These days, photography is easy. Digital advancements in cameras and editing have made it possible for many people to make a living out of taking pictures. This also makes creating an online portfolio hassle-free. However, it must be taken into account that a lot of clients still want to have prints. And in that aspect, you need to make sure that what you will produce will be of high quality.
This is something that should be done with utmost care. Thankfully, there are some ways to ensure that your prints will be incredible. A few adjustments will be needed on your end. Here are some pointers that come in handy. You can even use them if you want to release your own photography guide or coffee table book produced via a self-publishing company.
Pick the right format
Understand that great prints start with the format you will use for your photos. While JPEGs are fine, they are actually compressed and much smaller. With that in mind, always go for RAW when shooting. As the name implies, raw captures all the photo data recorded by your camera’s sensor. As such, you will have a lot of room to move around when it comes to editing. You have more control over the photo’s saturation, sharpness, contrast, and white balance. When you can easily adjust these things, you can actually produce a high-quality print.
Don’t forget your shooting specs
Your shooting specifications also influence the quality of the printed output. This is especially important when it comes to focus. You might not notice on your camera screen that the photo is out of focus, but you can discover the flaw when you zoom in. Use the right lens for a specific purpose. For portraits, always go for 35 mm and 50 mm lens. Make the shutter much faster to capture light accurately.
Do post-processing right
A bulk of photography job happens during post-processing. When printing, take into account the image’s PPI or pixels per inch. You have to make sure that your PPI is around 300. Some photographers, however, do consider 150 pixels per inch as the standard resolution. Moreover, make sure that the colors of the photo are not overly burnt or saturated. Adjust the exposure to highlight the interesting points, and make sure that contrast is modulated.
Consult with the print shop
If you’re not printing the pictures yourself, you can always go to a print shop. But if you’re unsure of the right specifications, you can always ask them. Note, however, that the material of your printed photo will also be taken into account. A photo set on acrylic can look much more different from a photo printed in metal.
You can always learn from mistakes
With all that said, remember that printing a photo is an intensive process itself. And you should expect that there will be some mistakes along the way. However, you can always learn from them. The good part about this part of photography is you can always try again.
