Print It BIG

Yesterday I came home from work to find a nice surprise waiting for me on my doorstep. Actually, it wasn’t much of a surprise since I received a notification from UPS around 1 o’clock telling me that they had left a package by my door, and I knew what was in it. Three beautiful 24”x36” canvas prints stretched on 1 3/4” frames.

The three photographs are the ones seen above.

The top photograph is a mother and daughter, nomads living in the Rupshu Valley in Northern India. I made this photograph while on a phototrek this past September with Matt “The Digital Trekker” Brandon, his wife Alou and Piet “The Lightroom Master” Van den Eynde. We were lucky to be able to spend time with this tribe of nomads as they were preparing to move on to another part of the valley in two days time. At first, the child was shy and unsure of our presence, but as you can see in the photo above she eventually accepted us and provided us with some wonderful photographic opportunities.

The lower left photograph was made right here at home. I was just starting my foray into Fuji X cameras with the Fuji X-Pro 1. A good friend wanted to borrow one of my Canon lenses to take to Africa, and in return loaned me his Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 lens to try. Just before having to return it, I went to this downtown location that has these wonderful lines to play with and a castle to boot. The castle is The Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel. I found my composition and then waited for a biker or a jogger or anyone else of interest to complete the scene.

Finally, the lower right photograph was made on the same phototrek as the top photograph. This photograph is the village of Lamayuru at 7:15 am. The rising sun was lighting the mist, the mountains and the town with this beautiful light which I was lucky to be able to capture.

I’ve heard it said that a photograph is not complete until it’s printed. I’m not sure that’s as true today with the digital darkroom as it was when photographs were dodged, burned and toned on paper instead of a computer. But still, there’s something about seeing your photographs printed BIG and hung on a wall. It’s almost magical and builds a sense of pride every time you look at them.

These aren’t the first photographs I’ve had printed this large. I even have one which was printed larger then these. But I do think these are the best photographs I’ve had printed on canvas. I guess that says something about my progress as a photographer, and I’m happy that my favourite photographs are some of my most recent.

If you’re a photographer, no matter what stage you’re at in your photographic journey, I’d encourage you to choose some of your favourite photographs, get them printed and hang them on your wall where you will see them everyday. They don’t have to be this large and they don’t have to be on canvas. A 12”x18” from Costco with a simple frame will do. Seeing your photographs on a wall and taking pride in them will encourage you to create even more art work for your walls.