Mobile phone photography service attracts young people

After spending two hours at a coffee shop and having a friend take nearly 100 photos with her phone but not being satisfied, Kim Ngan decided to use a photophone service.

The first-year student in Can Tho was quoted 400,000 VND for a set of photos taken with a phone (photophone) in two different locations. "This price is reasonable because it is better to spend money than to make your friend struggle for a few hours without getting anything done," Ngan said.

At 6:30 a.m. one morning in early April, she prepared a bouquet of daisies and wore a dress to the meeting place. The photographer assisted with her makeup, looked at her face, and instructed her on how to pose. They moved through two coffee shops in Can Tho City and finished the shoot at 12 noon.

Ngan waited half a day and received 30 photos, including 15 edited in her favorite "muse" color.

"They tried to chat to make me comfortable and capture the most natural moments," Ngan said. "The photo colors are clear and the price is reasonable, so I'm very satisfied."

The female student believes that the photo set from the photophone service is of the same quality as the photos taken with a mechanical camera before. After the first set of photos, Ngan plans to post a series of different photos on Instagram.

Photophone is a service favored by young customers in big cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , and Can Tho. This type of photo rental by phone has become a trend since the end of 2023. A quick survey by VnExpress shows that there are currently 10-15 groups connecting photophone service providers with customers on social networking platforms. The groups are quite active, with an average of 8-10 discussion topics per day, mainly revolving around shooting techniques and finding workers to hire. The price of each photo set ranges from 250,000 - 500,000 VND, depending on the number of photos and shooting time.

Di Di takes photos for customers at a flower garden in Can Tho City, March 2024. Photo provided by the character

Hong Nhung, a photophone service provider in Ho Chi Minh City, said that for about half a year now, this service has suddenly become "hot" with the number of customers increasing by about 30% each month, mainly in the 19-35 age group.

"Everyone has a smartphone, but not everyone knows how to take pictures," Nhung said. "Customers are willing to pay to hire someone to take better pictures, get photos faster, and the price is only one-third of the price of a camera."

Di Di, 24, a photographer, said her clients’ main need is to post photos on social media like Instagram and Facebook. They often request simple styles, unfussy outfits, and locations like cafes, flower gardens or parks. Photos are edited using a phone app and sent to clients on the same day for VND300,000.

"Not everyone knows how to act in front of the phone, so I often choose the most suitable face angle for them and guide them in posing," Di said.

Hai Yen, 22, feels the same way, so for the past six months, she has been using photophone services regularly. Yen is a freelance model, so she often receives clothes from brands to promote. She admits that she is not good at photo composition, so she hires someone to take pictures of her clothes with her phone, aiming for clear, beautiful, and natural photos.

"Taking photos with a mechanical camera is nice but time-consuming and expensive," Yen said. "Although photos taken with a phone are not as sharp, they meet the need for quick, neat photos."

She spends 100,000 VND and receives 4-5 satisfactory photos, usually taken at a coffee shop or studio. Photophone photographers are usually not professional photographers, most are young people with a talent for photography and a keen sense of youth style.

Hong Nhung's clients during a photo shoot in Ho Chi Minh City, March 2024. Photo provided by the character

Mr. Nguyen Sam - director of the phone photography training center in Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City said the photophone trend appeared based on the "flexible, immediate and creative" needs of young people. Also because of the increasing demand, the number of students registering for phone photography courses increased by 50% compared to last year.

Phones are easier to use than cameras, and the level of investment in equipment is low, so the cost of a photo set is cheaper. At the same time, customers do not have to wait for a long post-production process from a professional photographer. However, photophone photographers need to have an artistic and technical "eye" to turn everyday moments into special ones.

“That’s why everyone has a phone but they want to hire someone else to take the picture,” said Sam. “Sometimes hiring a professional photographer makes them feel less comfortable than someone taking the picture with a phone.” He believes this trend will grow in the next few years.

Thanh Long, 21, said that beautifying his personal page with pictures was the reason he turned to photophone. The young man from Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City believes that the camera cluster in phones is getting higher and higher in quality, so he is not worried that photophone photos are not as good as professional cameras.

Long said the riverside location of Thu Duc City Park is becoming a hot spot for many people to take photos. He feels satisfied when spending a few hundred thousand but getting beautiful photos with standard composition, sparkling lights but the people's faces are still not dark.

"They really understand the phone's features to take a good photo," he said.

Source: https://vnexpress.net/dich-vu-chup-anh-bang-dien-thoai-hut-gioi-tre-4728799.html