Great nature photo ops in spring.

In my last entry I wrote about spring arriving. IMO some of the most beautiful flowers and birds arrive in the spring. This is perhaps the best season for wonderful photo opportunities when the grass, trees and wildlife are refreshed. Here are some tips for better flower photos.

1. Take pictures in the early morning when the light is soft. It's a great time to find dew on petals too...an added benefit. Dew droplets add interest to a photo, especially if you can catch a reflection in the dew drop.

2. Use a macro lens on your SLR or a macro setting on your point-and-shoot camera. Move in close. You'll be amazed at what you see through the lens.

3. Use a low aperture (2.8-4-5.6-8) to blur the background and remove distractions from the star of the show...the flower.

4. Look for locations that have interesting color combinations. This can include a variety of flower colors as well as what's attracted to the plants. A monarch butterfly on purple flowers is striking. A bright green grasshopper on an orange lily is stunning.

5. Use a variety of angles. You can shoot the same flower from below, above, and from each side and have a variety of designs to choose from, as your favorite.

6. A lens hood or piece of cardboard extending 1-3 inches from the camera, above the lens or to the side, depending on the camera's position to the sun, will block the sun's glare and prevent a visual flare or obstruction in the photo.

7. If planning on shooting near water or glass, a polarizing filter will reduce the reflection of the sun or glare.


http://www.funfotos.com/

Just add seasoning

Today it's sunny and 45 degrees. What a contrast compared to 3 weeks ago. It isn't uncommon for our area to get a storm with several inches of snow, shortly after groundhog day. I remember this because, whatever the groundhog predicted, I would hear comments from friends and neighbors and TV meteorologists about how the groundhog was correct or way off in his prediction, depending on how he had ruled a few days earlier. This year, considering he saw his shadow and therefore folklore says we would have six more weeks of bad weather, the rodent was applauded, though begrudgingly, for calling it right.

Here in Indiana we got 3 storms in less than a week. Each storm brought several inches of snow. By the end of that week we had about 18" of snow on the ground. Some areas drifted with some high winds that came in a couple days later, making the snow banks 2-3 feet high. Temperatures have been below normal for this time of year and would not rise above freezing, so the snow has just been sitting here for weeks.

Today, snow on flat ground has melted away. Only the silos of snow, where it was pitched with a shovel, remain. For the first time in many weeks, we see more soil, brown grass, sidewalks and parking lot black tops, than we do of the white blanket. A few bright green caps of crocus, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are just starting to emerge above ground.

I don't intend to sound as though I'm complaining about winter. I've always thought the phrase...it's been a long winter...is a dumb comment to make. Living in Indiana and the upper-Midwest we can expect cold temperatures and the possibility of ice, snow, freezing rain or a mixture, anytime between late October through April. The calendar is pretty much the same each year with four seasons that usually begin and end about the same time every year. So, how can a winter season be longer than the last one or the winter of 5 years ago?

No, what they actually mean is...they've had enough of the cold weather & precipitation that accompanies winter. They have had enough of shoveling, hazardous roads & slower driving and heating bills. They are anxious for more sun, lighter weight coats or jackets, and no impaired routes to work or play.

No, don't read this as a complaint. But, an observation. While I can't say I look forward to winter each year, I don't mind it. It is a season that brings a dramatic, temporary change to our lifestyle & environment. It brings variety to life for several weeks each year.

And then spring.

Preserving old photos

From time to time we create photo sculptures with copies of old photos. The cutout seen here is an example of a beautiful hand-colored photo. These were the early "color photos". A black & white photo was taken and printed and then the photographer or a specialist in hand coloring would apply, with various tools, the dye that would create light, usually pastel, colors.

This copy of an old photo is probably my favorite that we have received from a variety of customers. The image itself is striking and telling. Look at how the couple is dressed, their hairstyles...the touch of pastel coloring. In addition, I was very impressed with how vibrant the photo was. The customer said the photo had not been enhanced or manipulated in recent years. It was in perfect, original condition. The photo had obviously been stored correctly and safely and the benefits are enormous.

Old photos should not be thrown into a box and put in the attic or basement. The extreme temperatures and humidity there will be a quick death for the images. The best thing to do would be to scan the images and place on a CD. On a CD, the images will last for over 80 years.

However, if you have a lot of old photos, perhaps carried down from generation to generation, transferring to CD can be a time consuming project, put-off until one finds time. (which may never come?) There are companies that will scan and transfer the images to CD for you, but that can be expensive and risky and somewhat time consuming, as well. You would still have to take the time to gather and organize the photos to be handed over to the person/company doing the scanning & transferring. What if they lose or misplace your photos? This actually happened to a friend of mine. She not only was angry with the company for losing the photos before they were copied, but was extremely saddened that these photos/images were lost, never to be found or replaced...or seen again.

