Digital Scrapbook Tips

We Have A Winner!

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:26:28 +0000

Congratulations to Shannon who is the winner of the Madison Photobook! Thanks to all that entered and Shannon, a representative from Picaboo will be contacting you about how to get your prize!

Congrats!

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Win a Madison Photo Book from Picaboo!

admin — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 02:31:03 +0000

This is the time of year that people love to make photo gifts. Even if you don’t get one done for a gift, it is fun to make an annual yearbook with all the fun memories of the year that has just ended. No matter what reason you create the book, wouldn’t it be great if you could get it professionally printed on high quality paper. Now, I am not talking about just any photo book, but the Madison Photo Book from Picaboo. This book is just a step above the rest.

Here are a few details about the Madison Photo Book:

The Madison is a truly special book for capturing precious memories. Heavyweight, archival quality lay-flat pages are ideal for highlighting panoramic shots, and the paper’s pearl finish sheen coating adds a luminous glow to your photos. The elegant custom cover features a photo of your choice under a protective laminate, and a full-grain glove leather wrap around the spine and back cover is available in five colors: black, brown, coffee, red and pink. The book’s dimensions are 8.5×11”. It comes with 20 pages, but can include a maximum of 90.

Isn’t that a great looking book? One lucky reader will win this 20 page book – which is a $99.99 value I might add! What I want you to do is post a comment on this post about why you should win this book. Make sure you include your email address so I can contact the winner. The contest will run until December 11 - so you only have a few days to leave your comment!

If you don’t win the book, you can still get great deals from Picaboo. They are a great place to get your holiday cards and gift books printed. In fact, you can save 30% on any Classic photo book or Calendar order until December 30th. Use code HOLIDAY30.

Great deal right?

So leave your comment and get your photos ready to put into this fabulous book! Just a note, the winner will be sent a coupon for the book. This coupon is good for one 20 page Madison photo book in any style. It does not cover additional pages over 20 or applicable shipping costs. The coupon will expire on 1/31/11.

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Christmas Is Around The Corner – Have You Got Gifts Ready?

admin — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:22:31 +0000

Wow – can you believe that the holiday season is upon us again! Where did the year go? It is time to start thinking about what you want to give as gifts to your family and friends this year. Homemade gifts are great, but so are gift baskets full of scrapbooking supplies, memory cards for cameras, darling scrapbooks for them to fill with their favorite pictures during the coming year. The point is, you don’t have to make an elaborate photo book or calendar to give the gift of memory making. If the person you are giving a gift to loves to scrapbook – indulge their habit with a gift certificate to their favorite online store or give them an album to complete during the year.

Here are a few ideas for giving the gift of memories – whether it is a completed project or the supplies to make their own!

This is a gift that I gave to my in-laws last Christmas. It was my daughter’s idea to make a photo family tree for them. So, she took care of collecting all the family pictures and I created the digital background. The end result turned out great! We printed it 16×20 so they could really see the faces in the pictures well. I had a lot of people really like the idea, so I decided to sell the background. You can buy it at www.ndisb.com and it is only $2. For $2 you get the complete background that you can just add your photos to and print. If you want to choose your own background, or want more creative freedom – the png format of just the tree is included as well.

Of course a family tree isn’t the only thing you can create for holiday gift giving. Now is the perfect time to get busy creating photo books and calendars! We covered the basics of digital photo books in this post so you can go back and check it out. Grandparents love to look at pictures of their grandkids all year long so a photo calendar is a perfect gift. You can go to sites such as Tiny Prints or Shutterfly and use their templates to create a calendar, or use a fun calendar kit from your favorite digital scrapbook store and create your own.

Do you have a scrapbooker in the family? Whether they scrapbook digitally or traditionally, all scrapbookers love a scrapbook gift! Here are some fun gifts for the scrapper in your family:

Traditional Scrapbookers:

Scrapbook Albums – What scrapbooker doesn’t love albums? There are so many cute albums to choose from – and of course you can never have too many!
Embellishments! -Embellishements make the page! We have all created a page just to use the cute embellishments we have on hand. Come on, you know you have!
Scrabook Storage – If your going to have all the gear, you need a place to store it right? Well, scrapbook storage can get a bit expensive, that is why scrappers love to get this kind of stuff as a gift. There is no guilt involved!

