Custom Large Format Photo Murals

One of the struggles of photography, or really any representational art form, is that there’s a limit to how faithfully a scene can be captured and recreated. The true magic of nature’s most beautiful, transformative experiences happens in real-time. And yet, we photographers, landscape artists, filmmakers, even writers and poets try with all of our passion and acquired skill to do justice to the gifts that nature presents. We want to share the moments, places and feelings that have defined our lives in hopes that you’ll feel some of the same awe and wonder that we experienced during the creation.

Thankfully, photography is getting better and better. Modern cameras and lenses are incredibly powerful tools which render detail, color and dynamic range with immense accuracy and capacity for interpretation. The computers and monitors on which we view and edit our images are also spectacularly good at showing every bit of resolution we have been able to capture on our devices.

But at the final stage, there are so many ways to lose impact as we resize and compress images to move them easily across digital networks, often to be displayed on a 4” phone screen as their final destination. Even when our images are printed, they’re often displayed at a fraction of their potential. 

In an effort to retain some of the grandeur that I’ve been fortunate to capture in my career, I usually have at least 1-2 very large prints on display in my gallery. These images are only constrained by the size of available materials, namely 48x96 sheets of museum acrylic and mat board. The photographs that I reproduce at this scale are generally composite images, created by shooting 12-24 individual frames of a given scene, and then combining the individual images to produce large-format images of spectacular resolution ranging from 100-500 Megapixels. You can view these pieces from across the room to get the full scene, but you can also get right up against the glass and pick out individual tree branches, ski tracks, humans, mountain goats and anything else hiding in these vast panoramic vistas.

But even these 8’ wide prints leave a lot of untapped potential on the table. These files have enough pixels to do so much more. Thankfully, we’ve found another way. Instead of filling picture frames, we’ve started filling walls and entire rooms. Working with an amazing supplier from Sweden, we’ve found a way to reproduce my largest images at a scale that gets as close to fully immersive experience as possible. 

Printed on individual 16” rolls, these large-format murals are installed like wallpaper, complete with the wheat-paste application and seam rollers. The result is nearly seamless and extremely true to the source image. This format is nearly infinitely scalable, meaning that if you’ve got a wall that you’d like to cover with one of my photographs, we can probably do it!

The process of ordering a Scott Rinckenberger photo mural is a custom experience where we work to create the perfect fit for your space and your passions. Here’s how it works:

1. You reach out to gallery@scottrinck.com with an inquiry. It ideally includes the height and width of the wall, a straight-on photograph of the wall in question, and any information you can share about what specific images or subject matter you’re interested in.
2. We take your measurements, reference photo(s) and specific image guidance and build a set of digital mockups which show how the art will appear on the wall in question. This is where we get to tinker with the particular image(s) to find the best layout, crop, composition, etc. to make sure the artwork fits perfectly.
3. Once we’ve all agreed on a specific image, we’ll invoice for a 50% deposit. If you’re local, we’ll attempt to make a site visit to double check all measurements and look for any other site considerations we’ll need to take into account during final file prep and installation.
4. We place the order with our supplier and wait 1-2 weeks while they do their magic. Once we have the artwork in-hand, we’ll schedule an installation appointment. 
5. Me and my team will show up with the artwork and all of the tools required for prep, installation and cleanup. We’ll spend anywhere between a few hours to a few days (depending on the complexity and size of the installation) getting your artwork installed to the highest standards possible. 
6. We all stand back and comment on how it REALLY changed the space and how it feels like you’re right there in the landscape. This is the best part.

We’ve created these murals for private homes, retail and commercial display, even for the US Forest Service. We’d love to create one for you. Holler with questions and let’s get creative together!