Paper is patient. That old saying is in no way correct when it comes to printing. Paper, on the contrary, can make you freak out and go up the wall. Getting an image that displays well on a high end computer screen to a paper print can cause scratches on walls and a bloody top-of-the-head imprint on the ceiling.
An image on screen is backlit and has a far higher dynamic range than paper, which only reflects light. If you can’t get all the light tones and all the black tones on the paper.
It’s a bit like packing a suitcase with too many clothes. You push on one side, and clothing drops out on the other side. You sit on top, and now the suitcase looks like a sandwich: clothing pushing out from its two shells like ham and cheese out of sandwich.
You will need to take your pick which clothing you take, and which part of the tonal range you want to focus on: if you are more concerned about the lights or the blacks. You can let lights go towards white, or have the shadows show a rich, deep black.
It can look great, better even than an image on the screen as paper is so sensual. But it will be
See the photographic work: Robert Wilde Portfolio
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