Larger than Life
It isn’t often that I blow up a macro shot to be 52 inches (1,321 mm) high, and a simple monarch butterfly becomes that much larger than life. In this case, a client requested this image as part of a larger layout scheme for a upcoming install at the St. John’s medical center in St. Louis.
In some ways, the subject becomes somewhat surreal since it is so much larger than you are exposed to in reality. This seems like a contrast to viewing a grand landscape print that always seems to pale in comparison to being there. It made me think about how there probably isn’t a kid in the world who hasn’t wanted to ride on the back of a butterfly.
As far as some details about this print, the exposure was actually some time ago, way back in 1997, so the original was from 35mm film (Velvia 50). Since I don’t have the capability to print this large myself, it needed to be outsourced. However the file I sent was fully preflighted (already sized and color adjusted). I will use Alien Skin Blow Up or just Bicubic Smoother in Photoshop to uprez the file. Both methods are pretty close in the final results, but sometimes one has a slight edge over the other on certain images. I don’t actually recall which I used for this print. I will then sharpen while viewed at 50% magnification until the image just looks “slightly crunchy.” Since this was film, grain tends to get in the way a little, even with Velvia, so I had to back off just slightly than I normally would with a digital capture. Grain is certainly visible up close, but quickly disappears at reasonable viewing distances for this large of a print.
Handling prints like this can be a pain. They are very fragile. One person shouldn’t lift them alone, and they should only be lifted by the opposite corners to avoid any kinks in the paper. I actually have to unroll and sign these on top of my jacuzzi tub – it is the only place large and flat enough to work on them.
Hopefully I will be able to post some final install shots in a couple of months.
I’d love to see the final install shots! How cool to see your prints this big!
For sure I will post them.
I blew up a b&w of a Calla Lily last year on a friends plotter, I thought it would turn out awful but actually came out really nice, it was 60 inches wide don’t think I would try it again on anything with a lot of detail but it sure was a blast to print !!
So, Mark. Are you saying that to print this big that I have to buy a jacuzzi? 😉 Sounds like a plan to me! Lovely print One day I’ll have to have one of my shot printed this large just for the heck of it.
Where DO you outsource such works, anyway? I’ve been hard pressed to find anyone anywhere who’ll print larger than 20×30″.
Lana, myphotopipe.com is pretty good.
Beautiful print…love the analogy of riding on the butterfly’s back!
Looks like a beautiful print. I guess I’m lucky because I have an 8′ table in my studio, which is handy for working large prints. I’ll photograph my large prints today.
That would have come in handy for me Roberta!
I just created a 60×40 print from one of my abstract photographs of a gerber daisy for a collector, and I know what you mean about the challenges of handling prints this large. Luckily our dining room table expands far enough, so my wife and I managed to find room to stretch it out and then roll it up. It is so cool seeing your own work printed *that* large!
They certainly do have impact don’t they? I don’t know about you, but I get nervous handling prints this large, especially if there are multiples. Rolling them and handling them is a real skill to be learned.