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Peter Lik - Why are the stills so sharp?
- Thread starter flykiller
- Start date
S
sabrina81
Guest
It starts with gear like this:
EDIT: This camera shoots film. Each frame is roughly equivalent to a digital frame of 140 to 160 megapixels. In other words, he begins with images that have extremely high resolution.
EDIT: This camera shoots film. Each frame is roughly equivalent to a digital frame of 140 to 160 megapixels. In other words, he begins with images that have extremely high resolution.
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7
7 Feathers
Guest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lik
He had an obsession, self taught honed his skills...blazed his own trail...
He had an obsession, self taught honed his skills...blazed his own trail...
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mreynolds767
Senior Member
It starts with gear like this:
EDIT: This camera shoots film. Each frame is roughly equivalent to a digital frame of 140 to 160 megapixels. In other words, he begins with images that have extremely high resolution.
I don't believe he has shot film in quite some years.
But he does shoot with a medium format Hasselblad digital camera I believe so better quality starting point than your otherwise typically professional's choice of full frame camera body.
Overall though, not sure it makes that big a difference.
I have been to his galleries and seen his work in homes.
Excellent stuff, not putting it down but don't see any sharper detail than what I can achieve printing on the same paper and method of framing. Provided my shot was taken correctly in optimal lighting conditions and well post processed.
--
online gallery at:
www.MattReynoldsPhotography.com
hotdog321
Forum Pro
I agree with the previous posts and his photos are both magnificent and beautiful. But many of his images are heavily Photoshopped and use two or more images interspersed into a single image. Not knocking it--the photos work, but many of them have little to do with reality.
Hello123
Senior Member
All of his photos are heavily photoshopped. Peter certainly knows how to use the clarity and saturation sliders in his Lightroom program.
mreynolds767
Senior Member
His photos on his website and social media don't look great and look overprocessed.
In person in print though I don't find that they do. I have seen them in his galleries and also in personal homes without proper lighting. Maybe I am more accepting to his very colorful look. Some do look too saturated but the majority of his prints in person look great. A couple of them appear to be composites but not usually his style.
Not something achieved with pushing a couple of sliders in Lightroom in any case.
He knows how to use a camera, how to use light in the field, how to post process for printing very well (probably hires graphic designers to do so not himself), researched the best ways to print and frame but most of all successfully marketed himself and heavily invested in himself.
Cheers to him for doing so.
Hello123
Senior Member
Peter recently opened a gallery in Chicago and I've been to it a few times. In my opinion, everything is saturated.... but it looks good... and is unrealistic. On top of that, I think Peter is using a metallic finish paper and this adds another layer of vividness. I think the prints look good on the wall under perfect lighting conditions, but I wonder how they would look in a home environment? Also because these photos have such a strong punch, what would they be like over a period of time. would one tire of that? All of this said I think Peter is a good photographer and probably more important a very very good marketer/businessman.
mreynolds767
Senior Member
Yes, he does use a high quality metallic based paper (in addition to face mounted acrylic on top of it) which all adds to the vividness and 3d type pop.
He definitely did his research on printing. Using a high end specialty lab and then eventually purchasing his own equipment and hiring staff so he could do all his own printing in Las Vegas cutting out the print lab.
Same with frames he uses extremely high end frames but whereas you or I would need to buy from a framer or minimum a distributor to buy the frames, he buys enough that he buys directly from the framing manufacture and his staff does his own framing.
In homes without proper lighting the whole effect of the ambient light affecting the image (one of his big selling points) is totally lost. They still look really nice, great clarity of the paper is apparent regardless of light and the frames he uses are fantastic so that does help a good deal.
Does an overly colorful print get to the viewer overtime? Probably depends on how prominently one displays it in their home.
--
online gallery at:
www.MattReynoldsPhotography.com
He definitely did his research on printing. Using a high end specialty lab and then eventually purchasing his own equipment and hiring staff so he could do all his own printing in Las Vegas cutting out the print lab.
Same with frames he uses extremely high end frames but whereas you or I would need to buy from a framer or minimum a distributor to buy the frames, he buys enough that he buys directly from the framing manufacture and his staff does his own framing.
In homes without proper lighting the whole effect of the ambient light affecting the image (one of his big selling points) is totally lost. They still look really nice, great clarity of the paper is apparent regardless of light and the frames he uses are fantastic so that does help a good deal.
Does an overly colorful print get to the viewer overtime? Probably depends on how prominently one displays it in their home.
--
online gallery at:
www.MattReynoldsPhotography.com
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brucet
Senior Member
Regardless of his technique/s his bank account is a testimony to his popularity. We all need to be careful about 'judging' his work and imposing our own likes and dislikes. I like his work but also think it's 'over cooked'. But regardless of whether it's my cup of tea or not his work is top shelf.
regards
regards
He is the Donald Trump of photography. His taste is in his ass, but allegedly $440 million in print sales and one he allegedly got somebody to coff up 6 million bucks. for.. he is successful at PR as well as photography.
Good real story about him if anyone is interested in what he is all about : "Peter Lik - an entrepreneur catering mostly to an overlooked group, namely people with some disposable income but little or no experience buying fine art."
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/...cipe-for-success-sell-prints-print-money.html
He says he still shoots 3 months of the year. I'll give him credit, not too many multi-millionaires willing to get up at 2am for a photograph, surprised he hasn't started using employees to take pictures for him yet.
--
Thanks,
Mike
https://www.instagram.com/mikefinleyco/
Good real story about him if anyone is interested in what he is all about : "Peter Lik - an entrepreneur catering mostly to an overlooked group, namely people with some disposable income but little or no experience buying fine art."
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/...cipe-for-success-sell-prints-print-money.html
He says he still shoots 3 months of the year. I'll give him credit, not too many multi-millionaires willing to get up at 2am for a photograph, surprised he hasn't started using employees to take pictures for him yet.
--
Thanks,
Mike
https://www.instagram.com/mikefinleyco/
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Metal prints with high gloss are will give your photos amazing pop and clarity. Also, pro photo labs in the modern age have amazing software and printing ability. I too am amazed at what can be done with prints these days.
Peter Lik prints in house, he doesn't use a pro photo lab.
Then, I would like to go to his house.
Which one? The one he just sold for 24 million or one of the other ones? Let me know and I'll see what I can do.
jhorse
Veteran Member
Hi, I had never heard of him and so looked up his site. Impressive work. A pleasure to view his images.
They are 'artistic', even if there is much post processing (I do very little, but that makes his work no less pleasurable to view). To those who say they have little to do with reality, ask does all art (assuming one believes photography to be an art too)? Indeed, a visit to many modern art museums, such as Tate Modern, and you'll find art that has even less to do with reality.
Great work, a pleasure to view, all credit to him for getting out there and developing his own style.
They are 'artistic', even if there is much post processing (I do very little, but that makes his work no less pleasurable to view). To those who say they have little to do with reality, ask does all art (assuming one believes photography to be an art too)? Indeed, a visit to many modern art museums, such as Tate Modern, and you'll find art that has even less to do with reality.
Great work, a pleasure to view, all credit to him for getting out there and developing his own style.
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