I felt that I needed to expand my previous post about making a print. I would like to say first that I have made many of my image into prints before but all of them were on photographic paper and not the watercolor paper. My favorite paper to print on is the Metallic Paper that Kodak produces. Talk about pop of rich colors and contrast. What I am inexperienced with is printing on different media of paper and inks and with the last image I learned I needed to do a little more research before committing to it.

So here is what I envisioned; I wanted this water lily printed on watercolor paper by an inkjet printer and have the look of a photograph. You know that pop of contrast of darks and lights. I wanted then to have ruff torn edges and then float it in a matte and frame it. I was excited about the image I selected and the proof was perfect in the look I wanted. A week after I dropped it off I picked it up and instead of being excited I was disappointed. It was not the printers fault. The image matches the proof but it did not have that pop I was looking for. And why? Because it is the medium I printed on. What I wanted this paper to do was not going to happen. My concept for the image was spot on but the reality was that what I wanted was not happing. All is for not. I will still matte this print and sell it because it is a great print even though it doesn’t fit my needs. I will just make this image as well as the rest on photographic paper matte and frame them as normal and maybe explore this paper for other images later.

In this digital age, it is very easy to make prints on almost any medium you want. But as easy as it is to print, it can and will go wrong if you don’t choose wisely. The myriad of surfaces, textures, papers and even metals can be overwhelming with all the possibilities they offer. I had mentioned the Metallic Paper earlier; that is a great paper to make your colors and contrast pop off the walls in almost any light but I wouldn’t use it for a portrait of a person. I am sure that the watercolor paper I chose for this project would be great for an image that is soft and low contrast. It just did not meet my expectation in which I falsely had. So, I guess one of the lessons I learned and want to pass on is that you must be careful about what you print on. Do your homework on your medium before you print in order to get what you want. And above all print your work! Which leads me to this next thought.

The digital age has hurt the art of photography by reducing the desire to print. It is so easy to create an image, work it in PhotoShop and put it on a social media site or two and wait for all to “love” it. Before social sites and digital images, we developed the film, worked the prints in the darkroom to then produce that image in quantities for our audience so they can hang it on their wall. Instead those walls are not at their home but their phone or Facebook page. And those walls are not just where art lives but family portraits hang there as well. Why? Is your family portrait not important enough to grace the walls of your home? I understand the need to carry their images of loved ones around. We have done this for ages but instead of phones it was in our wallets and billfolds. That still doesn’t explain why we don’t hang their images on our wall. Do we not love them enough? I wish I knew the answer.

In this age, many photographers are trying to be different by going back to film or doing tricky manipulations on the camera or in PhotoShop to set themselves apart from the rest. But not enough of us are printing our work. So here is a challenge I echo from a few others. Find an image you love, research the medium you would like to print it on and make a print. But don’t stop there you must matte and frame it to hang on your walls. It’s time to turn the tide of just having images on your phone and social media pages to having prints on your wall. And if your images do not move you to make a print of your best one then you are not making good images. When you have accomplished this task photograph it on your wall and post it on twitter with the tag #PrintingMyWork. I will look for it and post it on my page. Hell, all of us can retweet that to help spread the word. It’s time to start printing again.

Most of us today have some form of social media page like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or a few others. On that page we have a cover photo and our profile photo which, most likely, is a snapshot of us. For the most part that snapshot will suffice for the fun social media pages but what about the professional pages like Linkedin? Will that same snapshot be good enough for that? Most experts would say “No.”

Social Media pages like Linkedin are professional pages where you are branding yourself to potential employers or employees. The portrait you have says a lot about who you are, so it must give the right message. A snapshot on the beach does convey that you are fun and enjoy the outdoors but to a potential employer it could be saying “takes a lot of time off.” On the other hand you may have a portrait that is on a neutral background but shot from a distance which makes you look too small and unrecognizable. As much as we would like to think otherwise, if we don’t look the part we will not get in the door, thereby another lost opportunity.

Below I have included two of my headshots to serve as an example. One was shot outdoors by my wife and the other was shot in my studio setup. The outdoor one has harsh shadows and hard light, not to mention my favorite Fat Tire Ballcap. This portrait says “I love the outdoors and love to drink Fat Tire Beer.” Which is true but it is not what an employer is looking for in a employee.

The second portrait has a nice clean background, my skin tones are even, my hair is neat and without flyaways, my eyes are clean and my smile is good. With the way it is cropped I look sharp and you can easily recognize me if you were to run into me at the store. Everything about this portrait exudes confidence, professionalism and that is what employers want in their employees. Now that I have their attention I will most likely have my profile read to see if I have the qualifications.

There are so many things that you must get right in order to get the power portrait you need to brand yourself a contender that it is best to leave it up to a skilled professional. The right expression, the clean background, the hair perfect and the outfit stunning. On my best days I can’t achieve that and get it in a portrait without a little help from an expert. So here is what a skilled professional photographer will do for you.

As a skilled professional photographer I am first going to listen and discuss what exactly are your portrait needs. We will talk about outfits and hair for the session yet to take place. On the day of the session I will coach you on how to pose in order to get the best results. I like to schedule an hour for the session so that way we don’t feel rushed and it give you a chance to change cloths. Once we have accomplished our goals then I do a little post production editing to give you a great looking set of portraits on a disc. And it is not just one image that you get. By having 3 or 4 images you will have the ability to change your profile portrait as often as you update your page. This way you can keep a fresh up to date look as often as you like. Try to get that from your friend with your camera phone.

So if you are looking to update your profile portrait and looking to get that 3 or 4 power photos please do yourself a favor and hire a skilled professional photographer. You may pay some up front but landing the dream job will make it a great investment.

I am interested in hearing from you. Please feel free to place a comment below or contact me on my contact page with a question or to book your next appointment. At DFG Studios we Create Your Next Unique Portrait.