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Busy working on a big print job / discussion of upsizing image files

Busy working on a big print job / discussion of upsizing image files

I’ve been busy for a few weeks working on a big print project for a bank in Houston. They acquired 22 large format prints.

While I appreciate the business, it has been a lot of work and stressful. It’s been made more stressful by the fact that not all the images selected by the client have the resolution to print so large.

Remarkably, Photoshop and other software does an amazing job upsizing these days. Even so, several of the prints are questionable and I’ll be waiting to see how the client reacts. Ordinarily, I would work with the client to discuss which files will work at 40 x 60 and which are not appropriate, but this client made selections without consulting me and requested the prints as quickly as possible. What’s interesting is that resolution is not the only factor for a successful enlargement.

Texas Brass Lone Star Door Knob from the Texas State Capitol Building, by Keith Dotson. 48 inches square on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta paper.
Texas Brass Lone Star Door Knob from the Texas State Capitol Building, by Keith Dotson. 48 inches square on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta paper.

The print shown above was taken in 2006 with an 8MP Olympus 4/3 camera, yet it enlarged to 48-inches square very beautifully. In those early years, I never imagined that some of these photographs might be printed any larger than 13 x 19 inches.

Large print of trees photographed on a foggy morning. Printed on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta. And no, I’m not touching the printed surface — it’s covered with a plastic sheet.

Other images photographed with newer cameras and larger sensors have enlarged less well, based on how I photographed them. I’ve learned that my technique in the early years was not great! They look fine at smaller print sizes but enlargements are not a happy experience.

My fingers are crossed that the client will be happy when they unwrap the prints.

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to visit me on FacebookInstagram or Pinterest, or on my website at keithdotson.com.

~ Keith

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