Fun Photo Gifts
December 30, 2009
Are you looking for a Photo Gift that is different? I was shopping for a present for my Mother-in-Law, when I remembered that she had said that she does not have pictures of my sons. Since she lives in another state, I email her pictures to keep up with my sons’ lives. She is not the type of person to print the pictures or upload them to a photo site. I thought a photo gift that shows my sons’ past year would be an excellent idea. I came across a variety of gifts that are fun and useful at the same time.
Home and Office
Looking for a photo gift that is portable? You do not have to settle for a commuter mug; create a skin for a cell phone, camera, PDA, MP3 player, or laptop. This is one way to personalize your electronic device. The stationary department has a large selection to choose from, expand your mind from the photo holiday cards. Use personalized note cards, postcards, stamps, stickers, note pads and notebooks with your favorite photos. Do you want to give a gift that will help organize the office? Purchase a clipboard, desk organizer, clock or mouse pad that has the photo of your choice incorporated in the design. Placemats, trivets, aprons, serving trays, coasters and cutting boards with photos make perfect gifts for people who love to entertain in their home. Blankets, digital photo frames, plaques, photo posters, and photos on canvas are a wonderful way to decorate your home.
Personal Gifts
Ladies always enjoy receiving jewelry; make hers extra special with a photo displayed in the jewelry. Your favorite photos can be placed on t-shirts, boxers, ties and scarves ready to be given as a gift to be remembered. Photo puzzles and playing cards are fabulous gifts for all ages to receive. Most young children enjoy seeing themselves in pictures or their names mentioned in stories. Imagine their delight when there is a whole book with their picture as the main character. This will quickly become their favorite book and one you will treasure for years to come. Are pets a considerable part of the family? You can personalize their collar, leash or food bowl with a picture of themselves or you.
Several of the gifts I mentioned below allow for multiple pictures to be placed on the gift. Some offer the ability for your picture to be placed in a tile design, so the same picture is displayed multiple times on the gift. Since there are so many items that your photos can be placed on, you should have no trouble finding a very personalized gift for everyone on your list.
Top Tips for Buying a Digital SLR Camera
December 29, 2009
What style of photographer are you? When you come up with the answer it help determine what you are looking for in a camera. If you would like to have more control over your pictures, then a buying a digital SLR camera is right for you. D-SLR stands for digital single lens reflex it uses a mirror behind the lens to direct the light to the viewfinder when you are taking pictures. Now that you have decided to buy a d-SLR camera, what do you need to consider when comparing cameras?
Features
Digital SLR cameras have a variety of features to offer, but you do not have to have a camera with all the features to have fabulous pictures. One item you hear a lot about is mega pixel. Mega pixels are the amount of data captured by the camera’s sensor; this does not measure the quality of the picture. Image quality needs to be addressed when discussing mega pixels, because the larger number of mega pixels does not always mean it is better. Most digital cameras will produce the quality and sharpness that the general public would be satisfied with when printing the most common size photos. Do you plan to take action or sports photos? You will want to take continuous shots so look into how many frames per seconds. The greater the number of frames per second the more pictures you will able to take in a small amount of time. Make sure the camera or the lens have image stabilization to help prevent blurry pictures from what is called camera shakes. In low light situations your lens is open longer to capture more light, this allows more time for the camera to be moved causing blurred pictures. Some cameras now offer the ability to shoot video; I personally would not use this option, so this would not be a determining influence in my purchase. I would review the software included with my camera for editing photos.
Regardless of how you answered the above questions, one tip still remains stick to your budget. Your budget needs to take into account the camera body, lens, batteries, memory card, camera bag, and if your budget allows a tripod. Depending on how you will use your camera, an extra set of batteries could come in handy since digital cameras drain batteries. Make sure the camera fits nicely in your hand and the buttons are easy for you to navigate. If you are uncomfortable with your camera, the less likely you will use it.
