Case Study - Chris Walker

Photographer:
Chris Walker - Assistant Professor - Auburn University, Alabama

Project:
Produce a life sized 60x77.5 inch inkjet print to anchor an exhibition of 16x20 prints from his award-winning documentary on youth culture, Six Nights a Year.

Camera/Film:
8x10" Criterion; Fuji 180mm lens; T-Max 400 film shot at 2000 ISO.

Goal:
Make prints with quality equal to traditional, hand pulled silver prints. Walker also wanted to show the amazing quality 8x10 film delivers to fellow staff members at Auburn University.

Solution:
Use West Coast Imaging to make a scan of a high-quality negative, and then collaborate with Expert Printmaker Terrance Reimer to make the life sized print.

Synopsis:
As a professor at Auburn University, 8x10 photographer Chris Walker was faced with a dilemma. The university didn't have an 8x10 enlarger, but he needed to make prints for an upcoming exhibition. He also wanted to show fellow staff members a major advantage of using 8x10 film: its resolution allows you to make extremely large, high-quality prints.

Walker turned to West Coast Imaging for help. He shipped his originals to us, which we scanned on our Tango Drum Scanner. After seeing a small proof of his image, Walker was impressed:

"In short, the proof was incredible. Knowing the sharpness and potential of the original negative, I was eager to see the final 60-inch high image."

With a guide print supplied by Walker, Expert Printmaker Terrance Reimer was able to create a final print that met and exceeded Walker's expectations.

"The final print was remarkable; Terrance had personally seen it through to what I’d hoped for. When I unpacked the print I was speechless...The detail was amazing. My field assistant took a 7x loupe to the print, inspecting reflections in my subject’s eyes and isolating individual threads in his clothing. This final print may be closer to what I imagined than an actual silver enlargement would have been."

To learn more about Chris and his photography, and to view more images from his Six Nights a Year project, visit his website.