Professional Photography

The Myth of Photographic Reality

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:45:00 GMT

I recently wrote a review of Photoshop Elements 8 that covers most of the new features in this program. The review had almost immediate feedback from a few people deploring the ability to modify photographs with the recompose tool, with one person saying it reminded them of the Soviet propaganda techniques and George Orwell of 1984 fame. To hear these people, you’d think that photography became invalid with the advent of digital imaging.

Evidently there is a large body of people who believe a photograph should contain the truth and nothing but the truth, with no room for artistic freedom or expression. While I agree that photojournalism needs to be held to this type of standard (anyone remember National Geographic moving the pyramids to suit the cover?), most people just want a good photo that has some meaning to them.

Those of you reading these blog posts here at the HP Pro site aren’t in the majority – your skills are probably beyond what 99% of the photo-taking population can claim, and being able to improve a snapshot into something that is worth printing and framing is a welcome option.

For those of us that are interested in fine art or expressive photography, reality isn’t always what interests us. Take the two different images shown below. The first, an old farm truck and barn in Eastern Oregon, is a rather plain and uncompelling image—if you saw the straight shot on a wall you most likely wouldn’t even pause. By doing some HDR tone mapping though, the image is much more eye catching. While I haven’t added anything to the image, it isn’t something you’d ever be likely to see with your eyes, so the reality-purists would decry this as a phony.

The second image is an ancient bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California. I think this one can stand on its own as shot. It has good color, nice detail, and represents a true look at the scene. But, I prefer the black-and-white version below it. Once again, there’s nothing here that isn’t in the actual scene. But I’ve stripped the shot of color, making it something you’d never see in real life. Is this also a fake, manipulated image that is not to be trusted?

Photography has always been an expressive form for many people. As the person capturing the image, you should be able to control the final product just as an artist with paint and brushes can, or the sculptor with his chisel and marble.

Yes, photojournalism needs to have an accurate representation of what it is reporting on, but does a landscape, or fine art image need this? In my mind, the person that says yes is the one living in the Orwellian world.

I’d love to hear your take on this. Am I living in my own fantasy world?

An iPhone Assistant

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:18:00 GMT

By Wayne Cosshall

Professional photographers often have one or more assistants. And for very good reason: They are a real help. But not all of us can either afford one or do the sort of photography where an assistant is billable to the client. Now there is a substitute for an assistant—an iPhone.

Having avoided the smart phone trend for some years I finally gave in and obtained an iPhone 3Gs in the 16GB version. The result has been pure joy and bliss, especially now that I have discovered that the iPhone can make a great photography assistant.

The flexible thing about the iPhone (and I suspect other smart phones, such as the new Google OS models) is the ability to add applications to the device. There are already a fair number of apps related specifically to photography plus a number of others that are very applicable to photographers. So let’s have a look at what I am using and how.

First, the iPhone comes with some highly effective standard apps. The email and web browser work well and allow me to function efficiently when in the field. A built-in Google Maps app has been very helpful. I am primarily a landscape photographer for my own personal work. Google Maps provides much of the functionality of Google Earth, which means I now can easily find exactly where I am when I wander off the beaten track. The ability to just follow roads and tracks that look promising without worrying about tracking my location on a map has made for more spontaneous exploration. Furthermore, the ability to overlap satellite views on the maps is wonderful for scouting out possible shooting locations. I made sure I connected to a network that offered great rural cell coverage. A bit of fiddling and using Google Calendar allows me to keep my appointment calendars updated on my phone and office computer. The built-in Notes and Voice Notes apps are good for capturing ideas when on location.

The first photography app I bought was Simple DOF. This handy little app will calculate the hyperfocal distance for you for any lens and camera body combination at any aperture you like. It also calculates the exact depth of field limits for a given point of focus and aperture. I tend to use this little app in two ways. For landscape work I often use the hyperfocal distance calculation, while with interiors, tabletop and macro I use the exact DOF calculation.

Another simple app, Phases, gives me the moon phase plus the moonrise and sunrise/sunset times locked to my GPS determined location.

myPantone is a stunning application. Basically it links in with the Pantone color system and can suggest harmonious color schemes from chosen color patches or by extracting colors from a photograph. I’ve already used this tool on one client website design. The app quickly allowed me to pull together a color palette my client liked from a picture of some of their favorite things.

Trails is a GPS app that will track your location and save it to a file. This location data can then be transferred to your computer and (with other software), matched to your images to GPS tag them. Again, this is absolutely brilliant for a landscape photographer who does not have GPS built into his cameras. The only downside of this app is that since the iPhone cannot multi-task, you have to have this app running as the main app while it is tracking. Thankfully the iPod and phone functions still work while it is active.

Evernote is a fantastic note making application that keeps your notes on a central server so they are easily synced to various devices. I use this all the time for shot lists, ideas, etc.

The last non-specifically photographic app is Things, a fantastic to-do list app that will sync with the Mac version of Things. Windows users can just use it on the iPhone, or find one of the similar applications for Windows and iPhone. Things allows for complex, multi-step to-do lists, with due dates, alarms and much more.

I’ve just skimmed the surface of apps for the iPhone, but these all meet my present needs. I do also run StarMapPro to help me predict night sky shots and identify what I can see in the sky.

Assistants are great, but an iPhone assistant can provide convenient and cost effective assistance for those of us without a human one. Give it a try.

Why Add a Finish to Your Prints?

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:09:00 GMT

By David Saffir

I’ve long felt conflicted about finishing my prints. When I first tried it years ago, most of the products available used smelly, potentially toxic chemicals. I didn’t have time to experiment with some of the creative effects that could be achieved with gels and I was skeptical that a spray or liquid clearcoat could add to the archival life of a print.

Those days are gone. Today there are many non-toxic/non-hazardous sprays and liquids that can applied to protect the entire print surface as well as gels that can be applied either to the whole print or selected areas of the print for artistic effects. Plus, independent testing groups such as Wilhelm Imaging Research have shown that products such as Premier Eco Print Shield can extend the display life of a print.

Finishing products can be applied with a spray gun, roller, brush, and even one’s fingers!

What are some of the reasons one would want finish a print?

Protection of Print Before They Are Framed. Even if a print will ultimately be framed and displayed behind glass, a good, evenly applied spray can protect the print from the accidental scuffing, scratching, fingerprints, or sneeze-damage that can occur as the print is handled and packed up for transport from your studio.

