Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

Father's Day Photo Gift Idea PLUS a Printable Tag Freebie

I wanted to do something totally different this year for Father's Day for my hubby. Something that he could really treasure.

This is what I decided on:


A while back I had pinned this ...
{P.S. Don't you just LOVE Pinterest!?!}

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... and I thought it would be the perfect idea this year. It isn't expensive, but definitely makes an impact!

When I was browsing through the ads from the Sunday paper this week, I saw that Michael's had their picture frames on sale for 50% off {on select frames} PLUS there was an extra 20% off all picture frames coupon!! SCORE!!!

After dropping my little girl off at preschool this morning, my son and I made the trip out to Michael's {I say trip because it's about 20 minutes away} to check out their frames. Of course, the one I wanted was actually not on sale, but I was able to use my coupon still so it cost me less than $10!!


It holds 3-4x6" photos and can be wall mounted or displayed on a ledge. My intentions are for the hubster to take it to work and put it on his desk. Then... when it gets to be about 5:00pm he can remember what's waiting at home for him and hopefully not work too late! Sneaky!?!?! You betcha!! 

While I was there I TOTALLY took advantage of this deal and also bought these 3 frames {8x10 matted or 11x14 frame} in white. They are for a craft room project that I will be working on shortly! Yay!!! They WERE on sale PLUS with the coupon each frame cost me a total of about $4... yep... that's right... $4!!! 
Not bad, huh!??! 


A couple weeks ago a really good friend of mine {check out her photography here} took some photos of my kids to give to my Grandma for her 85th birthday!

I even made this cute banner -- that blew a little in the wind, but made for a cute picture none the less -- to create a photo card for her.


While we were there I had her take photos of my cuties with the letters "D" and "A" which I bought at Michael's -- LOVE that store!! 

Here are the 3 I chose to use for my picture frame:


These 3 ABSOLUTELY showed off the personalities of my kiddos!! My little guy is mischievous, but the cutest boy you will ever meet! My daughter is the sweetest thing, so prim and proper! BUT, when you put the two of them together, they definitely have their disagreements! While I had some cute "A" pictures of them looking cute and perfect... I had to choose this one.

I sent my photos to Costco, for a whopping $0.42 total... I know... I'm a BIG SPENDER!!! Gotta love Costco!!

While out picking up my princess from school, we stopped off at Costco to pick up pictures... and have a berry smoothie... YUMMY!!!

Then came home, slipped those pictures in the frame, and VOILA!


Tie it up with some cute baker's twine, add a fun tag, and it's done and ready to go! Now to think of a good place to hide it that my hubby won't see it until Sunday!!!!



I used my VersaMagic chalk ink to distress the edges of my tag a little bit and used matching bakers twine to give it some fun character!


Want your own copy of this cute tag!?! Well, today's your lucky day!


You can download your FREE PDF file here.

I created a couple different sizes {for 3", 2.5" and 2" punches}, plus the one I used where I layered my white circle on top of my stripes scallop. Just be sure to set your printer to the highest printing resolution. I printed mine on heavy weight 110 lb. card stock. 

All I ask is that you become a follower of my blog to download this file. Thanks so much!! 

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Shhh.... secrets to taking good pictures {with a point and shoot camera!}

I think I can speak for most of us when I say that we would do just about anything to get a DSLR camera like this one...


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However, at almost $1,000 or more it really isn't all that practical for a lot of us... myself included. I would LOVE to have a nifty camera like this one and take professional photos... but, as a stay at home mommy with a small business it isn't really practical. So, for those of you like me... this post is for YOU! 


Here is the camera I use for ALL of my photos:
It is a NIKON COOLPIX S8000. It has good zoom, a nice big digital screen on the back, a lense that allows for decent zoom. It's no DSLR, BUT it does allow me to control the brightness and vividness {is that  a real word?? I'm going with it anyway} of the photos as I take them. Most new digital point and shoot camera will allow you at least some flexibility in this area - kind of like a mini manual camera. 

My product photos use to look like these:


Not bad, but not great either. My recent product pictures look like these:



The camera hasn't changed, so what's the secret? Well, I am going to share my secrets with you. 
WHY? Photos are soooo important in the information age. If you are a small business owner {ie. Etsy, Big Cartel, etc.} you count on your pictures to sell your products! The picture{s} of your products draw customers in and keep them looking. 

