For The Love of Printing

I’ve sold prints for years, but I’ve never had a fully functioning storefront, aside from quickly abandoned tests that didn’t feel quite right for one reason or another. On Feb 1 that changes when the new shop opens up with a selection of limited edition prints I’m very happy excited to make available.

I recently re-discovered how a photograph can take on new characteristics and presence when printed on a quality paper. The photograph as an object is something I’ve always thought I’d appreciated, but I shied away from printing unless there was a purchase involved, in which case I worked with a master printer to fulfill the order.

For years I’ve worked with Robert Bullivant at Bullivant Gallery in St. Louis for all of my printing. Every print their shop has made for me has exceeded expectations and was an example of the power an image can have when printed thoughtfully. I was always there to witness and provide feedback for the end result, but I desperately wanted to have this ability myself and be a part of this process in as far as I could produce something of quality. This is what pushed me over the edge to start printing smaller sizes myself using similar materials and Robert’s generous guidance.

The result has been a renewed passion for the photograph as an object and the profound effect paper can imbue in an image. In school I viewed printing as a necessary evil and wanted to just close my eyes and get it over with as fast as possible. Later in life, like many things, I’ve found a new appreciation and respect for it.

I’ve been most impressed with paper, and specifically how profound the paper choice is for an image. Usually we say that an image is printed “on” a paper, which is a way of defining the image and paper as separate. The truth is that a photograph is printed into a paper, causing the substrate to truly be a part of the final representation and not some “other” fact about the image to look past. The texture of the paper becomes the texture of the photograph in the real world, and this matters to a surprising degree.

However, it may come as no surprise that Hahnemuhle’s Photo Rag and its Bright White cousin are outstanding examples of what a mat paper can be. Objectively inspecting the prints as I have, I can safely say there is a quality to the right images printed into this paper that exudes refinement and gorgeously delicate details.

Texture has an outsized impact on me, I’ve come to learn. It’s something I inherently look for while out in the field and appreciate on a daily basis. Tactility can present itself in interesting ways and has downstream effects on the image, able to communicate not just the perceived physical feeling of a surface but also weight, presence, and can have large effects on the mood and temperament of an image. This is taken to another level in the printing process, where as I mentioned above, physical texture becomes part of the final image.

To celebrate this renewed passion for the printed image and the shop opening on Feb 1, I’m running a print giveaway over on Instagram. The rules are simple: Follow me on IG and subscribe to my newsletter between now and January 31. That’s it! I’ll announce the winner in the newsletter on February 1.

Thanks for reading :-)