Presentations, Etc. Studio

A fun part of the next inkjet printing class will be evaluating different substrates – print media. Hopefully, you will be inspired by the many options available for your use in creating a unique presentation for your digital image or art work. Mark your calendar and get registered for the next class at the Botanical Gardens which starts March 1. As before, the first three weeks will be in the education building at BBG, and the last three will be in my studio (address below). We’ll cover ‘what you absolutely need to know’ about color management, file management and basic adjustments in the classroom before moving into the studio for hands on printing. A lap top with Photoshop CS4 or Elements 6, 7 or 8 will be most beneficial for your class experience. Register online: http://www.bbgardens.org/photography.php.

In January, I attended Imaging USA to see what was new in ‘fine art printing.’ While there I visited the Canson exhibit where there was an impressive display of big name artist’s works on their new coated watercolor papers. (Forstall has these papers available at their Palisades store.) And, I picked up some samples of Epson’s new cold and hot press papers which will be the paper of choice for a photographer’s flowers that will be on display at the Home and Garden show. I will be having these papers available in addition to the Hahnemuhle and Museo fine art papers that I already use, i.e., Photo Rag, Bamboo, Sugar Cane, Silver Rag and Textured Rag. If you would like to try some of these papers on your art work or images, just come by the studio to see samples.

Contact:

Abbie Wiersma

705 Oak Grove Road

Homewood, AL 35209

(205) 540-7211

presentationsetc@gmail.com

“Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold.” ~ W. Eugene Smith
Jackson’s Four Mile Farm by Abbie Wiersma

You have created some beautiful photographs. They have been processed to give them the look and feel that you envisioned, now you want to take the next step and have them printed. “No problem.” you think to yourself. I’ll just run to the local office supply store or my local photography store and buy some photographic paper to print them myself or maybe you are going to take the files somewhere to have them printed for you.

Either printing scenario can result in you having your photographs transferred from the digital world into a printed photograph. If the photographs in question are just snapshots, you will likely be fine with whatever you choose. But, if the images are intended to be fine art prints, you have to take the process a bit further. With the printers and the paper available today, the choice of how you transfer your image to paper will make a big difference. That last sentence was probably a gross understatement. Making the right choice will make all the difference.

As someone that is new to professional printing, I have a huge learning curve in a number of areas. This week I met Abbie Wiersma who owns “Presentations, etc. Studio & Print Lab” located in Homewood, AL. Another photographer (Karie Mitchell) introduced me to Abbie. Karie’s studio (Karie Mitchell Photography) and Abbie’s studio are basically next door to each other. Karie is a talented photographer and has a way of capturing people in photographs that conveys the unique spark in everyone.

Abbie is a talented photographer with some amazing work. Her studio is the place to go if you have a photograph that you want printed in a way that brings out the beauty in the image and turns it into a fine art photograph. She was so gracious with her time and was invaluable in opening my eyes to the various options for choosing the right photo paper and how that would impact the presentation of my work. I am appreciative of her willingness to share some of her knowledge of printing with me. Abbie offers classes and workshops on various topics related to photography and presentation. If you want to expand your knowledge and get more from your photography, you should check out the schedule for Abbie’s upcoming classes.

Many thanks to Karie and Abbie for spending some time with me.

If you haven’t been to my photography site (Gerry Daniel Photography) in recent days, I have updated the photos in my portfolio with versions that feature a new format.

No post is complete without a song. Let’s crank it up a little for this one and go with something that rocks a bit. The song is titled “All We Want, Baby, Is Everything” from the album “Face Control” by Handsome Furs. What? You want a bonus selection? I can make that happen. The bonus song for this post is a song titled “Dog Days Are Over” from the album “Dog Days Are Over – Single” by Florence and The Machine.