When It Comes to Coating, It’s All About Attitude

Urbanitis-Josh1
“Urbanitis” is a non-digital image taken by photographer Josh Mitchell, who says it was achieved with “one crazy reflection.” Photo courtesy of Josh Mitchell

 

Commercial and fine art photographer Josh Mitchell isn’t afraid of experimenting. In fact, it’s a necessary ingredient in his artistic process. So when LexJet re-released its Sunset Gloss Coating and Sunset Satin Coating, it took some trial and error, but Springfield, Mo.-based Mitchell established a tried-and-true method for getting great results. The key? A fearless attitude.

“With the new chemistry change in the coatings in the fall of 2014, it’s not the same and has to be handled a little bit differently,” Mitchell says. “The goal is one coat. Particularly with the new coating, you want to put it on thicker and faster. You have to be fearless and have an attitude.”

When the next generation of Sunset coatings were released in November 2014, the non-yellowing, pH-neutral water-based acrylic coatings were reformulated to be NMP-free to comply with state and local safety and health regulations. Mitchell, a long-time LexJet customer, says he’s got a “good handle on the combination of LexJet materials and coatings,” since he’s conducted quite a bit of his own testing.

In a fine art application, Mitchell says he seeks to avoid a “plastic-y” look, which is why the single coat application is crucial. “Two coats would be so thick,” he says. “You want to do one coat and let it dry down to a semi-gloss feeling.”

While the coatings can be applied with a brush, roller, or spray, Mitchell’s application tool of choice is a foam roller. The coatings do not need to be diluted or mixed, so they can go right on and spread with the roller. “It goes on thick, and then I roll it out,” Mitchell says.

When coating a large canvas, Mitchell does one section at a time since “this new coating will start to set up fast … much faster than the old coating … you’ve got to keep moving.” While there may be appear to be a hazy finish with streaks when first applied, Mitchell says they’ll disappear to a nice, clear coating.

“You have to have an attitude. Walk up to the canvas and know it’s going to dry down and be OK. Now attack!” he says. “When you’re done, walk away and don’t look back.”

Mitchell’s experiments didn’t stop after the initial application. Once the coated canvases were dry, he set about trying to destroy them.

“The LexJet coating has passed any test I’ve thrown at it,” he says. “I’ve been in 100-degree heat with rolled-up coated canvases, and they do not melt. I’ve been in 0-degree weather, and they do not crack. I’ve submerged coated canvases under water, wrapped them around models, and put them under water for swimsuit-like ads and art. I’ve tried high-pressure garden hoses and sprayed the canvas. It holds up great.”

For those new to using the coatings, Mitchell says, “You cannot give up. I have found that the LexJet coatings will stand up to whatever creative abuse I can come up with. But I know when I’m on the road and I pull out that canvas and unroll it on a buyer’s table, it’s going to make a nice impression.”

UnfoldingMoment-josh2
“The Unfolding Moment” by Josh Mitchell. Photo courtesy of Josh Mitchell

Prints that Win: Lemon Fresh

Sunset Print Award Antonelli Institute
Lauren Driscoll (third from left) won a Sunset Print Award at the Antonelli Institute student competition for her print entitled Lemon Fresh.

Each year the Antonelli Institute of Graphic Design & Photography holds a huge student photography competition. This year, second-year student Lauren Driscoll walked away with a Sunset Print Award for her lemony-fresh commercial product shot entitled, well, Lemon Fresh.

And fresh it is, especially for Driscoll, who won for a type of photography outside her comfort zone. Her forte is fashion and portraiture, as you can see from her portfolio when you click here, but Driscoll doesn’t feel as comfortable with commercial photography.

Each student can place two prints that they print and mat themselves into each category, which includes landscape, photojournalism, commercial, editorial, fashion, portraiture and others. From there, the faculty judges narrow it down to the top 12 in each category. Those 12 are then judged by outside professionals that include local photographers and alumni, who rank them and then pick best of show, which was Driscoll’s Sunset Print Award winner.

Sunset Print AwardFor her award-winning commercial capture Driscoll says, “I laid everything out and tilted the bottles to give it a more fun and playful look. Shooting down on an object is more unique and eye-catching, so you tend to look at it longer because of the different angle. I’m into a rustic, organic feel with my photography, which is why I used that wooden background.”

