When did you first understand the importance of color to the photographic process?
Approx 5 years ago when we looked at ways we could improve the quality of our product. I thought it we could improve even 10% at every step then we would produce something remarkable for our clients. Over the years this has become more and more important as these days what consumers can produce is pretty incredible and as a professional photographer we need to stay leaps and bounds ahead of what clients feel that they could do for themselves.
What is the most important aspect of color management that an aspiring photographer should know?
Differently calibrating your monitor. Otherwise you are working blind on your images.
Give an example of the ways in which a solid knowledge of color management (or an accurate color environment) helped you – on a project? In a consultancy situation?
Colour management helps us day in and day out and has become a vital tool in our business. It certainly helps us to differentiate ourselves in the market place. Our clients visually see’s the difference and most importantly they can appreciate the quality.
How long have you been associated with X-Rite?
Ever since we purchased the DTP70 and DTP94 - 5 years ago, we wanted to take our printing to the next level and profiling the individual papers allowed us to do just that. A few years before then we where using the i1 display to calibrate our monitors so when X-rite and Eye1 amalgamated we saw that we then would be working with the two companies we new we could trust and that the amalgamation would only mean benefits for the photography community
Why are you committed to using X-Rite products?
I believe in giving the best to my clients and therefore I only use best equipment that will enable me to achieve my own personal goal.
How important are the latest color management tools in today’s industry? Why?
Not only differentiating yourself from your fellow photographer is important but equally is differentiating yourself from the consumer. These days people only purchase products that they simply can’t create themselves and standing out from the crowd is one of the fundamentals in any business. As the photography business is such a visual one, colour management is one of the vital ingredients to producing a standout product.
What does the (near) future hold for the photo industry, in your opinion? Do you think color management will be more or less important – why?
I’ve already seen remarkable changes in the past 10 years of being in business and one thing we can always count on is change. A magnitude of different medias are coming onto the market in both still and moving mediums. It’s an exciting time to be a photographer as the industry yet again evolves and colour management will be just as important in 10 years time as it is today, probably even more so as we pursue the highest level of excellence.
Do you see color management as an advantage for saving money?
Certainly, I remember back to 10 years ago when we where trying to produce fine art prints we would often produce 20 to 30 prints before we even came close to where wanted to be. With skills, knowledge and technology improvements its often the very first print we produce these days which is the final product.