Acid-free paper
What does Acid-free paper mean?
A paper that contains no acidity or chemicals producing acid. This type of paper degrades less over time and is therefor preferred by fine art photographers.
Artist’s Proofs ( is an artist’s proof more valuable?)
What does artist’s proof mean?
And is an artist’s proof more valuable? The term artist proof is used in connection with limited edition prints. It is a common practice that an artist keeps a number of prints out of a limited print edition for his own use. They might be use in exhibitions or in the artist’s private home etc etc. These prints are called artist proofs or épreuve d’artiste (French). Typical abbreviations found on such prints are AP, A/P, A.P. or similar. In strict terms, artist proofs are not meant to be sold in the market, at least not immediately.
So is an artist’s proof more valuable? Short answer is YES they are. From a collector’s standpoint a print that has been in the artists personal collection is more valuable simply because it is more unique. If the print has a unique twist to it, the print would be even more sought after and valuable. A unique twist could be a hand written note on it from the artist himself for example.
When finding a limited edition print that you are interested in, you should inform yourself about the edition size and artists proofs before making the purchase.
Click here and scroll down to see the amount of artist’s proofs on this limited edition print.
Example of an Artist’s proof fine art print. Is an artist’s proof more valuable to a potential buyer?
Baryta Paper
What does baryta paper mean?
The word ‘baryta’ comes from the word barite or barium sulphite. The short answer to the question is that the baryta paper is a photographic paper coated with barite (barium sulphate).
This paper is a great choice especially with black and white photos. Different baryta papers will have different qualities. Due to the coating on the papers all of these papers will have a sheen. The paper also offers rich blacks, contrast, sharpness and subtle tonal transitions. The high DMAX value on baryta papers means that they will produce deeper blacks. Hence the popularity with black and white photographers. This fibre-based paper also has great archival qualities.
I print most of my black and white fine art limited edition prints on this paper. The type or manufacturer might differ from one edition to another.
“The Dawn of Man” – Fine art print on Baryta paper.
The hand of a Japanese macaque reaching out.
DMAX
What does DMAX mean?
DMAX means the deepest black that can be measure after printing. For example does a baryta paper have a high DMAX value meaning the blacks on this particular paper is very dark/deep after printing.
Fine Art
What does fine art mean?
A piece of art that is created primarily for its aesthetic value. An example of the opposite would be a photograph that is produced for a guidebook. That photograph is produced for a more documentary use. Fine art is something that we want to show off to the world as an object of beauty.
Giclée Print
What does giclée print mean?
The term is often used loosely to mean any fine-art, most of the time archival, printed by inkjet. It is often used by artists, galleries, and print shops to suggest high quality printing, but since it is an unregulated word it has no associated warranty of quality.
Giclee is a French word meaning “to spray”. This refers to how an inkjet printer works and how giclee prints are usually produced.
High-key photography
What does high-key photography mean?
High-key photography is characterised by light, airy and fresh images with loads of light tones. Basically, it is a light photo with few shadows/dark tones. One of the more common ways of achieving this in wildlife photography is to find an animal in the shade with a light background. For example, an antelope seeking shade under a tree with the scorching sun behind it. Of course, this is easier said than done sometimes. Find this, and over-expose the image to lighten the background even further. Voila!
Highlights
What does highlights mean?
When we are talking about highlights in the photography world, we are talking about the lightest tones of a photo.
ICM (Intentional Camera Movement)
What does ICM mean?
ICM means Intentional Camera Movement. A photographer using this technique is simply moving his camera during the exposure on purpose to create a specific look of a photo.
Examples of photos using this technique:
Lifespan
What does lifespan mean?
If we use the term shelf-life instead it might be easier to understand. Although the quality of inks and papers has improved vastly in the last decade or two, over time, the quality of all aspects of any print will degrade. That is just a fact. The black might fade, the intensity of the colours gets less intense etc. etc. If you choose your home printer for a print it will most probably fade much faster than a print produced by a professional fine art printer.
How much a print degrades are not only affected by paper and ink but also in what conditions the print is kept in. If the print is on a wall with full sunlight or in damp conditions it will degrade faster for example. Even the framing material and glass used can affect the print.
Please don’t hesistate to contact us if you have questions regarding your print.
Limited Edition
What does Limited Edition mean?
A Limited Edition means that the specific image only is printed in a certain quantity for that specific size and version. The artist might decide to have two or more Limited Editions of the same image but in different sizes. The artist might also add editions of different sizes at a later stage.
Low-key photography
What does low-key photography mean?
Low-key photography is characterised by dark, dramatic and often moody images with loads of shadows. Basically, it is a dark photo with few highlights/light tones. One of the more common ways of achieving this in wildlife photography is to find an animal in good light but with a dark background. For example, a rock face or a dark forest in shade. Of course, this is easier said than done sometimes. Find this and under-expose the image to darken the background even further. Voila!
Open Edition
What does Open Edition mean?
An open edition simply means that the image can be printed in any quantity and in any size.
Paper Types
What does paper types mean?
It simply means that we have different types of papers to our disposal when printing a fine art photo. In fine art printing we use different papers for different photos. There are a myriad of different papers from almost as many different manufacturers. Fibre-based papers, baryta papers, matte papers, glossy papers, semi-glossy papers, cotton papers, different weights (GSM), photo rag and many many more.
Pigment Ink
What does pigment ink mean?
The main difference between pigment based inks and paper-staining dyes is that pigment ink is not absorbed into the paper fibres, but are instead tiny encapsulated colour-particles sitting on top of the paper. In general pigment inks produce prints that better resist fading and degradation over time. My prints are always printed with pigment inks if nothing else is mentioned.
Print size
What does print size mean?
The print size or printed area is the area of the paper that is printed with ink.
Many photographers choose to include a white border around the photo when producing prints. This area is often used for numbering and signing limited edition prints and is not included in the measurements of the “print size”.
Example: A fine art limited edition print can be for example 100×70 cm but with a 5 cm white border all around. The print size is therefor 90×60 cm and the paper size is 100cm x 70 cm.
Printed Area
What does printed area mean?
The printed area is the area of the paper that is printed with ink.
Many photographers choose to include a white border around the photo when producing prints. This area is often used for numbering and signing limited edition prints and is not included in the measurements of the printed area.
So a fine art limited edition print can be for example 100×70 cm but with a 5 cm white border all around. The printed area is therefor 90×60 cm.
Shadows
What does shadows mean?
When we are talking about shadows in the photography world, we are talking about the darkest tones of a photo.
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