Rangefinder Magazine
July 2006

Portrait Photographer Profits by Chuck Hamilton
From Wide-Format Printing

This is the first in a series of articles chronicling the paths three professional photographers took to improve the productivity and profitability of their businesses through the use of wide-format inkjet printers. For all three, the impetus for change was the same: the arrival of the digital camera and the growth of the digital imaging process. The door of opportunity was open for those who recognized, then seized it.

The past decade has seen the digital age change the face of professional photography, thanks in part to entrepreneurial professionals like these studio owners.

Getting Started

We start with a visit to studio owner, J.R. vanLienden. [Editor’s note: Since this piece was written, J.R. has purchased a 17,000-square-foot schoolhouse on five acres of land outside Cherokee, North Carolina. He is in the process of remodeling it as a seminar center for graphic artists and photographers who want to learn advanced digital techniques and photography skills for their respective businesses.] In business since 1992, J.R. realized early on the promise the digital camera held for the professional photographer, but it wasn’t until 1997 that he seriously focused his attention on wide-format inkjet printers. Although he had used a desktop inkjet printer for some time, he wasn’t all that knowledgeable about wide-format printers and the opportunities they afforded, outside of the fact he couldn’t afford one. But he soon found that he couldn’t afford to be without one if his business was to achieve the success he had in mind.

Like many photographers who switched from film to digital, J.R. was having difficulty getting his digital images processed through his primary source, the film-processing lab. Many of the traditional labs were slow to adapt to digital technology, and in J.R.’s estimation, the color quality of their finished prints often suffered, which meant expensive additional trips to the lab and frustrating delays in processing.

These frustrations are what drove J.R. into the world of wide-format inkjet printing. His challenge was to select a printer that met his requirements—affordability, yet capable of consistently reliable production of the photographic color fidelity and archival quality he demanded. At that time, most photographers were using the smaller desktop inkjet printers to proof their digital prints and felt that the costs associated with wide-format printers were prohibitive. But J.R. felt the initial costs could be recouped quickly.

His search for a printer took time and persistence. However, it wasn’t long before he had a stroke of good fortune: He came across OmniGraphics, a Fort Lauderdale Roland dealer that had the printer J.R. was looking for. His good fortune was the fact that OmniGraphics did a lot more than just sell wide-format printers. They were actually a service bureau in the business of producing inkjet wideformat printing for a variety of institutions and businesses. And, as it turned out, the owners, DuWayne and Denise Rocus, became both mentors and friends to J.R.—a big plus for an ambitious young portrait photographer eager to learn and try new ways to improve his efficiency and productivity.

“They were an absolute goldmine of information, easing my concerns and helping me explore the many different ways I could use my printer other than for reproducing prints of my own work,” J.R. enthuses. DuWayne and Denise showed J.R. he could make money more ways with a wide-format printer than he could “shake a stick at.”

As J.R. discovered the printer’s versatility and its potential as a new revenue stream, it didn’t take long for him to start “shaking the stick.” Now, J.R. not only prints his customers’ work, but also prints his own business cards, advertising pieces and posters. He even makes banners and displays for bridal home shows and other events—all for a fraction of the cost it would take to have others produce them. Other photographers even “farm out” work to him.

Learning the technicalities involved with operating a wide-format inkjet printer wasn’t as intimidating as J.R. first imagined; learning what worked best among the confusing array of color-matching software took a lot more doing. But he did it the old-fashioned way—hours of study coupled with on-the-job trial and error. With mentoring from renowned professionals such as photographer Bill Atkinson, J.R. has become so proficient on the subject of colormatching profiles that he travels around the country giving seminars to his peers in the business.

After buying the Roland Hi-Fi, J.R. downloaded a $44 layout program called Qimage from DDI Software to organize his prints for printing on roll paper.

Using free profiles from Bill Atkinson, he then developed a production routine that made it possible to print straight from his work files. He almost never has to adjust the color. As a result, the Qimage program has considerably reduced production time and made life “easier and better,” he says.

The results produced by this production routine, he exclaims, “are incredible” when used with his Epson 7600 printer and either Epson or Ilford paper.

One question J.R. is frequently asked at his seminars is how does one with little money get all the “toys,” as he calls them, required to support wide-format printing. His answer is to take advantage of equipment leasing to acquire what you need. “We’ve leased our equipment from day one. It’s been painless and has kept our cash flow much higher,” he says.

J.R.’s indispensable “toys” include a GBC Arctic Titan cold laminator that can handle a 60-inch roll; a 40x60 hot press dry-mount vacuum table; and, of course, his prize printer, an Epson 7600, through which he runs about 90% of his portrait work. He saves additional money on paper by keeping an eye out for “best buys” on the best papers, and then he buys in bulk. When he does buy, he buys only the best quality paper. “I use Epson papers, but for my finest quality I’ve found Ilford’s Pearl produces the consistently reliable reproduction I look for. There are many good inkjet papers out there, but finding the right one is extremely important to the success of any professional photographer with a wide-format printer. You can do that only by experimenting with various papers over time,” he says.

If you have any questions for J.R., you can reach him at his new site in North Carolina at (828) 497-3637. You might want to check out his web site: www.masterpiece-portraits.com. And, keep an eye out for one of his seminars in your area.

Charles Hamilton is a former Chicago-area advertising agency owner. Currently living in Venice, Florida, he owns Vista Business Communications, a creative services firm. With more than 30 years in the advertising business, Hamilton naturally developed close working relationships with professional photographers along with an appreciation of the business challenges they face. His work has appeared in Rangefinder and Health Management Technology. Readers can contact him at cwhvenice@comcast.net.