For the lighting Driscoll used a strip box modifier reflected off a piece of white foam board leaning against the wall, which bounced the light to the other side the way she wanted it.

“My teachers always say to work smarter, not harder. I wanted to get the most out of that light before I had to bring in another one and I liked the look it gave,” she says. “During processing I did very little work to the image: I bumped up the contrast, enhanced the yellow so it popped more and took out some random dust and dirt spots. I really didn’t want to change it too much from its raw form.”

After she graduates from the Antonelli Institute, Driscoll plans to assist wedding photographers for on-the-job training, while doing freelance photography on the side. “My dream is to have my own studio,” she says, and it looks like she’s well on her way to realizing that dream.

Layers of Imaging Opportunities at Image-Tec

Fine Art Canvas
Image-Tec has full canvas production capabilities in-house. This canvas fine art reproduction printed on Sunset by Fredrix Matte Canvas is in process.

Tom Grassi likens his business – Image-Tec, based in Methuen, Mass. – to Photoshop. It’s an apt analogy: Photoshop is arguably the iconic representative of the digital age of photography and imaging, and Photoshop is almost infinitely organic in the various ways you can get from point A to point B through its tools, filters and layers.

Commercial photography at Image-Tec
Commercial photography continues to be an important part of Image-Tec’s business.

“This business has layers and layers to it, and you can keep digging and keying off those layers, and marketing off those layers to build a huge customer base,” says Grassi. “It’s like Photoshop… How far do you want to dig and how many layers do you want to build?”

Though the majority – a thin majority – of Image-Tec’s work is fine art reproduction, the business is diverse and nimble enough to find those proverbial layers, bringing clients along to take advantage of the opportunities presented when you dig a little deeper.

“I tell artists during demos we put on here at the studio that the possibilities of taking your art and doing something with it are endless, and go far beyond the typical reproduction on canvas or fine art paper. Once the digital age came in, you could do just about anything with the digital file,” says Grassi. “But to find out what the client really needs you have to stop selling people and listen to them. From that, you can find other products that might do well in the market with their work.”

Artist Note Cards
Artists love the note cards Image-Tec prints for them on LexJet Premium Archival Matte Paper.

It may be that Grassi sees more of those layers of opportunity since the advent of digital imaging and reproduction, and the liberation it brought.

Image-Tec was founded in 1982 as a commercial photo studio with an in-house lab and Grassi recalls: “We were limited in what we could do for artists. We were shooting film and making some color prints; basically, we were producing transparencies to go to offset, which was extremely expensive versus now where you can print on demand.”

Grassi says that on-demand is a point of emphasis at Image-Tec where the main goal is to get the artwork scanned and recorded and then work with the artist to market the images.

Image Tec's drive in photography studio.
Image Tec’s drive in photography studio.

“There’s no need for us to sell them inventory in a print-on-demand environment. They can spend a couple of hundred bucks, get a bunch of paintings scanned, print some note cards, see what images sell and email us the order,” explains Grassi. “If customers are going to spend money with you, why not make the process as easy as possible? You don’t have to commit to a thousand dollars worth of prints; just bring the scans in, we’ll get them scanned – that’s the first step – and then from there you call us and we print them on-demand. People appreciate that because we tell them to do baby steps, especially in marketing their artwork because you don’t know what will sell.”

The original impetus for the founding of Image-Tec was control. Grassi went to the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, Calif., to study photography, then returned to the Boston area to ply his trade as a photographer where the processing side was a thorn in his side.

Product photography for Pet Edge at Image-Tec.
Product photography for Pet Edge at Image-Tec.

“I was going down to Boston to process film and thought it was nuts because I was losing all this time and paying all this money to get it done. I knew how to print color so I got a loan, put a lab in and ended up generating a ton of money and saving a ton of time,” says Grassi.

That philosophy has stuck over the years. As Grassi puts it: “If we don’t do it here, we don’t do it. For me to send something out, have it come back wrong, and then go back and forth, I’ve lost money trying to make 20 percent on something I don’t handle. I much prefer to give the client the name and number of someone who can do something we don’t do here.”

There’s very little, however, that Image-Tec can’t do when it comes to photographic and fine art reproduction, including artwork capture with the BetterLight system. Capture, in fact, is an important part of the business, since about half of what Grassi does is commercial photography.