Protection of Unframed Prints. Some photographers and artists regard the glass or acrylic used with frames as a barrier to accurately viewing all of the colors and details in their work. And canvas is typically displayed unframed or framed without glass, so the viewer can fully appreciate the subtle textured weave of the canvas.

Any print that is framed without glass needs to be protected, not only from UV light and abrasion, but also from airborne contaminants such as cooking fumes, cigarette smoke, and insect residue. Printed canvas that will be stretched to create a gallery wrap needs to be protected from the abrasion that can occur while the print is being stretched. Even inkjet-printed pages that will be bound into an album or portfolio book need protection as the pages will be frequently touched and turned.

Appearance. Some sprays can change the appearance of an inkjet print to better resemble continuous tone printing, by reducing or eliminating gloss differential and bronzing. The gloss optimizer used during printing with the HP Designjet Z-series printers greatly reduces or eliminates these problems, but many enthusiasts and professionals who use printers without gloss optimizers have discovered that the right spray can even out the gloss on a print surface.

Artistic Effects. Some photographers and artists now use different types of gels and varnishes to embellish their prints before they are matted and framed. These gels can either subdue or enhance overall contrast and color or add texture or brushstrokes.

Perceived Value. If done well, print finishing may make a print more attractive to a potential buyer or collector. Hand-embellishing a print by brushing on a gel makes each print a unique piece of art.

Camera RAW 101: Why Shoot RAW?

Eileen Fritsch — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:49:00 GMT

By Jon Canfield

Although blogs and websites are great ways to pick up snippets of useful information and insights, reading (and writing) photography books can help put a lot of complex information into perspective. My newest book was published by Amphotos Books in August.

Entitled Camera Raw 101: Better Photos with Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom, it was written for any digital photographer who is interested in going beyond the preset options in the camera and is ready to take control over the creative process. The book provides the information you need to make RAW work for you, including setting up a preliminary workflow, using and automating Adobe Camera RAW, and basic and advanced conversion options. The book also includes a detailed comparison of Adobe Camera RAW features in Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom 2.1. In the following excerpt from the book’s introduction, I explain why you should shoot RAW and suggest when RAW isn’t the best choice.

Why You Should Shoot Raw: When total control and the highest possible image quality are needed, RAW is the perfect format to use. The greater dynamic range, color depth, and post-capture editing capabilities make the RAW format the best choice in most situations.

RAW files shouldn’t be seen as the lazy person’s way to great images, though. A poorly composed image, an out-of-focus image, or one with gross exposure errors isn’t going to be magically transformed into a quality photograph because you were able to edit the RAW file. It is the responsibility of the photographer to capture the best possible image at the time of capture.

Advantages over JPEG and TIFF: RAW files free the photographer from having to be satisfied with what the camera thinks are the correct values for sharpening, noise reduction, and white balance. The differences can be startling! Since this information is all stored in addition to the file, it becomes possible to make changes to them after the fact. This is where the RAW format becomes so valuable.

When shooting in JPEG the camera processes the color values based on the current white balance setting in the camera to create a final image. The file is then compressed to save space using the current quality setting in the camera. RAW capture, on the other hand, does no color interpretation in-camera but depends on the RAW converter software to handle this task. Hence, you have much more freedom after the capture to either fine-tune the image or make corrections to basic problems, such as improperly set white balance.

RAW is the only capture method that preserves the full color fidelity of the image. With JPEG, you automatically throw away one third of the color information in your image. The sensor in most cameras records data as a 12- or 14-bit file, giving each pixel one of 4,096 levels or more of color. To take advantage of this, you’ll need to shoot in RAW mode. JPEG only supports 8 bits per pixel, reducing the possible colors to 256 per pixel. Less color information means that yu have less latitude when editing the image for final output.

JPEG is a lossy compression method. Every time a file is saved in the JPEG format it loses a little more fidelity.

JPEG and TIFF also apply sharpening and noise reduction at the time of capture. If you’ve set these incorrectly, and don’t catch the error, you have little choice in the edit phase. I strongly feel that the camera does not know what my intended use for an image is and should never be allowed to choose the sharpening or noise reductions it “thinks” I want.

Saving in camera in TIFF is becoming much less common in recent cameras. Although some, such as the Canon DSLRs, actually tag their RAW files as TIFF, these are not true TIFF files. TIFF, or Tagged Image File Format, is a standard file type for bitmap, or raster, data. Unlike JPEGs, TIFFs are not subject to lossy compression or to only 8 bits of color information. The file sizes are large; a 16-bit TIFF file will be about three times the size of the same RAW file, because TIFF is saved to 16 bits rather than the 12 or 14 bits recorded by the camera. The extra bit depth is an advantage over JPEG, but the same control issues that JPEG suffers from are present in TIFF capture as well. Color balance, sharpening, and noise reduction are all applied directly to the image at the time of capture. The only advantage that TIFF offers over JPEGs is color fidelity and lossless compression. To be honest, I can’t think of a single instance where saving a TIFF file in camera is a good option.

When RAW isn’t the Best Choice: There are times when the extra work involved with RAW processing can’t be justified. As an example, photojournalists will typically shoot in JPEG when shooting for assignments. The image files are smaller, important for quick transfer to the newsroom, and the JPEGs can be used with little or no extra work before publishing. Another time when JPEGs may be a better choice is when you are shooting youth sports events and want to make prints for sale right at the site. This is another case of speed being more important than quality.

I love to share information on digital imaging and photography, and I hope my new book reflects this passion. I’d love to hear from you with comments about Adobe Camera Raw or to share your experiences.

The Value of Photography Events: Finding the Unexpected

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:22:00 GMT

By Wayne Cosshall

As I write this, I am in the middle of the month-long Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BFB). It got me thinking about all the various ways in which we can benefit from participating in events such as this.

There is one annual photo event I regularly attend, the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show here in Australia, as well as the Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BFB) every second year.

The PMA Conference and Exposition: PMA in Australia (as I believe it is in the US and with similar shows in other countries) is actually a composite event. While the core activity is to enable photo-industry suppliers to meet with photo retailers and end customers, many other events run concurrently. While PMA runs workshops relevant to its members, two professional photography associations run meetings and print awards, and the Photo Imaging Educators Association runs their own sessions. Plus, various organizations take the opportunity to exhibit photography.

