As a teenager, Richard Walch dreamed of travelling the world as a professional snowboarder. While that didn't happen, he instead managed to combine his two main passions to become a winter sports and advertising photographer, working for clients including Red Bull, Apple, Audi and BMW, and winning multiple awards. Creating his own custom photo prints is a key part of his business, as it enables him to stand out from the crowd and can serve as a unique calling card in retaining clients and attracting new business.
Despite developing a faithful customer base over the years, he feels that building and retaining good client relationships has become more of a challenge since the pandemic reduced face-to-face meetings. He also says, "Photographers, like everyone else, are now competing for a slice of a much smaller cake, but my Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer gives me an edge.
"When I do a shoot for a client, I like to create a beautiful print, frame it and hand it over as a gift. Selling prints isn't part of my business portfolio but giving a handmade, large-format print as a present adds a personal touch. It's a way of saying, 'Thank you for the job, I've really enjoyed working with you'. It's a great help in building a close relationship and retaining business. If I give the client a new print after each job, they'll start to build their own private collection to treasure."
"My printer gives me an edge"
Richard's investment in his client relationships continues well after the initial job is complete. "When somebody leaves a company that I've been working for, and they move on to the next, I'll call them up and say, 'Hey, it was really nice to work with you. Why don't you pick a picture that you like, and I'll print it for you as a thank you?'
"That's been very successful because it's a nice gesture, and a little reminder for them that maybe in the next job they could call you up again. You usually get commissioned for jobs by people you know. It's all about relationships. It's just a natural process in advertising photography."
Do you own Canon kit?
Printing at scale with the PRO-1000
Richard started printing his work in 2016, as an early adopter of the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 – the printer he still uses for all his work. For him, the biggest draw is the printer's large A2 print size.
"You need to be able to print bigger images if you're planning on doing it to a professional level, because they're more desirable. They give you a better return on investment," he explains.
The printer's ease of use is also a primary factor in Richard's dedication to the PRO-1000. "It works without needing to connect (via cable) to the computer, which makes things simple," he says. "You can't focus on making unique work if you make things needlessly complicated."
Uniqueness and exceptional quality of printing are what Richard aims for when creating items for clients. He admits that he could pay a photo lab to print his work, and respects that the products they sell are of good quality. But he believes that the personal touch of his personally-made prints leaves a far longer-lasting impression.
"The labs are brilliant. They have multiple frame options, they're quick and affordable, all of that," he concedes. "But when you unwrap one of their prints, you understand that it's an industrial product. It's not handmade. There's a market for that, but it's not what I'm looking for."
''Canon Europe Product Marketing Lead Suhaib Hussain recommends the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 and PRO-300 for creating professional-quality photo prints. "The pigment-based inks of these printers give superb quality, especially on matte and fine art papers, with extended gamut and tonal range, as well as superior black and white photo performance. The technology is essentially the same in both printers but the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is capable of larger A2+ prints and is more cost-effective for higher-volume printing. The imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is more compact but can still create A3+ prints and the black density is even a little better."
For getting the best out of these printers, Suhaib suggests using Canon's free Professional Print & Layout (PPL) software. "It works as a standalone program and as a plug-in for Canon Digital Photo Professional, as well as with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom Classic," he says. "It covers all of your printing workflow needs, from colour management to ICC profiles for wide-ranging photo papers and fine art media from Canon and other high-end manufacturers such as Canson® and Hahnemühle.
"PPL also makes short work of creating custom layouts, from full-bleed prints to arranging multiple images on a single page," he adds. "Built-in tools for soft and hard proofing ensure accuracy, and there's an option to create 'pattern prints', so you can tailor the look and feel of the final print to evoke a specific mood."
Cloud-based service image.canon adds ease and security to the capture-to-print workflow, enabling you to seamlessly upload images from your camera and store them in the cloud. A monthly subscription gives you access to the Cloud RAW image processing service, which uses neural network technology, or AI-powered imaging processing, to perfect your files for printing – all with the security of end-to-end encryption.
"With Canon's range of supporting software, I can create what looks almost like an HDR print that shows a lot more detail," says Richard. "It just does its magic, so that I can quickly and easily make a photo look its best on my choice of paper."
5 professional photo printing tips
Play with paper
When making high-class prints for any occasion, whether to sell or to give away as gifts to clients, the thing that truly sets your work apart from the crowd is how you present it. Richard recommends exploring how you can use different elements to transform your work into a genuine piece of art.
