The print is the photograph
January 17, 2008 by Miguel Garcia-Guzman
I spent one day at Photo LA 2008 last weekend and I was immersed in a vast array of spectacular “printed” photographs. Close to 100 galleries exhibiting side by side contemporary photography with work of the masters. I had the opportunity to see prints of images that I remembered from photographer’s websites. I though I had seen the images before, but I was wrong. I hadn’t.
If you ever think that you have experienced an image by looking at it using the LCD of a computer, it is just because you forgot what it is to look at a master print. You have seen only a possibility, but you have not experienced the performance.
Photo LA 2008 reminded me something obvious but easy to forget in this computerized times: the print is the photograph. The rest is just a possibility.
I came across this short video from film director David Lynch. This is his message to people who watch movies on their iPods and cell phones. The same applies to all of us looking at images on LCDs resized to fit 600-800 pixels at 72 ppi.
Get real! … don’t you think?
In the comments section, “ahob” [don't know the real name] points to a recent post by photographer Mark Hobson, over at excellent blog “The Landscapist“, where he addresses this topic from his own personal work.
6 Responses to “The print is the photograph”
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[...] ser jag att det här är något som även Miguel Garcia-Guzman noterat, efter att ha sett bilder först på datorskärm, sen på riktigt: I had the opportunity to see [...]
Ha! Great post! Lynch’s explanation/reaction is about the same way I feel when I see a photographer’s work in person and then re-discover it on their personal web page. It is almost ridiculous that we as bloggers sometimes feature a photographer’s work without even actually experiencing the work in person. However, this is the ultimate paradox of the Internet – to be able to experience an artist’s work that we would not be able to discover (due to location) in person.
I think your quote is fitting when addressing the Internet’s ability to present:
“You have seen only a possibility, but you have not experienced the performance.”
my father goes into even more detail on this topic as well…
http://landscapist.squarespace.com/journal/2008/1/4/civilized-ku-73-a-real-triptych.html
Hi noelrv and ahob
Yes, this is a real paradox. We get so excited looking at the pictures in the web, it is easy to forget the beauty of a print. Other factors that contribute to the experience are the dimensions of the print … it is quite different to see a 4×6 in print versus a 20×30 print … some images work well big, others work better small … the web doesn’t have resolution to differentiate print sizes.
… thanks for the link … I will refer to it in the post.
Cheers!
Miguel
3 cheers for David Lynch!
This is so obvious it should be beyond mentioning. Recently I was astonished at the difference between a book and online reproduction of the same size and print- let alone the actual print!
Unfortunately, if you don’t happen to live in a gallery/museum mecca- you’re options are limited at best…