Sports PhotographyTag:

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

High Definition Quality from Capture to Print at Digital Sports Photography

Digital Sports Photography Epson SureLabe

Bob Critser, owner of Digital Sports Photography in the small town of Herkimer, N.Y., is a self-described “technology freak” who recently acquired the latest photo printing technology to help boost and streamline his sports photography print sales.

He’s also particular about color consistency and image fidelity. And, he doesn’t have time to fix inconsistent output or finicky printers. That’s why the acquisition of an Epson SureLab D3000 Single Roll Printer from LexJet, coupled with KODAK PROFESSIONAL Inkjet Photo Paper, Lustre DL / 255g has been such a boon to his business.

“I’m taking sports photos with a $16,000 camera, and it’s killer stuff. I create templates with color borders for the schools, Little League, Pop Warner, and other team photos, and when I print them out with the SureLab and the Kodak paper every one of them is the same color blue or burgundy. I can’t deal with inconsistent color and get an orange that prints a burnt orange, for instance,” says Critser. “When I got sample prints from a company with the SureLab, the color was dead-on, whether it was a bright green border or a photo with a blue screen background. As soon as I saw the sample prints I knew I needed the printer.”

Moreover, Critser says the printer is super-fast, allowing him to deliver a variety of print sizes quickly to his clientele.

“I set up the prints in Lightroom and use it to send out all the team photos to the printer, with only five minutes for the 8x10s and maybe five to seven minutes to do the smaller prints,” he says. “And with the Kodak paper we use with the printer it’s nice because you can touch it. We bag the prints, but even when you handle the prints you don’t leave marks.”

Besides the durable, high-quality imaging surface the Kodak paper provides, Critser says the Kodak mark on the paper gives his clients confidence in the print. It’s subtle and subconscious, but the brand carries weight.

“Everyone knows Kodak. For me, to have that on the back of a print makes a big difference. People like the quality, bottom line,” says Critser.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

Team Portraits at the NHL Winter Classic Printed on Metallic

Sunset Photo Metallic Paper

Arguably hockey’s biggest event, the NHL Winter Classic, was played at Michigan Stadium earlier in January. But the Winter Classic isn’t just about pro hockey. About 70 youth teams from all over converge on Ann Arbor for the event, and play at nearby Yost Ice Arena.

PDQ Photos, based in Wyandotte, Mich., specializes in making those youth teams look great. In addition to shooting action photos (more than 45,000!), PDQ Photos owner Dan Swint and his crack team also set up team photos while they were there.

This year, PDQ Photos photographed 38 teams, and printed them on-site with two Canon iPF6400 wide-format inkjet printers on LexJet Sunset Photo Metallic Paper. “We bought one a few weeks before and liked it so much we bought a second one right before the Winter Classic,” says Swint.

The action photos were also viewed by the teams on computer monitors set up outside each game and printed on-site.

“The team photos were shot against a green screen and then dropped on top of that background. Everything was done on location and delivered at the event,” explains Swint. “The prints were phenomenal. We had such good feedback from the hockey teams and our staff. When they see it come off the printer, and the way the Metallic paper pops, it puts it over the top. It’s a real new product for us and has done very well at all the tournaments, and not just the Winter Classic, but the smaller tournaments prior to the Winter Classic.”

Swint adds that the combination of the Canon printers with Sunset Photo Metallic Paper has been a real boon to tournament business, making it easier to sell the output on-site. “I can’t say for certain that the Metallic look has pushed it any further because it’s been really busy since we added these poster printers to our lineup. However, we feel, based on our presentation and the look of the product, that it has had an impact,” he says.