Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: Analogue_Rob on August 28, 2016, 05:48:02 am
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Hi All,
I am a unit stills photographer and I am starting to get together my printed portfolio i'm pretty clear about what I want but have a few questions. It's obviously a very personal thing, but I welcome others opinions, I am getting a Hartnack and Co hidden screwpost made and I want to use Hahnemuhle pre scored double sided paper.
Now I have some questions, As I will be displaying a mixture of portrait 10x8 ratio, landscape 4x6 ratio and panorama's do you think it's better to have a square paper where everything is in the same orientation but there will be a lot of white space on the panoramic shots and the image much smaller, or do you think it is permissible to have different orientations on A3 paper to minimise whitespace and get larger images. I don't love the idea of potential clients having to spin the portfolio around back and forth but I also want the images to have as much impact as possible.
I'm also trying to decide between 276gsm and 220gsm, I'm hoping I can get hold of a sample or see some in London, does anyone know where in London or Brighton I can check this paper out?
Many thanks!
Rob
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Books are published using both approaches. I think it really is a matter of what you think works best for the photos. Except for one very famous professional photographer, no-one I've shown prints to has complained about the need to re-orient the media. One approach that makes it more convenient is to gather the portrait and landscape photos into one sequence each so there is only a need to turn the media once making the transition say from portrait to landscape, but that doesn't always suit the logic of a photographic story-line, so again "it depends".
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Thank You Mark,
It is helpful to know that it doesn't bother most people you have come across. I feel the story-line of images needs to follow project by project rather than orientation. It's probably a matter of doing lots of experimenting within the software and then printing tests for layout on cheaper paper before printing for portfolio.
A3 would probably work better for panoramas anyway.
Many thanks,
Rob
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I've never seen a bound portfolio where portrait format and landscape format photographs are in different orientations.
The most common solution is to have a portrait format book, with the portrait format images as single pages, and the landscape images as double page spreads. Another approach is to have a landscape format book (say A3), with the landscape format images as single pages, and the portrait format images as two per page. With this approach, you could consider dropping the idea of double-sided printing.
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I've never seen a bound portfolio where portrait format and landscape format photographs are in different orientations.
The most common solution is to have a portrait format book, with the portrait format images as single pages, and the landscape images as double page spreads.
Well I have. I just grabbed one from my library - for example, "Japan with Korea and Formosa" by F.M. Trautz, "Orbis Terrarum" series published by Atlantis Verlag Zurich/Berlin, undated but the series dates from the 1920s, so nothing new here.
Making landscape photos as double page spreads, you are correct - is very common, but actually poor book design because of the break in the photo it creates and the often imperfect alignment/fusion between the two pages. The high class way of doing this, practiced by some high-end publishers especially mid-20th century was to print the landscape photos as gate-folds (I also have a sampling of those and they really do justice to the photos). But this carries extra cost (reflected in the book price), and here the reader needs to be careful to fold the page back to its original position so as to avoid unwanted creasing of the fold-out portion.
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I'm also trying to decide between 276gsm and 220gsm, I'm hoping I can get hold of a sample or see some in London, does anyone know where in London or Brighton I can check this paper out?
I'm based in London, but I can't think of anywhere. Silverprint used to be the place to look at lots of paper samples, but sadly they've moved out of London.
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These guys Fine Art (https://www.fineartfoto.co.uk/buy-hahnemuhle-fine-art-inkjet-papers.html?gclid=CjwKEAjwl4q-BRDtzJmSk-uGunkSJACmCOY-KD7fJQdWkxGU5_vM167eKS7Sfgp3R1UGD7w-Vne6nxoCaYrw_wcB) are very helpful and may well provide samples. I have dealt with them more than once and they are really nice guys. Always keen to help and have some good offers on too. In Coventry I think so a long way from you.
Mike
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Maybe instead of the screw post binding, a portfolio box? I guess it depends on how you are going to use it, and it’s little pricey and a little bulky, but to me if done well it’s pretty impressive.
Here’s a nice video by Andy Biggs, he shows a couple of options which are designed for loose prints, the box is towards the end, about the 11 minute mark.
https://vimeo.com/25521113
I put together both 13x19 and 17x22” boxes for portfolios and like what I ended up with.
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Great video Wayne - thanks for posting.
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Thank you all for your responses,
Firstly Wayne, great video I love the simplicity of the idea, well presented loose prints allows for effortless re-orientation.
Dr Mike I didn't know about 'Fine Art Foto' so thank's for the nugget!
Paper is something so important and personal and yet as a starting out pro in the first year of doing this I can't afford lots of sample packs or test packs, I can't believe there isn't a better resource in London for getting your hands on a wide range to look at and feel. Perhaps there is, and its an avid amateur collector, printer, archivist I could go and visit and learn more about paper from, is that any of you? Will pay for insightful conversation in portraits and cups of tea!
Many thanks,
Rob
PS I hate landscapes over two portrait pages! I know it's done but it's not coming anywhere near my brand and portfolio. Ive seen it done well and it works in some contexts, I don't think it would work for me here. Fold out is an interesting idea, 12x12 with fold out panorama's on 12 x something might be very cool, might be too fragile to be handled by clumsy clients though :/
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Rob, when I first started out I found that person-to-person got me further than any other investigative means. I went to established retailers and got talking with them, and because they see you as a future customer they will often discuss all sorts of topics with you. The other thing I did was I visit art shows, the bigger and more established the better. If you hang around the catering area you find yourself talking to amazing people who are only to happy to talk. There's no substitute for face-to-face. For example, I always pick up my printing supplies and then I get to talk to one guy who has been in the digital printing world forever.
Just my way of doing it. :)
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Great video Wayne - thanks for posting.
+1 for the Video!
I've used the MOAB Chinle albums many times. Fun and easy to create! Excellent quality, acceptable Price. In fact, I just picked up a few more yesterday for recent images of a visit to Gdansk. Makes a nice present.
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Here’s a nice video by Andy Biggs, he shows a couple of options which are designed for loose prints, the box is towards the end, about the 11 minute mark.
https://vimeo.com/25521113
I put together both 13x19 and 17x22” boxes for portfolios and like what I ended up with.
👍 Thanks for sharing, Wayne! The video was very helpful.