"It's really up to you to find out where it can take you," he says. "For example, the standard ambition is to make a big, glossy, shiny image. But for me, I find it much more appealing to use papers that offer something different – perhaps a more matte finish, for example."
"There's a huge variety of paper, but you need to experiment to find out what works best for you and for your photography. You can start this journey and really personalise things in a way that you're happy with, and create something that's really unique," says Richard. "Then you can mount it and frame it, and it becomes a truly unique work of art." And who can resist that? .
Making a photography business plan
A key part of making a photography business plan is identifying your USP (unique selling point) and marketing strategies, and how these will help you stand out from the competition.
Richard explains that finding a niche in snowboarding photography has helped his business to develop, with contacts and jobs in the field leading to related commissions. It's vital to advertise yourself and keep pitching for work, he says, but to remember that a success rate of one in 10 is above average when pitching. He prides himself in fulfilling client briefs "to the letter" but then throwing in additional creative ideas on top, which he puts together in his own time and then offers as extra options to complement the main brief. These additional shots, and the photo prints that he creates, all feed in to the client relationships and marketing of his business.
A less glamorous, but crucial, element of a photography business plan is to work out the costs, including for taxes and equipment. "Not factoring tax into the equation kills many photography businesses. People often think, 'Wow, I've made this much money so I can go out and buy stuff', but then the tax bill comes along after a year or two. It pays to take advice from the start, researching the financial side online and using free advice from government agencies and business coaches. It's a bit like the boring homework side of things but essential for building a solid business. It's also important to have a strategy about buying equipment. You'll probably find that camera bodies will last for four or five years, and lenses for around 10 years. You have to separate the two areas and slowly grow as you go along."
Getting started in printing for yourself can be exciting and daunting, whether you plan to use your printer to create gifts for valued clients or produce prints to sell. For Richard, printing has been very fulfilling, enhancing his business prospects and his photographic career.
Adobe, Lightroom and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe in the United States and/or other countries.
Richard Walch's kitbag
The key kit pros use to take their photographs
Cameras
Canon EOS R3
A mirrorless camera that is ideal for sport, wildlife and news photography, the Canon EOS R3 captures fleeting moments at 30fps, revealing details missed by the naked eye.
Canon EOS R5
With revolutionary video performance, this hybrid mirrorless camera can capture sensational 45MP photos at up to 20fps, or cinematic 12 bit 8K RAW video at the flick of a switch.
Canon EOS-1D X Mark III
Canon's flagship DSLR, successor to the EOS-1D X Mark II Richard uses most. "This camera is totally designed for speed and toughness with no compromise," enthuses Richard. "That's exactly my kind of photography, so what a perfect match!"
Lenses
Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM
Ideal for when innovative angles can make all the difference, Canon's fastest ultra-wide-angle zoom's extended field of view helps pack in lots of extra detail and drama.
Canon RF 28-70mm F2L IS USM
Great for travel photography, wedding photography and photojournalism, this L-series zoom lens can focus quickly and in near silence, thanks to an advanced ring-type USM AF motor.
Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM
A compact F2.8 telephoto zoom that incorporates a five-stop Image Stabilizer to ensure great handheld results that can be relied upon in all conditions.
Accessories
Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R
Allowing you to take full advantage of the EOS system, this adapter allows EF-S and EF lenses to be used on EOS R cameras seamlessly, opening up a whole new world of creative opportunity.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
Print in stunning quality with this A2 desktop printer, which offers high levels of colour and detail. An advanced 12-ink system faithfully brings your pictures to life. "If you want to seriously get into print, don't settle for something small," advises Richard. "No matter what you're doing with your prints, you'll eventually need a printer that can create bigger images."
Related articles
-
PRINT
How to make money from photo printing
Wedding and portrait photographer Sanjay Jogia shares his six top tips for increasing your profit from print sales.
-
PRINT
Menna Hossam on learning to print to realise her ambitions
Menna Hossam has more than a decade of experience as a professional photographer but has only recently started creating her own fine art prints. Here's her story.
-
ARTICLE
15 photo printing terms every pro should know
New to photo printing, or looking to brush up on your knowledge? Read Canon’s handy guide to the most useful photo printer terms.
-
ARTICLE
New updates for the EOS R3, EOS R5, EOS R7 and EOS R10
Firmware updates unlock new features and boost performance in Canon's pro mirrorless cameras, including 400MP resolution in the EOS R5 and more.