Printing your own photographs is a gratifying and important experience for photographers new to the art and veterans alike. In this video, watch how one photographer processes his images into black and white to then print.
I don't remember a great deal about the first year I started photography as it's a while back. However, one of the firsts in that first year I do remember: my maiden voyage into the world of printing.
On a late autumnal afternoon in the Hertfordshire countryside in England, I ventured out with my little Canon 350D in the vague hope I'd be able to capture the sunset. I had no location in mind, one lens, and a GorillaPod. My lack of preparation, in combination with my lack of experience and equipment, did not set me up well for success, but I lucked out. I found a beautiful part of a local village and I snapped away. The shot was great for me back then and looking back, it could have been objectively above average had I had the experience, but either way I was pleased. I showed the image to friends and family and my grandparents, in particular, were enamored.
So, for that Christmas, I tried out printing for the first time to give to them as a present. It went horribly, and worse, it was on their wall until they had both passed. I hadn't anticipated the difference between screen and print in many regards, and it bit me on the backside. Over the next decade or so, however, I became obsessed with high-quality prints in galleries and at exhibitions, with a specific love for black and white images. That love stayed with me and is still with me, but to get those gallery level prints of black and white images, you need to practice and learn.
In this video, Adam Gibbs talks you through how he processes some of his images into black and white with a view to print.