Fine Art Reproduction by Image-TecThe two sides of the business – capture and output – balance each other and reveal more layers of opportunity. Plus, the combination helped ease the transition from chemical to digital in the late ’90s as both sides of the business made the transition together and shined the light on new niche markets, like fine art reproduction.

“Back in 1999 we moved to a new facility and went digital with a BetterLight scan back to shoot catalog photography. By going digital we could save a lot of money in film, Polaroids and processing and be able to hand designers digital files, which sped everything up. However, everyone was reluctant to do that because digital photography wasn’t that great in the late ’90s, but the BetterLight was a very high-res scan back,” says Grassi. “We offered both chemical and inkjet during the transition and as inkjet took over we found we were using less of the chemical process. Plus, buying a high-end Epson scanner allowed us to pull from the thousands and thousands of 4×5 and 8×10 negatives so we can just scan one and make an inkjet print.”

Grassi estimates that the split between print production and capture now is about 60/40 in favor of printing. For commercial photography there’s a drive-in studio for photographing cars and other large pieces, and the subject matter runs the gamut from food to manufacturing.

Stretching canvas at Image-Tec.
Stretching canvas at Image-Tec.

“It’s a whole workflow. Over the past three weeks, for example, we’ve been taking in over 100 paintings per week for digital capture. Along with that are all the print orders. Some weeks we’re producing a ton of prints while other weeks we’re bringing in a lot of work to capture,” says Grassi. “All we use the BetterLight for is capturing art. The DSLRs are so great now that I use them for commercial photography. We bought a Horseman, a view camera you can mount your DSLR on, so you can correct perspectives, swings, and tilts and do selective focus a lot easier without buying a bunch of different lenses. It’s kind of a throwback to the old-school 4×5 process.”

For output, Image-Tec runs a Canon iPF8300 and an Epson Stylus Pro 9900 and has a full frame and finishing shop, including a Tensador canvas stretching machine. One of the keys to the output, says Grassi, is in the BetterLight scan back’s ability to create a file size that’s the same size as the artwork.

“File size is what drives this whole process, so we can tell a customer they’ll end up with a 40×60 canvas that will look just as nice as the original because it’s the same file size,” says Grassi. “We’ve perfected some specialized lighting techniques for different paintings that get us closer to the original. You still run into colors that tend to want to give you a hard time, but you just stick with it and run proofs. We’ll run strips in selected areas, match them up and get them as close as possible. We also spray the proofs because you might see some color shift when you spray something.”

Product Photography at Image-Tec
One of the many layers in the Image-Tec business mix is product photography of all kinds at the company’s studio.

Grassi’s favorite inkjet print materials for reproduction include the new Sunset by Fredrix Matte Canvas, LexJet Premium Archival Matte Paper, Sunset Textured Fine Art and Sunset Hot Press Rag. Grassi says Sunset by Fredrix Matte Canvas helped solve issues in finishing since the ink stays on consistently when it’s stretched.

Grassi describes LexJet Premium Archival Matte Paper as a workhorse for about 60 percent of what clients want to do with their artwork, including note card and bookmark prints that are popular with artists as alternative products.

The choice between reproductions on Sunset Textured Fine Art and Sunset Hot Press Rag will depend on the type of medium on which the original was created. “When we scan a watercolor on a watercolor paper we pick up the texture as well, so we print it on the smooth Hot Press Rag paper because you don’t want to add more texture to what has already been picked up by the scan,” explains Grassi.

It’s great to have every step in the process nailed down to ensure a quality capture or print every time, but Grassi says it’s all for naught if the customer isn’t comfortable or feels like the process itself is a black box they’re not privy to understanding.

“When we do a demo or have an artist come in as a new customer we spend 45 minutes with them. We show them the process, show our personality and have fun with what we’re doing. There’s a lot of technical stuff that goes on and if you can shed some light on it, they appreciate it,” says Grassi. “They go through the process, and then after they leave with their work we follow up to find if they loved it or if there are any problems we can correct. We make sure they’re 100 percent happy with a follow-up. How we can judge if we were successful is through consistent re-orders.”

