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Best Papers for Wildlife Photography by Tim Jones
19/May/2022
Choosing the right paper for wildlife images depends mainly on two things, the feel of the paper, as well as the actual subject of the image.
When I’m printing a picture of wildlife or animals, I find that the paper choice affects the final look of the image more than anything else. Of course, this is also dependent on the subject matter or the different elements within the frame.
In wildlife photography, there are often bright colours and fine details within the animal and the landscape it’s set in. Because of this, it can be a little challenging to find a paper that accentuates all the right elements. How can you make sure the animal stands out from the background without bringing the background colours to the front of the image?
A lot of this comes from editing our images. You can create masks to mute the background colour, or add blur to make the subjects stand out. When shooting the image you can be mindful of the depth of field and how to isolate our subject.
Of course, without the perfect paper to print our image on, you won’t see the full effect of your hard work.
So, Which Paper is best?
Let's have a look at the top 5 papers I normally pick when printing wildlife images.
Photo Smooth Pearl 290 or PF Lustre 275
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Now, I’ve cheated a little on this first selection and picked both Photo Smooth Pearl 290 and PF Lustre 275 as these papers are very similar. The only difference is the amount of texture within the PF Lustre. These two papers are a perfect paper for wildlife photography, but also should be on everyone's paper shelf as a good everyday paper. They also make great papers for competition prints and mounting. Both papers have a high white point, which makes colours pop, and gives black and white more depth. A great choice for anyone interested in wildlife photography, and one of the most cost effective on my list.
Buy Photo Smooth Pearl 290 or PF Lustre 275. |
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Platinum Baryta 300
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I couldn't create a list of papers without mentioning Platinum Baryta 300. This paper seems to be on every list I make for papers on different subject matters. This multipurpose paper works and delivers on every subject. It produces amazing black and white prints, but also handles colour fantastically. I normally pick the Platinum Baryta over the Platinum Gloss Art Fibre 300 due to the Gloss Art Fibre having a slightly satin finish which can sometimes slightly mute the colours. Platinum Baryta is perfect for those shots with a deep black and strong colour, and is perfect for black and white shots, like the images below.
Shop Platinum Baryta 300 paper. |
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Legacy Gloss 325
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Fotospeed launched Legacy Gloss 325 a couple of years ago as an OBA (Optical Brighteners) free fine-art gloss paper. It was mainly aimed at black and white photography. However, I instantly found out that the paper worked perfectly on colour prints and made the colours rich and vibrant. The paper isn’t for everyone; due to the lack of OBAs, it has a warmer base which doesn’t suit all styles of photography. However, this makes it ideal for wildlife images. It adds warmth and depth to a print, brings out detail and helps to highlight the subject. It works particularly well for “golden hour” shots like the image here.
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Platinum Cotton 305
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I can’t have Legacy Gloss 325 on my list without talking about its sister paper, Platinum Cotton 305. Platinum Cotton is a Fine Art Matt and, like the Legacy Gloss, it doesn’t contain any OBAs, giving a warmer white point. The paper is made from 100% cotton and is truly beautiful to hold in hand. Due to its matt finish, the colours can become a little muted if you don’t do a slight edit prior to printing. However, with a little work, this is an amazing paper and will reward you with beautiful prints. Again, I particularly like it for those subtle “Golden hour” shots like the picture below. |
NST Bright White 315
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Natural Soft Textured Bright White 315 has to be the paper I recommend the most when people ask me which fine art matt paper they should try. The paper’s high white point makes it easy to print any image on.
Natural Soft Textured Bright White has a smooth finish with a very slight texture. This makes it perfect for subjects with a little texture, like an animal’s fur. It also handles colour fantastically, with the high white point allowing colours to pop.
However we don’t have to pick an image with strong colours. The Natural Soft Textured Bright White will also handle subtle tones and muted palettes perfectly. One of my favourite wildlife scenes to print on this paper is butterflies, as the paper is delicate enough to hold all the fine detail of the images.
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Metallic Gloss 275
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The Metallic Gloss 275 is a fantastic paper for wildlife photography, and particularly underwater photography. It has a smooth texture and metallic effect finish which adds a sheen to blacks and highlights.
This paper works particularly well on images with bright colours, and can particularly enhance the neon hues you may find in the ocean. Underwater pictures like the one below lend themselves perfectly to the Metallic Gloss.
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I hope that has helped and given you a few points and papers to think about when you are looking for your perfect paper for your Wildlife images. As always, these are my picks of the papers I tend to use the most. But remember there are no rules, just have fun with papers and see which you prefer.
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