Any experiences with online print services or even places like Kinko’s? What is the best place for a photographer to get quality portfolio prints on a budget?
I should have elaborated….the photography is digital. However, thanks everyone for your condescending tone!
Best printing service for portfolio quality prints for a fine art photographer on a budget?
23
Feb
Ian W
February 23, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Budget online prints are low grade. Get on to the Yellow/Pink pages and look up professional photo labs and pay the extra couple of bucks a print for quality work.
Remember the print is your final product and it should be as good as you can get.
If a wannabe photographer shows me their portfoilio and it’s cheaply printed they won’t get a job working with me, not even as an intern.
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fotoace ..
This assumes the poster is a fair dinkum fine arts photographer. In which case they would already know the drill eg: Full darkroom abilities, the use of exotic papers and techniques such as Platinum and Palladium printing, assorted toning techniques etc etc.
Fine arts photographers don’t have to use any specal archival mounting methods, any professional mounting service or supplier to the trade will supply archival grade as standard for any professional job, unless you are a bottom end feeder.
What you said is true enough if you are displaying work in the fine art world, but if you are struggling financially most galleries will accept a portfolio using prolab grade hand prints. They aren’t suitable for exhibition purposes though.
fhotoace
February 23, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Actually “fine art” photographers still use film and process and print their own work including mounting the images using archival processes.
It is the photographers control over the whole process from composition, exposure, development and printing that differentiates one fine art photographer from another.
Check with a local photo gallery and see what they have to say. Usually they will not accept images that have be processed by a lab.