15 Comments
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Susanne Helmert's avatar

I just mentioned to someone that printing (and just the printing in the darkroom) is an art in itself!

Having a print in your hands is so satisfying…

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Benjamin Fargen's avatar

💯🖤📷

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Nik Stanbridge's avatar

I’ve long been an advocate, here and on 35MMC, of the need to get your photographs into the physical realm to have them appreciated and to give them longevity. My darkroom days are over (for now?) but my photogravure days and my photobooks are ahead of me. I’m especially enjoying the photogravure process and the beauty of the prints.

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Hanz's avatar

Well said. I miss printing so much. Glad it's proving to be so rewarding.

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Benjamin Fargen's avatar

Thank you, Hanz.

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Lin Gregory's avatar

These prints look great and it sounds like an interesting project. I have to agree printing work is so helpful in the creative process to help sequence books, as well as fulfilling when your work is up on the wall at home or in a gallery. I usually outsource it to a local printer but use an old Canon to print out images for projects to sequence them and even that feels good - I might just have to upgrade my printer and start printing it all at home!

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Benjamin Fargen's avatar

Thank you, Lin! I agree 💯 any project takes on a new shape the minute the printing process starts. Be well! 🙏🖤📷

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Shital Morjaria (she/her)'s avatar

Looks like a great book project Benjamin! I think prints help us understand our work better.

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Benjamin Fargen's avatar

Hi Shital, I agree 100%. Thanks for the kind words. 🙏🖤

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Todd Haughton's avatar

Great post, and the book looks amazing, Benjamin! I used to print all my own work but fell out of the habit some years ago. I bought a printer at the end of last year and have really enjoyed getting back into it. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with watercolor papers for my black-and-white images. So far, I’ve only been framing the prints, but I do plan to make some limited edition handmade books soon.

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Benjamin Fargen's avatar

Thanks, Todd! As always, I appreciate the kind words.🙏 I would love to see you make some LE handmade books. Your fantastic images deserve to be printed! Be well, my friend. Benjamin

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Thomas Cleary's avatar

And, used as prompts or backdrops to a literary piece, they can also add a deeper degree of meaning to words, in effect helping to co-create a mood or a sense of place.

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Benjamin Fargen's avatar

Agree! 💯😉

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Ralph Turner's avatar

Looks like you're getting some cracking results, Benjamin. Having a print in the hand is so satisfying. I don't do nearly enough. Since getting one of those mega-tank printers from Canon, though, I feel happier blasting away a bit more. So far I've only been using Canon's own glossy photo paper. After overcoming the slight colour cast on b+w by using a rather Heath Robinson homemade 'profile' that I dial in manually in my editor (there are no custom profiles for the G650 all-in-one sadly) I'm getting some lovely crisp, neutral mono prints with a rich tonal range. Like you, I'm under no illusion that this compares well to a more professional level printer (I couldn't justify the cost) but nonetheless I'm pretty happy with the result. So far I've been using a lever-arch type folder as a sort of portfolio to hold these prints in high quality transparent sleeves. I do lose a little contrast looking through the plastic, but it's not too bad (I can always slip the print back out to get a fuller appreciation). Anyway, I reckon I've blathered on long enough. Great work, thank you for sharing🙂

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Benjamin Fargen's avatar

Thanks for the kind words and sharing, Ralph! 🙏📷

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