I recently went through a significant change in the way I have my photos printed. For about 7 years I produced all my own prints using ink jet printers. First a Canon and then an Epson Stylus PRO 7600 with Ultrachrome ink. I loved that I could be in control of the entire process, print on demand and easily print test proofs. I also thought it was the most cost effective way of printing and that the quality was on par with any print lab.

Within the last year I have had a change of perspective and have now switched over to using a professional print lab to produce all my prints. Two factors contributed to my switch. First, as my 7600 got a couple of years under its belt, combined with the fact that I sometimes go for a couple weeks without printing anything, it began to have issues with ink nozzles clogging, creating banding in my prints. I would then need to spend as much as two hours running the cleaning cycle to clear the nozzles. The time lost, as well as the cost in wasted paper and ink, became a source of stress and frustration. Admittedly, I have many photographer friends who properly maintain their printers and don’t suffer similar issues.

The second factor was my discovery that when printing on coated, non-absorbent papers (referred to as RC papers), such as glossy or semi-gloss, solvents in the inks are not absorbed by the paper and instead evaporate over time. When such a print is framed, the evaporating solvent condenses on the inside of the glass leaving a visible foggy residue. The issue is widely commented on in web forums and the offered solutions include waiting several weeks to frame prints, or to layer newsprint between prints and stack books on them for 48 hours to draw out the solvent. I didn’t have any luck with the newsprint approach, and some other prints that I let cure for a month and a half still fogged the glass when framed. To read an article specifically about the fogging problem click HERE. Much more can be found with a quick Internet search.
The combination of the two problems drove me crazy enough that I began having West Coast Imaging produce all my prints. They aren’t cheap, but the quality is amazing and they deal with maintaining the equipment and stocking paper and ink. Since the evaporation issue isn’t a problem with canvas and fine art papers, I have them print these with their Epson ink jet printer. For all my glossy and semi-gloss prints, I have them use their Chromira printer, which uses traditional chemistry based “wet” printing. In the end, I think that wet printing on glossy paper give superior results in color and contrast and it eliminates the strange reflections created by different ink densities when viewing ink jet prints at an angle. In addition, I like the selection of papers, such as Fuji Crystal Archive and FujiFlex super gloss, that are available with Chromira prints. Most importantly, the prints can be framed right away and don’t leave any residue on glass.

I still think that ink jet printers offer great color and quality and a lot of control and convenience for amateur and professional photographers alike, as long as one has the time and patience to maintain them and the evaporating solvent issue isn’t a concern. If you know anyone who wants to buy a 7600, mine is available for a really good price. I’ll probably get a 13″ ink jet for test prints and printing cards and small prints on matte papers.

Successful landscape photography brings the viewer into the scene, making a two dimensional image feel three dimensional. It also tells a story, leading the eye through it, revealing more and more the further you go. There are many composition and lighting techniques that landscape photographers use to achieve these effects. One of the most powerful is the use of a wide angle lens and the careful placement of foreground, middle ground and background elements.

Ansel Adams was a pioneering master of this technique and used it in many of his famous landscapes of Yosemite and the American west. Some photographs that illustrate the foreground, middle ground, background technique include Sand Dunes, Sunrise Death Valley , Mount Williamson and White Branches, Mono Lake.

Galen Rowell’s photography has had a great impact on my work. He brought wide angle, foreground, middle ground, background technique to color photography and the 35mm format. Galen worked hard to create compelling, dynamic and dimensional compositions and to reveal the landscape in new ways. Examples of his work that exemplify the technique include Cuernos del Paine at dawn from Lago Pehoe, Valley Of Ten Peaks, and Wild Iris At Dawn.

William Neil is another one of my favorite outdoor photographers who often uses the technique in his work. I particularly like how he uses very subtle subjects and ethereal compositions to lead the eye through mysterious and somewhat abstract landscapes.

Mark Adamus is a relatively new photographer whose dynamic and powerful landscape images are pushing the fore/middle/background technique to new levels. Some examples of his work include Coast Of Wonders, Edge Of Dreams and The Reflection Tarn.

The concepts involved in taking deeply dimensional, wide angle landscapes such as these are basic and complex at the same time. They are easy to learn, but can take a lifetime to master. Here are some technique tips I find helpful.

