If you have seen Peter Lik's work in person then you understand that it's impossible to put into words the look and quality of his prints. Peter's photography (and his post production) is fantastic, but what really makes his work stand out is his printing and presentation. If his images were printed on standard photo paper at a standard size, his work would not have the same "wow" factor.
Right before a trip to Italy I went back into Peter's studio for a little inspiration. After studying his work and speaking with a sales rep about his printing process I decided to shoot, print, and frame a shot in Italy for the absolute cheapest price without losing the "wow" factor that Peter's work has. This is how I did it.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/28601516
Today it is so easy to stitch images together that you could shoot a picture like this with practically any camera with manual control and the more images you take, the more megapixels the final prodcut will be. Don't think that you have to have some ultra expensive camera to get quality images. I went to Italy with only 1 camera (D7000) and 1 lens (Sigma 17-50mm). If I had brought a longer lens I could have zoomed in more and taken even more pictures for a higher megapixel image but I was so far away (and I could only zoom to 50mm) so only 3 images fit. 3, 16mp images combined into one made for one ultra sharp image though.
The metallic print from BayPhoto.com really did look like it was printed on metal and it definitely has that "backlit" look that people say Lik's work has. The print in the video can not come close to the way that it actually looks in person. As I said at the end of the video, this paper looks fantastic but it is so reflective it has to be perfectly flat to look it's best. I would highly suggest bringing your print to a professional, getting them to mount it on gatorboard and then using the mirror for something else (it actually is a really nice mirror).
I hope you guys enjoyed this video. It is very different than our other stuff but we thought we would give it a try. We are really ramping up our video production and in the near future we hope to bring you an original video each week.
Here is the Youtube version of the same video:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/FILxBHWR-GQ
Thank you so much! That was a awesome video!
looking forwards to more FS originals :) keep em cominl
yohan v
www.yohanv.500px.com
Thanks for all your hard work!
Thanks guys, glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. Anytime I am in Vegas, I stop by Peter Lik's stores and check out his work.
I am going to try this out and see how it works. Thanks for the advice and a great site.
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, what an adventure! The finished product looks amazing, even on film - I can only imagine for it looks 'in-the-flesh'. Thanks for sharing that, Lee.
Very nice Lee ! I have 3 question here :
1. Why dont you use an anti static gloves while you taped the picture ?
2. If you put a thin plexyglass in front of the picture would it be better or not ?
3. Are there different kind of metallic paper ?
Just a tip i hear from my friends, sometimes they bought an used frame or mirror in flea market, polish or paint it then you have your new frame for your picture :)
Thank you !!!
1: I didn't have any and I didn't feel any static.
2: plexi and the mirror would be too thick to fit and way more expensive.
3: that I do not know, I've only heard of kodak metallic.
Great video Lee and great shot of Rome. Print looks amazing.
Lee,
Nice image!
I know you were posting a budget minded clip, but if you want the ultimate in flatness, I suggest mounting on aluminum and finish it with a protective lamination and a wood liner on the back side to hang it. My friends at Weldon Color Lab http://www.weldoncolorlab.com do this and more. They also make spectacular Lightjet prints onto most popular papers including my favorite - Fuji Flex. They're not a budget lab, but the attention to detail down to the packaging is very fastidious.
Best,
John
Any way you could get a quote on a 58x24inch print for us?
Hey Lee, Sorry I didn't catch the email reminder for this. Your best bet is to call or email the lab directly.
Best,
John
Just checking in with Weldon and their 8x10 prints are $25? Is this for real?
Yes Peter it's for real.
Great job Lee! I'll definitely be doing something like this in near future. I like to get my frames at Ikea as they are pretty inexpensive and are always the same and I can keep a unison flow with my frames instead each being different. Are there any pros or cons to printing large format photos like that on a glossy vs matte paper?
I would assume that matte wouldnt show ripples as much which was our biggest issue with the metallic paper.
A few years ago, I made photographs of 48 airplane cockpits with a technical camera (4x5 inch slidefilm). I scanned the slides and had them printed on Kodak Metallic Paper. These were used for some exhibits. The result is really amazing! Although, you can not see the result on the web; I want to share some pictures with you: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulvancaesbroeck/sets/72157627097505465/.
