While recovering from my spinal cord repair surgery, I’ve had the rare gift of time — time to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with my photography in a deeper way. With boxes and boxes of paper waiting in my studio, I decided to dive into the art of printing. And I mean really dive in. I printed everything — literally hundreds of images from my favorite Rhode Island coastal locations.
There was something almost meditative about printing: watching an image slowly appear, feeling the texture of the paper, comparing tones, experimenting with contrast and warmth. Printing became part therapy, part obsession, and part rediscovery of why I fell in love with photography in the first place.
Rediscovering the Print
Before my injury, I viewed the printer as simply a tool — something to test new work before sending the real jobs out to print houses. I knew the people at those places, had been behind the scenes, and built great relationships. Printing, to me, was just part of the process — a technical step between the camera and the final, framed piece.
But now, it’s so much more.
As I printed, I found myself holding each image longer than I used to — connecting with the memories, the stories, and the emotions that came with them. I imagine most photographers feel something similar. There’s just something powerful about feeling the weight and texture of the paper in your hands. It’s tangible. Real. A physical thing you created from light and time and vision.
Red River Paper Sample Pack
I’ve been a Red River Paper guy for years — I’ve always loved their Aurora Art White, and the San Gabriel Baryta Semi Gloss 2.0 has been my all-time favorite. My good friend Bob Kidd turned me onto their papers years ago, and Bob is about as meticulous as it gets. If he says its good, well that’s good enough for me.
As my box of 13×19″ Baryta began to empty out, I realized that RRP has replaced it with a new paper. As I looked at the website, I hesitated to order a replacement. There are so many choices, which one is right for me?
Honestly, I never took the time to really experiment with any of the different types of paper they offer.
The other night at Photo Club, a friend brought in a few sampler packs from Red River Paper (affiliate link). Perfect, I thought, this will help me decide what to order. I grabbed a sampler pack to take home.
The next morning I hit my office early, sampler pack in one hand and a big cup of coffee in the other. I’m a huge coffee guy — not a fancy, pour-over, hipster coffee snob kind of guy — just someone who loves a good, medium roast to start the day.
The Paper Experiment: Testing 5 Papers for Coastal Photography Prints
The sampler pack came with five different types of paper. I was debating which image to use and finally decided to pick six images from my Rhode Island coastal collection — scenes from Newport’s rocky shorelines, Beavertail State Park’s dramatic lighthouse views, Narragansett Town Beach’s golden sunsets, and Rocky Point State Park’s serene waterscapes. I wanted a good range — some high-contrast shots, some soft pastels, and of course, a few with that golden sun I can’t resist.
What started as a quick test turned into a fantastic experiment comparing different photo papers for fine art prints. I really had fun with it. The sampler included three photo papers and two matte papers. I’d always thought I preferred a heavy, textured matte — that classic, fine-art feel. But now I’m not so sure.
The Papers:
The 5 papers included in the sampler are:
- 66 lb Polar Pearl Metallic
- 66 lb Arctic Polar Satin
- 68 lb UltraPro Gloss
- 64 lb Aurora Art Natural
- 60 lb Polar Matte
The Images
Here are the six images I chose for my paper experiment — a mix of tones, moods, and styles. Some are old favorites, others I hadn’t looked at in a while. Seeing them printed side by side was eye-opening — the paper changed not just the look, but the feeling of each photo.
Printing as a Form of Connection
This whole printing experiment has reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. There’s something grounding about slowing down and truly finishing an image — taking it from pixels on a screen to something you can hold in your hands, ready to hang as coastal wall art in your living room or bedroom. It’s a different kind of satisfaction. A connection between vision, memory, and craft.
When you print your own work, you notice things you missed before — tiny details, color shifts, the way a shadow moves across a surface at Beavertail Lighthouse, or how the morning light hits the rocks at Narragansett. You start to see not just what you photographed, but what you felt when you took the shot. Printing forces you to slow down, to look closer, to appreciate your art in a tactile way.
For me, this process has been part of healing — physically, creatively, and emotionally. What started as a way to pass time during recovery has become something far more meaningful. Each print feels like a small victory, a reminder that even when life forces you to pause, beauty still finds its way through.
If you’re considering printing your own photography or looking for Rhode Island coastal photography prints for your home, I can’t recommend experimenting with different papers enough. The difference between matte and glossy finishes, the way paper weight affects the feel of a print, and how texture changes your perception of an image — it all matters more than I ever realized.
Matte vs. Glossy: What Works Best for Coastal Wall Art?
The matte paper has this beautiful texture and weight that makes it feel like you’re holding something old, something special, something important. I love that about it. But the photo papers — wow. The colors seemed just a little brighter, the contrast a little deeper. The images had more pop — especially on those New England seascapes with deep blues and warm sunrise tones.
Was there one that stood out above the rest? Yes indeed. I think. Pretty sure.
The sampler actually included two sheets of each paper type, and for five days now that little stack of blank paper has been sitting on my desk. I keep staring at it, undecided. Should I pick a single Newport sunset and print it on each paper to compare? Or maybe choose six entirely new images — step outside the seascape box a bit? Something bold and bright like Strawberry Milk? Or maybe a black-and-white portrait for contrast?
I’m kind of leaning that way. Time will tell. What would you do? Shoot me an email and let me know!
What are the Next Steps?
Over the next week or two I will print more images on the rest of the paper in the sampler pack, and then I will put together a comparison of the papers, and finalize my opinions on the different papers. Stay tuned!
