Ligament
Member
I'm unfortunately too tied up with other life activities to delve into the complex and arcane aspects of printing fine art images, as much as it interests me.
I do have some color images that I would like printed by a master printer. One who can apply needed photoshop tweaks (mild color correction, dust spot removal, mask fine tuning, optimal output sharpening for their specific printers) and then print for me. I shoot medium format film and full frame digital, focusing mostly on street and landscape. I process in Lightroom and Photoshop. I have a fully color managed workflow.
Can you recommend master printers ideally in the USA or Canada who is accepting outside work from amateur photographers such as myself?
I've been considering Laumont, Ken Allen Studios, Mac Holbert, Grieger, Weldon Color Lab, The Lightroom, Dan Berg, West Coast Imaging, etc.
I am willing to pay well for the talent.
I do have some color images that I would like printed by a master printer. One who can apply needed photoshop tweaks (mild color correction, dust spot removal, mask fine tuning, optimal output sharpening for their specific printers) and then print for me. I shoot medium format film and full frame digital, focusing mostly on street and landscape. I process in Lightroom and Photoshop. I have a fully color managed workflow.
Can you recommend master printers ideally in the USA or Canada who is accepting outside work from amateur photographers such as myself?
I've been considering Laumont, Ken Allen Studios, Mac Holbert, Grieger, Weldon Color Lab, The Lightroom, Dan Berg, West Coast Imaging, etc.
I am willing to pay well for the talent.
mfogiel
Veteran
I don't know if you can consider him a "talent" - he could probably be your grandfather.
Try Ctein - you can contact him through this site:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepa....html/the_online_photographer/blog_index.html
Try Ctein - you can contact him through this site:
http://theonlinephotographer.typepa....html/the_online_photographer/blog_index.html
Mahler_one
Newbie
Add Digital Silver Imaging to the possibilities you noted above. Their specialty is black and white printing. However, they are also quite adept at color printing.
thompsonks
Well-known
From your list, I'd pick Lightroom.
oneANT
Established
For Australians its Chris Reed in Sydney ...http://blanconegro.com.au and I'm soon to be in one of his classes in the middle of a forest.
Even if I have works that I want him to do we will be able to communicate better and on a more personal level. Of particular interest is seeing the selection process because not every negative is suitable, also I mostly shoot in colour so its not I couldn't learn something new.
Even if I have works that I want him to do we will be able to communicate better and on a more personal level. Of particular interest is seeing the selection process because not every negative is suitable, also I mostly shoot in colour so its not I couldn't learn something new.
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
I know you know this, but holding your own first darkroom print in your hand will bring you a smile way... way bigger than *any* master's print would. 
Corran
Well-known
Maybe some would disagree but I don't see the reason to need a "master printer."
These days if you are printing digitally, you push the button and the print comes out. The hard work is getting things calibrated and running so you can do that, which any decent lab will have a handle on.
If you indeed have a "fully color managed workflow" then assuming you are working in the lab's preferred colorspace (or download their custom profile if they want), and of course if you have a proper monitor, you should be able to send it out anywhere of decent quality and get exactly what you see on screen, or close to it.
You've already (I assume) down the editing, burning and dodging, etc., so what's anyone going to do? If you want someone to interpret your images or make arbitrary decisions on color that you may or may not agree with, then okay fine. Personally, I've never had a problem with the mid-tier labs that I've used for digital prints. Nothing has even come back way out of wack.
As for dust-spotting, that doesn't really take much time at all. I have no idea what you mean by mask "fine-tuning" - it's either what you want or it's not. I wouldn't let any lab touch my color, personally.
You could of course order some small 8x10 test prints first to see.
These days if you are printing digitally, you push the button and the print comes out. The hard work is getting things calibrated and running so you can do that, which any decent lab will have a handle on.
If you indeed have a "fully color managed workflow" then assuming you are working in the lab's preferred colorspace (or download their custom profile if they want), and of course if you have a proper monitor, you should be able to send it out anywhere of decent quality and get exactly what you see on screen, or close to it.
You've already (I assume) down the editing, burning and dodging, etc., so what's anyone going to do? If you want someone to interpret your images or make arbitrary decisions on color that you may or may not agree with, then okay fine. Personally, I've never had a problem with the mid-tier labs that I've used for digital prints. Nothing has even come back way out of wack.
As for dust-spotting, that doesn't really take much time at all. I have no idea what you mean by mask "fine-tuning" - it's either what you want or it's not. I wouldn't let any lab touch my color, personally.
You could of course order some small 8x10 test prints first to see.
marameo
Established
Because of the lack of a 800 ISO b/w film how about shooting Portra 800 and then scan it and make it b/w and prepare the file for digital printmaking process (wet/dry)?
mfogiel
Veteran
Portra 800 can be shot at EI 400 at best, while you can easily shoot Tri X at EI 1000. Converting from colour will make the image look like it was shot on digital.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Shoot Tri-X at 1000-1250 and develope in Diafine 7+4 instead of 3+3 minimizing aggitation to just two gentile inversions per minute. Because Diafine is a compensating developer (that seems to have been engineered to be especially used with Tri-X) moderate contrast, fine grain, and nice mid tones. Be aware that the lighting needs to be high contrast or kill some film speed and increase contrast by using a 2X or 3X yellow filter or else you will get thin negatives.
The results are a long tonal range. BTW The above is for densities for wet printing. Add some ISO for thinner negatives for scanning.
Cal
marameo
Established
Ok, just for the record the following is supposed to be a b/w print from a Portra 800 shot: http://www.fotohennyhoogeveen.eu/upload/products/aee133c7b04f449a8a53314f0cac82c2f3171a65_orig.jpg So I think a lot depends on the post production!