Gifts for traditional scrapbookers can be put in a cute basket or bag and presented in a fun way. But what about digital scrapbookers? How to you wrap up a virtual gift? Well, first of all, there are many gifts you can give a digi scrapper that they can hold in their hand! Here are a few:

Scrapbook Software – How can someone digi scrap without software? There are many different scrapbook programs on the market, but everyone has their preference so make sure you check with the person (or their husband) before you buy a program they might not like!
Flash Drive – These mini storage devices have dropped so much in price the last few years it makes it far easier to give them as a gift. Digi scrappers love the convenience of a small storage device, they can take them along to crops or just carry them in their purse ‘just in case’.
External Hard Drive – While we are talking storage, and external hard drive is a must have for anyone who uses a computer. But a vital must for digi scrappers. The rule is – back up, back up, and back up again! With an external hard drive you can have an extra copy of all your photos and scrapbook pages just in case.

Wow – that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fun gifts for Christmas. Just remember – grandparents LOVE photos – so make a photo book or calendar for them. For your scrapping friends and family, give them a fun scrapbook gift that they will use and love!

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Huge Sale at Polka Dot Potato – Save 60%!

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:26:23 +0000

One of my favorite scrapbook sites is closing their digital art store. Polka Dot Potato has long been one of the premier digital scrapbook stores. But now they are shifting gears and focusing on their great print service – they print the BEST 12×12 prints ever, and they are priced right! In addition, they have some business to business ventures, plus graphic and web design. Boy! They are going to be busy!

So, even though we are so sad to see Polka Dot Potato close their digital scrapbook store, there are great savings to be had by all! Now through August 25, you can save 60% on your order, with a minimum purchase of $10. Plus, if you spend over $100 you will save an ADDITIONAL 15%! Incredible savings on incredible art! Click on the graphic below to enter the store and fill your cart!

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Picture Memory DVD’s

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:56:00 +0000

Have you ever met a kid who doesn’t like to watch their favorite movie? It might be Toy Story or The Little Mermaid, but when they are watching it they are so absorbed by the story. It is fun to watch kids enjoy their favorite movies – and it is even more fun to watch movies that have them as the star! Put in a video of when they were babies or the latest trip to Disneyland and they get so excited! It is better than Toy Story – and that is pretty good!

DVD’s are a great way to share and view memories. One great way to enjoy those memories is to get a Picture Memory DVD made of the big (or small) events in your life. You may have seen videos like this at a wedding reception – you know where they show photos of the bride and groom from birth on up to the wedding day? These videos are not only fun and entertaining for those who are waiting in line, but they are a treasured keepsake for the happy couple and their parents.

However, keepsake DVD’s are not limited to big events like weddings. Why not have a special DVD made for your child’s first birthday or your father’s 80th? What about a collection of pictures and videos from the latest soccer season and then hand them out to the team? You could have a fun ‘end of the year’ DVD made for your child’s school teacher or a cousins DVD for grandparents.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless! If you are looking for someone to create a DVD for you, look no further than Kylee’s Picture Memory DVD’s. Her prices are excellent and the quality is excellent. She will help you create the perfect memory for your favorite people! Head on over to her blog for contact information, and start thinking of the next memory you are going to create!

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The Potato Bar is Open!

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 12:40:19 +0000

It is time once again for the fabulous Potato Bar at Polka Dot Potato! For those of you who have not experienced the bar, you can get fabulous scrapbook kits, templates, and more for only .99 cents! There are some great products available and you can’t beat the price. The bar only comes around a few times a year and it is one of the best times to stock up on quality digital scrapbook products.

The Potato Bar is operating a little differently this time. All the designers were given color swatches to work with and as a result you have coordinating products. The products are grouped under certain categories and the products you buy in the same category will go together. This way you can mix and match and come up with a great variety of papers and elements! The categories are: Bunny Hop, Rainy Days, Spring Fever, & Tulip Garden. There is also the ‘Buy the Bar’ option. This is where you can buy all of a designers Potato Bar products for a 25% discount. I tell you, there are great deals all around during the Potato Bar!

Here is the official Potato Bar ad:

Once the bar is closed these products will go away forever – well, maybe not forever but they won’t be this price ever again! By the way, if you are new to digi scrapping this is a perfect opportunity to build up your supply of digi products and get a feel for the different designers. If you are a veteran scrapper, here is your chance to try out some of the new designers at Polka Dot Potato – one of the best digital scrapbook stores around!