No matter which group is conducting the sessions, the training events at PMA not only provide great information but are also timed to enable you to network with other participants. Each of PMA’s affiliate organizations holds cocktail parties and get-togethers.

The best part of these networking opportunities is that you never know what will come out of meeting another photographer. I’ve discovered great ideas about new directions for my work, great workflow suggestions, selling tips, and much more.

Examining exhibitions of photography can provide similar benefits. You can learn something from looking at any photography, even if you simply learn what you don’t want to try.

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale: BIFB is a month-long festival of photography, with a core exhibition program, a fringe festival of associated photography exhibitions, and a workshop program. Workshops run at two locations and exhibitions are spread over the city of Ballarat (a regional city of about 80,000 people) and nearby towns, including major concentrations in Daylesford and Trentham. Various talks are also given.

Like the PMA event, the BIFB provides lots of stimulation for the creative juices. The workshops not only provide training but also networking and the opportunity to learn from other photographers. The exhibition program at BFB is extensive and if you can’t learn something from any group of exhibitions you are not trying.

Similar events to BFB are conducted all over the world. I attended Arles in France once and found it to be a similar, but more intense, experience. There are so many others events, including the New York Photo Festival.

At any such photo festival there will be many exhibitions from which to choose. Some will appeal to you, some will not, and others you will find by happy accident.

Plan Some, But Not All, Your Time: One good way to maximize the return on the time and money invested in attending a conference is to look through the program in advance and choose which workshops you must attend and the exhibits you must see.

At some festivals, you can buy a package that allows you attend a certain number of workshops. In this case, choose the ones you must but if you are allowed some extras, then I’d suggest almost choosing at random. Since you want to experience the happy accident (and you can’t predict in advance just what you will get out of it), almost any workshop will do if you don’t have to pay extra for it.

In the case of PMA, allocate enough time to see the trade show. Then in the time you have left, try wandering into exhibits or seminars that weren’t included on your “must-do” list.

Often, you will discover that exhibitions or seminars that don’t sound particularly worthwhile from the conference program will actually offer you something of value if you go.

At most festivals, it’s impossible to see every event, but if you leave some free time in your schedule, you’ll at least have the opportunity to discover something you weren’t expecting. And it could be something the changes your creative life. Believe me, it happens.

If you derive some or all of your income from photography, then attending some of these events can be tax deductible. Since they are usually held in interesting locations, your spouse may enjoy going along, too.

It is hard to overstate just how valuable these events can be to your career and development as a photographer. So make the time and travel if you have to.

Sometimes the greatest value of attending a festival comes from something small. It could be one part of an image in one exhibition that haunts you and pushes you in a new direction once you return home. Or, a discussion with a photographer might open up a whole new possibility. You never know quite just what will happen. But I do know that I am always stimulated and something unexpected always happens whenever I attend one of these photography events. Give it a go.

Portfolios: Print? Digital? or Both?

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:47:00 GMT

By Jon Canfield

Traditionally, a photographer’s portfolio has been one of the most important assets for presenting work to galleries and potential clients. With so much work being done digitally these days, is it really necessary to maintain a print portfolio? Or can you get the same impact from a digital one? Like so many things, the answer is “it depends.”

Many galleries still want to see a traditional print portfolio with your work presented in 11 x 14 or 16 x 20 in. format (8.5 x 11 is another option, but in my experience the larger sizes have more impact and help your work stand out to the buyer or editor). Whether you use a book like the Itoya Art Portfolio from Light Impressions, or a portfolio box, the tactile pleasure of being able to physically handle a print and feel the substance and texture of your selected media can add that “wow” factor that you need to get in the door.

For many other uses, a digital portfolio will get your work in front of many more eyes than traditional methods would. And, with so much competition out there, the more views you get the better your odds are. For this type of presentation, the obvious choice is a website to which you can direct your prospects to view. While this is a good general way to have your work seen, I also use a portable digital album. I’ve found that the Portable Digital Photo Album from Digital Foci is a great way to present images while still giving your portfolio a professional look. The digital frame lets a gallery or client see your images as they might look if they were printed and displayed on backlit film. This type of presentation can help your work stand out from the crowd.

The bottom line is that at this point in time, there isn’t a single best way to present your work. Print, digital, and web portfolios all have their place and are the right choice in certain instances. Just as I wouldn’t go to a fine-art gallery and present my black-and-white work in digital-only format, I wouldn’t expect a client interested in stock or wedding photography to see only prints. Buyers of stock images or wedding photography are likely to be interested in using the work digitally, either exclusively or in tandem with prints, so it’s important to give them a preview of the options they’re looking for.

Artists Demonstrate Digital Printing's Infinite Possibilities

Eileen Fritsch — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:49:00 GMT

By Eileen Fritsch

When I first started editing The Big Picture magazine in the mid-1990s, the possibilities for digital printing were just beginning to be explored. Our articles helped show business owners and creative professionals the many different ways wide-format digital printing technology could be used in outdoor advertising, retail signage, interior décor, prepress proofing, photography, and fine art reproduction. It was fun to see the wildly creative things that ad agencies, graphic designers, artists, and photographers wanted to do with the new printing technology, print media, and software being developed by the innovative engineers and scientists working in the R&D labs. The technology developers were driven by the requests of the creative professionals, and the creative professionals were in turn empowered by the technology developers.

That process of technology exploration and mutual inspiration is still going on.

In HP's booth at the Print 09 show in Chicago, the three talented artists of the Digital Atelier are showcasing new possibilities for creating and presenting art. At the show, Dorothy Krause, Bonnie Lhotka, and Karin Schminke are introducing a Collector’s Boxed Set. The boxed set accommodates a piece of original art by each artist plus a 74-page book 11 x 14 in. hardcover coffee table book. The three prints and book all fit neatly into an archival, black, anodized aluminum box, with a title engraved to the match the foil-stamped fabric hardcover of the book. Both the book and the original art were produced as a signed and numbered limited edition of 100.

After the selected images were proofed on the HP Designjet Z3200, the book was produced on the HP Indigo 5500 press, using three different types of paper (one for the text and images; one for endpapers; and one for overlays). Acme Bookbinding bound the printed text and Universal Laser Systems laser-engraved the box made by Pina Zangaro.

