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You’ve just finished the perfect session … the lighting was perfect, your clients were amazing to work with, the location and the props you lovingly selected with care were all fabulous. You feel giddy with the excitement of opening those images and seeing the art you captured. You next spend time carefully processing the images to perfection, making sure the color is perfect, the amount of contrast just right right, the details and clarity are spot on. Your clients view their proofs, oohing and ahhing the whole time … did you even see a tear or two in there? Everything is perfect … now who do you trust to print those images that you poured your heart and soul (not to mention time and money) into?

I don’t know about you, but after all that work bringing your photography and vision to fruition, the final product is a step that is of the utmost importance. I have been wanting to do a little demonstration for a while now, sending the same image to different labs and comparing the differences. I initially sent the image to a half dozen different chain/big box type print labs all over our town, but after viewing them I decided to not use most of them for this demonstration because they were all the same. And by the same, I mean both mediocre and wildly different. What?! Bear with me here. Sending your prints to non-pro labs is going to leave you with not only sub-par quality prints, but inconsistent results. The technician running the machine, the calibration of the printer, etc. are all going to influence your final prints. So, what may have come back from Wal-Mart with too strong contrast and a yellow cast one week will look drastically different the next. It’s a coin toss … washed out and blue?? Cyan and blown highlights?? But whatever the results, as inconsistent as they may be, you can count on the quality being inferior to that of a pro lab (or for non pros, MPIX).

I’ve decided to a fairly non-scientific study to compare print quality among several chain labs and my preferred pro lab. This is just to give you a general sense of the drastically different prints non-pro labs will produce, and to compare the quality difference between them and a pro lab. Even in this uncontrolled setting (I laid the images out in natural light, kept the settings the same from image to image and applied no processing after uploading beyond resizing for web in order to keep the playing field as level as possible), the quality difference is apparent.

For those interested in viewing the original, unedited image you can view it here.

Note that the Simply Color sample is printed on the luster paper as most of the other examples are shown (a few of the labs didn’t have any option available beyond the glossy paper). The Simply Color luster paper print is shown inside the album that I speak of below (I use it in my studio to show clients the different types of paper available for prints). It has a thin black border around the image.

And a second sample …

To see this before shot and recipe view here.

Some key points when preparing your images for print.

Calibrate!!

Always do your editing on a calibrated monitor. There is simply no other way to be certain that what you see on your screen is what you will see when your images are printed. This should be done well before you ever start processing your images. I recommend and use the Xrite EODIS3 i1Display Pro.A less expensive alternative is the Xrite CMUNDIS ColorMunki Display1. Keep in mind that there are other steps beyond the monitor calibration process that you’ll need to have done correctly in order to get accurate screen to print color in your images. These include using color profiles correctly (use the color profile recommended by your lab), soft-proofing (ask your lab if they have a soft-proofing profile available and use it) and having appropriate lighting when editing and viewing your images. I know each of these things are big subjects in themselves, but I’m trying to keep this on the simple side and will touch on these subjects in future posts with more in-depth detail.

Color Space, Soft Proofing, File Type and Size

Always refer to your lab before preparing images and uploading. They will have guidelines for color space (which will usually be sRGB or Adobe 1998 RGB – however check with your specific lab as many have their own profiles to use), file type (such as JPEG max quality, TIFF, etc), sizing, resolution, etc. Ask for a soft proofing profile which you can use to view exactly what your prints will look like when printed on their machines (as long as you are calibrated, that is). I like to leave my resolution unchanged in order to leave as much pixel data as possible – the only thing I do is crop if needed for the print’s aspect ratio (see here for details and how to’s), leaving the resolution blank (which leaves my image resolution as it is). But again, check with your lab to make sure you are preparing the files as they need them. Also, be sure to choose NO color/auto correction, especially if you are calibrated and have meticulously processed your image for perfect color – this will guarantee you get not only accurate but consistent results (when working with a reputable pro quality lab).

Sharpen

Sharpen your images for print, zooming in to 100% view to see the actual results. Keep in mind that viewing web sharpening and viewing print sharpening are two different things. I frequently get asked why web images look so much crisper after sharpening versus higher resolution images. What you see in a web size version image will look more dramatic and crisp because you are viewing the image at 100% … to see the actual results and difference in a sharpening action in a full size, high res image I encourage users to zoom in to 100% to see the actual results. :) So apply your sharpening action (after your final crop), zoom in to 100% view (hit command or control + 1) and then toggle the sharpen layer(s) on and off to see the difference. :) Because you usually can’t view the high res image in it’s entirety at 100% size, you won’t be able to see the actual results over the entire image until it’s printed. So, zoom and toggle!

