We can talk for days here about why you should print your photographs. And we have.
We know that a lot of folks are somewhat disappointed with the results they get in their digital darkrooms, no matter what printer they are using.
There is a reason for that. GIGO. Or “garbage in, garbage out”. If you don’t have a proper file going in, the printer will get you at the other end.
Your monitor may be sitting in a place where the light changes throughout the day. Sure, your eye adjusts, but this is digital world my friend. Or the colors may have been set too magenta, or yellow, or cyan. Subtle, but the print will reveal it when its too late.

Simply put, you must calibrate your monitor to show consistent, standardized colors that can communicate directly to your printer. This will help eliminate wasted ink, paper, and probably frustration.

Then, when you have done all of your hard work in the digital darkroom, whether it is a simple crop, retouch, cleanup, or a massive overhaul, the info can be sent to your printer, which then understands what your monitor already knows.
Does that make sense?
The first time I discovered this process, it opened up the digital world for me, again. Finally, what I saw through the viewfinder and monitor, could translate into a print and be pretty much the same on first blush. Heck, these inks and paper are not cheap! Neither is my time.
The solutions I have used in the past didn’t get the entire workflow easily. I don’t have a digital tech on staff, nor a person that does my prints. Chief cook and bottle washer over here. I needed an easier end-to-end solution.

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The folks at X-Rite have simplified the process with The Color Munki.

Check the video:

They know what you’re up against, and have pledged to make it an easier process for you to calibrate andprofile your printer and monitor. (what’s a profile? kinda like a personalized color setting for your equipment, ensuring a good result from the beginning. Many pro labs have their own printing profiles for their systems, which you can download to your programs such as Photoshop, so when you output a file to have someone else print it, what you saw on your monitor will look like what they print out for you.)

OK, lets get started:
You open the box to find 4 items – The calibration device itself in a neoprene casing, a quick start booklet, CD, and a USB cable.
Easy to follow instructions in the booklet, and the CD automatically downloads the latest version of the software.

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Once the software was installed, it took all of about 2 mins. to calibrate my monitor. I then got a “before and after” comparison just to tell me where I was at, how much the monitor may have been off.
Next up was tying the printer to the monitor.
Step one was printing the 1st color chart with a sweet timer which includes allowances for ink drying on the specified paper. That way when you scan the chart the ink has settled into the paper for a more accurate read.
While I waited for the ink to dry, about 10 min.,, I was sent a full up, Pantone Digital Color Matching System by email, which loaded directly into the Color Munki program. Another excellent tool, given to you only if you have gone through a couple of levels including registration. I’ll let you know later where this comes in.

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Next up is using the Color Munki to scan the simplified color chart #1, which prints out with printer name, time and date stamped so you have a point of reference. I used the video help, AND the written info help which were both very clear .
Now a 2nd chart is printed to further refine the profile.
Same process, just as easy. The final step is using a photograph to tie the 2 together.
Very, very, easy steps.

With 4 mins left to drying finish, I made a cuppa joe.

Ok, It was all done in about 30 min. including drying time. And the first print?
Excellent match.

Then there were some other software tools for you:

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A color picker which will give you associative colors for the main colors in your photo. Your photo programs (photoshop,Lightroom, Aperture, ) are listed on a side bar to pick an image. Key colors are shown in a separate block. Then you can either match them by a Pantone chart to make sure you get the accurate rendition, pick a complimentary color for matting, or adding other colors in a layout. This is where your emailed Pantone Color Chart come into play.

And if you have to send a file to a client or a printing lab, the Digital Pouch is a tool that allows you to view color-accurate images on displays other than your own. The application allows you to load any number of images for transport. Once the images have been selected, it creates a Java photo viewer applet. The applet lets you know if the display you are viewing the images on has been profiled in the last thirty days. And it can be viewed on any machine-Windows,Mac or Linux.

To sum it up, calibration and profiling is something you really have to do if you are going to work in the digital photography world. Even if you shoot film and print digital. Even if your goal is to change the look of the original shot, you have to be able to translate that desired look anywhere you want, be it prints or publication.
I have worked with a bunch of these tools.
This is the simplest, full service (monitor and printer) calibration system, available today. And at under $500 USD, it’s an awesome price.
Just think of the ink, paper, time, and screaming fits you’ll save.

And we are giving one away. Right here at Photoinduced.com. Details in the NEWSLETTER this week, and then on the site.

For the past couple of months we have been traveling a bit to some very cool cities where the night time defines the character.
And when that happens, you want to capture it as you’ve experienced it.
Jill Waterman, a photographer and educator based in NYC, has published a book called Night and Low Light Photography that helps explain it all.

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As told from the perspective of 30 different photographers, the book is laid out in a very easy to consume format with sections on Equipment, Lighting Techniques, Weather, Night time subjects, The Color of Night, and more.
A lot of the info comes at you in a page or two, so once you’ve gone through the basic overview sections, you can flip through and perhaps see what images catch your fancy. You’ll get the advice from a pro on achieving that look, in a straightforward manner.
There was an image from Chip Forelli, that we use as a screen saver, that is included and it was very cool to at least know how he shot it.

Most of the shooters are working with film, and you’ll get the full shot specs on most of the images included here. We think that you’ll be able to adjust most of the info for digital though.

