Duncan Prints
(Fri Nov 14, 2008) [/Photography] #
I've long been a fan of James Duncan Davidson's photography. He's probably best known for his exceptional work as the official shooter at O'Reilly software conferences. You may not see him, but he's always there. Indeed, Duncan is the lens through which many of us have truly seen the emotion of a keynote speaker or the excitement of an attendee. But what I admire most about Duncan is his versatility. He can capture amazing photos in the worst possible indoor lighting conditions all day, and then snap a gorgeous nature scene on his road trip home. He makes it look so easy. If only he knew how much he's cost me in camera gear. :-)
Earlier this year, Duncan started selling some of his non-conference prints online. I had already fallen in love with a couple of the photos he chose, and I was thrilled by the prospect of owning a print copy. But I must admit, I've never ordered print photography online, and frankly I was hesitant to try it. Part of my hesitation was just the unknown process of going from a digital image I bought online to a print copy hanging on my wall. And I was also a bit worried that some degree of quality might be sacrificed along the way. After all, when you buy art, you're making an investment.
I'm extremely happy to report that I'm now the proud owner of two Duncan prints. The process was super easy and the quality is absolutely amazing! Rather than tell you how it all works, I thought I'd show you.
First, you go to the Zenfolio storefront and pick your favorite Duncan photos. This is art; you get to pick the photos that speak to you.
If you've followed Duncan's road trips over the last few years, you'll recognize many of these shots. There's a story behind every picture. Duncan has told some of the stories in his blog. I would encourage you to find the story behind the picture you like, perhaps the next time you see Duncan at a conference. Knowing the photographer and hearing his story makes the photo more valuable to you.
The second decision you need to make is the size of each print you picked:
The size you choose might be as simple as the size of your wall or the size of your budget. Remember that this is the print size, and does not account for framing. In general, a frame will add 3-4" to each side of a print. In my case, I used a tape measure to estimate which size fit on my office wall with plenty of room to breathe. I ended up selecting one 16" x 24" print and one 12" x 18" print (displayed below).
Once you've picked prints and sizes, the checkout process is super easy (and does not require an account):
A couple days later, your prints show up on your doorstep:
I ordered on a Tuesday and the prints arrived on Friday. For some reason I expected the shipping to be expensive, and was surprised that USPS Priority Mail was only $5.45. (FedEx Next Day was also available for $10.25.) Although you order the prints through Zenfolio, they use Mpix as their print and fulfillment partner:
This single box contained both of my prints in a rigid cardboard structure:
I was very impressed with the care in which the prints were packaged and shipped. Inside the box, each picture is lightly affixed to a cardboard backing and carefully wrapped in a plastic sleeve:
The prints themselves are absolutely gorgeous!
Seriously, Duncan is meticulous when it comes to print color correction. These images don't do it justice. My jaw dropped when I first saw this print, and I'm still amazed every day when I look at it.
Once you've received your prints, you'll want to get them framed and matted. Now, I'm certainly no pro at this. And thankfully you don't have to be either. I just left my prints unframed for a few days to enjoy their natural color. Then I took the prints to a local frame shop and asked the friendly gal: "If these were your prints, how would you frame and mat them?" She seemed to appreciate that I asked for her advice. And after taking in the prints for a few minutes, she drew my attention to the subtle colors. Then she recommended a few framing and matting combos that would complement the colors and frame each print nicely. Of course, I'd been thinking about ideas too, so we went through a couple iterations. I ended up framing both prints for around $200 (thanks in part to a sale at the frame shop). It was actually a lot of fun!
To give you some perspective on the sizes, here's the 16" x 24" print:
And here's the 12" x 18" print:
I haven't quite decided where to hang each one yet. When I placed the order I thought I knew where they would go, but I'm so happy with how they turned out that now I can't commit to just one place. :-)
I hope seeing these pictures fills in some of the unknowns you might have about ordering Duncan's prints online. He's really done a fantastic job making these prints easily accessible while at the same time staying true to the quality of his work. If you like Duncan's photography, this is a great way to support his work!
