Print & Win Judges Offer Tips for Capturing Competition-worthy Photos

With over 600 submissions for the Print & Win Competition, it was tough to narrow it down to the images that were selected to face the judges’ panel. In fact, there were several images that were on the cusp of making it to the panel.

Given that there was so much discussion about the images, several of the original judges – Pete Wright, Jeff Bowman, and Dennis and Cheri Hammon – returned to share a rare, public learning opportunity for up and coming photographers and photographers who have never entered their work in a formal competition.

The judges selected a few of the images and offered some great talking points not only to the photographer of the image but also to anyone looking to learn and hone their skills. Dennis Hammon is excited to share this sneak peek into a judge’s mind.

“We want you to learn from everybody’s image. We want to give everyone the experience to understand what judges are looking for,” he says. “We’re looking for sharpness, technique, and story-telling. The composition and subject are so important.”

The judges picked a wide variety of images ranging from a boudoir capture to a kaleidoscope creation and discussed what the photographers did right and how the image could be improved for another competition or what a photographer could do differently for future competitions. The suggestions were as simple as a closer crop and choosing a different time of day to as technical as changing settings and doing additional post-production work.

A consensus among the judges is the best way to improve skill and technique is to continue entering competitions. As many past Sunset Print Award winners have stated, anytime they put their work in front of judges, they learn something to help them improve.

Whether the Click & Win Image Awards was your first or fortieth competition, check out the video above to eavesdrop on the conversation. Feel free to leave us a comment and let us know what you learned from the discussions.

Now that you’ve learned more about how to capture the perfect image, contact a LexJet specialist at 800-453-9538 to find out how to take the next step – printing. Remember, it’s not a photograph until it’s printed.

LexJet’s “The Click & Print Event” Sponsored by Canon is Now Open

“The Click & Print Event” starts today and runs through April 2. This is a virtual, interactive, and educational experience for photographers at every level and features eight of the world’s best Canon photographers together to focus on education on everything from capture, to edit, to print.

Hear from current and former Explorers of Light, including:

  • Clay Blackmore – Get Moving! How Video Can Grow Your Photography Business
  • Gary Hughes – Model Behavior: The Best Ways to Photograph People
  • Bob Davis – Great Images in a Flash: Techniques to Master Off-Camera Flash
  • Jeff Bowman – It’s More Than Just Funny Videos: How Social Media Can Grow Your Photography Business
  • Eddie Tapp – Finding Light in the Darkness
  • Joel Grimes – The Best of Both Worlds: Combining Digital Technology with Classic Photography Techniques

All this week, there will be live Q&A sessions with each of the keynote speakers, bonus content, and if you’ve never been a part of a photo competition, you can watch the judges as they discuss submissions for the Sunset Image Awards to gain insight into the judging process.

If you can’t make it to one of the sessions, don’t worry, all of the keynote discussions, the printer and software demonstrations, and other video content will be available on-demand through April 16.

You won’t want to miss the chance to save over $3,900 off MSRP with special event pricing on the purchase of a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-Series printer available through now through April 16.

Click HERE to see the full schedule of events and sign up now!

Prints that Win: Temptress

Temptress by Pete Wright

Pete Wright’s photography is all about capturing and producing the tiniest details, from the initial setting all the way through to print. It was Wright’s attention to detail, in addition to his technical expertise, that made Temptress a Sunset Print Award winner at the recent PPA Southeast District competition.

Wright pulled out all the stops for this photo shoot, which he did for a clothier and a jeweler. Both clients gave him free reign to produce images that would make them shine. Wright chose to render the images in his signature style, Film Noir.

“I went to both of my clients and told them what era I was shooting, so they pulled out vintage clothing and jewelry. We had a hair and makeup artist come in and created the look we wanted for the models. Then I went on a hunt for a location and found a music studio that had created a speakeasy bar authentic to the era with the correct lighting and fixtures,” explains Wright. “My lighting style is different because I still shoot in the way they would have shot in the ’20s and ’30s. I don’t use any kind of modern soft boxes. Instead, I use modifiers like Fresnels, Snoots and Barn-Doors that are more appropriate to the era so that the lighting is very dramatic and the shadows very purposeful. And, when you have someone sitting for a photo, they know they can’t move and you pose them exactly the way you want them to so the light falls just right.”

