Prints that Win: Elevating a Popular Setting

Award winning inkjet prints

It takes a special talent to uniquely reproduce a scene that’s been photographed thousands of times. Think Ansel Adams’ shot of the Grand Tetons. Now a scene that’s a staple of photographers of all abilities, it’s difficult to capture a unique perspective on that particular scene.

So it is with the grist mill in Babcock State Park. This iconic West Virginia scene was the LexJet Sunset Award winner at the recent Photo Pro Network expo and print competition in Covington, Ky., as well as the Southeastern PPA District competition.

This shot of the popular grist mill location in the park also won the Inkjet Print category, and for good reason. The capture looks similar to HDR photography, but it’s not. “What you see is what I got,” says Stan Jones, owner of S & N Photography in Cave City, Ky., who captured the scene and rendered it in black and white.

“I heard about it from other photographers so I wanted to check it out for myself. It’s a beautiful place. When I arrived, there were already about 15 other photographers set up and ready to go,” recalls Jones.

The key to this version of the grist mill scene was in the exposure, which Jones set up at around six seconds at ISO 100. The picture was perfect, as you can see in the extreme detail Jones was able to pick up in the capture.

Of course it doesn’t end there. Jones is also a professional print maker, producing his own competition prints as well as those for other photographers with his Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and ColorBurst RIP. With a spray booth for finishing and competition lights so he can pre-judge the prints himself, Jones’s prints provide the needed fidelity for award-winning prints.

“The judges commented on the print quality, presentation and subject matter, especially the black-and-white print presentation; it looks really good under the lights,” adds Jones.

Prints that Win: Beautiful Blues

Printing award winning photographyGood portrait photography captures the essence of the subject’s personality, and that’s what Gretchen Carter aims for in her senior portraits. Carter is a portrait photographer at Newbrough Photo, a studio that’s been an anchor in the town of Weirton, W.V. for more than 60 years.

“I want to make the kids comfortable when they come here. If they’re stoic or serious, or if they’re bubbly, I want to capture that. If the mom looks at me and says, ‘You really captured who they are,’ then I feel I’ve done my job,” says Carter.

The judges at the recent Triangle Photographers Association meeting and print competition agreed, awarding Carter with the top prize in the Portrait Category. LexJet’s Sunset Award was also awarded to Carter for winning that category. The Triangle Photographers Association represents photographers in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

The subject was Kacie Craig, a senior at Weir High, who’s also one of Newbrough Photo’s ambassadors. She was photographed in her “Cinderella dress,” a dress she used in a play. Craig is involved in drama and music in the school and Carter says “she’s a really sweet girl with a great personality who’s really fun to photograph.”

Carter shot the portrait from above on a ladder with the dress flowing behind Craig. The effect, along with the lighting and posing of the subject, caught the judge’s eyes. The image was printed for the competition on a glossy photo paper on the studio’s wide format Epson printer.

Learn the Fine Art of Marketing Fine Art Photography

©Laura Moul

On one “Super Monday” each spring and fall, members of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) host photography labs and workshops in cities across the U.S.  One of the topics to be presented at the next Super Monday, Oct. 25 will be The Fine Art of Marketing Fine Art Photography. On-site registration for PPA’s Super Monday classes is $120. If you register by the end of the day today for The Fine Art of Marketing Fine Art Photography, the registration fee is just $99 for the day-long session.

At the Twin Falls State Resort Park in Mullins, W.V., photographer Laura Moul will provide practical advice for anyone who wants to market fine-art prints of their landscape photography.