Why and how I print my images

I like looking at my photos. There is really nothing like having a big print of your finest work in your hands. Before we get to printing, I also have my photos up on all of my devices. Each of them have backgrounds and screen savers rotating my best photos from the last year. I've done this for a few years now, so I'm at the point of being able to choose if I keep looking at the pictures or not. Regardless, they remind me of photography all the time, and make me feel proud of my own work. 

For the prints, I mostly do two different things. At the start of each year, I take my 50 to 80 best images and create a photo book. I've done this for 5 years now, and the newest is the biggest yet. I started with books from the most popular camera shop in Finland, Rajala. The book was a 28x28cm 'quality paper' one. When I got the book, I noticed the print issues almost immediately.

28x28cm with blue cloth covers, 30x30cm with black, and an A3 with print cover.

This banding is present on almost all pages. The detail is very nice, though.

Now comes the stupid bit. I didn't return the book. And what's worse, I bought the same model the next year. Yeah. Proper Finnish behavior there, being too bothered about complaining. The year after that I decided to change company, and went with the popular European choice Cewe, which is sold in Finland through Gigantti Kuvapalvelut. I chose the same format book in approximately the same size, to make the books similar to the years previous.

No banding issues with this one, or the one next year. The print quality, other than that, is pretty much identical. So, great.

The reason I chose a square format is that a lot of my photos are in portrait orientation, even among the landscapes. With a square format both are printed the same size, without you having to turn the book while you browse through it.

So, after 4 years I had a nice set of books that looked similar to each other, and I was happy with the print quality of the last two (that's fine since my photos have gotten a lot better over time :) ). Then, this year, I was starting to create the yearly book, when I noticed something; Cewe had discontinued the square book with cloth cover. So, I had a choice to make. 

Trying to find the same format of book from another service (ifolor), I noticed that I liked their editor program better than the one from Cewe. Also, I could choose a bigger size book, and get it for cheaper! The only compromise was that I couldn't get the cloth cover on that one either. In the end, I just said 'F it', and ordered the new bigger format. And boy, am I glad I did.

Closeup from one of the pages, this is an area of approximately 2x3 cm.

The height of the books are the same, but the new width is amazing. The A3 page also works incredibly well with the standard 2:3 image ratio of my camera, almost filling the full page. And as you can see, panoramas fill an entire fold-flat open. Portraits are obviously smaller, but I can fit two on a page with the same print size in my old books, so it's fine. As a bonus, the print quality is absolutely amazing. The only issue i have is that the pages are plastic, where I'd like paper. I could have missed a setting somewhere for that, I'll have to try harder next year.

So, what if A3 is just too small? What if you want something on your wall? Then you get out the big guns that do big prints. I've thought about buying a big image printer, but I can't really justify it for the number of images I print. Also, I've found a nice, affordable non-paper alternative.

That right there is a 40x60cm aluminium print from iFolor. I have a few of those, and let me tell you, they are ridiculous. There is really nothing like it to look at one of your high-resolution landscapes printed that big and hung on a wall. I'd love nothing more than filling up my entire flat with these. Long-term, that might just happen, but for now I only have them on two walls. First, I have a set in my kitchen of the few food-related pics I've taken. The wine image was the first I took, the two others were specifically set up and taken for the purpose of going on the wall.

Crayfish, Spaghetti Bolognese, and last but not least, a lovely french red.

The second set is in my home office, where I've filled a whole wall. There's a few very old paper prints taped up in the corner too, from before I realized I couldn't get cheap frames for that size paper prints locally.

A big pile of inspiration.

The head is 6 cm in diameter, with very nice detail.

The prints are 3mm thick, quite light, and have built-in wall hanging hooks. Just put two screws in a wall, and hang. Couldn't be simpler.

For the future, I have a few plans. I'm going to continue with the yearly books. They are great for summing up your photographic year for yourself, to look at your skill progress from year to year, and if you're inclined to show your images to visitors, they work for that too. For prints, I'm toying with a few ideas. The 40x60 isn't the biggest size these prints come in. I also have a good spot in my flat for a bigger one, a 90x60 vertical. The plan is to get a photo from Lofoten in March to put there.

The second plan is for my living room. I'd find a 1:2 panoramic image and print that on three 60x40 verticals, hanging them side-by-side. I could supplement that with 3-4 other landscapes on a nearby wall. Lots of plans, but I'm in no hurry. Let's see what I find in Norway first :)

Finally, a few words about the technical side of prints. It is slightly different than posting your pictures online, mostly because you don't have a preview and can't re-do the print once it's done. When I order prints, I always double-check the post-processing of the image and I export using different settings (sharpening is set to high, print). I double-check for sensor dust spots, and make sure the exposure is what I want using the histogram. I also fine-tune the colors since it's usually been months since I did the first edit. My main monitor is color-calibrated and I use 5000K light bulbs in my office, so the color on the screen is the same it will be on the print.