Order sample prints

Almost any pro lab (and MPIX as well) will give you a few test prints for free when you register an account with them. This will allow you to double check your final prints. I strongly recommend doing this before sending any client work to a new lab for print. I choose the option of having a sample Fine Art Album created by Simply Color Lab so I could have an album of examples showing the different types of papers offered by my lab to clients. Most labs will offer a swatch book of samples for free, but I think it holds more value for clients to see your own work in the samples and have them sized large enough to really get a sense of how the different paper options affect the image. My lab, Simply Color, offers their 8”x8” Leather Bound, Professional Album featuring your logo and your favorite image printed on 11 fine art photo papers to have on display for your clients … it’s $50 and then you get a $50 credit – so it’s basically free. My clients love looking through it to select their paper choice.

I get this question a lot, so while attempting to not sound like a commercial (the idea to have this extra little bonus came after the fact) I wanted to take a quick minute to explain why after trying numerous other professional labs, I choose to use Simply Color Lab and their sister company Simply Canvas as my go to lab for my clients print and canvas orders.

When clients hire a professional photographer the expectation is they’ll be getting professional images and this goes beyond what we capture. As a professional we should be expected to not only know how to capture a fantastic image, but we are also responsible to make that image is the best it can be. If we’ve done our job, the images we capture will be hung proudly on walls and will be displayed for the world to see. I know when I put my name and reputation on my work I want it to be the best it can be? Whether a small print or a giant canvas, simply put, they help me deliver the best possible product to my clients.

Over the years I have tried numerous labs and hands down have been the most pleased with Simply Color Lab and Simply Canvas. Not only are their products outstanding, but their customer service (something that I place extreme value in) is amazing. They make ordering prints FUN.

Note: Simply Color Lab is a lab for professional photographers. For non-pros I recommend MPIX. :)

So, here it is, the tiny little place where my kids and my clients squeeze into for studio images. It is humble, it is messy and unorganized and it is a very simple set up. One of the most simple set ups you can have while shooting professionally in a studio setting. I’ve had many requests over the past couple years for more information and pull back shots, and have fielded a ton of questions about what gear I use and how I do things. Since I’d like to answer everyone’s requests for more information, I’m going to break this little feature into a series of posts, this being the first. Today I will cover just the basics for my set up and show you the mess that lurks in the corners.

Please note: I *adore* glorious, natural light and always, always prefer natural to a studio setting. And, in fact, I swore I would never shoot with any kind of lights for years … scoffing at anything that wasn’t beautiful, natural light. However, I do live in the Pacific NW and we have long, rainy and DARK winters which make photography in the winter months pretty near impossible most days. I’m all for roughing it and getting out in the cold and wind to take photos – but when it’s also pouring rain in addition to being dark and freezing, it makes it not just miserable (especially for little ones and babies), but darn near impossible. So, the studio was born out of necessity and an intense longing for some photo opportunities during those dark winter days. I haven’t actually set foot in the studio – which has become a dumping ground for props over the summer – since last spring when we saw our first few days of sunshine and warmth. However, the looming darkness and rain are setting in here already, so soon I’ll be dusting things off in preparation for being studio bound once again.

Prime Location
The first thing you may notice is this is smack dab in the middle of our home. I like to think of it as an ever present reminder of how much my husband loves me ? we no longer have a living room, we have a photo studio. Add that to the fact that I also convinced him many years ago to ditch our dining room in favor of a girl’s playroom and you are looking at one very patient and supportive guy.

Space, What Space?
You may think you need a huge studio space and lots of fancy gear, but in all actuality, what is important is that you have the “right” gear and setup. Ideally, this space should be bigger. Width wise, I’m doing fine, but I would love to have more breathing room when stepping back to take a photo. Now that I’m using a full frame camera (Nikon D700 … “What’s In My Bag” feature coming soon), it’s not so bad. However, when I was shooting with a cropped sensor (Nikon D300), it was absolutely too tight in there. In the studio is the only place I ever touch a zoom lens … I love my primes, but because I can’t shoot wide open to get that lovely bokeh that is my trademark look while using studio lights (more on that below) and the Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 is a tack sharp lens, I end up primarily using the 24-70 for studio work (with a cropped sensor you would need to zoom out pretty far still). The width of the room (from my background wall to the opposite wall with canvases) is 13 feet. Since you want your subject pulled off the background at least 6 to 8 feet, this makes shooting in there very, very tight. Most of the time I am shooting with subjects closer than they should be to the background and watching carefully for undesirable shadows that can be the result of a subject too close to your background.

Settings
My prime lenses are my babies … the 85mm 1.4G is rarely off my camera, except in the studio. Because I shoot with strobes (more on what I use below), I can’t shoot with a shallow depth of field like I usually do with my primes. My shutter sync speed is about 1/250 second. Any faster shutter speed and I’ll get a curtain shadow. In order to shoot at the widest aperture possible, I have my light’s power turned down ALL the way and my shutter speed as high as it can go (the 1/250 second I just mentioned). This usually puts my settings around 1/250 sec, ISO 200, f4.5. With my D700 in the studio I will also use the 35mm 1.4G, sometimes my 85mm 1.4G, and for macro work like shots of precious baby details, I’ll use my 105mm f2.8G Macro lens (I use only Nikon lenses).