Wright adds that he also rented vintage furniture and appointments, like a crystal decanter from the era, and had the hair and makeup artist and experts from the clothing and jewelry store on hand to make sure everything about the scene was perfectly in place so that he could concentrate on the lighting and capturing the image.

Wright shot the male and female models together and then separately. For Temptress, Wright directed the female model to sit in the chair, pick up the cigar and to “act like she owned the place.” He says it’s important to set the scene for the models so they exude the attitude needed to tell the story the image is meant to portray.

“A lot of the strength of the image was in how it was lit, the confidence in how she was posed and how she came across, and the research that went into finding the right location. As much as I like to take credit for my images, it was a team effort to make sure that all those little things you might overlook are taken care of so you don’t have to worry about it on the back end,” explains Wright. “It was so different than what people are used to seeing. Most of what the judges see at competition is rendered in color. When you don’t miss anything and every decision you make about the shot was thought out the judges notice that.”

Wright adds that the final touch is choosing the right paper to print on, and printing it with master photographer and printer Jeff Bowman. Wright used Sunset Photo eSatin Paper for the final print, and says the paper is especially crucial for his black-and-white prints as it renders true, deep, rich blacks that he can’t get elsewhere.

“Because we do so much black-and-white photography it’s so important for us to use a paper that shows the true black. I see a lot of prints where the blacks are not true black; they’re a little muddy and don’t have the depth and contrast,” says Wright. “Jeff Bowman introduced me to eSatin. I always noticed his images looked so great on that paper. We’ve been printing our competition images together on that paper for six or seven years, and we’ve always had great success. When an image is put under the lights and you use something with a high gloss, it becomes too reflective and almost milky under the lights. If you’re using an art matte paper, especially with black-and-white images, it can come off the printer looking great, but after a few hours, because the ink is still soaking into the fiber of the paper it looks more grey and muted. They’re great for a watercolor or pastel image, but not for the majority of my competition prints.”

Wright adds that another important differentiator for his competition work is that he and Bowman prints it themselves. The ability to control the output, and to re-do the print if necessary, is crucial to his success at competition, he says.

To find out more about the Sunset Print Awardcompetitions where the award is being presented, a portfolio of past winners, and the Sunset inkjet media product line, go to www.sunsetprint.com.

LexJet Updates Popular Sunset Photo Papers

Print picture-perfect images every time with LexJet's next-generation Sunset photo papers. Photo and framed print: Jeff Bowman, Commonwealth Photography, Chester, Va.

LexJet has improved its award-winning Sunset photo paper line to take advantage of the wider color gamuts provided by the latest inkjet printer and ink technologies from Canon, Epson and HP.

Sunset Photo eSatin, Sunset Photo Gloss and Sunset Photo Semi-Matte are also thicker and heavier to make production and handling smoother and easier. Sunset Photo eSatin and Sunset Photo Gloss weigh in at 300g and 11.5 mils thick; Sunset Semi-Matte is 270g and 10.5 mils thick.

“Sunset photo papers have always been a popular choice for discerning professional photographers and print shops who want to deliver prints to their customers that are more substantial and durable than mass-market inkjet papers,” says Alex Ried, LexJet product manager. “Because they’re delivering a print that not only feels like a high-quality product, but produces super color and excellent contrast, Sunset photo papers are a key component of their customer retention and referrals.”

Ried adds that choosing between the three Sunset photo papers for a given project is subjective. “It depends on what you like, how you would prefer to present your images, and most importantly, what your customers like,” he says.

For a beautiful satin finish similar to the E-surface papers used in traditional darkroom printing, Sunset Photo eSatin Paper has been the go-to photo paper for wedding, portrait, outdoor and exhibition photography, as well as high-end display graphics projects. Sunset Photo Semi-Matte has a similar gloss level to eSatin, but with a smoother finish. Sunset Photo Gloss, as the name implies, provides a smooth, high-gloss finish for maximum impact.

“First of all, I love the weight of the Sunset Photo eSatin. Compared to any other paper, it just screams quality, plus the colors are perfectly accurate and the saturation is gorgeous,” says Jeff Bowman of Commonwealth Photography in Chester, Va. “It is superior to lab prints, hands-down. I’ve used it for competitions and have had other photographers come to us for prints because the quality is so good.”

All three of the next-generation Sunset photo papers are available from LexJet’s nationwide network of distribution centers in a variety of sizes, from 8 1/2 in. x 11 in. sheets to 60 in. x 100 ft. rolls.