Dorothy Krause used the HP Scitex FB6100 UV flatbed to print her edition of Beachflowers (right) on .024 mil aluminum. She selected this technology because she could use the Scitex opque white ink under selected areas while allowing other areas to benefit from the natural reflectivity of the metal. She says, "The ability to print on uncoated metals with white ink expands the visual vocabulary available to the artist in ways not possible with traditional inkjet."

Bonny Lhotka used the HP Designjet Z3200 to print a phantogram entitled Water (left) on HP Matte Litho-Realistic Paper. Using a HDR (high-dynamic range) image, the phantogram is a pair of flat images distorted to mimic the perspective of a three-dimensional object in which the illusion of depth and perspective is visible when viewed with (red-cyan) 3D glasses.

Karin Schminke’s piece, Margaret’s Meadow, (right) combines a base print made on the HP Designjet Z3200 with an overlay of intricately cut black paper created on Universal Laser System’s Professional PLS4.60 laser. Schminke notes that "The drama of the black laser-cut edge pairs beautifully with the strong color achieved on the HP Matte Litho-realistic paper, creating a very expressive print."

To protect each print in the collector’s boxed set, a portfolio wrap was printed on the HP Indigo WS6000 Digital Press and includes a Certificate of Authenticity for each print.

To read more details about all of the equipment and materials used in the project by downloading this PDF. Or you visit the website of The Digital Atelier and download a copy of the 13 x 19 in. broadside that folds to a 6.5 x 6.33 in. book.

When I first saw the Collector’s Box Set, it occurred to me that this type of presentation could be used by many creative professionals. For example, wedding, portrait or architectural photographers could adopt this new way of collecting, presenting, and selling their best work.

Last year, I interviewed an architectural photographer who was making portfolio boxes of prints on fine-art paper for an architect of high-end home. The architect knew that a portfolio of the photographer’s prints would make an ideal housewarming gift to his own clients. The photo prints focus on some of the most exquisite architectural details of the client’s new home and serve as a great conversation piece when the new homeowners entertain guests.

So, it was a win/win situation all around. The professional photographer found a new format for selling his work. The new homeowners treasured the gift of the photo prints. And the architect couldn’t ask for any better publicity for his firm than having his clients enthusiastically show off the prints to their friends. Just think how this presentation could have been even further enhanced by including a custom photo book showing all of the phases of the home’s design and construction.

When you think about it, the role of an artist is to challenge us to look at things in whole new ways. What the artists of the Digital Atelier teach is that digital printing offers endless possibilities for creativity. While digital printing has made traditional methods of fine-art reproduction, photo printing, signmaking, and book publishing more efficient, it has also opened up many opportunities to do things that were totally impractical before.

I first learned about The Digital Atelier in 1997, when I sent a reporter to cover a two-week digital-printmaking demonstration project they were leading at the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution. When my reporter returned, she told me about how inspiring Dot Krause, Bonny Lhotka, and Karin Schminke had been—especially when some skeptical reporters from other magazines harshly questioned the legitimacy of using digital technologies to create and print art.

We’ve come such a long way since then, as evidenced by the widespread acceptance of inkjet-printing in reproducing fine art and printing fine-art photographs. Yet there is still plenty of room for exploration and discovery of new opportunities.

If you can’t meet the Digital Atelier artists at Print 09, check out their websites or their book The Digital Art Studio. The book explains specific techniques for combining inkjet printing with traditional art materials.

Plus, Dorothy Krause has published a new book entitled Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books. In this book, she shows how digital-printing can be integrated with traditional painting, drawing, and printmaking media and different bookbinding techniques.

At The Future of Imaging Conference in November, Bonny Lhotka will discuss “Dimensionality in Imaging” and present a selection of 3-D images at The Alvarado Gallery at the Monterey Conference Center. The 3D effects and illusion of motion in her photo prints are created through lenticular imaging, a process in which a rigid plastic sheet with parallel rows of optical lenses is laminated to the surface of a print that has been created with interlacing software. The interlacing software slices up multiple images or image layers and positions the image slices for correct alignment and magnification through the lenses. Lenticular imaging has been used in retail and point-of-purchase advertising since the late 1990s, but Lhotka has been commissioned to produce artistic 3D photo prints for office buildings, a spa, and a hospital. Now that Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 Extended includes 3D-imaging capabilities, she believes more photographers and artists will begin exploring lenticular imaging.

Over the years, I’ve seen many good things happen to imaging businesses that are open to new ideas for using digital printing. It’s encouraging to see that many artists and photographers are following the lead of the artists of The Digital Atelier and opening their work up to new possibilities as well.

Photography Is Not a Separate Activity

Eileen Fritsch — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:21:00 GMT

By Wayne Cosshall

A lot of rapid progress can come in your photography when you integrate it with the other things you do in life.

Photography can seem to be a very distinct activity in our lives. We shoot on social occasions, vacation, and on deliberate photo trips (such as my long trips into the country to shoot landscapes) or for work as a portrait or event photographer. But it is rare to find someone who only has one thing as their entire life focus or as their only ability.

Many of us have hobbies in other areas than photography. We may be into model trains, wargaming, historical recreation, quilting, sewing, gardening, cooking, cars, spiritual practices, social work, model making or whatever.

Any other activity we are involved in, either for hobby or work, can not only provide subject matter for our photography but may also bring talents that can be applied in our photography. Let’s have a look at some people doing just this.

David Leventhal has moved from shooting toy soldiers, cowboy and Indian figurines, religious statues and sports models to adult toys. Using shallow depth of field and a large-format Polaroid camera, he creates dioramas that explore American culture. The result is a strong body of work that has achieved great success.

David Lambert mixes a passion for the landscape and environmental concerns with an ability to create model landscapes in a series of works with a strong conceptual basis and great visuals.

Edward Weston’s Pepper image from 1930 should inspire any photographer with an interest in cooking or vegetable gardening to start shooting some of their vegetables before, while, or after they are in the pot.

Anyone who has burned a lot of incense will have seen the amazing patterns the smoke makes in the air. Why not try photographing this, as Mehmet Ozgur did.

Ron Von Dongen and Karl Blossfeldt both produced great portfolios of flower photography. In the case of Karl Blossfeldt it was all he photographed throughout his life.