Great American Baby Photo Contest
December 23, 2009
Do you have the cutest baby in America? Now is your chance to find out on the Great American Baby Photo Contest website. This is a fun, free way to share your baby’s picture or to look at other cute babies in America. The website launched in 2006 by a father who loves taking pictures of his two girls. In the spirit of friendly competition contestants are voted on by the public which has logged into the website. The contestant with the most votes will win $2,500.00.
How to Enter
So you are ready to show America that your baby is the cutest? First you need to create an account so you can log into the website. You will need to confirm your email address to have an account. The website states that this is to help prevent fraud in the voting process. The account is free and you need one if you are entering the contest or even to vote. Once you are log in you can upload up to 6 photos of your child but remember each photo is voted on separately. Your child must be between the ages of 0-48 months old to qualify for the contest. Only the parent or legal guardian who is over the age of 18 can submit photos of the child. The contest administrators do review each photo before allowing it to be posted for viewing. You must own the photo or have the rights to use the photo. The photo cannot be altered or you will be disqualified. Once your photo is approved, they will post your photo as a finalist for the month. You can a link to email family and friends that you have entered the contest so they can vote. A voter must be over the age of 18, a US resident and in a state that is allowed by law. Each contest is one month long as long as they receive 2,500 entries. If they do not receive enough entries they will roll those pictures into the next month’s contest but everyone’s prior votes are deleted for the new contest. You can vote once a day for your favorite photo. Are you wondering how they can afford to give away $2,500 per contest? They have sponsors that offer the money for the contest in exchange for advertising on the website. You are under no obligation to complete the offers by these companies. If there is a tie the prize money will be split among the winners.
Make sure to check out this contest and all the rules. This is an easy way to enter your child in a beauty contest without all the fuss.
Archival Photo Storage Supplies
December 16, 2009
No matter what your photo storage needs, they can be met with the numerous kinds of archival photo storage supplies. There are storage systems for those who want to use boxes, albums, scrapbooks, or hang your pictures like file folders. There is a national standard for having a product be deemed archival safe. The American National Standards have given the recommendations on film and print storage.
Photo Boxes
Photo storage boxes come in a variety of sizes. Will you be storing your photos permanently in boxes or do you need a place to store them temporarily until you can store them differently? Do you need a place to store unfinished scrapbook pages without them getting messed up? Look into scrapbook size photo boxes. The photo storage boxes allow you to file your photos in a variety of manner, so they can be easily customized to your personal taste.
Albums and Scrapbooks
You can still have your photos in an album without have to scrapbook them. The album should not be the magnetic page style if you want your albums preserved for future generations. The adhesive on the pages will lead to yellowing and premature aging of the photos. You can make your own album placing archival grade pages in a three style binder that is archival grade. Scrapbooking is a fun way to tell the story of your photos. You will need storage for your photos that you are not currently using in the theme of your scrapbook. When shopping for scrapbook supplies make sure that they do mention that they are archival safe. True quality scrapbook supplies will be archival safe.
File Folders
You can put your photos in archive quality folders that can hang in your filing cabinet. Wondering where you should put all those negatives that you have floating around? There are specifically designed archive quality folders to store them, where they can be enjoyed for years to come. You can place slides you might have in these types of file folders.
Some exciting things have come out of the mass public is looking to store their photos long term. The scrapbooking world has become so large to accommodate all their fans. The supplies have come down in price. They are also offering more colors to match your décor. The supplies are easier to find and
there are more supplies to choose. Now that the general public knows how to preserve their photos, we just need to remember to identify the people in the pictures.
Cool Photo Gifts
December 13, 2009
Giving the perfect gift is such a satisfying feeling. Can you imagine the feeling you will receive when they are opening up the cool photo gifts? Now that most people have gone digital, giving a photo gift is easier than ever. There are so many cool items that you can have a photo placed on. It does not matter who you are shopping for you can find something for everyone.
