Thursday, December 10, 2009

Print Permanence.

100 years from now, will our successors know what a jpeg is?  Will they have optical disk readers?  Flash cards?  What's beyond digital?

I am constantly amazed at the number of people who are happy to let all of their images sit on their computer, in "cloud" storage, or on decaying CDs and DVDs.  While electronic delivery is awesome, incredibly useful and makes a constantly evolving and transformative veiwing experience possible, it is simply too complicated.  The infrastructure that is needed to experience this media is extensive, and will someday prove to be impermanent.

A well crafted print on the other hand made with archival materials and stored in a conscientious way can last for centuries and is dependent only on our successors having eyes and the sun (and a planet suitable for life).  This is why it is worth mastering the craft of print making, and vigilantly producing prints regularly to record the world as we see it.  Taking the final step and seeing your image made "real" in print form is not as far as it seems.

To learn more about Fine Art Printing Workshops visit the Mount Rainier Institute of Photography at www.MtRainierPhoto.com