Albert Koetsier translated a job as an x-ray technician into stunning x-ray art photography. Likewise, Dr. Dain L.Tasker, a radiologist, did the same. Another is retired Professor Bert Myers.

I hope you are starting to get the idea. No matter what your other interests, professional or hobby, you can apply them to photography.

If you are a passionate computer game player, set up the camera pointing at the screen, set a long exposure, and capture the movement as dynamic blurs.

A skateboarder could tape on a suitable camera to their board, set to take a picture every five seconds and shoot while in action. Similarly an amateur rally driver or off-roader could affix a camera securely to the car and capture action shots.

Someone with great people-handling skills, such as a psychologist or sales person, could persuade people to pose in unusual ways or in challenging situations.

A lab technician or scientist could take great images of equipment setups in the lab.

A mother could choose to document suburban life, do abstract shots in the supermarket, or serve as an event photographer at their kid’s activities.

A student could create great images of other students or abstracts of study materials or even books in the library.

It is when you draw diverse things together that you have the opportunity to make some unique creative choices. While lots of people shoot landscapes, how many shoot model landscapes seriously? There are many who shoot flowers, how many shoot flowers with bugs from their bug collection? While many shoot insect macros, how many do so using the endoscopy equipment that doctors use?

When you combine very different areas you limit your competition, making it more likely for you to get noticed. You also end up seeing images in situations that no one else does, thus sharing your unique vision with the world.

So try combining your interests. Your life will be easier when you can share time on several passions and your work will have a unique quality.

Building a Name for Yourself as a Photographer

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:48:00 GMT

By David Saffir

What’s the best way to set yourself apart from the crowds and get your work noticed? The Internet and social networking now offer thousands of channels you can use to connect with people who might appreciate your images, and your photography-related expertise. Here are some steps that have helped me build a customer base and gain greater exposure for my photography.

Participate in print competitions and portfolio critiques. Why not make sure your work is as good as you think it is? Bluntly, what really matters is how your work is perceived by the people to whom you’d like to sell your work. Enter your work in categories that fit best with your personal style, and follow the advice from the competition organizers.

Share your expertise. About five years ago, I started writing articles on inkjet photo printing for a new, unknown magazine on digital printing for professional photographers. Along with each of these articles, I included some of my best images. Once I started publishing useful content and my images, opportunities started coming my way for consulting, seminars, and book publishing. All of these activities have continued to provide opportunities to show my work. Another way to generate interest in your work is to consistently provide good answers to questions posed on the forums.

TIP: Instead of targeting only big-name publications look for opportunities to help start-up publications, both in print and on the web. Also, go to some conferences or trade shows and try to develop contacts with companies that interest you.

Develop a personal style. Instead of trying to be all things to all people, find a photography niche in which you can excel. One friend of mine focused on infrared digital photography; another on photojournalism. Create images that fit the niche and write accompanying articles that readers can use in their daily work.

Use a blog to attract visitors to your website. You must have a well-designed, attractive website that showcases your best work and conveys a sense of who you are as a person. A blog that provides value-added content gives people new reasons to visit your site.

I use a Wordpress blog separate from my main website. It is free, easy to use, and provides reasonably detailed reporting on blog traffic. Customizable features in Wordpress make it easier for readers to find the content they want. It is also quite easy to include images in a Wordpress blog.

Use feedback from current and potential readers to help you determine what to cover in your blog posts. Whenever you attend (or teach) a photography workshop, pay close attention to people’s questions. I teach frequently and workshop attendees always ask interesting questions. I receive quite a few emails on a variety of subjects. I monitor questions posted on photography and digital-printing forums. Do this, and you’ll soon see a pattern that you can use to focus your thinking.

As I compile each list of FAQs, I rank the questions based on timeliness, interest shown in specific subjects, and whether or not I know something about the topic.I also conduct an online survey about every three months.

Write for other blogs. Once you demonstrate your abilities, you will likely be offered opportunities to write and/or provide images for other blogs. For example, after I’d written a number of articles and begun leading seminars, I was invited to join the team of photographers who contribute to this blog!

Invite other people to write for your blog. Broaden the appeal of your blog by inviting other experts to contribute articles on topics of interest. On my blog, posts written by guest authors Robert Ash and Ted Dayton were widely read.

Publicize your posts. There are a number of ways to publicize your work. One of the most useful social-networking tools is LinkedIn, which includes many special-interest photography and printmaking groups. In fact, I started a group myself. So far, the Fine Art Reproduction for Professionals group has drawn over 150 members. Whenever I post new content, I make an announcement about it with a direct link to the post on the LinkedIn groups that are most active. I also make posts on Facebook, and Twitter. I also make sure that Google is informed about new content on my website in a timely fashion. The best way to find out about this is to create a user account on Google (free), and look up Google Analytics. Google provides detailed instructions for use.

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. It may take many months of focused effort before you start connecting with the people who value and appreciate your offerings.

Since I started focusing on improving my online publishing workflow, the monthly traffic to my website has tripled. For me, combining multiple promotional tools has been most effective. A somewhat unexpected benefit is that traffic to my portfolio and gallery pages has increased as overall traffic has increased. Put another way, galleries that weren’t viewed all that often in the past are now being visited.

Keep in mind that a key part of all this is to help others become better photographers. If you can communicate your willingness to help, the rest will fall into place.

Protecting Your Prints

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:51:00 GMT

By Jon Canfield

The latest model printers, like the HP DesignJet Z3200 and the Photosmart Pro B9180, are capable of creating prints that last over 200 years thanks to the formulation of pigment inks and the coatings on the papers we print to. Obviously, that’s a long time, and while the print might be viable for that period, improper care and handling will lead to an early death.

One problem with inkjet prints is the tendency to scratch easily. This is particularly true with prints made with pigment inks, because the pigments sit on the surface of the paper rather than being absorbed into the swellable coatings used on inkjet papers made for dye-based inks. So, rubbing against something, or the errant fingernail can ruin an otherwise perfect print and expensive sheet of paper.

The simplest solutions are usually the best, and print handling is no different. If you’re doing quality printing for exhibition, sale, or other public use, wearing a pair of cotton gloves will protect your prints from fingernails as well as oils on the skin, fingerprints on a glossy print, or other unforeseen disasters.

