Bay Photo Report

sara505 · June 27, 2009

I received a good-sized order from Bay Photo, mostly landscapes, and sorry to say, I'm disappointed. They are all too dark and lack-luster. These are images I've had printed previously at Ritz, so I know what they can look like.

I have been on the verge of getting into printing my own work - this has pushed me further in this direction. Clearly, I need more control. There's also a local printer who has been soliciting my work, I think it's time to give him a try.

Sorry for this report. I will most likely return most of this order.

Cygnus Studios · June 27, 2009

You should email the Smugmug help desk with the order #. If you look through the threads you will find Bay Photo praises from just about everyone who has used them. Maybe you caught a bad batch, and if so I would be shocked if they didn't make it right.
I have learned to trust their hand corrected images as they constantly blow me away. I am not saying they are perfect, but they are easy to deal with and feel very strong about customer service (from my talks with them).

I certainly would not give up on them with one bad order.

Andy · June 27, 2009

sara505 wrote:

I received a good-sized order from Bay Photo, mostly landscapes, and sorry to say, I'm disappointed. They are all too dark and lack-luster. These are images I've had printed previously at Ritz, so I know what they can look like.

I have been on the verge of getting into printing my own work - this has pushed me further in this direction. Clearly, I need more control. There's also a local printer who has been soliciting my work, I think it's time to give him a try.

Sorry for this report. I will most likely return most of this order.

Sara, the order # please? I want to review your images.

Andy · June 27, 2009

Is it #1040509 ?

You chose Color Correction on (a bit unusual for fine art landscape work, no?) ... so Bay does their best to interpret your wishes. Most fine art landscape folks I know, fuss to the nth degree on their photos in photoshop then print True - which means NO adjustments at the lab.

Can you be very specific about what you didn't like about your prints? Comments about particular photos (with links) will allow me to help you best.

sara505 · June 29, 2009

Andy wrote:

Is it #1040509 ?

You chose Color Correction on (a bit unusual for fine art landscape work, no?) ... so Bay does their best to interpret your wishes. Most fine art landscape folks I know, fuss to the nth degree on their photos in photoshop then print True - which means NO adjustments at the lab.

Can you be very specific about what you didn't like about your prints? Comments about particular photos (with links) will allow me to help you best.

I have been exceedingly busy for past couple of days, so had a chance to set everything aside and look at them afresh today.

I have decided that some of the order is, indeed, outstanding. For example: this one is quite stunning:

This one:

is too dark, lacks contrast, the sky is a bit muddy - the prints from Bay Photo - a 10x15 and many 4x6s that I make into cards - are too dark. They lack clarity and contrast. The sky in the original is a very pale blue, the current prints show a definite blue sky. It's just over-all too dark. There is a certain light that is present in the original that is missing, and I don't mean the back-light from the monitor. I had these printed up a while back at Ritz and another local lab and was much happier.

In summary, I now like several of my prints from Bay Photo, on second look; a few others are darker than I would like, but I can live with them. The only one I think really needs to be re-done is the stone pillar, above. Possibly, also my rainbow clothesline:

I have a 24x36 version of this one hanging in my Brookline apt. (from an Olympus P&S, 35mm) and it is much brighter. The red is quite dark in the original, but for some reason, the way it's printed in the 24x36 print, the red is not as lost. I also had a mess of 4x6s printed at Ritz and didn't have a problem with the red - the Bay print has all but lost the red.

I guess I still don't understand how to set up my printing options. I perhaps misunderstand what color correction means. I thought color correction means that the tech looks at the print and judges its merits. If I were a technician, I would think the stone pillar lacked pizazz, light, and luster, and fix it. I don't believe the problem is in the image, but rather, is in the printing.

I am not going to bail on Bay Photo - but I do need to know how to set up my orders to get the best results. If I'm using fancy gear, a calibrated monitor, and taking the time to correct everything in LR, perhaps I should, as you suggest, Andy, go with straight - not color-corrected - printing from Bay.

I am also going to get myself a good printer so I can have more control - not on 500 4x6s from a wedding, obviously - but on select prints that I will be selling out of my daughter-in-law's gallery. I love my digital darkroom, but think I need to go to the next step and learn how to print - I loved making prints in the darkroom.

How shall I proceed with getting the two images, above, reprinted?

Thanks for your help.

SteveM · June 29, 2009

sara505 wrote:

This one:

is too dark, lacks contrast, the sky is a bit muddy - the prints from Bay Photo - a 10x15 and many 4x6s that I make into cards - are too dark. They lack clarity and contrast. The sky in the original is a very pale blue, the current prints show a definite blue sky. It's just over-all too dark. There is a certain light that is present in the original that is missing, and I don't mean the back-light from the monitor. I had these printed up a while back at Ritz and another local lab and was much happier.

In summary, I now like several of my prints from Bay Photo, on second look; a few others are darker than I would like, but I can live with them. The only one I think really needs to be re-done is the stone pillar, above. Possibly, also my rainbow clothesline:
I have a 24x36 version of this one hanging in my Brookline apt. (from an Olympus P&S, 35mm) and it is much brighter. The red is quite dark in the original, but for some reason, the way it's printed in the 24x36 print, the red is not as lost. I also had a mess of 4x6s printed at Ritz and didn't have a problem with the red - the Bay print has all but lost the red.

How shall I proceed with getting the two images, above, reprinted?

Thanks for your help.

Hi Sara,

I'm Steve, one of the image specialists here at SmugMug. We'll get you fixed up. I'll have the lab reprint these two images for you.

As for printing your own, it's certainly an option, but not one I'd be quick to recommend. To get the kind of quality you can typically expect from Bay Photo, it'll cost tens of thousands of dollars with a huge learning curve. Much cheaper and easier to get your display and the lab to agree.

Can you also send me a message the helpdesk and reference this post http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=135282 and the original order number, Attn: Steve M? I'd like to work with you so you can confidently anticipate the printed results.

sara505 · June 29, 2009

SteveM wrote:

Hi Sara,

I'm Steve, one of the image specialists here at SmugMug. We'll get you fixed up. I'll have the lab reprint these two images for you.

As for printing your own, it's certainly an option, but not one I'd be quick to recommend. To get the kind of quality you can typically expect from Bay Photo, it'll cost tens of thousands of dollars with a huge learning curve. Much cheaper and easier to get your display and the lab to agree.

Can you also send me a message the helpdesk and reference this post http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=135282 and the original order number, Attn: Steve M? I'd like to work with you so you can confidently anticipate the printed results.

Hi, Steve. Thanks. I have sent you links to both orders.
Yes, I would love to have a great working relationship with my lab.

I do also want to try my hand at some printing, perhaps not in the thousands of dollars range, but certainly beyond the average household/office printer - for the fun and art of it. There are times when I need something printed immediately - a random card or 8x10, and I want to be able to do this. But yes, the bulk of my printing I would like to entrust to a good lab. I have seen enough awesomeness from Bay to try to work through this.