A Winning Print

A funny thing happened during our most recent fine art printing workshop. One of our clients, a woman with a good deal of photography experience and a good eye for composition, had some difficulty with a print.

She was in Yellowstone National Park in winter, the best time of year to be there in my opinion, and captured the lead image of a lonely bison in a creek, looking forlornly at the camera. Frankly, I loved the image from the get-go. Rarely do we get to see an animal so isolated in its environment, so that we are able to understand the forces it must contend with to survive. The fact that it is standing in frigid water, with its ribs showing, adds to the story. The reflection helps, too. But it is the immensity of the snowy landscape that makes the image for me. Having been to Yellowstone in winter, I know how the land is blanketed from October through April.

The issue was what to do with the image to get it to print well. My client did not like the initial proof print, so we worked on improving the structure of the snow around the creek and adding a bit of clarity in the dried grasses, until she was pleased

She ran the final print on Museo Fine Art Silver Rag paper, which brought out every speck of color and rendered the snow perfectly. The consensus of the group was that the print even exceeded the original on-screen image. I agree. Here is how it printed, along with the other prints from the group.

I can’t wait to see all our clients' images framed and adorning walls for all to admire.