by RR Jr on March 18, 2010
My main studio printers are a Canon iPF 5000 and Canon iPF8100. Both have been workhorses for me over the years, and I’ve printed hundreds of prints on each one. I’ve had the iPF5000 for 3 years, and aside from some software related issues, it has been a great printer for me in terms of maintenance and the quality of the prints. Within a few weeks of purchasing it, the automated roll feeder stopped working, and Canon promptly sent a technician to my studio to repair it which involved replacing some parts. It has worked perfectly ever since.
During the Fine Art Printing Workshop this weekend, it came as a surprise when I attempted to print a student’s image and the iPF5000 gave me a “Nozzle Check” error. This is not the sort of message you want to see in the middle of a workshop while 6 students stand over your shoulder! I reset the printer, tried to run a cleaning cycle and tried other quick fixes, but the error remained. Luckily I have a backup in the iPF8100, so I switched to that printer for the remainder of the workshop.
The next day, after reading the manual and searching online, I was pretty sure I needed a new print head. Unlike Epson printers, which do not have replaceable print heads, Canon’s can be serviced and replaced over the life of the printer. The downside is they are expensive ($525), and according to my dealer, once one print head goes, the other usually follows (most Canon printers have two separate heads). The dealer suggested I just buy a new printer which would be the same cost as two new print heads. Needless to say, I was disappointed and frustrated, but heeding my wife Brenda’s advice, decided to call Canon just to confirm.
Once Canon had indeed verified that I needed a new print head, to my surprise they offered to replace the head at no charge as a courtesy to those who had purchased this printer – their first generation model. Their new line of printers have redesigned heads which last much longer. Instead of a 1 year warranty, they were replacing the heads if it had printed less than 10 trillion drops of ink. This they were able to determine through a diagnostic mode they had me run in the printer.
I’ll be receiving a brand new print head today, and if the other fails, I’ll be able to have it replaced under warranty as well – not bad for a three year old printer. I am thoroughly impressed with Canon’s service, as well as the friendliness of the technician I spoke with. These are compelling reasons for me to continue to purchase Canon equipment, where service and uptime is of paramount importance. As someone who regards customer service as the most important aspect of my interaction with customers and clients, it was great to receive much of the same from Canon.
Of course, following Brenda’s advice is the real key.
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by RR Jr on March 15, 2010
We had another great Beyond the Lens Digital Printing workshop this weekend, and I’m confident students gained information and insights that will allow them to make better creative decisions in regards to their printing. Each workshop is always different, and I’m always appreciative of the opportunity to meet so many great people and share my passion and hard earned experience in photography.
At the start of most workshops, I usually have each student introduce themselves and briefly describe their involvement in photography as well as their immediate goals. This makes the whole class more relaxed and I think creates a better learning environment when we all realize we’re basically after the same thing – doing what we enjoy and love as best as possible. For some of us, that translates into excellence, as I explained in a recent post.
Once every student has their turn, I take a few moments to explain why I am so passionate about printing. In a former life, I was a music producer for many years which involved taking a musical concept or idea and crafting a “performance” that embodied the creative goals of the project. The finished master or CD was my focus, and everything I did in the production stage, whether arranging, recording, mixing, or working with artists and musicians revolved around what I wanted that final CD to sound like. Everything in between was just another step along the particular path the project was following. Sometimes I’d have to stop and change my direction if somehow I’d gotten off track and things were not sounding quite like they should. Other times, the path would take an unexpected turn for the better, and new and interesting ideas would emerge that often created a better end result.
Much of what I learned back then has proven to be extremely valuable as a photographer and print maker. Regardless of where I am in the creative process – exploring a beautiful landscape, developing the image in Lightroom, or choosing the right paper texture for the print, I always imagine what the end result will look and feel like. I try to visualize the final print before I press the shutter. This is not always easy or possible, and often I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to achieve. But at some point along the “path”, I discover what I’m attempting to convey in an image, and then it becomes crystal clear.
As we move more and more into a digital world where the majority of images are experienced on LCD screens and mobile devices, we need to be aware of how an image will translate to these common mediums. Often I have two separate versions (using virtual copies in Lightroom) of the same photograph, one for printing, and one for digital viewing. But I still consider photographic prints my primary medium, so the printing workshop is really a lot of fun for me. I’m sure students can clearly see my excitement when one of their photographs emerges from our printers. If they smile, I’ve done my job, and the rest of the creative path is theirs to experience and enjoy.
“Thank you for the printing workshop…the information is helpful, love your studio and you are a natural teacher. The time flew by.” -Wayne Stix
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by RR Jr on March 12, 2010
“The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water, but to walk on the earth” – Chinese Proverb
“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness, and just be happy.” – Apolliniare
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by RR Jr on March 10, 2010
Canon 1Ds Mk III, 1/100 sec, f/11, ISO 100, 40mm
I’m reading a new book by Tom Peters called “The Little Big Things“, and so far it’s making me think – long and hard about how I pursue Excellence. I often wonder why I obsess over seemingly small details in my work.
Sometimes it’s the framing of a composition and the constant adjustment of my tripod or ball head. There’s this uncomfortable gut feeling that immediately goes away when I know I have it right. I know I can crop or adjust the horizon line afterwards in Lightroom, but why when I know perfectly well what’s wrong?
Sometimes this pursuit keeps me from getting a good night sleep, and I just can’t stop thinking about a different adjustment or interpretation of a print I made the night before. Working late I sometimes grow tired and decide better to leave it for the next day. But somehow it stays in the back of my mind, working to find a solution to what I couldn’t see before. I know it can be better, and until I get there, something just eats away at me.
I’ve taught many workshops, and I’m fairly confident I know the material in my sleep, yet I can’t stop reviewing my notes and doing as much research as I can so that I can be as prepared as possible. What does it matter if I just taught the same workshop a week ago, I always feel I can do a better job in the future.
I’ve often taken frames apart and re-printed an image because I know the “performance” is better, due to practice and hard work. Perhaps no one would notice, especially if I’m exhibiting a print for the first time. But if I know it’s not as Excellent as I can make it, I can’t sell it – simple as that.
Doing the best work I can, and making it as Excellent as I can has always been a paramount motivator for me, and not a day goes by without me being grateful for that. Difficult, challenging, laborious, demanding, and many times frustrating are all aspects of my daily life as a photographer, but striving for Excellence gets me up every single day before sunrise without fail.
Are you pursuing Excellence of some kind in your daily life?
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by RR Jr on March 6, 2010
I’m getting ready to teach a Fine Art Printing Workshop in a few hours, so I thought I would share the mind map I use as an outline for everything I cover during the workshop. I’m a big user and believer in mind maps for laying out ideas, concepts, tasks, projects, business plans, marketing plans – basically anything that allows me to visualize ideas and thoughts. Ever since I started using them, I find I’m much more organized in the multitude of projects I have going on at any one time, and because I certainly prefer to visualize ideas, they work perfectly for my way of getting things done.
Below is the current mind map for the workshop – it certainly changes and evolves as I teach and learn from the workshops. It should give you a pretty good idea of what you’d learn in a workshop like this.
If you can’t see the mind map, here is a direct link.
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