The Digital Print Workshop with Dr Les Walkling

Did you know that printing your work can make you a better photographer?

You may not take our word for it. But, speak to any pro photographer worth their salt, and they'll tell you the same thing.

If the above is news to you, or if you've already been wondering how you can uplift your pro game by trying to answer these questions:

• How should I prepare my images to make award-winning prints?
• What changes do I need to make to my workflow?

To help you tackle these problems, we are collaborating with one of Australia's leading photography and print educators, Dr Les Walkling, to bring you...

The Digital Print Workshop

A photography workshop aimed at helping you improve your workflow with cutting-edge know how from the exciting world of printmaking. 

This workshop concentrates on preparing and printing digital files to the highest level of perfection. Specialized printing processes, materials and techniques combine to significantly expand the range of the fine print and its creative tradition. The aim is to promote, demystify, and facilitate the efficient production of prints of exquisite quality. Les also provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the latest printers, media and inksets. 

You will go through a series of hands-on practical experiments investigating every aspect of the printing workflow. Together we select, prepare, print and evaluate your images, while histories and theories of visual art contextualise your creative practice and expand your aesthetic outcomes.

Workshop Details

The Digital Print Workshop Agenda - Here's what you'll learn

Preparing Images for Printing

• Levels - Colour and density correction fundamentals

• Re-sizing images and factorial scaling

• Application of creative sharpening

• Colour managing digital printing workflows

• Soft proofing vs. Hard proofing

• Matching screen to print - photo editing monitor calibration

Crafting a Digital Print

• Re-defining spatial and luminosity relationships in the print

• Mid tone contrast expansion - 'blend if' options

• Shadow and highlight bump-masking

• Luminosity remapping

• Toning, tinting and colourizing images

• Intensification and reduction - expanding print 'presence'

Ink & Media

• Media selection and ink usage - economy vs. quality

• Commercial Papers - Resin coated & micro-ceramic media

• Art Papers - Cotton rage & alpha cellulose papers

• Photography Papers - Baryta & non-Baryta papers

• Archival Gamuts - Dye vs. pigment vs. chromogenic inksets

• Late binding workflows and compressing colour gamuts

Making a Digital Print

• Printing through printer driver vs. RIPs

• Output sharpening techniques and strategies

• Custom vs. Generic printing profiles

• Rendering intents and gamut compression

• Displaying prints, lighting, metamerism and ink consistency

• Protecting and annotating prints

In addition to this intimate, game changing session, you will also get to print your newly retouched images on beautiful Canson Fine Art paper at the lab we've set up for you within the EIZO Gallery

What YOU need to bring:

• Your laptop loaded with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
• Some of your images - raw and print-ready
• And the thirst to soak up the knowledge Dr Walkling is committed to imparting

About Dr Les Walkling

Dr Les Walkling is an artist, educator and consultant. With too many accolades to list, Les is the former Program Director of Media Arts at RMIT University, and Senior Research Fellow and Australian Research Council Discovery Project grant recipient in the School of Art. His work is held in public collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW and the National Gallery of Victoria.

Les is a leading provider of photographic education, and digitization consultant to Australia's cultural institutions. The EIZO Gallery collection was personally curated by him.