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Create an Annual Yearbook

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:05:05 +0000

I have a friend who is really on top of picture taking and scrapbooking. Every year she takes pictures of family parties, events and general everyday living then she puts it all together in a book at the end of the year. Okay, so this just sounds like the scrapbooking we all do right? Well, she takes it a step further and makes it more like family history keeping! She creates a spiral bound, 8.5 x 11 book for every member of her family. In this book there are several pages for each family member and their pursuits throughout the year. She also includes family vacations, get togethers and just fun stuff. I have to tell you that this friend is the party queen and she hosts fabulous event parties for Easter, Mother’s Day, etc. She includes the invitations and pictures of these events. Is there any better way to remember the year and create a wonderful history for posterity at the same time?

Here are some tips to create your own yearbook. First of all – take lots of pictures! You can’t have a quality yearbook unless you have great photos to put in it. Don’t just take pictures of the stuff you think is important. Take pictures of everyday events – Mom cooking dinner, Dad mowing the lawn, the family playing the Wii. It is the everyday events that make memories and these things will endear you to your future posterity. Think about it, isn’t it the stories of everyday life that you enjoy most about your ancestors? Make sure you take notes and record the who, what, why, where, etc. No one likes to look though a scrapbook and play guess who!

Next, to avoid an overwhelming task at the end of the year scrap the pages throughout the year. If you stay on top of it, you will remember the details of the events and you will have less stress at the end of the year. You will just need to print, bind and wrap! A ready made gift that you have created with love all year long.

When printing your book you can rely on professional printers to create a beautifully bound book. Or you can print it yourself using a high quality printer (I like HP Photosmart printers, but everyone has their favorites!). Make sure you use good quality paper like the Epson Double Sided Photo Paper. This paper is high quality, shows the colors brilliantly, and since it is matte you won’t have a glare.

NOTE – Anything you print with an inkjet printer is not waterproof so if it gets wet you will get smears. To prevent this, put your pages in sheet protectors or treat it with Preserve-It Digital Photo & Paper Protectant. This is a spray that will create a water and fade proof barrier on your inkjet printed photos. Just to test, I printed scrapbook page on the Epson paper and then sprayed them with Preserve-It. I then ran the page under a faucet and it didn’t run or smear. Of course you would never put a photo under running water, but I was a skeptic so I had to test it!

Start now to create a wonderful keepsake for your family and friends. Not only will you be giving them a wonderful gift of memories, you will be creating an invaluable history of your family.

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It’s A Brand New Year!

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:28:39 +0000

Here it is, a brand new year. Have you made your resolutions yet? It seems we like to start the year resolving to eat better, exercise more, and be budget wise. But what are your scrapbook goals? Now, don’t laugh – I am serious! Do you have any scrapbook goals for 2010?

If you haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions that have the word ‘scrapbook’ in them, let me help you. The number one thing you should resolve to do this year is take more pictures!. Keep a small camera with you all the time, because you never know when the perfect shot will happen. There are wonderful compact cameras on the market that take excellent photos. So even though you might prefer to take pictures with your ‘nice’ camera, you will find that having a purse camera is very handy!

Next, get the pictures off the camera! So now that you have taken all these great photos, where are they? If you are like a lot of people they are still sitting on your memory card – in the camera. Upload the photos to your computer and then back them up. It is a good idea to have at least to back up copies of your photos and scrapbook pages. You never know when you might have hard drive failure.

Make a scrapbook plan. Set a goal for scrapbooking so many times per month, or finishing so many pages. Make it a realistic goal that you will be able to attain – we want success, not failure! One idea for the new year is to create a ‘year in review’ book. Start now and take photos and create a layout each month. At the end of the year you have a fun book that has all the highlights of the previous month. This type of book makes a great gift for grandparents too!

Make a photo book. Another fun gift for almost anyone is a professionally bound photo book. These books become treasured keepsakes and look wonderful – just like something you would pick up at a bookstore, but it is all about your family! Learn how to make a photo book today!

Print your pages. As you finish your layouts – print them! Everyone loves to flip through a scrapbook and relive memories. Sure, you can look at the layouts on your computers, but having them in a book you can hold is wonderful. Polka Dot Potato does wonderful scrapbook printing, any size including 12×12. Their prices are great and the quality is fabulous!

Sit down and write your scrapbook goals for the coming year. When you get to next December you will be glad you did!

