Epson's Online Print Academy

By David Em

October 11, 2004

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People who take pictures with cameras fall into three categories that form a pyramid. At the peak of the pyramid are professionals (rarer than hens' teeth), who make a living from their photographs. The broad base of the pyramid consists of million upon millions of point-and-shoot consumers. In between these two groups are the so-called "prosumers." Like the pros, prosumers make significant investments in camera bodies, lenses, and printers, and are very serious about taking pictures.

Professionals and prosumers have something else in common: Most of them are new to digital media. Even masters of traditional film-based photography drop back to amateur status when confronted with the intricacies of digital color management, the inner mysteries of Photoshop, and printer driver arcana.

To help these folks make the transition from film to digital, Epson has put together a series of sixty short online films it calls the Epson Online Print Academy. The films are hosted by photographer/musician Graham Nash. They feature over a dozen high-profile digital photographers and printmakers shooting, processing, and printing digital images. Earlier this year I attended a $75 road show "seminar" version of the Academy that traveled to several major cities, including LA. Then I downloaded and viewed all the online films, access to which costs $29.95. I have to say, I'm very impressed.

From Soup to Nuts

The idea of a company like Epson producing a program that touts its own products may seem like a crass marketing ploy, but that's not the case here. The content of the online films is very solid, and there's very little out-and-out product promotion in them. Most important, the program fulfills a real need. I personally know many lifelong pros who urgently need to have the both the ABCs and XYZs of digital photography explained to them.

A big plus for prosumers is the rare opportunity to observe how seasoned pros like Greg Gorman and Jay Meisel work and think.

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