back to the filmmaker and the location. No
in the studio.
carpentry was needed as the garage was real,
but Keren, her partner Linton and Tom spent
“I pitched him three concepts, but I had to
wait quite a while for an answer because when
half the morning moving film canisters around
he’s away in these areas, he’s completely offline.
the garage floor.
And then when he’s back, it’s often only for a
“They were piled up all over the place, but I
37
FEATURES
38
Joshua Holko: The Polar Explorer. Opposite: Behind the scenes views of building the set. You can see Keren and her dad getting right into it up the top, then some fine tuning when the set is at the studio, creating the ice and snow and Joshua in makeup, and set without Joshua. Above: The final portrait by Keren Dobia.
39
FEATURES
needed to create a space in which John could
"It only took 10 minutes to get the exposures
sit. And there are no boxes propping up the
I needed and I certainly didn’t want to keep him
canisters – if it’s a tall pile, it’s because there
there too long. I’d already tested the angle with
were lots of canisters all the way down to the
Tom earlier, so I knew exactly what I wanted.”
floor. And I was told this is only one third of John’s output during his filmmaking career.
LOTS OF CURVES
In post-production, Keren says she went
“The editing table was there and we were
lucky that Valerie knew where everything was.
through her exposures, ensuring the one she
The bulk of the props are from the garage
selected had no clipping in the highlights or
- which is a bit of luck as far as this type of
shadows.
photograph goes!
the raw file a couple of times to extract more
“I borrowed the Hollywood style lights from
school, but they are more props than adding
information, but the Nikon D800 has a pretty
much to the overall ambience - they might rim
wide dynamic range already.”
light the filmmaker a little bit.
Then Keren left the images for a few days.
“I try not to work or even look at the shots
"Outside of the frame are two main lights,
a Deep 70cm Elinchrom Octa on the left and a
the day I shoot them because I’m too close to
big, square soft box on camera right.”
them. I like to let a few days or weeks pass so I
can see the images with fresh eyes.
The photo was shot on a Nikon D800 with a
24-70mm lens.
cinematography and the movies in how I
“On the day, the biggest challenge was my
“I think you can see my love of
subject because John had had a fall earlier that
processed this file.
morning.
cold blue, green or cyan, while the highlights
"However, he and Valerie were insistent the
"In the movies, the shadows are often kept
shoot go ahead. I think they were concerned
are the opposite – red, yellow and magenta. I
that, at age 87, there might not be another
still try to keep the blacks black and the whites
opportunity!
white, but everything in between has a slight
colour cast which is achieved through complex
“John was a little wobbly on his feet, so Tom
and Linton lifted him into the set and onto the
masking and lots of adjustment layers in
chair.
Photoshop.”
The Permaculturist. Photo by Keren Dobia.
40
“If there are, of course, you can process
41
42
FEATURES
Keren is decidedly ‘old school’ in her use
manually (it’s not that hard), rather than using
of the curves dialog in Photoshop, using the
one of the many plug-ins.
colour channels to give her the subtle control
she demands over colour.
ins, but because I’m a teacher, it’s good to be
able to show students how to do it manually,
“This is probably the most common tool
“Maybe I could save time with these plug-
I use - and it’s really simple too, once you
even if they end up using the plug-ins later on.
understand how it all works.”
“I think the biggest misconception about
Photoshop is that everything can just be ‘fixed
MAKING THE PRINT
up’ later.
Keren has an Epson Stylus Pro 3880 which she
uses for making her prints.
for creating a great image, but there isn’t. If you
“I’ll often do an initial test on two different
understand what is happening and what you’re
paper surfaces, lustre and matte, to see how the
doing, then that will allow you to work with any
photo responds.
image in the future.
"Then, once I’ve decided on the surface, I’ll
"People believe there is a step-by-step recipe
“The AIPP Australian Professional
continue to work the image, making specific
Photographer of the Year is the biggest
adjustments to suit the paper.
achievement I have ever received - and may
ever receive! I guess to be recognized amongst
“Matte papers generally absorb more ink,
making blacks appear heavier or darker, while
my peers for the work I have created is amazing.
lustre papers give a sharper finish.
It’s also a little strange and exciting, but most
importantly, it’s affirming that I am on the right
"For the print of the filmmaker, I wanted
matte paper, but I found the shadows were
track and that I can stick to my passions.
blocking up. Knowing this, I used a series of
luminosity masks over the shadow areas to
profession of photography and give exposure to
lighten them up, but in a realistic way that
my portraiture series - because I’m still looking
would not be noticeable.
for new models!”