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Digital Photo Books

admin — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:51:23 +0000

It is that time of year again, the sights, the smells, and the shopping! It is so exciting when you find the perfect gift for someone – you know when you have it. You can’t wait until they open it because you just know they are going to love it! But what do you get that person who has everything? How about a digital photo book? These are great to give grandparents because they LOVE to show off their grandkids!

Here are some ideas to create the best photo book gift. If you want to drop photos into a pre-made template and have it bound into a book, you can visit one of the many different online printing services like Tiny Prints. If you order a book through them by December 10 you get free shipping. Online photo printing services offer lots of options for your book – different sizes, page styles, etc. You can create a personal photo book very easily. Many online sites also allow you to upload scrapbook pages you have created and print them into a book.

Another idea is to create a fun book of the years events by using quick pages. Quick pages allow you to put your photos into pre-made scrapbook pages. These pages are darling and so easy to use. This is one of my favorites:
This quick page is created using the Adorable Leonardo – Quick Pages by Nandinha Menezes. This quick page set includes 10 8×8 quick pages and is available at Polka Dot Potato.

You can also use scrapbook pages you have created throughout the year and print them as 8×8 pages instead of 12×12. You can print your own with great results! I print my 8×8 pages on my HP Photosmart Printer with fabulous results! you will want to print on a good quality matte paper. I use Epson Matte Photo Paper (I buy it in bulk!). You will get a velvety smooth print with vibrant color. I like using matte paper when I am putting the pages in sheet protectors, I guess I don’t want a double does of gloss! Plus, I really like the way photos look after being printed on the Epson Matte paper – gorgeous!

If you want to make sure the ink doesn’t run, spray your print with Krylon Preserve-It Digital Photo & Paper Protectant when the print is dry. I gave this spray the test – after spraying a page and letting the spray dry, I ran it under water just to see if the ink would run. It passed! The page stayed perfectly printed – of course I wouldn’t recommend running your scrapbook pages under a faucet, but at least you know your prints will be safe from water drops! The Krylon Preserve-It spray comes in a matte finish or a gloss finish. This spray is good for protecting all your inkjet printed photos!

There are many different options for creating digital photo books for gifts. What is most important is you are giving a gift you created yourself – that is far better than anything you can buy at the store!

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Freebie Alert!

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:31:55 +0000

Grab a FREEBIE Here!

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Taking The Best Pictures for Photo Christmas Cards

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:29:17 +0000

Remember the old days when you would just pick up a box of greeting card at the store, sign them and send them off to faraway family and friends. Maybe you included a picture of two, maybe not. Well, because of our great digital cameras, we now have modern Christmas cards as well! You just take your pictures and then upload them to a photo printing site. In just a few days you will have fun holiday photo cards to send to everyone you know.

But what makes a good picture for holiday cards? You may want a holiday or winter background – something that just screams “holiday magic, snowmen, & fun!”. Or maybe a traditional family group shot, with everyone perfectly posed. It is your choice, because it is your family photo card!

Here are a few tips for getting a great picture for your card:

Prepare! If you are taking your own family photo, spend some time at the location. You should get a feel for the lighting – what direction does the light come from, do you need a flash, where are the shadows.
Use your flash! Even in a sunny or bright location you may need a flash to brighten faces that may be shadowed. Use a flash diffuser to soften the light from the flash. You can make your own diffuser by placing a piece of tissue secured with a rubber band over a pop-up flash. Or tape a piece of tissue to the flash on a point and shoot camera. You will find you like the lighting better if you use a diffused flash.
Don’t expect perfection. Taking group shots is hard, it is almost impossible to get everyone looking the right direction, smiling at the right time, etc. Allow yourself to relax! Pictures don’t have to be perfectly posed, and everyone in their Sunday best to have a great photo! I love this photo for that reason. This photo shows family love – look how much these kids love being together and hamming it up for the camera. This might not be the setting you would choose for a holiday card, but it really shows their personalities!
Put your self in the picture! How many pictures do you have of everyone else in the family – but not you? Use the self timer on your camera (most cameras have them), or invest in a remote shutter cable. Remember the WHOLE family – not just the kids!

With a little bit of planning and a little less worry about perfection, you can create the perfect modern Christmas cards to send to all your faraway friends and family. And of course you will need to save some to scrapbook!

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Freebie Alert!

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:33:24 +0000

Time for another FREEBIE! Click here to find it.

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Photoshop or Elements – which is for you?