Gifts for Her
By giving her a purse or tote with brag pockets, she can switch the photos she is displaying as often as she wants. Photos can be turned in 3D sculptures; can be life size or small enough to stick on the fridge. Looking for something in the sparkling line up, give her jewelry with her favorite people incorporated in the design. You can find different styles of earrings, watches, bracelets and necklaces.
Gifts for Him
Dress up his desk by giving him a pen set or business card holder with a photo of a loved one. Do you have a basketball fan in your live? Have the backboard of a mini basketball set decorated with his favorite picture. A dart board customized with a photo is a excellent way to relieve stress. You can place his photo on the cover of a magazine and have the cover tailored to him.
Gifts for the Kids
Every kid likes to hear about themselves, they can be a star in their own book. You can have their picture or pictures of individual family members included in the book. Paper dolls are on a whole new level when the child’s picture helps create the doll. Jigsaw puzzles are a lot of fun for all ages and now you can take a favorite picture turned into a jigsaw puzzle. Another toy item the Rubik’s cube, you can accommodate six pictures on the cube.
For the Home
Need a space heater but would love something that can go with your decor a little better? You can have a photo turned into a heater. The photo is framed with an electric heating unit behind it. A little light shows that the heater is turned on. Have a favorite photo turned into bedding, pillows or even a dog bed. Need a hostess gift? Customize a bottle of wine that you select and then have photo placed on the label you can design. You can customize a wine cooler or other pieces of furniture with a photo of your choice. Do you ever feel that people walk all over you? Now your friends can literally walk all over you when you put your photo on a door mat.
Photo gifts are extremely personalized and very hard to forget who gave you the present. Take the time to have fun with photo and the gift you choose. Your gift will be enjoyed for years to come.
Unique Engraved Photo Gifts
November 30, 2009
Are you looking for the perfect gift? No matter the gift giving occasion, an engraved photo gift, creates the personal touch you are looking for. Once you start shopping for your gift, you will have a variety of items you can engrave.
Gift Items
Some of the materials you can engrave are wood, marble, granite, acrylic, crystal and even jewelry. A picture frame can be engraved to enhance the picture you want to put inside. Receiving a photo engraved on a plaque is a lovely gift but letting your imagination take over can create a distinctive gift. Your gift will become a family heirloom whether it is celebrating an occasion or person or a memorial in remembrance of a loved one. Photo gifts do not have to be thought of as woman’s gifts. There are plenty of items that a man can receive.
Men’s gift ideas
The men in your life can enjoy pictures engraved on items such as dog tags, “whiskey” flasks, lighters, key chains and even paperweights. You can have bar ware engraved or have his favorite car picture engraved into a sign.
Women’s gift ideas
Women can receive photos engraved on jewelry, key chains, luminaries, shadow boxes, and picture frames. Capture a particular occasion, such as a wedding memory, with an engraved photo album or DVD/CD case. The photo album cover is engraved and comes with empty photo pages ready to be filled. The photo album and DVD/CD cases that I have seen are made of wood with the engraving on one side.
When engraving you need to keep a few things in mind when picking out the photo and the gift you want to use. It primarily depends on the picture you select. The higher the resolution of the photo, the better the engraving you can receive. You also want to make sure you have contrast in the picture. If your subject blends in with the background then details will be lost in the engraving process. Engraving is accomplished by a laser removing layers of the engraving surface. The laser can be set to a variety of resolutions based of the quality of the original photograph. Most websites state that they can have your gift ready in about a week after you submit the picture you want engraved.
The person that receives this gift will know you took the time to create this gift just for them. Engraving is a way to make sure that your gift will not be forgotten.
Preserving Your Photographs
November 28, 2009
Many of you have asked me if I have any ideas as a child photographer for organizing and preserving a large number of photographs. This is part 1 of a 2 part blog on that subject for you. The first part is about printed pictures, and next weekend we will discuss digital photography archival storage.
