DSI Blog

Imagine someone who is highly educated, passionate about their art, dedicated to teaching and happy to share their ideas with others. This last week Eric and I not only found one of these rare individuals but an entire conference full. This amazing reunion was the 2011 national conference of The Society of Photographic Education, SPE.

This amazing conference started for us with keynote lecture by old friend and legendary photographer and educator Abe Morell. Always understated, funny, and thought provoking, Abe’s talk inspired and amazed everyone. He shared many stories about his camera obscura work; we especially enjoyed his new body of work. We also got a great insight into Abe as a teacher from his former student and fellow Guggenheim recipient and SPE Board Member Joann Brennan  who gave a wonderful introduction, but I have a bias.

We would have liked to attend many of  the others lectures but we had work to do. On the exhibition floor we had a great time making new friends such as: Ann Simmons-Myers,  Angela Kelly,  Vesna Pavlovic the Crew at Bostick & Sullivan  and many more who we hope to see at SPE 2012 in San Francisco!

We also saw many old friends: Justin Kimball,  John Willis,  William DuBois.  This is a very incomplete short list and if you didn’t make it that means you didn’t buy us a drink!

We left the 2011 SPE Conference, Science, Poetry and the Photographic Image, enlightened, feeling good, and secure in the belief that the future of photography is in great hands. If you are a photography or film educator you need to be part of this amazing community, they throw one heck of a party.

WPPI was an amazing event and a tremendous learning opportunity. We experienced WPPI mostly from the trade show floor, a place where you can get the real story of being a professional photographer at least 100 times a day if you listen carefully. We talked to a lot of great people and these are 5 things we heard time and time again.

1. Be unique. Create your own style. Today anyone with a DSLR can be your competition… if you let them. However, if you develop an individual identity, an original look to your imagery, a special service or services that differentiate you from the crowd clients will find you. Our friends Walter van Dusen and Bob Coates push a fine art side of their business to attract new clients.  A group of photographers from Maine has started the Maine Photographer Coalition to help promote their businesses by selling more fine art images.

 
2. Don’t make price a factor. The top professionals we talked to didn’t figure cost into their success equation. Don’t ask yourself “what is the other guy charging,” but ask “what is the value of my talent and services.” When you know what you are selling, and that your talent and services are something of value, you will know what pricing model is right.

3. Quality matters. Time and time again we were complimented on the excellent quality of our printing. If you take pride in your photographic abilities why settle for an inferior print? To quote a photographer at the show, “There are a lot of beautifully bound albums here (at the WPPI trade show), with some really badly printed photos inside.” The wrapper may be gorgeous but it’s the print that defines your ability as a photographer.

5. Use your resources. Why limit yourself to just a few options. If you need a special lens, camera or piece of lighting equipment why not rent it. Our friends LensProtoGo have just about any piece of equipment you need in stock now. Tired of the same old look get some new backdrops. Need a cool website but don’t have the funds to pay a web designer? Try BluDomain for an extensive selection of websites at great prices. And most important, if you have a question ask your vendors, like Digital Silver Imaging, we know what’s out there and we can help you find it.

We love going to photo events like WPPI because every time we connect with a photographer we learn something. Check in with us in the coming weeks and find out how we put what we’ve learned into practice. Keep shooting in black and white, and maybe we’ll see you at the SPE Conference in Atlanta March 10-12!

Owner Eric Luden made a trip to Fall River last night to present his black & white program to over 30 photographers at the Fall River Camera Club.  What I like most about speaking with photographers at these camera clubs is their passion about photography.  They are doing this for fun, pleasure and education, and are not jaded by the demands of trying to make a living with their hobby.

I give an overview of the changes that have impacted black & white photography as digital methods have evolved since the mid- 90’s.  I explain how photographers used an LVT film recorder to produce b&w; negatives and then made darkroom prints and then the evolution of inkjet printing.  We discussed the evolution of digital enlargers, like the Lightjet or Durst Lambda and how we utilize the Durst Theta 51 to produce real black & white continuous tone prints.

Photographers are aware that black & white photography is making a comeback.  So many digital tools are available to make this possible, including multiple plugins and other software.  More than a third of the members already own Nik Silver Efex Pro and are eagerly awaiting the launch of Silver Efex Pro 2, which is due out at the end of this month.  This plugin makes working in black & white so much easier and produces the cleanest files.  When you combine this with our silver gelatin printing service, you get the best of both worlds. 

Thanks to Lorraine for inviting me down to the club – you have an excellent organization and I look forward to coming back. Congratulations to Richard who won the raffle for a free 11×14 Fiber print!

I love reading about developments in our industry, both digital and analog.  I have maintained a good relationship with my former employer, HARMAN technology, which is the parent company of Ilford Photo based in the UK.  I knew they were working on developing a new silver based fine art paper that would have the look and feel of Hahnemuhle fine art inkjet papers, but have a true silver gelatin coating.

I have been speaking with Mike Bain, Rod Parsons and others at HARMAN about the launch of the Multigrade Art 300.  Now that HARMAN has a relationship with Hahnemuhle, this has become a reality.  Initially, this paper will be available as an analog (that’s “darkroom” for all you digital newbies!) product.  We will be part of a test phase shortly to evaluate this in rolls for digital exposure in our Durst Theta 51 photographic laser enlarger.

This will initially launch in the UK in early April in sheet sizes from 8×10 up to 20×24.  There is no official launch date for North America, but we’re their largest market, so I’m sure we’ll see it soon!  I know representatives from HARMAN will be at the SPE (Society for Photographic Education) conference in Atlanta and will have samples on display.

Stay tuned for more details.

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Better in Black and White: Digital Silver Imaging