P + S: In Defense of Bad Photos, Part 2

THE SETUP

Will you be unhappy? In this age of Facebook and cell phone cameras, it's likely that the photos you obtain from others will have poor resolution when you decide to use them in projects.

 

THE PICTALE

Illustration #2:  I must sound like a broken record when I whine about being so far away from my granddaughters.  Sorry!  But until I can visit them in Las Vegas, I have to rely on my daughter to update me with pictures, which she usually does with her camera. A few of those pictures made their way into an 8x8 storybook I made about the two sisters, A Sister is a Forever Friend.  I didn't have to use them, but they told a little story, and they were the best pictures I had (the only pictures) of their first Trick-or-Treat together.

This is one unhappy little bee!  Her costume itched and she wanted OUT! 

Mommy hugged her, Daddy made her smile, and she became a happy bee-girl! 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm glad Allie shared the moment with me--she's actually better about sending these spontaneous moments to me than I was about mailing a second set of developed prints to MY parents, back in the day.  

The convenience of phone cameras is a real boon, but I'm sure you can relate to my frustration at the lack of clarity in some multimedia messages.

Allie captured her 6-month old looking fantastical in her elephant costume, and I'm grateful she thought to send it, too.  These memories mean the world to me! (For some reason, this phone-photo came out sharper--my guess is that everyone was sitting still for the shot, and the photographer had more time to utilize recommended distance and light.) 

 
Facebook thumbnails pose the same kind of problem--When you download a thumbnail, it won't be at the same resolution your camera took the picture at.  When you make a digital project using a thumbnail, the image will be blurry unless you can keep it small for your project.  The "Sisters" book contains some shots lifted from Facebook, and you can see that they're grainy.  Specifically, this family pose, when they were just three:

Kept  tiny, it's clear, but I knew that my mom, if not others, would need to see a larger view in the book. 

 

 

I'm pretty sure I made the wrong decision about using this picture.  I probably could have been more diligent about obtaining good pictures from Allie.  My excuse is that I was under an end-of-the-year deadline, but procrastination could be a whole other post!

 

LESSONS LEARNED

• Cell-phone photos don't provide professional-quality pictures, particularly for digital projects, but we still love them if they're the only record we have of a moment.
• Facebook thumbnails need to be used as small images in digital projects.  They would work as small charms or framed in tiny frames, such as page 1 of this wedding album template.
• Original photos are the best.  Original photographs uploaded to Heritage Makers free online photo storage can be downloaded at their original resolution.  That's not the case with all online photo storage.  You'll find that valuable when you want to print or send a stored photo, or make your first Heritage Makers online project!  Why don't you sign up for a free account today? 

What's your experience with online photo storage and cell phone pictures?  I'm not experienced with Blackberries or iPhones.  Do they take/send better photos than what I'm used to?  Are there other companies that offer high resolution photo storage?

What's your favorite cell-phone photo?

Do share! (Click on Comments at the end of this post to upgrade MY knowledge base, or share your own cell phone/Facebook-photo moments!)

 

P + S is best! ~Donna

 

 

Comments

[Tracy]

Very interesting topics, Donna! I agree, original photos are the best for pretty much everything. I never really use the photo function on cell phone, as I prefer to just use my camera, which I have with me all the time anyway. I've not had experience with Blackberry either... Hopefully someone will leave a comment here with feedback on that! Happy Weekend :o) ((HUGS))

[Donna Raagas]

My kids havecameras, but its just so much more convenientfor that generation to catch a memory spontaneously with their phones! And now that Ive said that, I have to admit that I snapped a double rainbow the other day with my phone, because I didnt have my camera! (Of course, I was disappointed in the result.)

[JoLyn]

I rarely take cell phone photos, since I try to have my camera with me. But there have been a few times my kids take photos with their phones where I wish they had a better one! I have taken some photos off their facebook pages, but as you say, haven't been able to use them. I need to get the originals!

[Donna Raagas]

We need to get our kids to email their original digital photos to us, or make a cd for us, or upload to a photo sharing site that saves pictures at their original resolution--maybe I'll start a Facebook fan page called "Kids, send us camera photos"--you've got me thinking...