Here is a little diagram showing a rough approximation of my usual set up:

The Gear

Alien Bee 800 Flash Unit ? The workhorse of the studio gear (and it’s pink!). I use the 13 foot air cushioned stand for mine. Positioned camera left. ETA: Shortly after writing this I set up a second light as a fill light camera right (an Alien Bee 400 in a slightly smaller soft box). Watch carefully to make sure a fill light is kept at a lower power than your main light and have it angled in a way that you are still getting some good dimensional shadows so your lighting doesn’t look flat. A good place would be opposite your main light and slightly behind the subject, while leaving the reflector in the same spot).

Giant softbox for my AB800 – (30″ x 60″) with speedring attached. Produces a lovely, natural soft light.

CyberSync Receiver (connects to your Alien Bee strobe) and Trigger (mounts on your camera’s hot shoe) – These allow your camera to talk to your Alien Bee and trigger the flash when you shoot. :)

Impact 74″ White Reflector (positioned camera right)
I see the one I use is out of stock, but the LiteDisc Oval Reflector would also work well. I use a cheap light stand that I absolutely hate and have to weight down with a pillow to keep it from toppling over. I would recommend something like this Manfrotto boom stand instead.

Savage Multiple Roll Background Stand System – I love being able to keep multiple rolls of paper or fabrics up at one time.

Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Meter – for metering light and getting a perfect balance and exposure. I also take test shots and check my histogram (using a PhotoVision Digital Target).

Savage Seamless Background Papers - An integral part of my studio puzzle. I love my Savage papers. I have a rainbow of colors on hand, if it gets dirty or ripped I can just roll more out, they aren’t a big investment so if I want some fun, trendy colors I can do that without worry, and I like the nice, clean look they give. I also love making them my own with some added texture since they are a perfect background for adding pretty textures to, giving it a look that fits with my style. I use pony clamps to hold the rolls to my baseboard and on the actual roll to keep it from rolling out too far (and those clamps are endlessly useful on all types of sessions). I have mostly the 107″ rolls. The 53″ rolls are okay if you are working with a newborn or single subject … or a very close pair of subjects that don’t mind squishing together and staying still. However, many of my little clients love to be wiggly and silly, and I totally encourage that for the type of work I do. So, I like the freedom of the 107″ width.

Flooring and Baseboard Trim - I purchased a 10 foot strip of white baseboard from my local Lowes and just roll my background paper down to meet the baseboard, clamping it on both sides with the pony clamps. My flooring is also from Lowes. It’s a special order, but fairly ordinary, laminate faux wood. We purchased a giant piece of plywood and laid the click together faux wood flooring on top of the plywood for stability. I choose this one because I liked the dark, rustic look of it. I just clicked it together on top of the plywood … I didn’t want it to be permanently attached in case I wanted to change it out or move everything in the future. The dimensions of the flooring are 8.5 feet wide by 7 feet deep (not leaving a lot of room for me when pulling my subject off the backdrop at least 5 or 6 feet … many experts recommend 6 or 7 feet).

Manfrotto 222 Joystick Head and Manfrotto 058B Aluminum Studio Pro Tripod – I absolutely adore this tripod … it’s very intuitive and superbly made, but I find myself rarely using a tripod in the studio because I have to be quick with the kiddos. I do love using it on outdoor shoots though.

So, I will leave you with the pull back shots now and you can make yourself feel better about your own messy studio when you see what a disorganized jumble mine is. Note that my light position is usually different, like the diagram, but we don’t want everything to be out in the middle of the room so I only pull them out when shooting. For the second in this series of Studio Spotlight posts I will dish out all the details on my props and answer some reader’s questions that have been sent to me. If you have a question you’d like to see possibly featured in a future installment of the studio series, you can send it to faq@paintthemoon.net. And if you found any of this information helpful, I would greatly appreciate it if you shared it with your photographer friends.

The distortion is from the wide angle lens, my canvases aren’t actually all crooked and wonky … a mish mash, for sure, but they are at least straight. :)

And one of my little Junebug after I was finished taking pictures of the mess … proof that you don’t need a super fabulous studio to take great shots:

And one of my favorites of my little girl in the studio. This is another reason why I love having the studio in my home – spur of the moment photos with great lighting can be taken any time. Addie was showing me her “Big Sister Dance” here and I asked her to show me on the “dance floor” so I could capture the moment (we had just found out I was pregnant and she was VERY excited). It was late in the evening as well as freezing cold and raining outside to boot – so this would have never been captured without my little studio. :)