Sample Articles from Professional Imagemaker and photo news for Nature and Wildlife Photographers

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Printing Monochrome with the Epson ABW Driver
We used a smooth greyscale, made in Lab mode and ranging from 0% Lightness (ie black) to 100% Lightness (ie white) in 4% density increments. This was then printed using ABW at all the tone settings (five) and then using colour-managed, fullcolour printing and the standard Epson profile (PRO38PLPP. icm) and a Relative Colormetric rendering intent.

Which is the best paper for monochrome?
This is an agonisingly difficult choice to make. The reason for the pain is simple; we are blessed with an array of top-class papers and every photographer will have their favourite, although very few will have the time, opportunity, or inclination to test more than a handful.

Optimising Mono Print Settings
You might be forgiven for thinking that making a bespoke profile using thousands of pounds worth of equipment, auditing the profile to demonstrate it was really top-notch and then using it to make a print, would result in a near perfect black and white print onto matt paper. How wrong you would be!

Monochrome - Which surface, matt or gloss?
Matt papers have been used in both art and photography for centuries but have remained a slightly specialist product in the bulk consumer market, probably due to rather subtle charms.

The Monochrome Special
Welcome to our monochrome special – it is just three years since we introduced one for Professional Imagemaker and therefore timely that we revisit the topic. Although technology has moved on in the digital scene, the underlying strengths of the mono image are timeless.

Canon PowerShot G9
Although I have always had a personal leaning towards cameras from another maker, I have always had a secret love affair with Canon compacts. This goes back to the early 70s when I borrowed a walking companion's Canonet G-III 17 QL and ran a few films through it in the Highlands of Scotland. The results from the 40mm f1.7 lens were impressive, were blown up to 30-inch prints, and a love of compacts began.
Simplicity
It would appear that there is some degree of status in knowing more that one way of doing the same thing in Photoshop, regardless of the fact that knowing two ways will not necessarily produce a better image

The Capturing Capital Of Culture
High-end camera gear is something we look at infrequently in Professional Imagemaker. For many of our readership, the investment is out of reach, but it is something you might aspire to, should the lottery numbers come up! We thought it relevant to examine some of the older Hasselblad models, as the arrival of the latest H3D Mk II has caused a number of these older models to come available, as pre-owned gear.

Gallagher's Sutherland
This is a personal story, a journey in search of the landscape of Scotland. The north west Highlands are a long way from Cheshire and an even longer way from middle or southern England. The number of people who have never crossed the Esk into Scotland is sometimes quite surprising.

Stand Up Or Go To Bed?
I have always used flatbed scanners and in recent years they have clearly improved compared to the scanning results in my old files; but is the price tag of the Imacon worth it for what I would use it for, and furthermore, what are the benefits to me working predominantly in monochrome?

Prescysol EF – Precision in processing
When it comes to creative photography, colour workers have committed a lot of their efforts to capturing their chosen image using filters and accurate exposure. The next stage is to hand over the films to a trusted laboratory for either E6 or C41 processing, depending on whether you are using transparency film or negative film. If, however, you are a monochrome worker, you are at will to do the same or you can choose to venture into the complex world of monochrome processing. When I say complex I can almost hear people saying, “It’s only dev, stop and fix!” – but is it?

Supernova
As mentioned in other articles, I moved through the formats to achieve an increase in image quality along with taking full advantage of image control that the movements of a large-format camera can offer. The general principles of using my usual film in a larger format and mastering the craft of large-format processing was something that I had read about and mentally planned.

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