The internet as medium

I think that an internet/monitor image is very different to a print and gallery. Neither is better and they aren't really comparable.

A print is a physical object that has a fixed size
An internet image is at the mercy of the viewers monitor resolution, size, color, etc... it is not the same image as the original on the makers screen.
A digital image can have deeper blacks but again this doesn't really matter many alt processes have very low D-max but still look good and have blacks that are perceived as blacks one just shouldn'T hang them next to a print with really high D-Max.

Intern/monitor is a different medium and I believe if someone wants to make the screen his prefered medium he should use a workflow and technique that compliments the medium.

A monitor and print aren't even close they are very different with different needs for optimum results. Since the invention of the tv screen artists have worked with the medium screen/monitor with great results. It is not the best medium for the control freak though unless he only allows the image to be seen on a screen of his choice with his chosen parameters.
 
jsrockit said:
I make books...
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This is the way to go.

Also:

As mfogiel points out, digital display and prints are not mutually exclusive media.

One is more popular than the other because people prefer convenience (less time and money). Digital display is troubling because one looses all control of how the image is rendered on the viewers' devices. However thousands of people can/will see your work.

I understand some photographers couldn't care less if others view their work. Internet viewing rates do provide us with feedback and are a useful learning tool for some.

Last year I had a photographed curated for a museum show simply because the curator saw my work on the internet. I spent a lot of time and spared no expense producing the best print possible for that show. It was rewarding to have total control over the process. With internet display, control ends the second the upload finishes.
 
B-9 said:
...Then there is printing... I will be taking advice then!
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Find a high-quality lab and let then print for you. If your city/town/rural area does not have a high-quality lab, there are several on-line options. I use a local lab as well as MPIX.

Producing a proper file for commercial labs is an important part of one's post-production work flow.
 
This is a great discussion, thanks, guys. I think the internet is ultimately my medium...I used to make prints but nobody saw them. I hadn't thought of books...what's the current favorite service for printing them?
 
Thanks for that Codestar.
Digitally I use Sigma Merrills and sometimes a 6mp Pany.
I seem to be able to tell the diff even on my old Sony Pc ..... maybe I'm just fooling myself :)
 
mabelsound said:
This is a great discussion, thanks, guys. I think the internet is ultimately my medium...I used to make prints but nobody saw them. I hadn't thought of books...what's the current favorite service for printing them?
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I would be interested in learning about any book printing vendors who offer B&W reproduction with true monochrome printing. I know of some sources, but they are very expensive compared to similar quality color books.
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
I can't afford to print every photo I make, and even if I did, no one would look at them. My audience and my patrons are all people outside Indiana; no one here gives a damn whether I live or die.

So, I put the photos on my website so my fans around the world can see them, and when someone buys one, I print it.
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This .
 
I only print when the picture is "hangable", either in someone's home or a coffee shop. These are 8X10 and 12X18.
In five years, I have printed 60 images, and now I am at the rate of about 2 or 3 new prints / year.

I do put many (MANY!) "family" pictures on my personal website, and all the pictures that I print I also post on the cafephotos site shown in my signature. The cafephotos site exists for the quiet enjoyment of whomever stumbles in there.

I post pictures here on RFF mostly to be part of the community.
 
mabelsound said:
This is a great discussion, thanks, guys. I think the internet is ultimately my medium...I used to make prints but nobody saw them. I hadn't thought of books...what's the current favorite service for printing them?
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I've used Blurb.com many times.
If there's a newer favorite, I'd like to know also.
 
To me the internet is a low-cost venue for publishing your photos.

There is that time when someone offered to pay for a digital download of one of my photos. But my preference is to give someone a print (be it inkjet or silver gelatin).
 
I think that the internet is more than just low cost. There is a geographic and cultural reach that for most people is rarely possible with printed media.

My experience of photo-blogging is that I get hits from every corner of the world. And even a modest blog with just a few thousand followers likely sees more visitors than most non-celebrity print exhibitions.

I do enjoy printing, but I struggle to understand what can be done with the output beyond what is already provided by online media (although I have produced the odd book or print for friends and family).
 
I'm about 80% in person and 20% web for showing my work, lots of prints and some iPad in person.

I just don't feel right in many ways with the whole web photo thing so I prefer in person in most cases. Works wonders for marketing too...
 
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