Printmaking is a fun, alternative, and beautiful way to demonstrate your photographs. There are many ways to do it. Different techniques can produce different results. I make all prints of my photographs myself from scanning films or RAW file processing through printing.

The images shown on this website are what I have produced during the last 15 years with films or digital devices. I use Fuji films for transparency and color negative. The first step is scanning the film originals with Hasselblad Flextight X5, a professional scanner offering unsurpassed quality and scanning speed with multiple format capacity. Feel free to change the scanner settings to get the desired result, as this is what I always do. Most of the time, I need to scan an original for a number of times to fine-tune the tonality or color. I prefer "double scans"-I do one scan for the highlights, and another one for extra shadow detail. Sometimes I will combine the two scans in Photoshop later.

The second step is fine-tuning the scans. Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop are two powerful tools for photographers. Although there is a steep and frustrating learning curve before one can use them properly, but both software allows a photographer to have a lot more control over an image than one can possibly manage in the traditional darkroom. To me, the secret to "optimize" an image is to adjust the shadow and highlight end points, the contrast in the image, and the overall color balance. After these global corrections, I work on the details-lighten, darken, or change contrast in specific areas. This is very similar to dodging and burning in the traditional darkroom.

The last step is making the prints. To make a perfect print, quality printer, paper and ink is a must. As the printing technology revolves, it will never be wrong to get the latest printer available on the market. To achieve the best results, I customize ICC printer profiles, which gives excellent blacks, with a very nice surface texture and minimal bronzing. During the proofing process, I print and adjust for a couple of rounds to ensure the final print accurately reproduces the color tone of the original art work. Thanks to the improved ink formula, a print produced with the latest inkjets from Epson and other high-end printer makers lasts much longer than any dye transfer print. This is a great time to be a photographer!