12 steps to the worst photograph ever - part 6 - Print presentation

I consider printing to be the very last vital step of photography. Without a print, to me the process is not complete.

So, I do agree that print presentation is a very important aspect of photography. But that is if the audience demands that there are prints. If not, then it is a moot point. The deal is that it does depend on who the audience is. Then, it has to be that the audience, or picking certain demographic as a target audience for your photography is at least more important than the print presentation itself. PPA's site does not even mention audience. I know it is a bit too much to ask from them.

Then, predominantly, most people (or audience) will look at the pictures on their respective monitors. This is certainly an X factor. There monitors that cost less than $100, and there are ones that cost thousands. These price discrepancies are there for a reason or two; more expensive monitors project nicer images. When you submit your work for eval, not by way of sending prints instead of e-submission, then you are not only at a mercy of your critic's whims, but now you have to take into an account that the person who is looking at your photo may not have as good a set up as you do. Then he won't see what you intended. It becomes a complete waste of time.

I have a dual monitor set up. I have a cheap LG monitor for non photo application, and I also have NEC multisync P221w with a custom hood I made. Comparing between the two is really joke, but you really can not. When the same image is projected on these two different monitors, it is as if I am looking at two entirely different photos.

Good example of that is what I posted here. On my cheap monitor, it is overly bright, flares are pronounced, and there is no sense of the depth of the field that it portrays. But, things certainly change when projected on my NEC.

Printing a photo exactly as you see it on the monitor is easier said than done. It takes monitor calibration software and hardware, which I will talk about it the near future.

Pentax K-7

FA 31mm ltd

1/200 @ f/1.4

0 ev

ISO 200

RAW