Project Description
Steve Smith was born in Chelsea in 1953 the son of Scottish parents who moved to London just after the Second World War. Steve followed his father’s footsteps into the drawing office and has spent most of his working life in design in one form or another.
His passion for photography started back in 1978, and by 1986 his work was regularly accepted into International and National Exhibitions including the London Salon.
However due to personal reasons and the running of his own business, photography stopped completely from 1986 until 2004, which Steve likened to being locked into a time capsule – digital cameras, Photoshop, scanners and printers were the new tools of the trade. He was to undergo a steep learning curve to bring him up to speed with digital photography and the production of high quality prints.
The watershed in his photography happened on a trip to Venice in 2005, since which time he has produced many images that have been accepted into major International and National exhibitions, collecting many prestigious awards.
He has not forgotten his roots as his darkroom has been re-equipped with some wonderful equipment, discarded via eBay from the graphics industry and hobbyists who have gone digital. “The change from being a darkroom worker to that of a digital worker has been a frustrating one, but I suppose that is to be expected. Silver print papers have been developed over many years and sadly many are no longer available. Obviously Digital is here to stay but there is a place for the silver print and its various processes.”
Although you will see many types of images on his website, it is people and their environment which appeals to him. The saying that is so apt, ‘A Moment In History’, to capture everyday occurrences, events and people, that is the challenge, and the reward.
Steve uses FibaPrint® Warmtone Gloss and the FibaPrint® Ultra Smooth Gloss on the Epson Pro 4800 printer.
“With the introduction of the Innova FibaPrint® range I can now use a paper that I am completely satisfied with, the quality is just superb. The moment you first take a sheet out of the box it oozes quality. The combination with the Epson Pro 4800 printer is in my opinion second to none. As a fine art photographer the first and most important aspect of my finished prints is the quality, and I am never left disappointed. The prints feel like a traditional darkroom fibre print and the results with the FibaPrint® Warmtone Gloss are just sublime.
The market place for papers is being swamped, many are just rebranded for the retailer and the consumer. Therefore, it is a relief to know that I have now reach that stage when I am completely satisfied with the combination of the papers and printer that I use. I know there could be umpteen combinations that could be nearly or even as good, but I am a photographer, I want to take pictures not to evaluate all the papers on the market.”
