Photographer Trey Hill is first and foremost a storyteller. Whether he’s capturing fleeting emotional moments in the fast-paced, physical game of hockey or documenting the lives of lepers in India, Trey’s work embodies the old cliché “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Jim Christensen: You’ve been working on a lot of different things and travelling quite a bit over the last few months. What’s been your favorite project so far that you’ve completed using the new display?
Trey Hill: That's a tough question. So many of the things I've been working on have special meaning for me. Picking a favorite would be tough, but I would probably lean toward the two road trips I shot in November and December for the Dallas Stars.
JC: How have you incorporated the HP ZR2740w Performance Display into your workflow?
TH: In the past, when traveling, I would take my laptop with me as a place to dump photography and video files for my business; I wouldn't do much beyond sorting the project on the laptop. When I got back to my office, I would dump everything over to my Drobo and then start the project on my iMac because I liked the extra real estate I had on the 24-inch monitor.
The ZR2740w, at 27-inches, has really changed that model. When it comes to my photography work, I've found that I'm plugging the laptop into the new monitor, now, and finishing projects before transferring them to my Drobo for archiving.
JC: How does the HP ZR2740w billion-color, performance display compare to monitors you’ve used in the past for your business?
TH: Outside of the 24-inch display that the iMac has, my other experience has been with Apple's cinema displays, which are beautiful monitors. To say the HP monitor is comparable with the Apple cinema display seriously discounts just how beautiful the HP monitor is. Right out of the box, the colors were spot on and the image was beautiful. Having a monitor that accurately displays the choices I'm making is everything to me and to my clients. And then, I don't think I've ever seen a monitor that has the image clarity this display has. It's mesmerizing.
JC: How has the new display changed the way your business functions? What does the HP ZR2740w allow you to do that you couldn’t do in the past?
TH: Even on the iMac, working on panoramic images was difficult. And on the laptop, it was impossible. One of the first things I did on the ZR2470w was put together a handful of panoramic images I'd shot in South Africa and Bolivia and I loved how much more of the image I could see at one time and how much larger the image was when viewing the entire thing at once.
JC: It might be easy for a non-photographer to underestimate the importance of equipment beyond the camera. How crucial is your display to the photo and video editing process?
TH: To be very honest, 80 to 90 percent of my work never makes it out of the display world. The majority of my clients are using the images I shoot on the web or in electronic communications, so having a reliable display makes a world of difference. I think of my computer much like I thought of the darkroom fifteen years ago—that's where almost everything happens.
When you have an accurate, beautiful display, processing the images goes more quickly, editing the work into a tight story becomes easier and, you know, if you do decide to print something, you'll get an incredible result.
JC: What role does color play in the outcome of the overall product?
TH: Color, like composition, is foundational to an image’s impact. Subtle shifts in color have dramatic influence on the way an audience responds to an image at an emotional level. And not just color, but contrast as well. In my work, I often de-saturate tones and push highlights and crush blacks—so I live and die by my display. Having one that accurately displays the choices I'm making is everything to me and to my clients.
JC: Has the HP ZR2740w Performance Display enabled you to tell more compelling stories through your work? How so?
TH: I've always said that technology isn’t necessary for telling compelling stories, but I have to say that I'm genuinely energized when I work on this monitor because of how amazing things look on it. Not just images, but documents, spreadsheets even boring financial stuff—and that energy and enthusiasm, I think, translates to the project I'm working on. Is the story itself more compelling because of the display? Unlikely. But, I think the quality of the picture I'm looking at gets me excited and inspires me to press forward when I hit a brick wall creatively.
JC: How would you describe your experience with your HP display in five words or less?
TH: Surprisingly addictive.
JC: It seems that you’ve kicked off 2012 with a bang. Can you tell us about any upcoming projects that you’re particularly excited for?
TH: I just returned from a trip to India, where I had the opportunity to work with a home focused on the healing and renewal of girls rescued from human trafficking. I connected with the project and the incredible people who work in and run the home, so I'm pretty excited about finishing that film.