All Photographs Deteriorate Over Time
As you all know everything involving photography deteriorates over time, and it will do so more rapidly depending upon the storage methods and devices that you use. Therefore, you have to make some individual determination of just what pictures are important enough to preserve for future generations, and then learn how to do that safely.
Leather Photo Albums
Most Plastic And Paper Destroy Photographs
Many kinds of plastic and paper actually eat and destroy your photographs chemically. In addition, sunlight and moisture will take their toll on your pictures, too. Therefore, you should choose acid free archival storage materials for your photographs whenever you can find them.
Start With Archival Leather Shoeboxes
Leather Shoe Boxes For Photographs
You should start with the normal 4 X 6 inch pictures and put them into archival leather shoeboxes. These shoeboxes can also be made of paper provided they are archival safe. Archival safe means the material that these items are made of is the same materials that museums use to preserve important documents and papers.
Make Copies Of Your Best Photos
From the pictures stored in these archival shoeboxes, choose some of your best pictures to have copies made to put into regular sized archival photo albums with archival safe photo pages. Then, for some of the very special ones, have them printed as 8 X 12 inch pictures and put them into archival safe oversize albums (also with archival safe oversize photo pages).
Oversize Photo Albums
Put Special Photographs In Archival Safe Picture Frames
If the pictures are so very nice that they could be displayed on the walls in your home, have those enlargements made and put into picture frames of various sizes. You will need to use archival safe materials here as well if there is any matting involved in framing these pictures. Sometimes it is a good idea to have button backs made for your frames so that you can easily change your pictures.
Archival Picture Frames
Avoid Direct Sunlight Where You Display Your Photographs
Display your precious pictures on the walls which are not directly exposed to sunlight, because over time sunlight will bleach your pictures out. Or, you can have an extra copy made of the picture and keep it in your archival safe photo album. Do remember, that moisture and humidity are also enemies of your photos. You should store your pictures where you live, and not in your basement or attic.
How Can You Protect Against Fire?
What about a fire in your home? Most people feel that other than their loved ones, who are most important, the only other things they would miss in case of a fire are their photographs. However, if you get copies of your favorite pictures into the hands of other people, you will always be able to see them again.
Betty Muscott, Child Photographer
Photo Safe Storage Boxes
November 11, 2009
Now that you have taken the time to print your pictures, where are you going to keep them? Photo safe storage boxes are the simple and perfect solution. Photo storage boxes not only can hold large quantities of pictures but do it in a quick, an organized manner.
Quality Does Matter
Since you invested time and money into printing out your pictures, you should take the time to buy quality storage boxes. These boxes do not have to be expensive but remember this is an investment. Photo storage cases that are designed to preserve your photos for years to come can fall into two main categories, archival storage boxes and acid free storage boxes. Archival storage boxes are built very durable with a very tight fitting lid. These boxes are designed to hold your photos for a long time by protecting them from light, pollution and other harmful items. Archival storage boxes are usually treated so that they neutralize any acid that the photo might come into contact with in the box. Acid free storage boxes are like the name states, the materials they are made from are free from acid. Acid free storage boxes might not have the same barriers that archival storage boxes but will protect your photos for years to come. For paper to be considered acid free, the acidity of the paper should be 7 or higher on the pH scale. Either of these boxes will not protect your photos as well if you store certain kinds of items with your photos. Paper and photo negatives are two items that should not be stored with your photos. Photos should not be stored in manila envelopes, shoe boxes, file photos or plastic baggies. Make sure the storage boxes are acid free, lignin and PVC free. All of these will ruin your photos, you will not see it over night, but they will cause your photos to deteriorate.
Size
Archival and acid free boxes come in different sizes. You need to consider what size pictures you are storing. You should be able to find boxes that will hold small 3×5 photos, medium size photos on up to much larger photos. You also need to consider if you will be storing any pictures that are mounted and or matted. These added features will increase your picture size, and you might need to purchase a larger box.
