The power of prints

Recently I had an offer from a vendor to try their photobook service for free. It's not a service I usually consider, since it's more of a low-end consumer vendor - they compete on primarily on price and volume. Still, it was a free photobook, so I thought I'd create a photo portfolio using this book.

When the book arrived, it came to me anew how powerful the printed image is. The printed image has the least dynamic range, or range from total white to total dark, of most display methods. Yet it retains some of the most powerful impact on us.

When I first started shooting, I almost never printed my images-- until I shot my first airshow. I shot about 800 images, and we printed almost all of them. It was a revelation! The reality of the image, the impact of subject matter, all of it-- it became much more intense, much more visceral, than simply seeing on a monitor, even though a monitor has more capabilities in some ways.

A high-quality print draws us into the picture; it drives a point home. It has the longevity to become a touchstone through the years; it becomes part of our environment, it represents our history and our future at the same time. It can represent beauty, emotion, and truth -- sometimes uncomfortably.

So what about the book I ordered? It was OK. It still had an impact to everyone I showed it to, as prints do. It was a nice book, but not one I would use for my clients. The vendor is low-cost for a reason.

We have some excellent quality vendors and we'll stick with them. It's just too important.