I am asked to do an exhibition...need advice

[Patrik Roseen]

So this time it happened to me . I showed some photographs and 4x5" color slides to someone who rapidly asked if I would be willing to do an exhibition in the beginning of the summer. I will be back with more details when things get better planned.

I need advice regarding the printing of the color slides.

I think I will have them scanned and printed by a professional digital lab here in Stockholm. What would be the optimal size for an exhibition if one wants to show the possibilities with a 4x5" slide in terms of resolution and yet not go too large so that the details get lost due to grain showing up or due to too few DPIs. My aim is to differentiate myself from any other color photos from Digital cameras.

I am tempted to do 80x100cm enlargements but only if the quality still can be seen in the print. Any suggestions and comments are much appreciated.

[Ted Harris]

Scanned with a high end scanner you won't lose anything at that size BUT remember how much larger it will be when it is framed and matted. I usually print 4x5 at either 20x24" or 24x30" for shows thus allowing plenty of space to matt with a standard size mattboard. Of course, if you do something like clip mounting without a matt you can go larger. Finally, it depends on the subject matter,

[Joanna Carter]

80cm x 100 cm is a reasonable size, that is what I used for two images in my first ever exhibition. I had them printed borderless, mounted on 3mm foamex board and matt laminated to avoid reflections, due to the peculiar lighting in the venue. I could not afford to do all the prints at that size then, so the rest were done on my Epson A3+ printer, image size 12" x 15"; they were meant to go into 16" x 20" frames with matts but the gallery goofed and they got put into 20" x 24" frames instead; wow did they look small!

I now have a better price for the larger prints, as long as I have 6-8 minimum, so the next time I will more than likely look to doing most if not all at 80cm x 100 cm.

Provided you have done as sharp a scan as possible at around 2400dpi, a 4x5 image will definitely look marvellous at that size.

[Ed Richards]

Get the lab to do a test print and use it to decide. There are lots of variables that only a print will resolve. You will want a good drum scan for that size.

[Kirk Gittings]

Congratulations! A bit of advice. You didn't say how large the exhibit is, BUT the beginning of summer will come very very quickly!!!! You have allot of decisions to make in a very short period of time.

[Bruce Watson]

I think I will have them scanned and printed by a professional digital lab here in Stockholm. What would be the optimal size for an exhibition if one wants to show the possibilities with a 4x5" slide in terms of resolution and yet not go too large so that the details get lost due to grain showing up or due to too few DPIs. My aim is to differentiate myself from any other color photos from Digital cameras.

I am tempted to do 80x100cm enlargements but only if the quality still can be seen in the print. Any suggestions and comments are much appreciated.

I've printed a handful of images at 100 x 125 cm from 5x4 negatives (color and B&W). I had them printed on canvas and stretched over stretcher bars. I print a wide black boarder (3 cm) and then gallery wrap (staples in the back where they don't show). This makes a good presentation without a frame, and it's easy to transport (light weight, no glass to break or acrylic to scratch). If you are going to show without glazing, do give the image a top coating with a UV blocking varnish of some kind -- people are going to walk right up to the prints and touch them.

As to image quality, printing at this size from 5x4 is perfectly doable. Sharpness is good, and my prints are basically grainless (traditional darkroom prints would probably show a small amount of grain at this size), but this is only an 11x enlargement or so -- about the same enlargement as making a 20 x 25 cm print from a 35mm negative. That said, printing at this size will show any mistakes you make, such as focus errors, motion blur, dust spots, etc.

If you are going to conventionally frame, then I'd keep the size down to 100 x 80 cm as you suggest just for practical framing reasons. It's difficult to find mat boards the size needed to frame bigger than this for example, and there are transport problems and the frames are awkward and heavy to hang.

However you do it, good luck to you, and congrats on the exhibition!

[Patrik Roseen]

Thank you all for your good suggestions based on experience.

Kirk is right of course that I am in for lots of decisions. Looking into all the different alternatives for printing, mats, glass, frames, hangers, apart from size ...

Joanna and Bruce both make good suggestions I think considering the lighting, i.e. not going to glossy. Glossy prints are very nice but only if the light is right.If there are reflections they are just a pain to look at.

I was thinking of doing the B&Ws in the wet darkroom myself and leave the color printing to a lab as I said. Canvas sure looks good but the difference to the b&W paper prints could be a challenge. The cost for digital printing is making me hesitate doing the b&W digitally too?

Ed, Kirk and Ted, I will follow your advice and ask the lab what they think and what it might look like. It's not easy to understand the price lists on their web pages or to compare one lab to another.

Here is another question - using a too small image circle on 4x5":
I took some really nice photographs this autumn out in the weather islands north of Gothenburg. I was using my Xenotar 80mm on 4x5" which means that the photograph is partly circular with a black frame around it. Some people seem to like the black frame with the circular picture within but I am not so sure myself.
Does anyone have experience of framing/matting this type of photograph? Do you suggest leaving it as is, or to reverse the black frame to a white frame, or crop it completely making it all rectangular?

[venchka]

Is Ilfochrome/Cibachrome really out of the question for your slides? I'm not trying to be difficult. I just don't know myself. I have thought seriously about having some of my slides, 35mm & 6x7, printed on the Ilfochrome/Cibachrome material. Is the best available scanning and digital printing better? Cheaper? Will your scans be printed on photographic paper or an inkjet printer?

[Ted Harris]

Here is another question - using a too small image circle on 4x5":
I took some really nice photographs this autumn out in the weather islands north of Gothenburg. I was using my Xenotar 80mm on 4x5" which means that the photograph is partly circular with a black frame around it. Some people seem to like the black frame with the circular picture within but I am not so sure myself.
Does anyone have experience of framing/matting this type of photograph? Do you suggest leaving it as is, or to reverse the black frame to a white frame, or crop it completely making it all rectangular?

Interesting question and we'd have to see one of the images to make any really useful comment. Having said that, I know the area reasonably well and think that the vignetting might work well to increase the mood for sunrise or sunset shots.

[kay tokugo]

Congratulations, Patrick.

The first thing you have to do is to check out the lighting of the venue. Take a framed print there and hang it there if possible and look at how the lighting affects the photograph. I have seen too many wonderful (Adams, Evans, Weston and R.Frank)images ruined by dreadful lighting.

Don't worry about showing the imgaes with small image circle as they can look very interesting. Many photographers have shown images that way, including Emmet Gowin and Jeff Wall. Best of luck.