This approach builds invaluable word of mouth, but Grassi is also active through the use of Google ad words and social media marketing. The most effective marketing piece so far in the social media/Google age, says Grassi, is a video he posted on the Image-Tec website that gives an overview of the print process.

WPPI’s Awards of Excellence Now Accepting Entries

Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) is now accepting submissions for its annual Awards of Excellence 16×20 Print and Album Competitions. In related news, professional photographer Ken Sklute has been appointed Consulting Director, WPPI Print and Album Competitions, and will oversee the competition rules, submissions, judging and the Awards of Excellence ceremony during the WPPI Conference and Expo.

Photography competitionKen Sklute has been honored as one of Canon’s Explorers of Light, a designation shared by only 60 top photographers worldwide. During his 38-year photographic career, Ken has been named Photographer of the Year a total of 32 times between Arizona, New York, and California. Ken spends much of his time teaching and lecturing, both nationally and internationally.

Photographers are welcome to submit their 16×20-inch Print entries for consideration in the following categories…

Wedding Division: Bride and Groom Together (Wedding Day), Bride and Groom Together (other than Wedding Day), Bride or Groom Alone (Wedding Day), Bride or Groom Alone (other than Wedding Day), Bridal Party; Engagement, and Wedding Details.

Portrait Division: Children, High School, Senior, Individual, Group, Animals/Pets, and Glamour/Boudoir.

Commercial Division: Scientific/Individual, Illustrative/Editorial, Advertising/Fashion, and Landscape/Nature.

Photojournalism Division: Wedding and Non-Wedding.

Composite Division: An entry comprised of multiple images or layers to create a single image.

For more information and to enter the WPPI 2013 Award of Excellence 16×20 Print Competition visit: www.wppi16x20.com.

Photographers are also encouraged to submit a series of digital images presented as a story for consideration in the WPPI Award of Excellence Album Competition. The categories include: Event/Informal Division, Engagement Division, Wedding – Multiple Photographers Division, Wedding – Single Photographers Division, and Videography Division.

For more information on the Album Competition visit: www.wppialbum.com.

The Grand Award for any given division of 16×20 Print and Album Competitions will receive a $2,000 cash prize (U.S. dollars), a complimentary Full Conference Pass for WPPI 2014 Conference and Expo, and complimentary entry into next year’s Awards of Excellence Print Competition (10 print maximum). Grand Award, First, Second and Third Place winners will receive custom-designed, engraved crystal awards.

Entry fees are $40 for WPPI Members and $60 for non-members. Return postage fees are separate and based on geographic location for the option of having prints returned. The deadline to register images online is Jan. 25, 2013. All prints and albums must be received at WPPI headquarters by Feb. 1, 2013. Judging will take place on March 9-10, 2013 and is open to all WPPI 2013 Full Conference attendees.

All WPPI 2013 classes, events and the expo will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., from March 7-14, 2013. Registration (http://registration3.experientevent.com/ShowWPP131/?flowcode=ATT) for WPPI 2013 is open now.

The early bird registration rate for access to the WPPI 2013 Conference and Expo is $199 for WPPI members and $379 for non-members through Dec. 14. On Dec. 15 registration rates increase to regular prices online: $275 for WPPI members and $399 for non-members. These rates include one free guest, all Platform classes, special events and a three-day pass to the expo. For more information about WPPI 2013 and all of its workshops and events, visit: www.wppionline.com.

New Guides and Articles for Photographers from PhotoShelter

PhotoShelter announced today that it is offering a number of new guides and articles of interest to professional photographers. The Spring 2012 Survey – What Buyers Want from Photographers – is now available for a free download.

Free guide to what buyers want from photographersThe guide includes survey results from 1,000 image buyers, photo editors, and other creatives worldwide who hire photographers and license photographs. Buyers surveyed are from a diverse range of organizations including advertising agencies, design agencies, nonprofits, editorial publications, book publishers, corporations, marketing agencies, and more.

The guide also provides firsthand interviews from photo buyers at JWT, GSD&M, Billboard.com, Men’s Health, and Random House who offer tips on how they want be pitched, websites that work, and the personal characteristics of photographers they look for when they hire.

So, this particular guide is really more geared toward those who provide images for commercial, editorial and advertising work, as opposed to more consumer-oriented photographer. Even so, the guide has some interesting and useful information about the market, as well as e-mail marketing tips, the impact of social media, website tips, buyer profiles and more.