After you go out and purchase your storage boxes, chip away at those photos that you have stored in a temporary home or still in the computer. Design your filing system to fit your need, whether it is by months or occasions. This way you have made sure that you will have these memories to share with generations to come.
Create Colorful Photo Calendar Gifts
October 27, 2009
Do you want to recapture the past year’s highlights? When you create a photo calendar gift you can share your family’s highlights with the ones you love. Are you afraid that you are not crafty enough or have the time to dedicate to a project? Do not worry merchandisers have something to offer for everyone.
Upload to a website
Type in ‘where can I create a photo calendar’ in your search engine you are over whelmed with the number of responses. The different websites allow you to upload your own photos to arrange your own personal calendar. Most can be created with three basic steps. First, pick the theme and style of the calendar you want. Some websites let you choose wall, desk, poster or magnet calendars. The second step would be to upload the photos you will use in the design. Depending on the design of your calendar, and the website, you can put up to four pictures in the design for one month. At certain websites, you can also personalize the important days of the month by placing a picture in that space. You can create a more personalized calendar by placing a caption in for that month. The third step is to preview and finalize your calendar. Once the calendar or calendars have been printed they will be shipped to your door. Pricing and shipping vary; make sure to check out several different websites that you trust.
Do-it-yourself blank calendars
If you go into most mass retailers, you can find the blank do-it-yourself wall calendars. There are even websites that offer this option. Some of the larger wall calendars have a 12 x 12 blank space that need to be filled every month. This gives you the option of creating a scrapbook page design for each month or you could simply place more than one picture in that layout. Yes, a scrapbook page design can be time consuming but it does not have to be hard. You can now purchase scrapbook kits, sold separately, that have everything you need to design pages. Scrapbook pages definitely personalize each picture and demonstrate that you spent time on the present. After the year is done, the recipient can place the scrapbook pages into an album to keep for years to come.
No matter which route you go, family and friends will have a memorable gift from you. The best part of giving a photo gift is the memories. Every month you will able to remember a special part of your family’s life.
Lens For the Canon Rebel Camera Series
October 7, 2009
With over 60 lenses for the Canon Rebel Camera series, it is difficult to know where to start. Canon currently offers 27 lenses with Optical Imaging stabilization. The Canon EOS digital SLR cameras do not provide Image Stabilization in the camera itself. Optical Imaging stabilization is a prominent feature in preventing what is commonly known as camera shakes. While Canon does provide professional Image Stabilization lenses ranging in thousands of dollars, rest assured that there is quality IS lenses that are affordable to the general public. The lenses in this article are just a few of the Image Stabilizing lenses that Canon offers. The Image Stabilizing lenses are designed to work with Canon EOS series.
EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens
The EF-S 55-250mm lens is an affordable, lightweight lens that is an excellent choice as your first or second lens for the amateur or beginning photographer. This telephoto lens is an excellent everyday lens which allows you to take pictures from a distance. This lens offers the ability to take portraits from a standard distance or for sports and wildlife with the zoom. For the retail price of around $200, this lens has beaten the expectation around the photography world.
EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
The EF-S 18-135mm lens is one of the newest lenses to the Canon line up. This lens has a retail release date of September 2009. The lens is a wide-angle zoom lens with telephoto abilities. Depending on the subject of your picture, you can use this lens for a wide-angle landscape, daytime sports, and everyday pictures. Light enough to carry around every day, it weighs about one pound. The suggested retail price of this lens is $500.
EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens
The EF-S 17-85mm lens is another easy walk around everyday use lens. Canon has a suggested retail price for the lens of $600. This wide-angle lens offers a 5x zoom range making it ideal as an everyday walk around camera. The lens covers most of the focal lengths that are used in general photography without having to change the lenses. If you choose to hold your camera, rather than setting up a tripod this lens is worth further investigation.
All the lenses included in this article all are considered everyday walk around lens. The lenses have price points for the general consumer. These lenses are priced to be obtainable, so amateurs or beginning photographers can take their picture taking ability to the next level.
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