How Dickerman Prints Changed My Life
This article was written by Greg Goodman – world traveling photographic storyteller, longtime lab patron, and marketing director at Dickerman Prints.
There’s a magical place in San Francisco where creativity runs free and artists can grow in ways they never imagined.
Dickerman Prints is a vortex where digital and analog photography coexist.
It’s a place where world-famous photographers and aspiring iPhone shutterbugs work side-by-side, inspiring and learning from each other.
Even though the darkroom is digital, the lab still uses traditional darkroom chemistry to create old-school C-Prints prints from 1’s and 0’s.
This place is one-of-a-kind!
Whether you’re an expert at post-processing or have never edited a photo in your life, the incredibly kind and patient staff are there to help guide you through the process.
Plus, the lab offers complimentary Mac workstations (regularly pre-cleaned for covid safety) where you can sit down at a computer and edit your photos in Photoshop or Lightroom while sipping on an organic espresso or tea.
Dickerman Prints changed my life
The year was 2010. I had just moved to San Francisco with my girlfriend (now wife) after a 9-month backpacking adventure across the world. I had a hard drive full of travel photos and dreams of becoming a professional photographer.
That’s when the universe introduced me to Seth Dickerman – on a job interview to become the lab’s marketing director. To say that the opportunity changed my life is an understatement.
For two years, I watched Seth, Garnell, Gabriel, and Laura edit, enhance, remaster, and reimagine countless photos.
Landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, old family photos, black and whites, vibrant colors, muted palates, film, digital … they worked their magic on everything!
Every time I looked over their shoulders, I learned something new. If I ever had any questions about their technique, all I had to do was ask. The best part about this generosity of information is that they readily offered it to anyone who walked in the door. I lovingly call this above-and-beyond service “The Dickerman Difference.”
The Dickerman Difference
The Dickerman Difference can be found in all the small touches.
In the countless reprints until every minute detail is perfect.
In the hours spent explaining the differences in inkjet papers — or in the effort put into even the most basic of scans. It’s evident in the ear-to-ear smile you get when holding a freshly printed photograph – and in the joy received when the complete stranger standing next to you compliments your work.
It’s tough being a photo lab these days.
The smartphone revolution made photo printing an afterthought for a large chunk of the population. Covid upped the ante – turning art into luxury that many believe they can’t afford.
Yet here we are … doing our best to stay alive when so many of our dear friends and colleagues have closed their doors. And thank goodness! Dickerman Prints really is the heart and soul of photography in San Francisco.
As for me, I owe more than I can ever express to Seth and the gang at Dickerman Prints.
I live in Santa Cruz now and dream of the day that I once take the scenic route up Highway 1, head to SF, and visit the lab. To surround myself with my lab family. To get inspired once again. And, to simply “be” in the most magical place I’ve ever know.
So thanks, Dickerman Prints. I truly, completely, and unabashedly love you!
About the Author
Greg Goodman is a photographic storyteller whose work has appeared in galleries, publications, airports, TV shows, and private collections around the world. To see his work, please visit Adventures of a GoodMan.
Greg also dreams of creating a tidal wave of joy, love, abundance, and positivity by getting as many people as possible to say YES! with him at 1:11pm PST each day.