Night shooting is putting not only the ISO sensitivity of the DSLR’s on trial, but even the more sophisticated point and shoots that give you a pretty decent range of manual control. And honestly, when the light gets low, and you’re going out, there is a good chance that you’re carrying one of your smaller cameras, like a Canon G10, a Nikon P6000, or even a Lumix, many of which give you a manual range of controls. So on the tripod front, maybe one of the small pups like the Giottos we featured here, should be in your kit. Although we have used a lamp post to steady the camera on occasion.
But if you want to get this stuff for real, get ready to pack the good stuff; glass, bodies, and a big boy tripod like we said, and maybe some coffee. It’s gets chilly out there. And take a stealth camera bag into the night. Just a suggestion.

There is one bone to pick with this book, though. The folks who designed the type color seemed to not always be in sync with the rest of the book. The resultant few instances are real tough to read as the words blends with the background.

We first got into this book out of need. Crappy night time shots that always disappointed. Seriously. This collection let us know what we were doing wrong and how to do it better. That’s all we ask for.

Overall, we were rewarded with a lot of solid tips to getting some of those night shots of these cityscapes we spoke about, and a slight prodding to hang out after dark a little bit more with the daytime rig.

It’s a buy recco from us, as its one of the photographic categories we all deal with at some point, but need some solid info. At about $20. USD, it’s a sweet deal.
Jill Waterman did it right here.

There is nothing like a good shot of street life, with a solid dose of humanity staring you in the face. Sometimes, though, you don’t really want to get all flashy and be swinging that big, shining camera and lens in everyone’s face.
Discretion is key on the street. For photographers, anyway.
So this week we have one of the best camera bags for the job: the ThinkTank Photo Urban Disguise 30.
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Travel light, keeping the hardware hidden till you need it.

OK, some of the cool features: all black, never looks like a camera bag, holds a 70-200, and a wide angle lens, and a pro camera body with bottom grip (without lens attached). Or your DSLR without the bottom battery grip with a 70-200 attached. ready to rock and roll, and go stealth again. Shhhhh…

Plenty of pockets, inside and out for your extra media cards, business cards, batts, etc. Added bonus: there is a flap that will allow you to put this bag onto a roller bag if you so desire.
And when I travel, I do.

The founder of ThinkTank, Doug Murdoch, asked us to pass along this white paper on camera bags also. Kind of explains why we all have so many bags, in a good way. Great stuff from one heck of a camera bag designer.

Oh, and on that stealth part, wearing a photo vest with this bag probably is not a good idea. Just a tip. Travel light.

Details on getting this sent to your home, ANYWHERE in the World, will be in the NEWSLETTER this week, coming your way @ 9:00AM PST, Weds. Dec.10,2009. Just make sure you are signed up by Tuesday to be part of this free giveaway.

This company makes such good stealth gear, taxi drivers always think they are picking up a fare to the airport when I use the Airporter International.
They are not happy when I tell them I’m just going midtown.
It’s a good thing, trust me.

Nothing like a little, friendly art fair to stimulate the senses and lighten the wallets.
How about a gazillion of them all at once ??? Ok, it just feels like that.
We’ve been moving around Miami to check out a bunch of them and see if we can spot any trends in the business of photography. The fine art business that is.
First blush was last night for the Art Basel opening at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
[photopress:DSCN0408.JPG,full,centered] © Jon Kessler –Random Acts Of Senseless Violence (Part 2) Deitch Projects
Holy Moly! Now, we didn’t expect to see a ton of photography, which was the case. Aside from Cindy Sherman, photography was slim. Although the crowd was massive and you could tell the collectors were out in force. Tomorrow, we’re heading back in.

[photopress:photoMIAMI_logo.gif,full,alignright] But PhotoMiami was a little bit of a surprise. The fair concentrated on new artists, with rare sightings of any vintage photographers.
The work was colorful, big, and long.

[photopress:PF8_1160.jpg,full,centered] © Sabine Dehnel

Photographers like Sabine Dehnel, with her series of young girls back of heads.

[photopress:artwork_images_424615774_370246_flavia_darin.jpg,full,centered] © Flavia da Rin, image courtesy DPM Gallery

Falvia da Rin large,colorful panoramic trips into dreamland, with her series “Eyes Wide Open”

[photopress:ducky844.jpg,full,centered] © Dylan Vitone

and Dylan Vitone’s stitched images, combining portraits and documentary photographs to tell a single story. Go to his site and click through some of these images.

Oh sure there were many others that spoke to a new life of photographers, and combined media projects which is what this Miami version of the Art Fairs Inc.’s series of photo shows is about.
A refreshing show overall that we highly recommend if you’re in the area.

[photopress:PF8_1176_2.jpg,full,centered] click on the photo for a little geotagging fun. Plus you’ll be directed to about 11 other Art Fairs in the new art/design district in Midtown Miami.

But wait…that’s not all.
Right cross the street is Continue Reading »

One of the most popular galleries at Paris-Photo last month, was the Jackson Gallery of Fine Art.
And the biggest draw were the photographs of Vee Speers.Click on the link and take a look at the series.

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The beautifully simple, desaturated yet crisp, photographs of children from her Birthday Party series, brought the attendees and collectors back to the booth multiple times. We were included in that group.
There was a fresh look to the grouping of 8 images on display that made them accessible, yet haunting at the same time. Collectors would buy one, then come back for a few more from the series.
An additional treat was the appearance of the artist herself, who gave us a little background on the series.

We feel that hearing from the artist herself in this video will give you another insight, better than we can put into words here.

Her book will be available, although sold out at the event, on Amazon this spring. If we find out where you can get it before, we’ll tip it to you.
And it’s a clean book with a proper size for the images, giving them the space they deserve.

We first saw her work last year at Paris-Photo and the prints were about 3 feet high and quite imposing. The smaller size exhibited this year, we’re sure, helped in the high sales volume.

[photopress:Untitled__37.jpg,full,centered] © Vee Speers