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Creating Large Prints for Interior Decor With Nik software, photographer Douglas Carver creates beautiful five-foot prints for a client in Bangkok. Article rating: 7.53

As the demand for photography services evolves, professional photographers are finding new clients and fresh ways to use their creative talents to the fullest. For example, Douglas Carver now works with clients who want to enhance the aesthetics of their commercial and public spaces with visually powerful photo murals.  

For an upscale restaurant in a prestigious office complex in Bangkok, Thailand, Carver created two multi-image photo-murals from 10 images selected from the extensive collection of photographs he had archived over 20+ years of shooting fashion shows and advertisements for beauty products in New York. He not only selected and edited the images, but also solved challenges related to the production, framing, installation, and lighting of the series of 5-ft. high prints. 

With input from his clients, Carver drew from his 25,000+ image database and proposed two different thematic series: (1) a respectful homage to female beauty that would evoke a sophisticated, elegant atmosphere; or (2) a visually independent nature series that would foster peaceful tranquility. These initial selections were posted to a  password-protected web gallery.

© 2007 Douglas Carver

Once final selections were made, Carver prepared the images for large-format output. He spent about two weeks doing layered retouching, color adjustments, scaling, and sharpening: “I leaned heavily on the Nik’s suite of filters and used Nik Dfine with custom camera profiles to reduce noise. I scaled using Genuine Fractals and then went back to Nik for its Nik Sharpener Pro 2.0. The eyedropper-based selective masking and 16-bit capability of the Nik software saved considerable time and preserved the tonal scale of the images.”

In addition, he made a number of textural and aesthetic revisions to enhance the visual continuity of the image sequence. The chosen images included a mix of B&W negatives, color transparencies, in-house Imacon scans, outsourced drum scans, JPEG and RAW captures. The completed files averaged 1 to 2 GB each. “The most dramatic technical achievement,” Carver notes, “was successfully converting a 1.1 MB JPEG into a 4-layered 618 MB PSD file.”  

Before leaving for Bangkok, he burned three DVDs of each file. He packed one set in his checked luggage, one set in his carry-on bag, and left a third set in his office in a DHL pouch pre-addressed to the client. 

Carver also consulted with friends at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art about optimum standards for lighting artwork. He doubted those conditions could be replicated in a Bangkok restaurant, but considered “enlightened” knowledge as empowering, not frustrating.

Despite pre-production from New York and assurances from Bangkok, it took an additional two days of meetings and tests before he found an excellent photo lab and began the output process. He selected strips from each of the 10 images and assembled them into a test file for output on a Durst Lambda at 100%. While the test print was being made, he worked with the project manager to create a scaled CAD rendering of the installation.

“The CAD was very helpful.” says Carver. It allowed the client’s project team to conclude that the walls needed to be completely repainted in a new color. “It also eased my search for the most artistically pleasing arrangement,” he adds, “And showed me that flipping the horizontal axis of one image before printing would enhance the flow of the display.”

When the test print came back from the lab, all the colors matched the soft proofs Carver had previewed on his calibrated monitor in New York. Nonetheless, he decided to make a minor global color correction to one file to better integrate that image into the color harmony of the final display sequence.

“Thanks to sound color management tools and practices, every print was exacting enough to be a final print. No other hard proofs were required. Considering that I was working 8,600 miles from my New York office, I was amazed at how accurately the process worked.” says Carver. “The ColorVision Spyder2PRO color management technology worked flawlessly.”

Preparing for the installation of the prints, Carver changed the existing placement and fixture design of the local lighting consultant. The repositioning reduced glare and enhanced flexibility for installing future images. The new fixtures improved the beam-spread coverage, the Kelvin temperature, the color-rendering index (CRI) of the light source, and the floating-frame drop-shadow.

The framing products he planned for in New York weren’t available in Thailand. So, he found a local framer (Simon Bubear of Picture This) who had the skills and manufacturing facilities to build custom frames to specification, on time and on budget.

“Simon and I worked out a delightful glass-sandwich solution that allowed the prints to float over the wall,” explains Carver. Suspended between two sheets of glass, the prints were trimmed in ebony-stained Thai teak. Two-inch float spacers were added to the back of the frames, invisibly enhancing the drop shadow created by clear glass border and allowing the frames to straddle electrical conduits Carver had noticed earlier in the mechanical and engineering CAD drawings.

To hang the images, Carver worked with both the framer and the installation engineer to fabricate a simple solution that was invisible (no wires), strong, and easily reversible for scheduled cleaning.

“Commercially, the job was successful because despite countless challenges, it was completed on time and on budget. The client was very happy.” says Carver. “Personally, the job was fulfilling because my experience allowed me to remain true to my vision while adapting to the situation. Gradually the technologies assimilated into a gratifying three-dimensional reality.” 

In addition to producing large, framed prints for commercial art projects, Carver is currently exploring printing images on non-traditional surfaces. He has created life-size portraits on Japanese Habotai silk and is working on the design and technical details for a multi-layered glass mural installation inspired during a week-long advertorial shoot in Singapore.

“I believe I bring the most value to jobs that require solutions, rather than just images.” says Carver. “Creativity is my focus; technology is my tool.” Once he understands the type of response a client wants from viewers, he immerses himself in finding the specific tools that will expedite that visual expression in the most compelling and enduring manner. (www.carverdigital.com)

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Bravo!! Beautiful photo murals! I haven't had a project this exptic, but I'm loving the <a href="http://www.artistichomeowner.com/wall_murals.html">photo mural </a>business myself! Posted by: Lisa Herbik Oct 24, 2007 @ 3:28 PM EST

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