1. Natural Light: Photo boxes are great - if you have the know how and the equipment. I tried that once, but it just didn't work {either operator or mechanical malfunction}. My pictures turned out yellow-y. NOT what I wanted. I have found through much photo taking that natural light is the best light.

Experiment in different locations and different times of the day. I have found that morning light is the best for me. I know professional photographers who will agree. If you want a crisp natural looking photo find the best location and time of day when you get the MOST light but be sure to avoid direct sunlight. It tends to washout your photos and colors are not as accurate. 

2. Background: Sure your dining table is clean and pretty, but is it really the best place to take your pictures? I have tried my dining table, the coffee table, a white sheet, fabric, and just about everything else. So, what works the best for me!!??? White foam poster board. Yep... that's it! It's bright white, firm so that you can place it anywhere you need. PLUS, it's cheap! When it starts to get little nicks in it or becomes a little dingy, just buy a new one and turn the old one into these great mini fabric bolts! 


I have also found {at least for my products} that a white background for pictures works the best. Once you determine your best light, take a couple of test pictures using different colors. Avoid textured backgrounds. It tends to confuse point and shoot camera's when they try and focus. You'll end up with a clear background and a fuzzy subject.. not good. 

3. Don't Photoshop: Some people do tons of Photoshop editing. I tend to shy away from it. Sometimes a photo needs a touch up, but if you are using natural light you shouldn't need to do much... if any. Instead, I use the mini manual settings on my camera {the brightness and vividness} to adjust my photos as I take them. If you didn't toss your manual when you bought your camera dig it out, dust it off, and learn how to use those functions. You'll be sooo happy that you did! 

4. Cropping: Point and shoot cameras can only zoom so much and stay in focus. That's where cropping becomes a h-u-g-e best friend! I take photos at whatever zoom allows me the best focus of the subject in my photo. Sometimes that means it's a very far off photo. 

If I can't get a picture as close to my subject as I would like {especially when I take pictures for tutorials} I use Photoshop software or sometimes even Microsoft Publisher {ya, I'm pretty sure I heard a huge groan from any of you photographers out there} to crop my photos to the size that I want them to be.  The resolution stays good for blogging or posting on your Etsy shop... though I wouldn't recommend it for enlarged photo printing. 

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I hope that you can find at least some of these tips helpful. If you are an Etsy seller one of the BIG things is pictures. The Etsy gurus say that the best way to improve your shop is to take better photos of your products. They recommend at least one close-up {use your cropping method if you need to}, one that shows your entire product, and others that show your product either in use or from different angles. Hopefully these tips will help you to take better photos not just for your small business, but for scrapbooking and life documenting! 

What other tips or tricks do you use to take better photographs!?! 

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I May Be Obsessed!!

With what? Project Life by Becky Higgins.


Click here to read more!
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Enhancing Digital Photos - Tutorial {Salt Lake City Temple Photo Downloads}


This is a great, simple idea for scrapbooking, blogging, home decorating... and more!

You don't need to have awesome photo editing software, however, if you do, you are ahead of the game!

I do mine in Microsoft Publisher because it is one of my favorite programs! Open your picture on a blank page. Add either a textbox or a headline to your page. Choose your font and type your message. Move your text on top of your photo. Change the color so that you are able to see all the letters through your picture!

To save, use the select tool and select your entire image (picture and text) then group them together. Right click and choose 'save as image' (or something similar depending on your program). Save your image.

The possibilities are endless!

I use it for my Project Life Books... it makes it easier to keep track of my journaling cards!



My cousin-in-law, Shillawna (from Shillawna Ruffner Photography) recently got back from a trip with her family to Salt Lake City, UT where she took some gorgeous pictures including one of the LDS Salt Lake City Temple. I used it to create this:



(this image is copyrighted and a watermark appears)

View available sizes for purchase here.

I have also added this photo as an alternative. 

(This image is copyrighted and a watermark appears.)

View available sizes for purchase here. 

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Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

I have obtained special rights from Shillawna Ruffner to be able to sell these prints. Buying the digital file you agree to print only one copy for yourself. Please respect photographers and do the right thing!

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