As far as resolution goes, all of my wall prints are uncropped 24 megapixel images. I have some cropped images in my books, mostly the bird images. If we do the math, you don't actually need a lot of megapixels for a big image. At a very decent 150 pixels per inch, you need 8,3 megapixels to print 40x60cm. With 24MP, it will give you more than 60x90cm. More important than the number of MP is the quality of the pixels, though. A smartphone might give you 16 MP, but a 16 MP DSLR image will typically give you a lot better quality. I also use the lowest ISO I can, use a tripod, and make sure my horizon is straight when taking the image so I don't have to lose pixels in post. The last part is to have good-quality lenses and the biggest sensor you can afford, but I'm still working on that part. For the record, I use a crop sensor with consumer-level lenses for all my images, and I bet you can't tell that from the images on this blog ;)

That's it for now, I have a lot of things to plan for my next trip. Expect a similar report from that one as my previous trips. With good luck I might get out for some local birding inside a few weeks as well to tide me over.

Finally some snow!

If you don't live in Finland, you might think that the winters here are snow-filled and beautiful, the low-hanging sun bathing everything in a wonderful glow. Well, it can be. But where I live, the truth is that winter can suck. Especially in November an December, when the days are getting short and the rain starts pelting down. It's quite typical not to see the sun for weeks on end. The sun rises at 9:30 and sets at 15:30, and when it's overcast it never gets very bright even mid day.

All of that gloom usually has a definitive effect on my mood, that sometimes can be helped with some short trips out to the cabin, and sometimes not. This year was one of those sucky years where I felt miserable the whole time. I actually had to resort to more food photography! More on that later.

As many other photographers, I've been watching a lot of YouTube, hoping a few of my favorites would have some inspiring words. What I got instead, was beautiful, snow and ice-filled woodland and landscapes.. from the UK. If you want to take a look yourself, here's an example from Simon Baxter, who does some beautiful, low-key woodland photography. All in all, I had been waiting for good weather for a few months already. And then, a week after new years, it finally happened. Sun! Cold! Snow! 

Instead of going to my normal places, I decided to go to Kurjenrahka National Park just north of Turku where I live. The reason was twofold; firstly, I had never been there and wanted to check it out, and secondly, I was pretty sure there wouldn't be that many people around. After a short drive I found the parking lot, and swung on my backpack. Almost immediately, I found my first composition.

What drew me to the sight was, well, firstly, I literally walked into it. I was about 50 meters from the parking lot (I could still see my car), but a picture is a picture, so who cares as long as the car isn't in the shot :) Secondly, I liked how the strong tree on the left is contrasted by the thinner, fallen one, and the even thinner felled one. And third, I was super lucky and the sun slightly lit up the trees behind my main subjects, creating nice contrast (in the center of the frame). The path (although you can't really see it in the photo) goes from the bottom off to the right, sidestepping some heaped logs.

One thing I was very strict with this particular day; I always had my camera packed, without a lens on. I also had my tripod with me, and was adamant of using it every single shot. Why? It slows you down. It allowed me to just walk through the forest, looking at nature and enjoying myself. Every now and then something caught my eye; those are the potential photographs. At that point I'd look closer, trying to figure out why I liked it. Many times it wasn't anything worth of a photo, so I left my camera in the bag.

Sometimes, it was most definitely a photo. For those, I took off my backpack so that I could move a bit better, and started to frame the picture in my mind; what focal length would I need, where to put the edges of the frame, how was the light. When I started to think like this, something just clicked. I think I kind of understand the 'take it slow' mentality now. To cap it off, I stumbled on this.

I first noticed the fallen tree, there were in fact two of them, lying almost parallel (the other one is to the left, out of frame). Second, I noticed the light, spilling through from the open area just behind the trees. The sun was out in full force, which really isn't all that much this time of year, but it was just perfect. I found the right spot (without the camera), set up the tripod and camera there, and took the image. Then I packed everything into my bag again, just like my YouTube mentors.

This was turning out to be a really nice day. It was the first time in weeks that I'd seen the sun, I was out in a beautiful forest, and I was getting some photography done. The fact that the area was completely new to me just added to the sense of discovery.

After the photo above, I reached the edge of the forest, where a big swamp started. There were small clouds going in and out in front of the sun, bathing everything in the golden light one minute, and into a blueish gloom the other. I climbed up a bird-watching tower to take in a view over the marshes. Beautiful, but not really worthy of a photo. Some places are just like that; while you are there, it's great, but you just can't capture it. Instead, I tried to think about what made the place so great, to see if I could hone in on that. 

