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Author Topic: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?  (Read 25498 times)

jferrari

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Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« on: April 01, 2015, 08:40:09 pm »

Wow! A virgin category! Anyway, I have been a printer for quite a few years and lately I have been asked to print images that have been taken with a cellphone and also some that came directly from FaceBook. Try as I might I was unable to educate my customers (maybe 5 or 6 of them so far) that a 24" by 36" canvas print from their cellphone image is not going to look like they think it will. Long story short - I print it; I hate it; they love it; they pay me. What's your experience been in this situation?     - Jim
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Kevin Raber

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2015, 09:38:41 pm »

This is a new forum topic that we will formally announce later this week.  Since most of us own cell phone and we take photos with them we will now have a topic that we can use for discussion on apps, techniques etc.

Kevin Raber
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jferrari

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2015, 01:03:45 am »

Sorry, Kevin, did I jump the gun?     - Jim
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Kevin Raber

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2015, 06:38:13 am »

Nope, I did no big deal. 

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petermfiore

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2015, 06:45:04 am »

Long story short - I print it; I hate it; they love it; they pay me.  - Jim

That is what it is...commerce.

Peter

jferrari

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2015, 08:57:41 am »

Yes, but, I feel dirty. Some of my regular clients make 6 figures and one of them has been published in Nat Geo. I guess that this is the wave of the future and I have to decide whether or not to shoot the tube.   - Jim
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petermfiore

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2015, 01:28:52 pm »

One needs to be able to sleep at night...LOL

Peter

Plateau Light

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #7 on: April 05, 2015, 10:26:06 am »

Yes, we have printed up to 30x90 off an iphone pano. Actually came out better than I would have thought.
We are even working on an FAQ sheet to answer most questions.
Unfortunately most shots are in low light with high ISO noise.

langier

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #8 on: April 05, 2015, 11:03:26 am »

Three exhibits and a portfolio with my colleagues thus far using photos from our iPhones.

For the portfolio (which later was exhibited at the National Steinbeck Center), the photographer/instructor kept quiet until the portfolio was created. Even if any had known, the photo was just fine.

For my last two exhibitions there on the California Missions, my friend and cohort Martín Vargas had several images with his iPhone in each. We printed up to 24x36 for several of the photos. He's an "available camera" photographer. Whatever you hand him, he figures it out in just a few minutes and then can craft an image.

The key is "craft". With good craft one can create a great image regardless of the camera.

When we walked each show with the curator and executive director of the museum, we ask if they can tell which photos are taken with which camera. None can. We can't even remember once the prints are hung.

I, too, get images across the transom and I've got to hold my nose when I print them. Many people are clueless about quality or craft, but it doesn't stop me from attempting to educate them and trying to up their craft for the next time. For most, there's sentimental value in their photos that trigger memories and complete the detail. All they want is a larger image or print on canvas.

It's a lot like the person who has a point and shoot in Alaska, takes a snap of an eagle across the bay and points out that little dot in the center of the frame. The brain's built-in telephoto is at work and despite its disconnect to the camera, it's the experience that counts. It's the "pictures of the mind" at work.

In the mean time, simply lead the way and set an example with your own work. Some people will get it and do better and thank you for it. Others will never get it but thank you anyway for helping them achieve their vision, no matter how fuzzy.
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AlexRobinson

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #9 on: April 20, 2015, 11:31:20 pm »

Yup printed some good stuff and some absolute rubbish too. I remember the day after I upgraded from my iPhone 4 to my 6+ I printed some shots off and first thing I thought was that compact cameras below the likes of the RX100 were now pretty much pointless. Most all of the terrible prints from phones I've done have been from older iPhones or low-end Android devices and usually low-light stuff. Before I left my job I was printing quite a few larger prints and canvases from high end phones and they were perfectly fine for what most consumers wanted and definitely a lot better than many low end digital cameras or cheap zoom 35mm point and shoots I used to do.

The sad reality is though that most iPhone photos look a hell of a lot better on the phone screen or iPad screen than they look from your average consumer lab. No wonder most people don't print anymore.
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sniper

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #10 on: April 22, 2015, 04:04:35 am »

We've had a few come in the studio for prints. The issue seems to be a huge variation in quality from phone to phone, and people expectation. What looks good on a four inch screen doesn't look so good on a thirty inch canvas.
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Ken Doo

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2015, 12:14:59 pm »

I've printed smaller images for clients.  Some will make you *wince* and as Jim says, "make you feel dirty"  ;D  but surprisingly I've done some that look pretty good. A better phone sensor and good technique makes the difference for *ahem* better images.

ken

Erwin Vanderhoydonks

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Re: Anyone print Cellphone images for customers?
« Reply #12 on: May 11, 2015, 05:46:02 am »

Yes, why not.
As long as you know what you are doing and know the limitations. Yes.
Just like you need to know the limitations of your DSLR/MirrorLess/PointAndShoot.
Ten years ago you could print a 18x13cm (7x5 inch) photo starting from a 3MP.
So why can't you do the same starting from a 8MP?
As long as you know the limitations.

For the moment I take/edit/publish on FaceBook and on my Blog every day one photo 'created' with my iPhone 6.
People love them, hate them, don't care. Some of them even don't know and don't care who and how the photo was created.

Capture the moment, judge for your self and create a nice photographe.

You can see them for your self :
http://blog.e-vdh.be
https://www.facebook.com/erwin.vanderhoydonks.1
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