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:04:34 +0000

If you ask anyone in the graphic design or professional photography field, they will tell you that Photoshop is the best photo editing and graphics program on the market. True, it is a fantastic product with a wide range of capabilities. But, these are people that use it every day. What about the average user who wants a program for digital scrapbooking that also helps them get the most out of their digital photos?

While Photoshop is the industry standard for professionals, it has features and capabilities that will never be used by the casual user. So why spend hundreds of dollars on a program that has features you won’t need or use?

Announcing Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8. Complete photo and video editing made easy. Buy now.

Let’s take a look at Photoshop’s little sister – Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements and Photoshop are both made by Adobe. They have similar interfaces and both are capable of photo editing and graphics work.

When deciding which program to buy, you need to look at how it will be used – and how often. Most consumers want a program that will allow them to edit their digital photos – remove red eye, adjust color tone, etc. They also want a program to use for digital scrapbooking or digital card making. While both programs will do these things, Elements is a user friendly program that is easy to learn and use.

One of the major differences in the two products is price. Photoshop retails at around $650, while Photoshop Elements is priced at $99. This makes Elements much more attractive to the average consumer.

Save $30 on NEW Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8 Bundle with mail-in rebate

Adobe designed Elements to have all the Photoshop tools that the average user would need. It is named Elements because that is what it has – the core elements of Photoshop. Some people mistakenly thing that Elements is a ‘dumbed down’ version of Photoshop. This is simply not true. Elements is a product with a different focus than Photoshop. There are many online tutorials and forums that are dedicated to learning both Photoshop and Elements.

In the end, it is really a matter of choice and budget. Both programs will give you everything you need for photo editing and digital scrapbooks and cards. So, which will it be – Photoshop or Elements?

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Bonus Freebie!

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:13:44 +0000

This is a little quick page freebie I offered on my other blog a while back. So if you already grabbed it from there, sorry. But for all you new followers – enjoy this Trick or Treat QP!

Enjoy your Halloween photos!

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Journaling – This is a Must!

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:39:09 +0000

How many of us have looked at scrapbooks from the past and wondered who was in the photo and what were they doing? Why was Aunt Sally at Cape Cod in 1952? Did she know someone there? How long did she visit? Was there a wedding or event, that may have had printed invitations? When we scrapbook we need to answer the who, what, where, & why’s of the future.

Who will end up with your scrapbooks in the future? You are preserving memories not only for your immediate family, but for your posterity as well. By being descriptive in your journaling you are creating a history that will endear you to future generations.

Tell the story behind the pictures. Where are you and why are you there? Why is Uncle Bob laughing so hard? Even if the story doesn’t seem interesting, it tells who you are. I cherish my grandmothers journal even though there is only one sentence per page. It tells of her everyday life and brings a human element that I can relate to now that I am a wife and mother.
Journaling doesn’t need photos. Did a funny thing happen on your vacation that you don’t have photos for? Included that story in your journaling! You will remember the fun when you read it. There doesn’t need to be a photo for everything. Take a photo of grandpa and then journal stories about his childhood.
Be creative! Don’t just put dates and names in a line under the photo. Journal around the photo or in a creative shape! Just make sure your writing is easy to read.
Use fun fonts – but sparingly! There are a lot of fun fonts available and they are great for titles and some captions. But make sure your journaling is in an easy to read font. We want people to be able to enjoy the story – not be frustrated because they can’t read it!

Did you know you can have your own handwriting made into a font? You can do your journaling on the computer but still in your own handwriting! Many online digital scrapbook stores offer this service so check it out.

Scrapbooking is a great way to preserve our family memories and stories for our posterity. By journaling we let them know what kind of people we were and what we enjoyed. Don’t sugar coat it – show who you really are. Your future family will love you no matter what. Now get journaling!

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Hybrid Scrapbooking – What the Heck is That?

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:41:20 +0000

We have heard of hybrid cars, hybrid plants, even hybrid animals. But what the heck is Hybrid Scrapbooking? Well you have traditional paper scrapping and digital scrapping – hybrid scrapbooking is a combination of the two!

If you paper scrap, you might already be doing some hybrid scrapbooking without even realizing it! When you use your computer to create any part of your layout – journaling, photo resizing, etc., you are making your layout hybrid. You are using technology and traditional scrapping together. Don’t you love the results?

In a hybrid layout pick what you want to create digitally and what you will create with paper. You could make a great photo collage in a photo editing program, print it on photo paper and put it on your paper layout. Add fun elements and journaling for a complete page that comes together easily!