“And I hope my photographs promote the
"Because luminosity masks are self-
feathering, they are very accurate."
Again, Keren is decidedly old-school,
preferring to make her luminosity masks
You can see more of Keren’s work at www.kerendobia.com.au
The Leather Tanner. Photo by Keren Dobia.
43
EDUCATION
Clipping The Blacks On Purpose! Conventional wisdom says we shouldn’t clip our tonal values, and while this is good advice when capturing our images, it doesn’t necessarily apply when we edit them in post-production. Depending on the screen with which you’re
good blacks and too many blacks which ‘block
viewing this article, you should be able to see
up’ the shadows. ‘Blocking up the shadows’
a line down the middle of the photo on the
simply means the dark tones all look the same –
opposite page. The right hand side of the image
they all look black.
has been ‘clipped’.
WHAT IS CLIPPING? Clipping is when you set your exposure or tonal adjustments so that some values in the file become pure white or pure black.
TAGS Tech n i q u e Po st-Pro d u c ti o n
44
In theory, a photo has a range of tones from
CLIPPING ON PURPOSE
black to white. You can’t have tones that are
So, when clipping the blacks, we do it gently.
darker than black, nor lighter than white.
In Photoshop, using the levels dialog, the trick
is to purposefully move the black point to the
Also in theory, you want as many tones
in your photo as possible, as this provides
right of the left hand edge of your histogram
a smoother tonal range and more detail.
(the graph), so there is just a little bit of the
However, theory doesn’t always translate into
histogram on the left of the black point (see
practice.
above).
Another theory says that your photo should
You can also do this with a curves dialog,
always have some good, solid blacks. Blacks
or in Lightroom or ACR, you can use the Black
provide the basis of and the grounding for the
slider to achieve a similar result.
tonal range. Too few blacks (or none at all) and
your photo can look washed out or lacking in
every photograph you take, but it is surprising
contrast.
how useful it can be, especially when you’re
preparing award quality prints.
However, there is a fine line between some
Naturally this technique isn’t required for
o n t u B . d e p p i l c Not e h t n i s k c a l b l rea . r e h t i e e g a m i
Blacks clip ped, just fractio nally to give the im age a base.
45
EDUCATION
46
The histogram shows that there are no real blacks –
The common approach to editing is to bring the black
and hence the photo looks quite flat. Even the black
point – the black marker on the left of the histogram
top looks grey. Next, notice how the contrast builds
– across to touch the edge of the histogram. Now the
subtley as the black point is moved to the right...
darkest tones should be black – but only just.
If you move the black point further to the right, you
However, if you clip the file too much, the blacks start
are ‘clipping’ the tonal range. All the values to the left
to block up noticeably – look at the hair on the left and
of the black point will be solid black – and this is what
the black top. A little clipping can be beneficial, but too
can give your image more contrast and ‘oomph’.
much is not.
47
NEWS
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category, and this year's awards were selected
for your clients on a daily basis, a printer like
by representatives from 27 professional,
Epson's SureColor P5070 is the answer.
amateur, and business magazines from Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America,
WHAT DOES A PROFESSIONAL NEED?
with a delegate from the Camera Journal Press
While there's no such thing as a typical
professional photographer these days, there is
P5070 and see what makes it tick.
Club in Japan. So, let's take a look at Epson's SureColor
a typical output requirement when it comes
TAGS Equ ip m e n t Pr in ter Ep so n
48
to photographs: excellent tonality, rich blacks,
TABLETOP DESIGN
wide gamut of colours and colour accuracy.
Remembering that the P5070 is labelled a large
Add in consistent, repeatable results with a
format printer, it will however fit on a desk or
robust, reliable and durable printer, and you
bench in your studio or home. It measures
have the ideal machine. All you need to confirm
863x1134x405 mm when in the open position,
is that the 17-inch maximum print width is
plus it will need a little space surrounding it to
what you need and the Epson SureColor P5070
load and retrieve paper from printing. It also
fits the bill.
weighs 62.5 kg, indicating that this is a serious
piece of technology designed to produce high
And you don't have to take our word for this.
The Epson SureColor P5070 was named "Best
quality prints.
