Printing your photos?

KariP wrote:

57even wrote:

I agree that a printed photograph is a wonderful thing, but I print maybe 4 or 5 images a year - only those images I think are sufficiently interesting on their own to merit permanent viewing in a public space - ie a local cafe or someone's living room wall.

I also have several prints on my own walls, which I rotate periodically.

However, I have other 'collections' that are in a private online gallery. I can send people links when I want to share them, and have a downsized version on my tablet. To me, this is the equivalent of a slide show, but one I can share with friends all over the world.

Not all these are good enough to be 'stand alone' images, but they work as part of a collection. It's hard to get a sense of a place like London, or Paris, from just one image, but a collection of 10-20 images can tell more of a story. It would be impractical to present these in printed form.

I don't share images on social media at all, and don't currently have a public online gallery. I am hesitant to upload high res images to a public website, and don't see the point. I am not really interested in clicks and likes.

I agree that 16 MP can make very decent A2 prints. I prefer 24 MP for additional cropping space, and because people like to look closely at large prints, but I found 36 MP to be largely indistinguishable from 24 MP, provided they are well processed and sharpened.

Of course kids or friends sometimes want a print for their wall - or refrigerate door

Or just something to show to friends without a TV screen or PC - people still do that sometimes ! Of course we usually see family/dog/kids(new home photos or something on a tiny screen of someones iPhone... or smaller tablet.

I started with paper some 45 years ago and images on screen became more usable about 15 years ago. I still like to see the image on paper if it is something really better than average snapshot. Print on paper is also a chance to see MORE and learn - more than the iMac screen after some successful PP.

Of course photography for printing or for some screen are actually different hobbies. Like water colour painting and using some illustrator software. Images can look really great on a big 8K screen (if they are good) - and the experience is very different when you look at some very good print on special suitable paper - touching and holding the paper...

I agree. I certainly don't process them the same way - different sharpening and tone curve.

A lot of galleries are now showing images on screens. However, they only look good to me if they are in 16:9 format. Doesn't work for everything.

And we have a lot of windows in our apartment - amount of space on the walls is limited... and I'm not sure if I want to show some very personal "art" on my wall. Sometimes I do. I like to look at the work of real artists.

My local cafe is run by a friend who likes my photos. He has a few up on the walls and customers can buy them if they want. I get a few sales a year, but the main thing is I get free coffee! Pre-covid, it was my office...

Anyway, photography is just a hobby to hobbyists - professionals must produce what the customers need/want

Absolutely, very glad I didn't go pro.