Photos on Canvas - Are They Better Than Paper?

That's a reasonably subjective question. However, when you are considering making large size photo prints that are intended for public display or to be gifts Canvas Digital Photo Prints have a prestige quality to them like nothing else. The nap, or texture, of the canvas provide the photo print with a quality that is reminiscent of oil on canvas and the small bumps and indentations that are part 'n parcel with the canvas's surface catch the light at lots of different angels. And when you frame a Canvas Digital Photo, it elevates almost any image to the level of a Fine Art print.

A drawback with printing to canvas as opposed to printing on paper is that there are various types of printing paper (i.e. high contrast) which add visual characteristics to a final print, and canvas photo prints don't reproduce extremely vivid colors to the same extent as they would appear on specific photo papers.

The overall look is still quite good, but don't expect miracles with very vivid colors. In addition, the smoother surface of photo paper does carry detail better, but this matters less with larger canvas prints as viewers tend to appreciate the photographer from a greater distance and they view the entire print as a whole.

Something else to consider is that Fine Art photo paper has a practical size limit. When you're framing a paper print, you'll use a window matte and this limits you to the largest size matte boards available, which are 40x60 inches in the USA (you could always do customer framing, but that can be at a considerable and perhaps unnecessary cost). Some rare window matte go up to 48x96, but in any case this limits your Fine Art print to roughly 32x40 inches, matting out to a frame size of about 40x48 inches.

If you want larger paper prints - and many a fine art photographer does - you have to venture into unconventional methods (i.e. mounting on to aluminum sheets, face mounting on the plexiglass or other custom orders that perhaps detract from the fine art quality that you are looking for).

This is not the case with canvas prints, as you can stretch the canvas onto stretcher bars just like an oil painting - at practically any size imaginable, then you can frame it like an oil painting, either in a frame with or without glass, or in a "floater" frame (a modern look).

The sealer is critical, as it must totally encapsulate the archival printer inks in order to avoid unwanted exposure from UV rays and ozone. The sealer must also be water resistant, it no water proof. A professional, museum grade sealer can allow someone to run your canvas under water and there will be no damage!

Lastly, if you plan on displaying you photo paper print without glass, you'll need to coat the print in a protective lacquer. This is especially true with inkjet prints made using pigment inks, because the pigment sits on the surface of the print. Pigment ink does not sink into the print; this means the print's surface is delicate thus requiring some sort of protection. The right amount of preparation and research can make a canvas digital print far more impressive than a paper print.

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Your Wedding Pictures Might Only Be 84% Safe

I've heard some married couples say that if their house was on fire, one of the only things they'd try and save is their pictures. Pictures of the kids, family vacations, and of course, their wedding. Makes sense to me!

Onecould only hope that your wedding photographer feels the same. But do they? You see, there's this window of time between your wedding day and the moment you actually receive your pictures. And the only one looking out for your investment and protecting your memories during this time is the wedding photographer. So how are they doing? I don't know. I don't have the stats. But one thing I do have is concern.

New wedding photographers are popping out of the seams. They get a digital SLR for Christmas and by New Years they're ready to become a wedding photographer, probably to pay off the debt from the new toy. Soon thereafter, they create a web page and place ads on Craig's List with a price that's tough to beat. With the first contract, it's official. They are now professional wedding photographers!

As they are downloading the pictures from their first wedding to their computers, I wonder if it crosses their mind that one in seventeen new computers have their hard drives fail within the first year? And the stats only go down after the second. Let me translate. I wonder if they know that there's a 6% chance that they're going to lose your wedding pictures to hard drive failure.

Sure, a well written contract would stipulate that you'd get your money back. But wouldn't you rather have the pictures? If you're currently looking for a wedding photographer, I encourage you to ask them how they plan on protecting your investment. While there are many acceptable data management work flows in the industry, here is one example from a professional team of wedding photographers.

1. The wedding day is shot on approximately eight media cards. In the event of card or camera failure, the entire wedding would not be lost.

2. The entire wedding day is shot with two professional photographers to add another layer of redundancy.

3. Following the wedding, all images are downloaded to two hard drives. The first is a partitioned server which essentially maintains its own back up. The second is an external hard drive which is not left plugged in. This helps protect against electrical surges or lightning strikes.

4. Upon confirming the successful upload of the images on two hard drives, the actual cards from the wedding are placed in a safety deposit box at a local bank. The images remain on the original media cards until the rest of the work flow is completed. Wedding photographers should have at least one step in place to protect against fire. This single step adds two layers of fire protection by having originals stored in a fireproof and water proof container in a separate location. In the event of fire at the office, the originals remain safe.

5. After the images have been edited, copies are burned to DVD which is stored offsite. In addition, full size files are uploaded to an online service which keeps copies in multiple locations. This protects against server failures as well as natural events including acts of God.

In the event of a fire, you would do everything you could to protect your pictures. There are wedding photographers who do the same. But there are too many who do not. How can you know if your wedding pictures are safe? Ask. Then choose wisely. I suggest that it's worth the extra investment.

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How to Pose Glamour Photography Models

No director of glamour photography models need be given a list of reasons why a head is invaluable in a picture. Some directors contend they never direct their subject. 'To place a head or a mouth in a pre-determined position,' they say, 'would destroy all of the spontaneity and naturalness of the picture.'

Others, just as vehemently, contend that 'In a business that calls for consistent results, lucky mood and coincidence are not enough. We feel that when both director and model have a working knowledge of technique, each individual job will determine whether the pose requires controlled, candid or controlled-candid treatment.

Experienced directors practice many ways of getting a glamour photography model to act and react realistically before the camera. Each has developed ways of controlling a model without having literally to push her into position. Adroit use of words, exemplary action, strategic suggestion and psychological motivation all bring forth expression that is dependable as well as spontaneous. At the same time most directors have found in actual practice, that with intelligent direction from behind the camera, any capable model can accept correction and rearrange parts naturally without showing strain and losing spontaneity!

In photography we lean heavily upon the model's capabilities, yes, and in many instances even upon her ability to inspire us by doing something her way from which we can select or perfect a pose.So, part of a director's success lies in his ability to keep a model suggesting ideas within the scope of the camera's ability to record them.

Many models feel they have exhausted the possibilities for different head positions when they have turned their head slowly from the left of the camera to the right of the camera! You might ask her to repeat the horizontal turn - this time with her chin up a little higher. Then ask her to lower her chin and repeat the horizontal turn - six more positions! By repeating each of these eighteen positions with her head tilted right and then with her head tilted left, you've added another thirty-six possibilities without yet putting her in any exact position.If your model has trouble with the tilt, which is the most difficult direction to understand, you might try this.

Hold a pencil vertically in front of your model's face. Let the tip of her nose touch the pencil and divide it equally lengthwise. With encouragement, let her try a few combined movements such as, 'Turn your head slightly to the right... that's good ... now tilt the top of your head right (or tilt your chin left).' Work with your glamour photography model to give her confidence, and you will surely get some great pictures.

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