Photo Printer" by TIPA this year.
is just $2995, or perhaps $3895 if you take the
TIPA – the Technical Image Press Association
Interestingly, the recommended retail price
– bases its judgment on the innovation,
optional 5-year on-site cover (which covers
use of leading-edge technology, design
everything should the printer need attention,
and ergonomics, ease-of-use and price-to-
including the print head). At this price, the
49
50
NEWS
P5070 is a very affordable entry into the world
MicroPiezo (TFP) PrecisionCore print head,
of professional printing, yet if anything, the
delivering a 2880x1440 dpi maximum print
new P5070 is demonstrably superior to the
resolution. Unlike other printers that use heat
Epson Stylus Pro 4900 it replaces, with greatly
to control ink delivery, TFP uses an electro-
improved dust and static resistance. In other
mechanical movement that not only provides
words, it has been designed as a workhorse, just
more stable output, but consumes less power,
like the larger, free-standing models from Epson.
is more flexible and more durable. Micro-fine drop-on-demand nozzles have less overspray
PRINTING OPTIONS
and allow more precise placement and volume/
The P5070 features a 17" (432 mm) wide
density control, thanks to VSDT (Variable-size
carriage, which means you can print panorama
Droplet Technology).
images 432 mm high by as wide (long) as you
like. It also happily prints up to A2 and this
an 11 cartridge ink supply system. Different
might be all you require for 90 per cent of your
black inks (Matte / Photo Black) are used
output.
depending on the media, but the printer
switches automatically based on the printer
There are four paper paths, allowing the
The P5070's head features 10 channels and
P5070 to support a wide range of media
driver settings.
from basic bond to photo and fine-art paper,
transparent film to translucent back-lit, canvas
on the print head works in conjunction with
to specialist synthetics. Roll media can be
self-monitoring, cleaning and alignment
attached with fast, spindle-less mounting,
systems to ensure predictable, consistent
automatic skew adjustment is on board and
and reliable output with minimal user
a high-speed auto-cutter will cut most stocks,
maintenance.
including canvas.
media with flawless precision, what about the
Sheet media can use a straight through
paper path for solid board up to 1.5mm thick
Epson further explains that a special coating
So, the P5070 can get the ink onto the
ink itself?
and you have edge-to-edge printing on both sheet and roll media, including full borderless
EPSON ULTRACHROME HDX INK
on roll stocks.
UltraChrome HDX ink uses an aqueous (water based) all-pigment formulation, producing
PRINT QUALITY
prints with a very wide colour gamut that dry
Inside the P5070 sits Epson’s Thin Film
quickly to become water and scratch resistant.
51
NEWS
The new HDX set features improved Matte
less than DeltaE 1.0 so that prints remain visually
and Photo Black formulations that provide
consistent when viewed under different lights
a larger Dmax for brighter prints with an
and lighting conditions.
enhanced tonal range in both B/W and colour.
and interested in producing custom printer
According to Epson, the ink set includes
For photographers using a range of media
light black ink for improved balance, Vivid
profiles, an optional spectrophotometer is
Magenta for brighter blues and pinks, Orange
available for the P5070. Co-developed with
for fine facial tones and lighting effects, as
X-Rite, the SpectroProofer provides high
well as Green for superior landscape and
measurement accuracy and when driven
environmental imaging. It also includes a new
with an appropriate RIP, it enables precision
Yellow ink that provides improved UV resistance
proofing as well as the automation of colour
for better image stability.
management. The ILS 30 SpectroProofer
mounts directly to the printer.
When you purchase your P5070, you
need to make a decision about whether you want to use Violet or Light Light Black as
THE PRINTER FOR YOU?
your eleventh ink. For photographers, we'd
So, will the Epson SureColor P5070 fit into your
recommend going with the Light Light Black
home or studio?
ink as this is advantageous for black and white
and photography generally, and provides
facilities (1000Base-T), includes a large colour
98% PANTONE coverage. The Violet ink will
LCD screens with an easy to follow menu
get you 99% PANTONE coverage, but unless
system and in-built help.
you're doing proofing and packaging work,
the extra 1% of violet hues is of less interest for
with consistent results and reliable operation
photographers.
with minimal maintenance. Ink cartridges (up
It features fast and flexible networking
Importantly, it enables volume production
to 200 ml) are pressurised to ensure maximum
SPECTRO ONBOARD
output precision with a reduced cost per print.
At the factory, all the SureColor P range printers
are colorimetrically calibrated during assembly
On-Site Warranty that can be extended up to
to ensure that photographic and fine–art prints
five years as mentioned.
from different printers of the same model
The P5070 is covered by a standard 1 Year
It's looking pretty good, isn't it!
remain totally consistent.
52
The ink features a colour constancy level of
For more information, visit www.epson.com.au.