Other articles available at PhotoShelter today include…

Why Instagram is Terrible (and why You Should Use it)

How to Take Your Landscape Photography to the Next Level

6 Night Photography Tips to Help You Master the Craft

Interview with Newsweek’s Senior Photo Editor (video)

PhotoShelter is also offering the guide 10 Branding Secrets for Photographers when you sign up for a free 14-day trial of PhotoShelter websites.

Louisiana Photo Studio Finds Large Format Inkjet Printing Success

Landscape photography and inkjet printing

Bonita Waesche, owner of Bonita Photography in Mandeville, La., specializes in Louisiana landscapes. An award-winning pro photographer well known in Louisiana circles for both portraiture and landscape work, her challenge was producing the images for new commercial customers – like hotels, hospitals and decorators – looking for professional photographic décor.

Commerical inkjet printing for decor with landscape photography“I realized after analyzing the cost of getting the larger prints made for me, and the extra turnaround time, that the margins were getting kind of scary. There’s only so much the market will bear, so I had been toying with buying a large format printer and with these projects coming up I decided to get a Canon printer from LexJet,” says Waesche.

Waesche acquired a Canon iPF6300 to ensure quality and cost control, as well as the ability to print on-demand quickly. With big hotel décor projects in the works right now, Waesche says she’s quite pleased with the dynamic range of the printer and the fidelity she’s getting from the LexJet canvas and paper she’s using with it.

Surreal photography for commercial applications“LexJet’s staff assured me that I would get a great printer, and I did. I’ve only had it up and running for a couple of weeks and will be using LexJet Sunset Reserve Bright Matte Canvas and LexJet Premium Archival Matte Paper,” says Waesche. “There’s so much out there that it’s difficult to find a good product for your printer and I’m very picky about things. LexJet helped me find the perfect materials for my new printer that work well and look great.”

Waesche was nice enough to send us a summary of her experience buying the new printer, which is re-printed below. Thanks to Waesche for the nice comments and willingness to share.

We’ll follow up and post a profile of the New Orleans hotel projects when they’re complete…

Greetings LexJet Management,

I am a new customer. My photographer friend, Frank Wilson, referred me to your company. I spoke to Bryce in sales initially. He was extremely knowledgeable, helpful and patient as I tried to explain to him what I needed, so I purchased your Sunset roll canvas, which is an outstanding product. When I stretch my photographs over the stretcher bars, the ink stays on the corners and doesn’t lift or crack as the image is wrapped.

I have been considering a large format printer for over 18 months and after acquiring several large commercial hotel jobs, I could justify the cost. Again, I called on Bryce to help me choose a new printer. Since I am a Canon shooter, I have a very good impression of Canon products and their printers seemed to be considerably less expensive. I mulled it over, very anxious about making the financial commitment.

Meanwhile, Mary Ann Finkel called and left a voice mail asking if she could help me and answer any questions I might have. I did some research and contacted her. I was afraid to jump from a 13 inch printer to the beastly size of the 24 inch printer.

She reassured me about Canon quality and LexJet paper and she offered to help after the sale with technical questions concerning roll paper feeding, menus, etc., in case I couldn’t handle the next level of printer.

I had issues with delivery since I live in an elevated home with this printer having to be carried up three flights of stairs to my office. She contacted the shipping company and got back promptly with answers. We decided to have it delivered to my husband’s office and transported when we could get lifting help. This is the most outstanding customer service I have ever received. Based on past experience, I can guarantee you that I would have been told, “Sorry, there is nothing we can do for you.” Customer service is so important to the buyer. Spending all day on the phone from one queue to another, language barriers, and apathy are all reasons I have left various brands/vendors.

Mary Ann Finkel has given you another loyal customer. When I couldn’t remember which canvas I had ordered initially, Mary Ann looked it up and sent more rolls to me right away with the question, “They will be there Thursday; is that okay for you?” Yes, Mary Ann, your attitude and effectiveness are awesome!

Please know what a gem you have in this employee. In this crazy recession with employer cutbacks, understand that she is very good for your business.

Thank you so much,

Bonita Waesche

P.S. I love the Canon printer and my LexJet matte paper has the look and feel of professional caliber that I need for the commercial work.