Category — Digital Printmaking

Epson Stylus Pro 7900

Epson has officially unveiled the newest generation of their 24- and 44-inch pigment-based, inkjet printers: the Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900. [True confession: my inner-geek gets all tingly at times like this.]

My initial assessment is that the Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900 offer a slate of great innovations that focus on three goals - finer print detail, faster print speed and expanded color gamut. Among the new technologies are: [Read more →]

The dates for the upcoming 2008/09 tour of the Epson Print Academy are now online. The 16-city tour starts in Atlanta on November 8. No specifics about pricing or curriculum have been released. Click here for the event calendar. I expect that more details will be released by the end of the month.

The last tour, held in 2006, offered two tracks at each venue –- one for amateurs and one for professionals. I attended the pro track in San Francisco and met Bruce Fraser, JP Caponigro, Greg Gorman, Jeff Schewe and Mac Holbert. I expect that the instructors on the new tour will be equally stellar.

I always look forward to the Epson Print Academy as a way to catch up the latest techniques. Even though I drive my Epson 3800 with a high-degree of confidence, I’m looking forward to attending the pro track in San Francisco next February. With the recent release of Lightroom 2 and the upcoming announcement of Photoshop CS4, I highly recommend the event regardless of your printer make and skill level.

In the world of fine art photography, it’s often hard to figure out where the image capture ends and the printmaking begins. Many photographers begin visualizing the final print before their finger hits the shutter button. Others won’t begin to see the potential of their images until they’ve spent several hours in front of a computer monitor. The important point here is to understand that the process of creating a well-crafted, fine art photograph is a continuum and not a series of disconnected steps.

I attended The Fine Art of Digital Printing workshop in Santa Barbara last fall. So, I can personally attest to the fact that investing a week in FADP is an amazing way to catapult your printmaking skills forward. It’s a total immersion program — like Berlitz for photographers. [Read more →]

If you’re looking to take your Photoshop skills from the ordinary to the extraordinary, check out the interactive DVDs produced by Acme Educational. The brainchild of Vincent Versace, the Acme gang also includes John Paul Caponigro, Mac Holbert, and Lee Varis.

Do these names sound familiar? You may have attended their sessions at Photoshop World or read Versace’s Welcome to Oz, Caponigro’s classic Adobe Photoshop Master Class, Holbert’s insights in Nash Editions, or Varis’ innovative Skin. While I always enjoy spending time with a well-crafted book, I learn best when I’m seeing, hearing and doing - all at the same time. This is why Acme shines. [Read more →]