Fotospeed Photographers

If you’ve been following us on Twitter or Facebook, you might have seen us doing something a little different recently. If you don’t – you’re about to find out what went down when we went Extreme Printing.

…Wait, Extreme Printing?

So, what’s Extreme Printing? A few months ago, we had a crazy idea – what if we could create landscape images and create a print there and then? What would we learn about the nature of printing? How far could we take printing as a medium, and is it possible for anyone to print, no matter where they are, or what tools they have?

So, at the start of October, we headed out with Doug Chinnery, Paul Sanders, and Ben Brain from Digital Camera magazine at dawn for a day of shooting and printing on location in the Peak District. Here’s what we learnt.

Holding a print in your hand is still very satisfying – no matter where you are

The beauty of printing your photographs is the labour of love that goes into their creation. From composition, getting the shot, processing and editing, selecting your paper, colour managing your tools, and finally creating your print, every step you take is all for the satisfaction of seeing the final product. That said, we live in a world where social media means that we’re increasingly looking for instant gratification when it comes to creating and viewing images. Our Extreme Printing, although not something we’d do every day, combined these two elements to create a truly unique and satisfying experience. We worked hard to create our prints, but being able to see them manifest on paper while we could still see the original scene felt a bit like making a record of a moment in history while it was happening.

It’s surprising what you can do in the woods

If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise – because you can do a lot more than you probably expected! During our Extreme Printing, we didn’t simply manage to shoot and print, but to produce a range of really creative work. From striking black and whites, colourful abstract pieces, or traditional, autumnal landscapes, we were able to make use of cameras, iPhones, and a range of papers and editing softwares to create a varied body of work - all without the comfort of our own homes!

There’s no limits when it comes to printing

When we set out to do Extreme Printing, we wanted to see if we could find where the limits of printing were. You might think that printing on location in the woods would be it, but it surprisingly wasn’t as difficult as we thought it would be. Sure, it wasn’t as straightforward as producing a print indoors, but when we left our final print session, we were equally as pleased with the results as we would have been if we’d made a quick print at home - without the elements raging against us. If we learnt one valuable lesson, it’s the idea that printing should be for everyone - as long as you have some paper, a printer, and an idea, nothing else should stand in your way.

….And if we learnt just one other thing, it would be that there’s still some scope left to take printing to the extreme. Watch this space.

You can watch the full Extreme printing video here! Want to find out more about how you can make the most of your printing? Check out our blog or get in touch with our team for expert advice!