You can create an entire digital layout, print it and add real ribbon for dimension. Add ticket stubs or maps from vacations and events. Reprint a digital page and cut out certain elements, the adhere them to the first page using pop dots for added interest!

Both traditional scrapbook stores and digital stores are starting to cater more to the hybrid scrapbooker. Many online digital stores carry templates that are special made for the fun chipboard albums that are on the market. You know the ones, they are shaped like words, brackets, etc. Polka Dot Potato carries quite a few that are made to fit the SEI Word Books.

Chipboard albums are a fun way to use hybrid scrapbooking. You can create the entire layout online using a template or quick page. Then add ribbons and other fibers to tie it all together. Add a few traditional elements to your pages and you have an awesome book to give as a gift or keep for yourself!

Hybrid scrapbooking embraces the best of traditional and digital scrapbooking. So, if you just can’t give up playing with paper give hybrid scrapping a try. Have fun and get creating!

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Another FREEBIE!

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:48:37 +0000

Another fun FREEBIE – and a 60% off sale!

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Trick or Treat – Great Halloween Pictures

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:33:43 +0000

No matter how they are dressed, little kids never look scary – just adorable! Capture the moment and the memory by taking great photos of your little ghouls, superheros and princesses! By following a few simple tips, your Halloween photos will be the best you have ever taken!

Digital Photography Classes Available Online At VideoProfessor.com

In my last post, I talked about Jack-o-Lantern photos and many of the things I pointed out there apply for trick or treat shots as well. Lighting, setting, etc., will all make a good Halloween photo a creepy stunner!

Lighting – like I said before, Halloween is supposed to be dark and scary. So you don’t want brilliantly lit photos. Adjust your lighting (and aperture if you can) to make the photos dramatic! Use the glow of a fire or the setting sun for some great silhouette photos. Photograph your child looking into their Jack-o-Lantern, this will add a spooky glow to their face!
Perspective – Don’t take pictures of children from your perspective, get down on your knees and shoot at their level. For even more drama, lay on the ground and shoot up. They will seem larger than life and that much scarier! Get up on a chair or ladder and shoot down from a greater height than just standing for great group shots.
Tell the story – take photos of the process of getting ready to go trick or treating. Putting on the costume, make-up, etc. Make sure you include photos of pumpkin carving as well!
Shoot the loot! Trick or treating is all about the treat! So make sure you get photos of the loot as well. Take photos of your child going to a door and getting the treat – it is fun to include the person giving the treat, or at least a hand holding out the basket of treats! Take photos of your child with their candy spread out for all to see (before they get a chance to eat it!).
Watch the flash – if you do use your flash, make sure you are aware of any reflection off shiny surfaces like windows, etc. You may need to move around to avoid flash reflection.

Create the Perfect Holiday Card. Buy any Adobe Elements 8 product & enjoy a $20 gift from Shutterfly. Offer ends 11/09/09.

After Halloween, have your fun photos made into cards to send to far away family and friends. Share your memories – that is what it is all about!

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Trick or Treat – Tips for Jack-O-Lantern Photos!

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:44:01 +0000

The scary night is almost upon us. The night when frightening creatures roam the neighborhood looking for treats and threatening tricks! It is also the night when kids look so absolutely darling you just have to take some pictures of them! But what makes the perfect Halloween photo?

Create the Perfect Holiday Card. Buy any Adobe Elements 8 product & enjoy a $20 gift from Shutterfly. Offer ends 11/09/09.

Anyone can pick up a camera and take some pictures of kids in costume or the jack o lantern. But with a few tips and tricks you can take your Halloween photos to the next level!

Jack-o-Lanterns: After all the time you spend picking out the perfect pumpkin and then carving it into a scary creature – you want a picture that does it justice, right? It only takes a few little tricks to create the perfect Jack-o-Lantern photo:

: Image via Wikipedia

Flash? – You don’t want to use your flash when taking a photo of a lit jack-o-lantern. You want the lighting to be dramatic and almost scary! So use indirect lighting like candles or a fire in the fireplace to give it a creepy, flickery look.
Add light from the inside! Make sure your pumpkin’s features really show up by putting at least 3 candles inside. This will create a great glow that will really stand out in photos!
Shoot at dusk – If you want pictures of your jack-o-lanterns outside, take the pictures at dusk before the sun has really set. The sky will be a dark purple that will vamp up the spook effect! Plus, you will have more light for your photo.
Setting – don’t take your photos in the same location every year. Switch it up! Put your Jack-o-Lantern next to a bare shrub or a wooden fence. NOTE: Make sure you use artificial light in your Jack-o-Lantern when shooting around leaves, wood, etc.
Use a tripod – any time you are shooting in low light, you should always use a tripod. Use the self timer or a remote shutter for wiggle free shots.
Adjust your aperture – If you have a DSLR, make sure you increase your aperture to let more light into the lens (larger aperture=smaller f stop number). If you don’t have a DSLR, use an automatic setting like ‘sunset’. If you don’t have automatic settings, just make sure you use a tripod and turn off the flash!

It is fun to have great Halloween photos to enjoy later. Next time – cute trick or treat photos!

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FREEBIE ALERT!!!

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:54 +0000

Click here to find a great freebie!

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Why Digital Scrapbooking?

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:08:21 +0000

There are a lot of people who wonder why someone would choose digital scrapbooking over traditional paper scrapping. I think there are several reasons, two of them are it is inexpensive and it is so easy!

COST

When you paper scrap, each layout can cost anywhere from $3 on up depending on what you put into it. I know you can do minimal embellishments and bring the cost of the layout down, but do you really want to cut things out? The cost of paper scrapping is going up and up, with just a single 12×12 sheet of colored cardstock costing close to $1!

With digital scrapbooking you can get a high quality full size kit for around $3 to $5! For less than the cost of one paper layout, you can create multiple, stunning layouts with one digital kit! Since you can reuse digital kits over and over, you can make a fun brag book or mini gift album that has the same theme throughout. What a great inexpensive gift!

Your major expense with digital scrapbooking is your software. There are many different programs to choose from. I will talk more on programs later.

EASY TO DO

Digital scrapbooking is very easy to learn and fun to do! You can resize pictures right on you layouts to fit where you need them – no more getting out the ruler and cropping! It is great to be able to see your layout on the screen and move things around as you wish.

It is much faster to scrap digitally. Setting up your supplies is just a matter of turning on your computer! When you need to take a break, you can save your layout and come back later. Everything will be ready to go again when you return.

It is great not to have to worry about kids getting into your supplies or running out of something. I am sure we have all been scrapping late at night and needed a certain color paper or the perfect accent, right? With digital scrapping all your supplies are right on your computer and if you need something you can always find it on the internet where digital scrapbook stores are open 24/7!

In my opinion, digital scrapbooking is the way of the future. Join in the fun – you will be glad you did!

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Why do you Scrapbook?

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:27:59 +0000

If you asked a roomful of scrapbookers (at a crop of course!) why they scrapbook, you would get a wide variety of answers. To preserve memories, for a creative outlet, for their family, to make gifts, etc. What ever the reason, scrapbooking is here to stay!

Years ago a scrapbook was a large book with construction paper pages (or those magnetic sheets!). In this book, people would use rubber cement to paste photos, cards, etc., to keep them safe. But did the albums really keep these items safe? I am sure we have all come across a book like this only to find the photos either falling out of the book or stuck in so good you have to cut them out!

Now these early scrapbookers had good intentions and we are lucky to have these books. They just didn’t have the right tools then. But they still recognized the need to keep photos and memories for future generations.

The ‘scrapbook revolution’ started in the late 80′s to early 90′s. The scrapbook industry was taking off and the best ways to preserve pictures was the big thing. Everything because acid free and safe fro scrapbooking. Some scrapbookers even wore gloves as they worked to avoid transferring acids and oils from their skin to photos.

Now, scrapbooking has taken another turn as technology is playing a bigger part in our lives. Scrapbooking digitally is easy and fun, and the number of people digiscrapping is growing every day. Almost everyone owns a digital camera these days and it is so easy to take the photos straight from the camera right into a program that allows you to create beautiful scrapbook layouts. No more waiting for the film to be developed and then digging out your paper scrapping supplies. You can make a great digi layout in no time!

Whatever your reason for scrapbooking, you have many options for creating layouts. If you really love playing with paper – you can still use digital scrapbooking in your paper layouts. Hybrid scrapbook pages are a great way to combine digital & paper scrapping. I will cover hybrid layouts in a future post.

Digital scrapbooking is here to stay. It is fun, easy to do, and very inexpensive! Try it out – you will fall in love with Digital Scrapbooking!