Hey Paul, zou je me kunnen vertellen waar je dit heb laten doen?
Very cool I might have to try making one myself.
everyday i come to fstoppers and find something inspiring, creative and very useful..... thank you for maintaining such a high level of dedication to this site, and opening our eyes to so many facets of this industry....... you guys are top shelf in my book.
Thanks so much Shannon!
Nice job dude. I like the mirror frame idea. Frames can be stupidly expensive.
Anyone know of another print company that print big sizes like this that ships international?
Thanks great job ! I went on bayphoto and I didn't find how you got a 24*60 for 60$, custom size cost 0.25$/inch² -> 360$ !
60x30 inch prints are $60
where did you find that price? I cant find it!
I find that price for a standard print, not for metal print, I don't understand. Sorry for bothering.
They also print on a slab of aluminum and that is $350. A standard print is $60 plus 15% for metallic paper so it may actually be around $70.
Just use the slider to scroll down, for some reason they have a small window not showing all the prices.
30x60$60.00--Gator Board$62.00
Can you even have a Kodak ENDURA Metallic print mounted on Gator Board? Does anyone think this is good or bad idea? Not sure if it applies but they do list a 25 percent discount on first time orders so anyone like me who has not used Bay photo could save even more.
How is it possible that you got it so cheap? Based on my calculations a metalprint of that size from bayphoto.com would cost about 350 dollars. The sizes in their website are inches, right?
Metal print and metallic paper are 2 different things.
oh, bastien got it first
where is that mentioned?
http://bayphoto.com/bayweb/pro_standardsizes.htm 30x60 prints are $60 plus 15% for metallic paper
Awesome video! I haven't printed on metallic paper yet (mostly because I couldn't find anywhere what benefits it gave); this has convinced me to go ahead and try it!
I am very surprised you werent wearing white gloves while handling your print. Id be afraid of getting finger prints on the image. other than that, very nice work.
You might also check out El-Co Color Labs (http://www.elcocolor.net/). I've only used them once, but I'm about to order some metallic prints myself and I can't wait to see how they turn out!
Check out their Poster Special. 60"x30" is currently $38.95 for metallic!
Read the fine print and the minimum order is 2 Poster Prints so the price is going to be $77.90 plus shipping and taxes to get 2 prints. In the end this is a better deal if you want 2 prints. What is the print quality of a poster print? The regular 30X60 metallic photo print is $73.13. Would like to know what the difference between the 2 print options is.
Great post! And your face is crazy symmetrical!
very Nice work Lee
for those in Canada, Willow Paper Works offers the same services (and seems to use the same ROES software) as BayPhoto. Much better prices if you have to ship something across the border and deal with brokerage fees and all that nonsense!
wow nice vid!
Lee,
This is the type of post I was hoping fstoppers would evolve to... And it has: it brings true $ value and is an inspiring video watch (because it *does* spark new ideas). I vote that fstoppers adds more videos like these (and less from external sources... I see the the same videos from external sources in other places).
*Very* well done and I would like to see more just like this one.
Thank you very much Lee, the results are impressive, definitely helpful information. Congrats on the great job, Fstoppers is awesome!
Really awesome video again from you guys! Just love the diversity of the video's posted here on Fstoppers! Do you actually have this photo hanging in your appartement right now?
Really like the way you found your frame, gonna check some stuff out myself to. Usually see these kind of frames at some second hand markets we have here in the Netherlands. So thanks for the idea!
As usual Lee, great video. Please keep it coming. P
You could use double sided sticky tape. Also where you took a picture was a scene in the classic movie "A Royal Holiday" where the princess hears the music coming from the tent area you see below and next to the bridge.
Thanks for sharing Lee. You guys rock!!!
Great idea about finding a cheap frame, but the perfectionist in me has to say that taping all around the edge is a bum way to mount the print, thats only going to leave your print wavy and loose looking later on even if its tight now (which in the video when the lighting reflections hit it, you could see it was already not perfect). What about going with a peel and stick mount board? Or just sandwiching the print between that mirror and a fresh piece of glass? I have no uncertain distaste for plexiglass because of static and it is SOoooooo easy to scratch. II stars