I’ve been saying this for ages that the life cycle of a photo starts with the idea and ends with something tactile that you can hold and always come back to.
SO MUCH more enjoyable than "virtual". I am surprised we have all not become completely bored with the "virtual" but you'll probably agree there seems to be a greater rebellion against the virtual in favor of the physical overall.
It’s the analog revolution - people are pushing against digital as it causes us to become so siloed where as analog promotes sharing space and experience with others as well as what we create
What an amazing, wonderful calming moment to think about this. Thank you Les. More than anything in Shaw's blog post, I loved the pictures from the workshop. It reminded me of being in the art classrooms in high school (I was an interloper, belonged on the science and math side of the building). There is something inspiring about being in a workshop that is so well designed and just says - be creative and love what you're doing.
OK, this is a little bit off topic. Maybe it will be a little bit helpful learning about another version of using plant fibers to make paper in Asia. The lost art of paper making from mulberry in Korea. It isn't directly related to something that can be printed on. That it takes a year before the paper is finished, truly amazing. The photography and video clips are really pretty.
We agree, all things considered, we also have settled on the Canon prograf pigment line of printers. Wonderful workhorses. I recently acquired the 310 as a small desk side printer to locate in my small-ish office area for convenience and love that one two. Given the number of small prints I make it was a fantastic buy for me. An interesting bonus I had not anticipated is that it has an almost instant start-up time compared to the other Canon pigment printers. I assume this is partly due to the fact that the ink carts sit directly above the heads with no connecting lines. Great for low volume but frequent work.
I’ve used many different papers for different images but those Awagami papers can create special magic. I do platinum palladium prints too but that’s another whole ball o wax.
Another vitally important part of printing your own photographs—one that I think is often overlooked—is how much it changes the way you edit and ultimately the way you approach the entire photographic process. I often tell people who are interested in getting started with printing that, for me, it is the modern equivalent of the darkroom. Once you begin making your own prints, you start seeing your photographs differently. Printing becomes part of the creative process itself and, I believe, truly rounds out the art of photography.
Thank you again for sharing and linking to my blog, Les! I hope everyone enjoys it.
Ps. Thank you John for allowing us to share your essay. Great job, and heartfelt, your love for the medium comes through loud and clear. Also wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your cat book. Fantastic venue/project/treatment for all of those pictures including a few of the "rejects" for the first portfolio. Good photos always belong somewhere but not always together.
Thank you very much Bob! I'm so honored that you linked to my blog. It is very much appreciated. And I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Looking forward to taking another workshop with you both in the future!
I hope this is not controversial, I do not mean it to be but I found a LONG TIME ago, the prints/photos (one in the same for me) that seemed to stand the test of time for me are the ones where I've practiced much restraint in terms of "post processing" and this includes shooting film and wet darkroom printing. Most of the time after months and sometimes years I have returned to much earlier versions of my "proof prints" and used those as guidelines for what ultimately turned out to be my finals. Much of the artifice I have found reserved for commercial purposes to shout very loudly at someone for the purpose of gaining attention used for marketing a product. Just where I landed after experience in various worlds of photographic media.
I could not agree more.
I’ve been saying this for ages that the life cycle of a photo starts with the idea and ends with something tactile that you can hold and always come back to.
SO MUCH more enjoyable than "virtual". I am surprised we have all not become completely bored with the "virtual" but you'll probably agree there seems to be a greater rebellion against the virtual in favor of the physical overall.
It’s the analog revolution - people are pushing against digital as it causes us to become so siloed where as analog promotes sharing space and experience with others as well as what we create
What an amazing, wonderful calming moment to think about this. Thank you Les. More than anything in Shaw's blog post, I loved the pictures from the workshop. It reminded me of being in the art classrooms in high school (I was an interloper, belonged on the science and math side of the building). There is something inspiring about being in a workshop that is so well designed and just says - be creative and love what you're doing.
OK, this is a little bit off topic. Maybe it will be a little bit helpful learning about another version of using plant fibers to make paper in Asia. The lost art of paper making from mulberry in Korea. It isn't directly related to something that can be printed on. That it takes a year before the paper is finished, truly amazing. The photography and video clips are really pretty.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/17/arts/design/korean-papermaker-hanji.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6VA.ao6o.X7wQ-NkYktYA&smid=url-share
1000%. My Canon 1100 brings all this to life! Print your own!
We agree, all things considered, we also have settled on the Canon prograf pigment line of printers. Wonderful workhorses. I recently acquired the 310 as a small desk side printer to locate in my small-ish office area for convenience and love that one two. Given the number of small prints I make it was a fantastic buy for me. An interesting bonus I had not anticipated is that it has an almost instant start-up time compared to the other Canon pigment printers. I assume this is partly due to the fact that the ink carts sit directly above the heads with no connecting lines. Great for low volume but frequent work.
I’ve used many different papers for different images but those Awagami papers can create special magic. I do platinum palladium prints too but that’s another whole ball o wax.
Another vitally important part of printing your own photographs—one that I think is often overlooked—is how much it changes the way you edit and ultimately the way you approach the entire photographic process. I often tell people who are interested in getting started with printing that, for me, it is the modern equivalent of the darkroom. Once you begin making your own prints, you start seeing your photographs differently. Printing becomes part of the creative process itself and, I believe, truly rounds out the art of photography.
Thank you again for sharing and linking to my blog, Les! I hope everyone enjoys it.
Ps. Thank you John for allowing us to share your essay. Great job, and heartfelt, your love for the medium comes through loud and clear. Also wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your cat book. Fantastic venue/project/treatment for all of those pictures including a few of the "rejects" for the first portfolio. Good photos always belong somewhere but not always together.
Thank you very much Bob! I'm so honored that you linked to my blog. It is very much appreciated. And I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Looking forward to taking another workshop with you both in the future!
I hope this is not controversial, I do not mean it to be but I found a LONG TIME ago, the prints/photos (one in the same for me) that seemed to stand the test of time for me are the ones where I've practiced much restraint in terms of "post processing" and this includes shooting film and wet darkroom printing. Most of the time after months and sometimes years I have returned to much earlier versions of my "proof prints" and used those as guidelines for what ultimately turned out to be my finals. Much of the artifice I have found reserved for commercial purposes to shout very loudly at someone for the purpose of gaining attention used for marketing a product. Just where I landed after experience in various worlds of photographic media.
That makes a lot of sense. Usually less is more in so many things.
Agree 1000%!!!
Love this!!
.. baloney 🦎🏴☠️🍁