What I saw in front of me was frozen, snow-covered marshland, with small trees everywhere, occasionally in beautiful light. So, it just made sense to me to try to capture that; a simple detail in a vast landscape, that nevertheless tells the story. I tried multiple angles, never being quite happy. I was looking for a single small tree, with nice side light, and a nice white background. I knew there was a lot of marsh to find the picture in, but the clock was against me and I started panicking (taking photos without a tripod). Here are a few of the not-so-good captures I tried:

Small tree, golden light, background. Yes? No. I think it's too cluttered: I wanted simple, this is not it. The two trees were nice though.

Same tree, taken from a higher vantage point to contrast with the snow behind. This makes the tree more isolated. I didn't like this one either.

Maybe towards the sun? I like this one even less. There is too much contrast, and too much stuff going on.

As I was taking the photos above, I started thinking again; the idea was still valid, but my execution was flawed. I wanted simplicity, but was trying to include everything in the frame. I remembered a shot I had taken an hour or do earlier, just to get it. At the time, I thought it was a bit cliche, I just happened to be in the right place when the sun hit a small tree in a clearing. Now, it was everything I was looking for, but couldn't find out in the marsh.

It doesn't have to be difficult. I know it's been done before, but I don't care.

The composition isn't perfect; there's a small tree on the right side that I'd get rid of. The bigger tree in the background should be slightly more to the left. But it's still a nice picture. So, I gave up my search for a small tree in the marsh, and started to think about returning to the car. At this point was around two o'clock, meaning I had about an hour of sunlight left. I'd been out for three hours already, and I was very content with the images I already had. As a final image, I decided to capture the slight s-curve of the path through the marsh; the light was still nice, and s-curves are almost always good subjects. I had to wait about 15 minutes for the sun to show and a few families to get out of shot, but I think was worth it. Having my tripod out again meant I just had to wait for the right time, and press the shutter. No need to re-frame or remember where you where standing.

After driving home and making some food, I looked out my kitchen window to see a beautiful pink sunset. I knew it was a possibility when I left the park; but I was still happy even though I didn't capture it. I knew I had some keepers on the memory card, slowly warming up in my camera bag.

Finally, a few things I learned during the Sunday trip:

  1. If you think it might be good weather for a photo or two, don't hesitate, just go.
  2. Pack all lenses you have, an extra battery, and an extra memory card.
  3. Do not walk around with your camera out. Take your time. Enjoy. The photos will show themselves.
  4. Light is everything. I know it sounds dumb, but I think I'm finally getting it.

Also, I am really starting to dislike my 18-200mm lens. It's just not up to par with my other lenses. Those aren't superb either, but this particular one is really, really bad at most focal lengths. Makes me think on what I'm going to do for my return trip to Norway in a few months...

Crayfish Quickie

Today, I photograph some nature on my plate. I haven't been out in a while, getting a bit stir crazy, and one day I looked at my kitchen wall thinking 'why don't I take some food shots, print them, and put them up there'. So, here we go.

Very, very delicious.

Just a quick explanation on why I took this the way I did, and what I think works.

First, the background isn't the best, but since that's how my kitchen wall looks, so be it. The main goal is that it isn't distracting. The second thing is the use of a shallow depth of field. This photo was taken with a 35mm lens at f4, focusing quite close (about 40 cm from the sensor), resulting in the nice blur effect you see. In this photo, all the crayfish don't need to be in focus for you to know what they are. Similarly for the bottle, champagne glasses, and the toast. The shape and colour allows your brain to make the connection, especially if you've ever tasted the combo previously.

Then, the positioning. I was literally salivating when positioning these things (I was hungry, and it looked delicious :)), so I didn't try to get it perfect. I started with the important thing, the crayfish. Then, adding a few suitable pieces of color (lemon, dill), and the plate on the left third (human eyes start looking at a photo from left to right, having the lemon adds contrast that the eye jumps to). The rest of the frame builds the scene; with crayfish, you typically have toast and some sort of white wine or bubbly. So, adding them was a no-brainer. There were other things I though about adding (champagne cork, mayonnaise, crayfish knife), but decided against it; simpler is better. If I would have had access to a seaside restaurant, the scene would have been better. Maybe next time.

To finish it off, I added a dutch tilt (taking the photo at a pronounced angle) because I typically do that when photographing food. I just think it looks better, even though it is a bit of a cliche. And finally, the scene is lighted with a single flash, sat on the right corner of the table, out of shot. The flash is pointed to the white ceiling with maximum spread, so that everything is lit evenly from above, and the shadows under the plates are nice and diffused.

I think I like this idea. Now I just have to figure out other things I love eating to take photos of.