For fine art papers and canvas, I’ll normally use a spray protectant after the print has set for 24 hours. Desert Varnish from Moab, Lumijet Protective Spray from Hahnemuhle and Premier Art Shield from Premier Imaging Products are all good options that seal and protect the print from moisture, scratches, and fingerprints and won’t yellow as the print ages.

Print protection shouldn’t end here though. Storage and display should also have their own safety measures in place. Starting with storage, it’s best to store your prints flat. It avoids unwanted curling or bending, and handling is easier. Always use a protective sheet between each print. Acid-free tissue paper, available at most art stores or online at sites such as Light Impressions, is an inexpensive way to keep your prints from rubbing against each other.

If you’re mounting your prints for display, make sure that you’re using an acid- and lignin-free mat board and backing material. And, if your prints are going behind glass, never let the print rest against the glass.

A little extra caution up front can save time and money down the road. When you consider how much effort you spent getting to the point of creating that print, the extra effort is well worthwhile.

The DIY Urge is Alive and Well in Photography

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:16:00 GMT

By Wayne Cosshall

Because modern photographic equipment is so technological, many assume there is little you can do yourself to solve problems, and that every “solution” must be bought. But this is not the case.

On Digital ImageMaker, I recently wrote about the GigaPan Epic, a motorized camera platform for shooting panoramas and creating gigapixel-resolution images by stitching. That got me thinking about the do-it-yourself (DIY) mentality in general.

The Epic motorized platform is designed to enable people to mount compact point-and-shoot digital cameras on the platform and shoot huge panoramas. It does this brilliantly. For Digital ImageMaker, I reviewed the base model for point-and-shoots. But the company that makes GigaPan Epic also offers a more expensive model, with an adjustment that lets you mount a somewhat larger camera, including some compact DSLRs.

When I looked more closely at the basic model for point-and-shoots, I saw that it would be quite easy to adapt the unit so it could hold a larger camera. After a little bit of thinking, it took me about a half an hour to solve the problem. I simply used a $3 piece of aluminum, a hand electric drill and a device to tap a thread in a hole. Click here to see the solution I devised. This adjustment allowed me to mount a Canon 350D which I had converted to shoot infrared. Thus, I was able to use the Gigapan to do infrared panoramas, such as the one shown here.

But the DIY mentality doesn’t end with shooting. For my inkjet printer, I’ve built a small angled platform that allows me to readily feed sheets of aluminum that I’ve pre-treated with an inkjet-receptive coating.

Other devices I have built include a small-but-useful macro light that I assembled from some batteries, a couple of bright white LEDs and a switch.

Being willing to try building things myself has solved a number of photographic problems without requiring me to spend a lot of extra money on new accessories.

On the Internet, an active DIY community exists within photographic circles. One I have found fascinating is the active community of camera software hackers. It turns out that some Canon digital cameras have firmware (the software built into the camera that controls its processor) that can be modified. These modifications can open up new functions that Canon never intended for that model, such as RAW file capability, intervalvometer functions (setting the camera to take an image every so often), and much more. The CHDK software acts as an add-on to the existing firmware.

One can only imagine what wonderful things would result if camera manufacturers would open up their cameras to add-on software in the same manner as your computer or iPhone. It would be even more wonderful if they would make it easy to add this new software.

YouTube has wonderful videos on all sorts of DIY endeavors. For example, one clip I found amazing showed a Japanese photographer who has modified a scanner to act as a camera. Click here to see the YouTube video of the resulting scanner-cam. The resulting images have been posted on Flickr. There are in fact many people actively converting scanners into cameras.

Other creative do-it-yourselfers have experimented with inkjet-receptive coatings and inkjet-transfer films to create stunning works of art on different types of metals, marble, wood, and fresco materials. The best known in this field is the trio of great artists: Dorothy Simpson Krause, Bonny Lhotka, and Karin Schminke, who form the Digital Atelier. Bonny has even created her own inkjet-receptive coating that she shows how to use in the DVD training courses she sells on her Digital Art Studio Seminars website.

Certain areas of photography seem more DIY-oriented than others. Areas such as astro-photography and macrophotography have a long tradition of DIY solutions to various problems.

Studio lighting is also an active area for DIY projects, with people making their own lighting rigs and light-modification screens, etc.

Panorama photographers have often made their own rigs. But perhaps the biggest single area of DIY activity is pinhole photography. Many of us have done something in the area, either by drilling a hole in a DSLR body cap and mounting a piece of aluminum foil or by making a whole pinhole film camera.

Indeed many companies that now provide digital-imaging products started as DIYers working at home in their basements or garages. When they found out there was a small market for their inventions, they went from there. Indeed, many companies start out in the garage, including corporate giants such as Hewlett Packard and Apple.

The reward that comes from doing it yourself is not just that of saving a bit of money. When you do things yourself, it makes your photography different from everyone else’s, either because you can do something they can’t, or you are doing it in a different way.

Another benefit is the opportunity to recycle items that might otherwise end up in a landfill.

Plus, there is the satisfaction that comes from making something with your own hands. This is important to those of us who spend a lot of our time working on the computer each day.

Personally, I get a huge sense of satisfaction from identifying a problem, finding the solution and making it work.

If you are a DIY-oriented person, don’t let the technological sophistication of modern devices intimidate you and stop you from trying a project or two. You don’t necessarily have to get engaged with the electronics or software to make meaningful improvements that can help your photography as well as other people’s work. Give it a go.

Bit Depth Basics: More Than a Numbers Game

Eileen Fritsch — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:58:00 GMT

By David Saffir

One of the most under-appreciated features of newer-model DSLRs is their ability to capture images with greater bit depth. Bit depth is a way of quantifying the amount of color information in each recorded pixel. It is also a key component of high-level image quality. In this post, we’ll look first at the numbers. Then, we’ll talk about what these numbers mean in terms of dynamic range, color fidelity, and highlight/shadow detail. These are key attributes that influence the quality of the final print.

Not long ago, most cameras functioned in 8-bit mode. Then the higher-end DSLRs became capable of using 12-bit capture. Now they are up to 14-bit, which is a huge benefit to photographers. If you don’t understand bit depth, these may sound like incremental improvements. But they are actually exponential improvements.

To see what I mean, let’s start with a brief review of the numbers. It is simple but non-intuitive:

· There are three primary colors (or color channels) in each captured digital image: red, green, and blue.

