When you work print magic for some of the biggest names in photography and fine art you might as well print big, which is exactly what Stephen Kerner does. Kerner, owner of Stone River Giclee in Woodstock, N.Y., has been printing giant reproductions on canvas for renowned photographers Russell James and Catherine Sebastian (who’s also the wife of former The Lovin’ Spoonful front man John Sebastian).

A new “camera” is emerging from the start-up mode and making noise in the digital capture market. Essentially, the new technology from a company called Lytro eliminates the depth of field limitations of traditional photography technology.

The terms “niche” and “specialty” are not the same. The former refers to specializing in a particular market, while the latter refers to a custom product approach for whatever market in which you operate. Raven Image opened its doors about four years ago as a niche company, targeting primarily fine art reproduction with some photo reproduction thrown in for good measure. The focus made a lot of sense for Raven Image’s two founding partners – Cher Sailer and Tracy Raven Jacobs – who had been previously immersed in the commercial photo lab business. They had made the transition from chemical to inkjet before they opened Raven Image. And, they had a knack for hitting color just right for discerning artists. However, as a lot of small business print shops have found, diversification helps grow the bottom line, especially in a difficult economy. Though Raven Image certainly diversified its market mix with more photographic reproduction and commercial work, its product diversification...

Michael Timmons of The Portrait Gallery in Vasser, Mich., gets around. As noted in a yesterday’s post about Duncan MacNab’s award winning image, Timmons printed Duncan MacNab’s award-winning print on LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin. For Andrew Jenkins’ LexJet Sunset Award and Best Color Portrait winner at the PPA Northeast District competition, Timmons printed The Curator on Sunset Photo eSatin as well. “The print was incredible. I don’t think there’s anyone in the country printing better images on eSatin than Michael,” says Jenkins. The Curator himself is Warren Motts, who runs the Motts Military Museum in Groveport, Ohio, which houses the largest privately owned collection of military memorabilia in the United States. Motts is also a past president of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). “Warren is an incredible man and I wanted to take a portrait of him in his environment. I took a road trip with my father, spent the day at the museum and created the portrait at the end...

A great print can make all the difference at photography competitions. It’s certainly not the only difference, but it can provide that little extra boost that makes judges take notice. Take, for instance, Duncan MacNab’s entry, End of the Line, which won a LexJet Sunset Award for Excellence in Image Quality at the 2011 PPA Western District Competition.

Actually, the title of John Gladman’s LexJet Sunset Award and best Electronic Imaging prize at the PPA North Central District photography competition is Morning Rounds. While quite appropriate for the image, it evokes a simpler and more rustic time in the past, though the main landscape image was taken near Lawrence, Kansas quite recently. Gladman stitched together a panoramic shot of a spot near the river and just around the corner from his studio. He took out the modern distractions, power lines and whatnot, and added the horse and carriage. The result is a story, and “story” is a crucial element in an award-winning image. “I’m big on taking an image and trying to tell a story with it, so whatever I need to do to tell the story I’ll do it. I come at it from an artistic standpoint; I’m trying to create a piece of art from the things I find in life,” explains Gladman. “I’ve been entering competitions for 25 years and I’ve been a judge myself. I’ve learned that you have to create...

Professional Photographer Magazine announced its annual Hot One Award winners, representing the best products introduced in 2010 as determined by a panel of 52 professional photographer judges.