Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-09-27)

subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 21 September 2019 35

Printing and

framing tips

1

Calibration

Always calibrate your monitor prior

to processing and preparing images to

print. Accurate colour is essential when

creating fi ne-art prints. Use a hardware

colorimeter, for example, a DataColor

Spyder. There are numerous tutorials

to help you with colour management.

2

Trial run

Soft proofi ng your shot prior to

printing will help you to produce an

accurate print, with similar contrast and

colour to what you see on screen – thus

saving money on wasted ink and paper.

3

Paper chase

Paper choice will have a huge

impact on the look of your print. Matt

papers tend to display a lower maximum

black, less contrast and colour saturation

compared to gloss papers. Be prepared

to makeadjustmentsto yourfile to allow

fora particularpaper’straits.Buya test

packof papersto helpyouidentifythe

finishthatwillsuityourchosenphoto.

4

Presentation

Theclassicmethodof displaying

photographsis framedin a window

mount.However,forsomethingless

conventionalandmorecontemporary,

considera canvaswrap,aluminiumor

acrylicprint.A printis a focalpointin

anylivingspace– sodon’tscrimp;

it’sa long-terminvestment.

5

Keepitsimple

Avoidfancyframesorcolourful

mountsthatwilloverpoweryourprint.

Despitethewidechoicetoday,keep

thingssimpleandselecta framethat

trulycomplementsyourphotograph.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

‘ForthisgreatshotwerecommendWhiteWall’s

OriginalPhotoPrintUnderMatteAcrylicGlass

witha 50mm-deep,blackAluminiumArtbox.

Ourphotolaboffersmorethan 80 handmade

frames,soanotheroptionwouldbea brown

ShadowBoxFramewitha floatingaluminium

Dibondprint.Thisconfigurationallowsfora

whiteborderof variablesize,whichis a great

waytoaccentuatethepictureevenmore.

AlternativelyRossmightliketotryourOriginal

PhotoPrintonAluminiumDibond.Thematte

FujiCrystalArchivepaperandanadditional

whiteborderof upto12cmwouldgivethe

pieceplentyof presence.Addingourbrown

Copenhagenframewouldfinishthejob.’

Jan-OleSchmidt,ProductManager

WhiteWall.com

WhiteWallrecommends

4 Tweak colour
I manually tweaked the colour temperature to
achieve the most pleasing tone. I altered Tint,
changing the As Shot amount from +8 to +20
to remove a greenish tinge, then cooled the
image down from a value of 5,050 to 4,850.

to create a picture worthy
of hanging on the wall.
Whenever possible, I try to
take photographs when the
light is magical and golden
and will often shoot toward
the sun’s direction in order to
backlight or even silhouette
my subject. Contre-jour
photography helps to
showcase shape and form
and highlight detail, like the

veining of an insect’s wings.

This style can also help

simplify compositions.

This photograph of a male

banded demoiselle is a good

illustration of this approach.

I carefully aligned my

camera’s position so that

I could capture the insect

against the rising sun. I

resisted the temptation to fi ll

the frame with the damselfl y

and instead purposefully

included a degree of negative

space. I liked the shape

and fl ow of the grass it

was roosting on and felt it

worked well with the insect’s

own outline. I hoped the

result would have a slightly

arty, oriental feel to it – and

believe the shot’s striking

simplicity makes it a good

candidate for printing.

Contre-jour photography helps

to highlight intricate detail,

like the veining of this male

banded demoiselle’s wings

Nikon D800, 200mm, 1/8000sec

at f/4.2, -5 exp comp, ISO 50

Displaying Ross’s image

on a black Aluminium

Artbox really helps to

bring out the detail