· Bit depth describes the number of tone gradations (or intensities of color) provided in each pixel. Most digital images are captured and/or stored in 8-bit, 12-bit, 14-bit, or 16-bit mode.

§ An 8-bit image has 256 tone gradations in each of the three color channels;

§ A 12-bit image has 4,096 tone gradations in each color channel;

§ A 14-bit image has 16,384 tone gradations in each color channel; and

§ A 16-bit image has 65,536 tone gradation in each color channel.

Another way to look at the depth of an image file: A 16-bit image file is twice as big as an 8-bit file.

The major benefit of working with high-bit images is increased dynamic range— the range of tones and detail that the camera can record from the darkest dark to lightest light.

One software company, DXO, now provides public access to its database on camera performance. Here are some examples of the differences between 12-bit, 14-bit, and 16-bit capture:

· The Nikon D2X captures images in 12-bit mode when shooting in RAW format; its dynamic range is rated at 10.9.

· The Nikon D3 captures in 14-bit mode; its dynamic range is rated at 12.2.

Dynamic range is measured like f/stops: an increase of one step is a doubling of dynamic range. That’s a big, big difference.

There is also a noticeable upside in image editing, and in the appearance of the final print.

Figure 1 above is a screen shot of a 16-bit image being edited. Note that the histogram is smooth and even, and shows no breaks or lines.

Figure 2 above shows a screen shot of an 8-bit version of the same image. Note the white lines running vertically in this histogram. These are sometimes called drop-outs, and they show information that is lost when the image is edited . These losses can result in color distortions, posterization, color aliasing, and more.

We lose information every time we edit or manipulate an image. So, the more image information we have to start with, the more information that is available to us as we progress in our workflow.

It pays to set up your workflow to protect as much image information as you can for as long in the process as possible. Most printer drivers can handle high-bit images without difficulty. In my own workflow, I only use 8-bit images for web publishing, e-mail, and the like.

Image-editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom are now set up to use high-bit images. And Adobe Camera RAW and Photoshop provide pretty much the same editing tools for 8-bit images and high-bit images, making workflow choices easier for the photographer. This is all good news for those of us who love creating the most detailed and beautiful prints possible.

What’s re-complicating printing workflows right now is the fact that Adobe Photoshop Lightroom uses a bigger color space—ProPhoto RGB instead of Adobe RGB. But we’ll leave a discussion of printing through Lightroom to a future post.

If you have any specific questions about bit depth, I would welcome your comments.

Tips for Better Landscape Photography, Part Two

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:59:00 GMT

By David Saffir

In my first post on shooting landscape photography last month, I shared a few tips for increasing your odds of going home with tack-sharp images. In this post, I’ll dig deeper into the details of making the most of your landscape photo opportunities. This list is based in many ways on the minor, and sometimes not so minor, hiccups I’ve had in my own work.

1. Before you leave your home or studio, make a checklist of the things you’ll need. I’ve learned the hard way to carry extra batteries, camera cards, and a spare card reader. Take the camera manual with you. An extra battery charger can be a life-saver. Most of us carry only one, and if it is damaged by a faulty wall outlet, or other problem, it can become a “game over” situation. It happened to me while I was in Israel; you won’t believe what it cost to have one sent by FedEx from New York.

2. Test your camera and each lens you plan to take before you set off on your trip. If you use zoom lenses, test the lens at the short and long end of its range. Check the lens for autofocus function, too.

3. Once you’ve chosen a spot from which to shoot (or even better, before that), ask yourself these questions:

Do I need to format or change camera cards?
Is the ISO setting correct? (Generally, landscape photographers should use the lowest available ISO setting – usually 50, 100, or 200 ISO.)
Is the white balance set to the conditions (daylight, cloudy, etc)? (Please don’t use AUTO white balance; this makes batch processing difficult, if not impossible.)
Is the camera set to record in Adobe 98 RGB (if available)?
Can the camera shoot in RAW? (If so, this is your best option.

4. Make sure you’ve chosen a safe place. If you think light will be low, take a flashlight and look around carefully. You’ll sometimes find a surprise (nice skunk!) And, if you are shooting near the ocean, never, ever turn your back on the water. It’s possible to lose a camera, or yourself, to an unexpected wave. On windy days, stay close to your camera and tripod, for obvious reasons. I’ve seen them go down more than once

5. Choose the right lenses. In 35mm format, a 14mm prime will do the job (Canon and Nikon both make very good ones). Some of the lenses in the 21-24mm range are good, but check the reviews before you rent or buy. There’s quite a bit of variation in performance among this group. The perspective control lenses (marked PC) made by both Nikon and Canon are very good, because you can expand the width of your frame to near-panorama proportions. You may also wish to consider a medium telephoto, such as a 200mm or 300mm lens. These give you the opportunity to isolate parts of a landscape, making for some interesting shots such as the image below.

6. Think about how you will see the screen on top of the camera that shows camera adjustment settings. If you are working on a tall tripod, you might have to bring something to stand on to see the panel, or change the camera position to bring it into view. I carry a small plastic dental mirror in my camera bag, and use it to see the top of the camera without moving it. This saves a lot of time, and sometimes prevents a missed shot.

7. Take extra care when using slower shutter speeds. If the wind is blowing, try to wait until for a quiet (or quieter) moment to take your shot. Try to remember not to rest a hand on the tripod or camera when shooting. Keep those fingers where they belong when you are shooting – away from the camera.

8. Set your in-camera exposure meter for center-weighted exposure, or spot exposure. Generally, my Nikon and Hasselblad cameras seem to do best with center weighted exposure. Full-frame metering usually results in an underexposed image in landscape work.

9. Make sure that your meter is accurate, and compare your meter to another one. Generally, incident-light exposure metering is more accurate than reflected-light, in-camera metering. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a handheld meter. For example, the Sekonic 358 handheld meter is a very good, rugged meter. Its cost is moderate, and used ones can be found with a bit of digging. Mine seems indestructible.

10. If you are shooting with HDR developing in mind, remember that the camera must stay exactly in place while you are capturing multiple frames. If the frames don’t match up (register) it will be difficult, perhaps impossible, to make the image work back in the studio. If you bump your tripod, just start that sequence over again.

