Bob Crum

Check out the Youtube sandpiper video here https://youtu.be/oMFgwlQfdBY.

I'm delighted and surprised to see hundreds of emails from readers in my inbox.

However, so many emails that I had to hire three personal assistants. Therefore, I'm sending an invoice for $3.81 to everyone who emailed me last week to cover payroll! The hullabaloo is the result of my recent proselytizing unmercifully about photo 'prints'.

Noah, William, Isabella, James, Emma, Logan, Elijah, Ava, Lucas, Charlotte, Ethan, Jacob, Olivia, Michael, Sophia, Daniel, Amelia and others wrote essentially asking: Do you make prints yourself? Yes! Or do you send the digital file to a photo lab? Sometimes.

Except for canvas or aluminum prints, I produce prints up to size 13" X 19" (the maximum size photo paper my printers can handle) in my photo lab. I have two printers: A Canon Pro 10 and a Canon Pro 9000 MKII. Two printers because they each use a different type of ink. The Pro 10 uses pigment-based ink; the 9000 MKII uses dye-based ink.

Colorants in dye-based ink are fully dissolved in water, while pigment-based inks are insoluble particles suspended in water. The pros of Dye-based Inks: Cost less, has a broader color range and accuracy of color and produces prints more vibrantly.

The main advantage of pigment-based ink is that the ink will generally last longer because the colors locked in the pigments will protect them from evaporation or oxidation. Typically pigment-based ink costs more.

For most small prints, 4"X6" or 5"X7", I use the dye-based 9000 MKII printer. Longevity is not critical. For "Fine Art" prints selling for $$$$$, I use the pigment-based Pro 10 printer because longevity is important.

Making prints is the culmination of the creative process. From composing the photo in the camera, to post-processing, to the print slowly emerging from the printer is a pleasurable creative process. As photographer Jodi Durr said: I remember the moment (I made the photo) so vividly because it was photographed. I cherish the moment so fondly because it was printed."

Selecting the photo paper best suited for the print is essential. So many options! Brands include Red River, Canon, Epson, Hahnemuhle, Innova, Moab and Canson, to name a few. Choices include the thickness/basis weight. Photo papers are designed not only to look a certain way but also to feel a certain way. Texture refers to the fibrous look and feel of the paper. Surface sheen refers to the reflectivity of the paper coating. A print of a boudoir mermaid photo on Hahnemühle Photo Pearl 310 is so sensual! Imagine that hanging on your wall!

Print just 'special' photos. For every 50 digital photos I shoot, most likely only 1-2 worthy of printing. Also, it doesn’t make sense for everyone to invest in a photo printer, I understand that. But whether you print at home or send a file to a photo lab, print a special photo!

Think about collecting 30 (or more) photos from a family get together or a birthday or any special event for a photo book. Blurb, Shutterfly, Costco and others make great, economical photo books. Photo books make treasured family heirlooms.

I recently read: Take a trillion photos. Forget billions of them. But print one, and do it right. Mount it, frame it, display it! I'll add that five years hence you'll be delighted you did.

Wildlife is the photo of the week if birds may be considered wildlife. These little birds, sandpipers if I'm correct, frequent Faria County Beach around sundown, dashing around and poking their beaks into the sand. Interesting birds and so much fun to watch.

Send comments, suggestions or questions to: focusonphotography@earthlink.net