Face it: Sometimes, we are lazy. We take pictures on our phones and cameras, download or send them to friends and family, retouch or enhance them…and they are still just electrons in the ether, visible for a fleeting moment until we press send, save or delete.
A picture becomes a PHOTOGRAPH when you print it. It becomes a physical thing existing in space and time, to hold, to touch and to keep or hand to others to enjoy. A printed photograph, in many forms, helps you to understand the image you made, especially if you display it and live with it for a while. I often print the best images of a trip on my printer in 13-inch by 19-inch format, mount them to black foam-core, and set them in my home so I can enjoy and learn from them; I learn about my techniques and my creativity. Generally the images I print are those that most appeal to my creative side, not my technical nature.
The wonder of digital photography, thankfully, has created an entire industry of printing that has almost infinite possibilities. Beyond small prints and moderate size enlargements, we can now print beautiful books to remember trips and events, memorialize special times on coffee mugs and share pictures over the entire year on calendars. And new media types are available that make your images even more dramatic than paper prints.
Photo books are some of my most favorite items, because they allow me to exercise additional creativity in layout and design, and of course, add text to enhance the experience.
Layouts come in a wide variety of color and with design elements you can select on a page-by-page basis.
Coffee mugs are a great way to celebrate a trip, graduation or other life event.
Calendars come in different sizes and shapes, for desk or wall hanging.
I love to display canvas prints on a picture rail in my living space, and rotate images from time to time to relive the joy of my travels.
Metal prints are a new favorite way to make a dramatic presentation.
Think about your own photography: does it end with “soft display” on a monitor or tablet, or do you make beautiful, creative and long lasting impressions with PHOTOGRAPHS?
David Huffman is a Photographer and Author, Trip Leader and Instructor with Arizona Highways Photo Workshops. Visit him at www.HuffmanPhotoArt.com.
David Huffman
huffmandw@gmail.com
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