By Noel Bunce
The newly promoted Vikki Templeton has come up trumps in Pakenham Camera Club’s April open colour print event.
Taking out her first A Grade win and claiming Image Of The Month honours for her image I’m Watching You, Templeton also gained a highly commended award for an almost 3D print titled Times Past.
In a high caliber event Rod Stone’s Pink Opal Waterlily came home in second place ahead of Linda Brown with Mist In The Valley.
Karl Pagenstecher, soon to move to Western Australia for work, picked up a highly commended award for Final Show Of Colour, while Wayne Gunn also saluted with two images taken at the recent Moomba Masters skiing event.
Other A Grade highly commendeds went to Leanne Satherley, Linda Brown and Maria Bastin.
The B Grade event was not strongly supported which meant only two placings were awarded, both going to Donna Edsall seascapes.
Demanding first place was a colourful sunset titled Romance On The Pier that captures a couple embracing in front of an almost setting sun. An almost black and white image depicting yachts racing on a sunray lite bay titled Under The Rays crossed the line in second place.
For those that might be best described as, real photographers, print images will always render the most joy of this hobbyist art form. And for the more competitive image maker, club affairs all the way through to national and international events, have always had a centre based around print images.
How then do we go about printing a favourite image, what size can it be, what can we print it on and where can this be done. The answer to these questions is as many and varied as is the price range for each.
If you intend to hang an image in your home, man-cave or office the size can be whatever you need it to be to fit the available space. Most might automatically think of printing on paper as the preferred method but, in our modern world of today, there are many options to choose from.
Acrylic, metal and wood are becoming more widely known and canvas has been popular for some time. The paper medium these days has so many finish options it can be difficult to imagine what the finished product might look like.
Glossy and Matt paper are the most common and they are what you might expect to find at your local Woollies or Office Works establishment. While these may be the cheaper options, if used in the right environments you will generally not be disappointed with the results.
Glossy is great for showing detail in an image but can struggle in light effected areas as it can reflect, show dirt and finger marks. Matt is the opposite to gloss in that it doesn’t reflect light and it may not provide the pop, jump of the page look that gloss offers. It can be great for black and white prints as well as framed images.
Satin, lustre and pearl are other finishes giving a semi-gloss effect that could be seen as the best option for both worlds. The lustre finish is particularly popular with portrait and wedding photographers looking for this type of finish.
Metallic paper, not to be confused with metal printing, is another form of glossy finish.
Metal prints are becoming a popular medium and are made by printing ink on a metal surface, usually aluminium. They provide wonderful quality and, like canvas, they are really suited to modern architecture as neither requires a frame.
Acrylic printing is one of the new boys on the block offering gorgeous, vibrant colours, as well as a modern look that, again, will sit well in a modern environment. There are two forms of acrylic printing, one where the printing ink is laid directly onto the acrylic surface or, by placing a paper print behind the acrylic material.
Offering an arty and creative look wood prints will give your photos a rougher, more textured appearance that might look at home in a bar/barn type environment. Like acrylic, wood will offer up a robust long-life quality that can be hung without a frame.
There is much to consider when thinking about prints!
