At camera club, I like to join in the competitions even when I am out of my depth and feel unable to compete with the general standard and expertise.
We are encouraged to submit prints but I find this so very difficult. Yesterday was a case in point. After hours of working on an average photo to print for my 'environmental portrait' entry, I take the file to the local photographic printers and receive a poor imitation of what was on my screen. I have two screens - both of which render the image in completely different ways so that is not helpful, but where did that blue tint come from, I ask? And what happened to the white border which I deliberately included in the file ready for mounting? Answers come there none. Four prints later I come home disastisfied but also seeing some improvements that I could have made. So I work on the file some more, and go back - taking with me a colour portrait in case this presents less of a problem.
The new print was better (but still minus the white border) and the colour one would have been fine, but for the glaring editing error which I hadn't spotted on screen!
All I can say is that this printing business is an expensive and time consuming learning curve.
This is a reworking of the average image I took last year when visiting Shuttleworth Collection where my husband volunteers on a Thursday helping with the cleaning, polishing and maintenance work on their vintage plane collection.
I'm happy enough to have it as a print. It shows him content, and in his element - volunteering with the planes just as he always envisaged he would do when he retired from paid employment.
I haven't done prints in our camera club for several years now Helen . I am no good at mounting them and printing is a bit of a nightmare . Many people in our club use https://dscolourlabs.co.uk as their printer of choice (but I don't print so cannot comment on the service)
@phil_howcroft Thanks Phil. I have used dscolourlabs before but you need to print a fair few at a time to cover the postage costs and I am never that organised.
I think this is a great portrait- candid in a way but the look towards the camera tells you he knew he was being photographed. It's casual too- yet posed. Don't sell yourself short- this is a good shot!
