PrintingNews.com

Print shops are always looking for ways to increase business. One obvious, yet sometimes overlooked, way is to entice professional commercial photographers to have their prints developed by equally professional printers. While the digital age has provided many advantages for photographers, many do not have the time to sit in front of a computer all day trying to "create" the perfect shot.

One photographer who has seen the light is Los Angeles-based Bonnie Schiffman.

Over the past three decades, Schiffman has photographed hundreds of celebrities—from Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal, to Muhammad Ali and Warren Buffet. Her photographs have appeared in many major American and international magazines.

Schiffman is now in the business of trying to sell prints. Her prints have been displayed at galleries such as Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood.

"That's what I'm into now, and that's why I need large prints," explained Schiffman. "I can do the prints myself, but they don't compare (to what the print shops can produce)."

She continued, "Digital printing is an art unto itself. First, you have to make scans, and even making scans is a big deal. Some places make much better scans than others."

Schiffman added that her business is just not equipped to do the type of printing she needs.

"There's a big learning curve—an expense curve. That's the main reason I go to the experts."

Over the years, Schiffman has worked with many photo labs in Los Angeles, and run into problems along the way. "I was working with a client, where we do the same photograph every six years," she explained.