11. Check the weather and the sunset/sunrise and moonset/moonrise times every day if possible. This is particularly important in mountainous areas, where the weather is very changeable. Here in California, I’ve been snowed in during June! Keep a sheet of flexible plastic in your bag, or even a small trash bag, to use as an improvised cover in bad weather.

12. Take a small notebook. Jot down the place, time of day, conditions, camera settings, the serial numbers of your first and last frames, and your personal thoughts. You’ll find these to be a real treasure when you come back to an image at a later date. Consider a GPS gadget for tagging your image files.

I took this surrealistic-looking image of the Colorado State Capitol Building from the rooftop of the Colorado History Museum. The Capitol was reflected in multiple windows on the side of a building across the street. The image was captured around 4 pm, using a tripod-mounted Hasselblad H-series camera, digital back, 100mm lens, ISO 50, f/5 @ 1/90 sec. There was a mix of clouds and sun that day, so I had to wait until the Capitol was well-lit to bring up the contrast in the shot. I did some Photoshop editing for contrast and perspective correction.

Photo Books and Beyond

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:48:00 GMT

By Wayne Cosshall

Photo books are a growing and truly amazing area of printing. And, you can go well beyond a straight photo book.

The popularity of my previous post on photo books indicates that there is considerable interest in photo books as alternatives to the straight print. I am in the process of testing a number of the photo book producers and will have more to report on that in a few months time.

One thing many photographers miss from the darkroom days is the hand-crafting of images that working in Photoshop and making digital prints may not always provide. At first glance, photo books would seem to have similar issues because the books are typically printed by some faraway company and delivered by courier. Yet this would be missing some huge potential.

If you look at the rise of the scrapbooking movement in recent times you can see glimmers of a solution for photographers who crave a more hands-on approach to printing. Scrapbookers use photographic prints, some printed by a retail store, some printed on at-home inkjet printers. But scrapbookers don’t stop with a basic print. They will avidly explore alternative papers, transparent and translucent films, canvas, fabric and any surface they can get a print onto, either directly by feeding it through their printer or indirectly by using transfer techniques. Even then this sometimes isn’t enough. So, they then glue, sew, staple, or otherwise affix other things over the tops of the prints to make collages.

It is time photographers stopped thinking of the photo book like a single image and considered adopting many of the techniques scrapbookers use. Imagine designing a photo book that takes into account what you will add by hand later.

You get the book printed and have it delivered to your home or studio. Now, rather than regarding this as the end of the process, you view it as the beginning. You add all sorts of things to the photo book that fit with the photographic content and your vision of how you want the final book to look. So you may print some additional images on clear film or translucent paper and glue these into the book. Some pages you enhance with hand-drawn or painted designs in ink or acrylic paint. Other inserted pages may have found objects, such as bus or train tickets, leaves, or discarded wrappers glued to sheets of product wrapping, cardboard, or thin metal (which you might have printed on after applying an inkjet-receptive coating).

Covers can be enhanced in all these ways and more. For example, you can even hand-cover your photo book with leather or tin sheets that have been embossed or engraved.

My point is: Just as a photographic print can either be a final product or simply a starting point for your creative journey, so, too, can be a photo book.

Sure you must make sure that the thickness of the things you glue inside the book won’t interfere with the binding, but there are ways around this if you think outside the box. And speaking of boxes, why not build a stunning, custom box to hold the finished book? You may need to experiment with glues and such, but this itself can be fun and interesting (plus you can learn a lot from books on scrapbooking).

There was a time when the absolute flawless perfection of the digital print was a wonderful thing. Now that the novelty has worn off, we can get back to giving each print the unique and individual marks of the hands of the artist, making no two alike. And this can apply to the photo book just as easily as to the print.

So stop viewing the print or the photo book as the end result, and try seeing it as the starting off point for a great voyage of creativity and fun. For those of us who spend a lot of time at the computer, getting your fingers covered in glue for a change can not only be very creative and liberating, but also very therapeutic and healing. Give it a go, I know I am.

Limited Edition Printing: Is It For You?

Eileen Fritsch — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:21:00 GMT

By Jon Canfield

Limited editions have been around as long as printmaking. What exactly does it mean in today’s digital world though when another copy of the image is just a couple of mouse clicks away?

First, your customers have an expectation that the print they’re buying has a greater value than an open (or unlimited) edition print of the same image. But, the quality itself may be exactly the same. So what are the differences, and are they still important?

A limited edition must have a firm and guaranteed maximum number of prints available. For example, you might decide to limit your edition to 50 prints. Typically, you’d number each print, then provide a certificate of authenticity with the print stating what number that print is in the edition (i.e. 10 of 50) and when the image was printed. The certificate should be signed by you if you’re printing one of your own images and by the artist/photographer if you’re printing for a client.

Now, does this mean you can only have 50 copies of an image and never print again? Of course not. An open edition could be done of the same image without the authenticity and numbering information. What makes the limited edition more valuable is the guarantee that you’ve done the work on the print yourself, rather than having some outsider do the work on potentially inferior materials. An example of this is Ansel Adams prints – you can buy open edition posters and reprints, but you’re going to pay a premium for a print that is done from the negative.

Personally, I won’t do open editions on the same media that I use for the limited-edition print. For example, if I’m doing the limited edition on HP Hahnnemuhle Smooth Fine Art, then I won’t do an open edition of that print on the same paper in the same size as the limited edition.

You can also have any number of sizes of a limited edition. For example, I might do fifty 16 x 20 and fifty 11 x 14 prints. The key is that there will only be 50 of any given size. If you intend to do this, you need to be clear about it so that your customers aren’t left with the impression that there will be 50 prints total, regardless of size.

I also place additional information about the print on the back of the mounting board. This information includes when the image was captured, where it was taken (if it’s not obvious), and other details that a collector might find useful or add value to the purchase.

Also, you need to keep records of when a limited edition print is sold, and to whom you’ve sold the print. This is for the client’s protection and yours. Careful record keeping is your insurance that you can certify the authenticity of the print and the limited nature of the run.

Also consider pricing. A limited-edition print should be priced appropriately higher than an open edition. If you’re selling normal 16 x 20 prints for $100, a limited edition print should be in the $200 range (or more). You want the buyer to feel that they are getting something special. By default, a limited edition is a collectible piece of art or photography and should be treated as such.