Use a wide angle lens. While fore/middle/background photos can be made using longer focal length lenses, they have the most dimension and depth when taken with a very wide angle lens. I like to use my 16-35mm zoom. For APS format digital SLRs that have a “crop factor” an even wider lens is needed.

Find a suitable landscape. Look for exciting background and middle ground elements first, such as dramatic sky, mountains, trees, streams, or shapes and patterns in the land that lead into the distance. Then look for an interesting subject that you can get close to for the foreground, such as a flower, plant, rock, log or intimate landscape feature.

Try many different camera positions to bring the elements together in a way that draws the viewer into the image. I like to use lines, light/shadow or motion to form a connection between my foreground and background, such as the S curve of a stream or ridge, a line of trees or rocks, or shadows cast by low angle sun. Sometimes moving the camera back and forth or up and down just a few inches will completely change the relationship between the different components.

Get close to your foreground. Wide angle lenses make distant objects look even more distant. To emphasize and showcase your foreground element you need to get close, sometimes within a few feet or even inches. Setting up too far away from your foreground feature makes it fade into the middle ground and leaves your foreground empty.

Use light and shadow to create the perception of depth. Side lighting helps reveal texture and shape and gives objects a more three dimensional look than direct front lighting. Also, within a composition, using areas of light and shadow to illuminate elements of the fore, middle and background add to the perception of depth.

Use a split neutral density filter to highlight the foreground and darken the more distant objects and the sky. The viewers eye will be drawn to the lighter foreground element first before being led into through the image towards the background. The darker background will appear more distant.

Nearly all digital images need sharpening to some degree, and I apply various techniques and amounts of sharpening throughout my workflow. The most important sharpening stage, so that the final image looks crisp and focused, is done as a final step to the image once it has been sized for its intended use. When images are downsized they lose sharpness, as detail along edges is lost in the reducing process. When images are enlarged, the lack of sharpness inherent in digital images is magnified. Using Photoshop’s digital sharpening filters makes it possible to increase contrast along fine edges to bring back lost image sharpness. There are many ways to do this, but I have recently developed a technique that I think does quite well. It is important to note that digital sharpening is not a substitute for lack of sharpness in the original image. Proper focus, shutter speed and technique is required at the point of capture to enable good digital sharpening.First, open an image in Photoshop. Then, flatten all layers (if any exist) and size the image for its intended use (print, email, screen saver, etc.). For help on how to size images you can refer to my articles on SIZING FOR PRINTING or SIZING FOR EMAIL. Once the image has been sized it is time to apply sharpening to make it look appropriately sharp. The technique I have developed makes two sharpening passes. The first pass uses the Unsharp Mask filter set to add a small degree of sharpening to larger edges and details to help with the overall crispness and “pop” in the image. The second pass uses the Smart Mask filter set to add a greater amount of contrast to the very finest edges and lines in the image for razor sharp fine detail. Versions of Photoshop prior to CS2 don’t include the Smart Sharpen filter, so the second pass can also be made with the Unsharp Mask filter with good results.

Make sure that you are viewing the image at 100%, or, if it is a larger sized print, 50%. To complete the first, large detail sharpening pass go to Filter>Sharpen>Unsharp Mask. Select a Threshold of 1, a radius of .7 to 1.0 for web images and 1.5 to 2.5 for prints, and an amount in the 50 to 75 % range. I find it helpful to check and uncheck the preview box to dial in the right amount of sharpening. Select OK when you are finished. Now to sharpen the fine edges and details, go to Filter>Sharpen>Smart Sharpen (or Unsharp Mask again if your version of PS is pre CS2). Set the Remove box to Lens Blur, the radius to 0.1 for screen and web size images or .2 to .4 for prints, depending on how large the print will be, and finally, adjust the amount to 100 to 140% or until the desired sharpness is achieved.

I find that this two-pass sharpening technique does a great job of targeting sharpening to both the larger and finer details separately, especially for images that will be displayed on a screen. As with any sharpening technique, knowing how far to go without going too far is the key and some experimentation is needed to determine the best combination of adjustments for each individual image. Below are samples of a screen sized image. The first is not sharpened, the second is sharpened appropriately using this technique and the final image is over sharpened in my opinion.

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