’Tis The Season

Prints as gifts? The ultimate, accessible venue?

A quick image made with my Leica M and TMAX 400 twenty-five years ago while exploring my neighborhood. How could this be near and dear to anyone?

Last week I lamented the fact that I do not yet have a venue for that small project undertaking I’ve presented to readers. I wondered to myself over the last couple of days how many readers take the opportunity of the holiday season (or any season) for the ultimate venue accessible to everyone for sharing their work in print.

Every year around the holiday season Les and I make his official holiday gift greeting cards. Les chooses to make these cards a celebration of the year past and well wishes for the next year to all the people on his list. In other words, New Year’s cards. We completed this year's selection, design, and printing last week. They’ll be in the mail on their way the next time I see him.

What a wonderful way everyone can share their love of what you point your camera at with others in print form. Typically Les will use one of Moab Paper’s Entrada Artist cards. We’ve also made our own custom-sized cards out of various papers. One year we even included a small, delicate, worthy of framing 4x6 in Unryu 55 print enclosed within a Moab artist card. Les’ image library typically has enough material we can find an appropriate image for the theme and message any given year.

No matter what your typical genre happens to be, get creative and you’ll probably find the perfect image to print and share if custom cards are something that you’d like to share. What about a gift that is more personal, targeted at one recipient that has special meaning? This is how I like to share prints with others as gifts.

If you’ve not given prints to others as gifts I’ll share some advice and hopefully spark some inspiration. The first thing to think about carefully is the size of the venue. If in doubt keep it small and simple. I mean 4x6 into 8x10in at most. Keep the framing and mounting flexible so the recipient can display it on a desk, a table, a shelf, or possibly a small space on a wall. The next piece of advice takes a bit of thought, make sure the photography you choose represents something close to their heart, or close to both of your hearts. A place, members of the recipient’s family, a shared experience, something or someone, or some activity near and dear to them.

Your cell phone may be a gold mine of images that are important to others? Yes, you can make a nice small print from those buried, forgotten cell phone images. If you come up empty this year, now’s the time to look for opportunities next year. How about a very approachable small project? Want some general holiday season images? Now’s the time to make them. I am sure your friends, your neighborhood, and your town will have more holiday-themed images just ripe for the attentive photographer.

A Quick Story

Prints as gifts are a venue available to all photographers. About twenty years ago I moved into a new neighborhood. Being photographically oriented, I used my camera (specifically a Leica M6 loaded with TMAX400) to explore the surrounding town. A few pictures I actually liked enough to print for myself. Three of those printed were of an abandoned industrialized area on the edge of town. The three were different angles of an overgrown, dilapidated, turn-of-the-century factory.

I moved away for quite a while. Fast-forward almost a decade later I moved back and was shocked that the entire area was rehabilitated. That abandoned factory was now restored as a trendy restaurant. Feeling inspired, I made three 13x19in prints, mounted them, and gifted them to the owner. He was enamored with those prints, so much so that he treated me and a few guests to a very nice dinner on the house.

Fast-forward another decade or more, that restaurant is still in business and thriving. I met up with my oldest daughter for dinner there. She goes all the time since it’s close to where she lives and works. Guess what hangs in prominent positions among all the other decor… Those three prints. I was surprised they were hung and continue to be a permanent display in that venue. My daughter was amused at the surprise I had, she sees them all the time and remembers me making them. I forgot that she was with me on that particular extrusion into the new neighborhood.

Happy Holidays to all of our readers and please never overlook the most obvious of all venues. Use your hard-won photography skills and your love of print to bring joy to your friends, family, and all of your acquaintances.