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Peter Eastway’s
Online Landscape Photography MasterClass Learn the art, craft and business of landscape photography with a member-only subscription to Peter Eastway’s Landscape Photography Masterclass. The online delivery includes 18 classes (each comprising 3 movies and 3 articles), featuring equipment, techniques, inspiration and Photoshop post-production. Start at any time. Learn at your own pace. There are no exams! Replay and re-read as often as you like. And share your comments and ideas with other MasterClass members. To view, read and experience a free sample Landscape Photography MasterClass, please visit our website and follow the links ...
www.betterphotography.com Landscape Photography MasterClass - Contents
54
FINE ART MOVIES
KNOWLEDGE
JOURNEY
ACUMEN
POST-PRODUCTION
1. Monte Fitz Roy, Patagonia 2. Mount Nemrut, Central Turkey 3. Cape Palliser, New Zealand 4. Cappella di Vitaleta, Tuscany, Italy 5. Elephant Island (Iceberg At Sea) 6. Pilbara Storm, Western Australia 7. Steeple Jason, Falkland Islands 8. Nevis Tree, South Island, New Zealand 9. Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, USA 10. Oxer Lookout, Karijini, Western Australia 11. Segovia Castle, Central Spain 12. Great Barrier Reef, Australia 13. Western Macdonnells, Central Australia 14. St Gregory’s, Ani, Eastern Turkey 15. Weano Gorge, Karijini National Park 16. Clinging Tree, Dales Gorge, Karijini 17. Ishak Pasha – The Mosque Behind 18. Stirling Ranges, South Western Australia
1. Which Cameras Are Best for Landscapes? 2. The Best Lenses For Landscapes 3. What Is The Best Aperture To Use? 4. Camera Support For Maximum Clarity 5. Camera Bags - Sensible Approaches 6. Landscape Photography Accessories 7. Colour Temperature & How It Works 8. Correct Exposure And The Histogram 9. Using The Light For Landscapes 10. How To Stitch Panoramas 11. Archival Landscape Prints 12. How To Shoot Aerial Landscapes 13. Composition Part 1: Subject Matter 14. Composition Part 2: Framing & Cropping 15. Composition Park 3: Viewpoint 16. Composition Part 4: Placing The Horizon 17. Composition Part 5: Centre of Interest 18. Composition Part 6: Rule of Thirds
1. Patagonia, South America 2. Favourite Places In Turkey 3. Favourite Places in South West USA 4. Favourite Places In Italy 5. Central Spain for Castles 6. The Pilbara, Western Australia 7. Easter Island, Pacific Ocean 8. Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan 9. Shooting The Pyramids, Egypt 10. Hamilton Island, Australia. 11. Queenstown, New Zealand 12. Ancient Ani, Eastern Turkey 13. Amazing Papua New Guinea 14. Karijini National Park, Western Australia 15. Cruising For Landscape Photographs 16. Reaching Your Destination 17. Scotland & The Isle Of Skye 18. Antarctica & The Southern Islands
1. Potential Markets for Landscape Photos 2. How To Price Your Landscape Prints 3. Creating Landscape Prints For Sale 4. Publishing A Book of Landscapes 5. Publishing A Book How Finances Work 6. Presentation: Why It’s So Important 7. Setting Up Your Own Website 8. Setting Up An Exhibition 9. Shooting For Books & Magazines 10. Limited Edition Print Sales 11. Computer Power - Do You Need More? 12. Landscape Print Sales Paperwork 13. Print Sizes And Paper Surfaces 14. Shooting Landscapes That Sell 15. Getting Photos Published With Words 16. Do You Need A Business Plan? 17. Which Photo Editing Software? 18. Where To Now That You’ve Finished?
1. RAW Conversion Technique 2. Darkening & Lightening With Soft Light 3. Multiple RAW Conversion Technique 4. Luminosity Masking Technique 5. Colour Balance – Getting It Right 6. Local Contrast – Two options in Photoshop 7. Vignetting – How It Can Improve Images 8. Lab Color - Full Control in Photoshop 9. Nik Software - Using Viveza Plug-in 10. Photomerge For Stitching 11. Channels for Hue/Saturation Adjustments 12. Making Selections In Photoshop 13. Sharpening In Photoshop 14. Black & White Conversions 15. Focus Stacking (Helicon Focus) 16. Lightroom Catalogs for Landscapes 17. Big Black & White Punchy Landscapes 18. High Pass Filter For Landscapes With Pop!