Large silver gelatin print11/7/2023 Shortly after finishing my set up and after producing some of my first prints I had a bit of a lightbulb moment. Once again it was another steep learning curve but eventually, I started to produce prints that I was happy with. Having already shot film in various formats and being fortunate enough to have a spare room already set up and dedicated to my photography I decided to have a good clear out of all the junk that I had accumulated and set up a darkroom at home to have a go myself. They seemed to exude that personal touch created by something handmade by being less than perfect. Even the slight flaws within these prints somehow added to their appeal. I loved how each was unique in nature and made with such care and passion. There was something really special, almost magical about the way that these prints were made. I have been to exhibitions of Ansel Adams, Don McCullen and many other well-known photographers who printed using these methods and was always blown away by the beauty of these prints. Having spent a lot of time looking at the work of Ansel Adams, I was always fascinated by the methods he used to produce prints in his darkroom. The results are consistent and of a really high quality. I have developed a digital workflow that allows me to produce really nice inkjet prints using Hahnemuhle papers. This is the printer that I currently use. The R3000 is a superb printer and it served me well for a few years before I purchased the Epson P800. I learnt about the need to calibrate my monitor, select the correct paper profiles and it was while before I was producing prints that reflected what I was seeing on screen.Įventually I got to the point where I was fairly happy with my prints and even managed to sell a couple. This was a bit of a revelation for me but also the start of a steep learning curve. A far cry from the beautiful black and white images that I was aiming for, but It was a start and I was making prints of my images.Ībout a year later and after saving up some money, I purchased my first dedicated photo printer in the form of the Epson R3000. The black and white images came out looking almost green. It wasn’t a dedicated photo printer and many of the early prints that I produced were on very cheap paper. This was nothing more than the kind you would see in an office environment. It all started by purchasing an A3 printer. It was the excitement of creating something that I could physically hold, a culmination of all my efforts and pre-visualisation of the image that has driven me since that day in the bookshop. From very early on in my photography, it was the act of producing a print that really excited me. I love going out with my camera, planning trips and spending time outdoors. I had a profound realisation, that no matter how long it took me, I wanted to produce images that would provide others with the same feeling of inspiration that the images within the pages of that book were giving me. ![]() It was a surreal moment, turning each page and being so inspired by the images that greeted me. While he was carefully making his choice, I picked up a copy of ‘The Portfolios of Ansel Adams’ and flicked through the pages. ![]() ![]() I was with my eldest son as he was looking through the children’s section for a book to spend his birthday vouchers on. It was upon discovering the photography of Ansel Adams by accident in a local bookstore. I have always had an interest in photography, but it wasn’t until roughly 7 years ago that my interest developed into a real passion. Before I get into the details, let me start by giving you a little background about what inspired me to start producing prints. I have wanted to put an article together about this subject for a while as I have had many people on social media asking me about the methods that I use to produce prints.The print that features in this blog was made with the superb Leica M10 Monochrom during my recent trip to the Scottish Highlands.
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