Until you have the time to transfer to CD here are some important tips to sustain the images on old photos.

---The ultimate place to store photos is in a safe deposit box at your bank. Those areas are usually climate controlled. The dry and dark conditions of the box is ideal. This may not be practical for some people, so store the photos where it is comfortable for you, in the living quarters of your home where it is air conditioned in the summer and heated in winter. No attics or basements! Best conditions are under 70° F, with the relative humidity under 50%.

---Photos will last a lot longer if printed on acid free paper, also known as archival paper. If printing yourself, you can find acid free paper at most retail outlets that sell photo printing paper. If getting prints/copies from a photographer, you can also request that the photos be printed on archival paper. Acid-free/archival paper is more expensive than normal printing paper...but remember, it comes with an insurance policy.

---Before placing photos in storage, remove any paper clips, tape, rubber bands and fingerprints. All usually contain acid/oils that are harmful to photos. Use containers/boxes that are acid free or archival. Safe plastics include polyester, mylar, polypropylene, polyethylene, and tyvek. These are available at camera/photography stores and some photography departments in general merchandise stores.

---Photo albums can be used for storage, but again, seek out acid-free papers and notebooks made from archival board. Or you can buy clear plastic pages made from polypropylene and insert the photos. Do not use vinyl pages or notebooks. They emit harmful vapors and shorten the life of photos.

---Color inks, those used in color photos, are quicker to fade or shift (discolor) due to acid content. Old black & white photos were printed with inks which contain silver, a more permanent component. (that's why most old b&w photos placed in albums or boxes retain their image after decades!) So, it is an option that you can "save" colored photos by having them transformed into black & white.

There are other things we can cover at a later date but the tips above are the most important in preserving your memories.

What was old, is new again.

Just this week we completed an order of eight 4x6 cutouts of a very old photo. This image must be 50-60 years old. The image is of two boys, probably around 12-14 years old, going at one another with boxing gloves. According to the granddaughter, who placed the order, this is a legendary photo in their family, about which, many stories, or tall tales, have been told.

While this image has seen better days, the cutouts will live on for many years to come. The cutouts will help preserve this image and the memories attached to it. What a great idea for this family. Perhaps these cutouts will be used as family heirlooms.

These old images/photos are not the easiest to cut, especially those that have become damaged or have deteriorated from age. In my next post, I'll discuss ways to help preserve your old photos. I'll include a photo of an excellent example of an old photo that has been stored correctly, preserving its original hand-coloring. It is a beautiful treasure.

A fresher 2010?

I haven't done well in recent years in keeping this blog fresh. I know it's best to make an entry every day. But, that won't happen with me and this blog. But, I'm going to try to update it at least once a week.

I hope 2010 will be an improved year for our economy. While our business was down a little last year, the decline didn't hit this business until about mid-year. So, the decline quite possibly wasn't as bad due to the timing. In other words, the end-of-year figures included pre-recession sales, which helped to bump the entire year's sales. If a full year (I hope not) of recession sales is seen, it will probably not be as good, and we'll see even more of a decline than last year.

To give you an idea of how an industry will affect another. Fun Fotos works with both retail and commercial customers. In our biz, our commercial accounts are professional photographers and camera stores etc. Our orders from them have been down, because their business is down. Since we have received fewer orders, we have used less material in creating our photo sculptures and have shipped fewer orders. So, what is affecting us has also affected our acrylic distributor and the U.S. Post Office. What a web we weave in both good economies and bad.

I heard yesterday an opinion that the recovery will be slow...slower than industry/business, Washington, politicians, and people/families having a rough time of it, need.The opinion was that substantial improvement wouldn't be seen until 2011. It only makes sense. We didn't get in this hole overnight, it will take time to dig out of it. But, the longer this goes on, I expect there will be more businesses/industry, that are just barely holding on now, that will have to throw in the towel. Putting more people out of work, throwing their mortage into jeopardy, which will be more losses for banks, which will add to them wanting to take-on less risk in loans & mortages etc...and the cycle continues.

I think we need somebody big with Wall Street, banking, and/or industry to step up to the plate and do something dynamic that will show others that they are willing to take a chance with a project related to their field to provide jobs, incomes, homes etc. The results will spread to other areas & people and would be the gift that could keep on giving. We need less greed...& "what's in it for me" and more of...doing the right thing for others, everyone.

A busy year for Fun Fotos, creators of 3-D photo sculptures!

To review 2006...we had our best year ever. We saw increases, not only in total sales, but also in the number of customers and number of items created. We shipped photo sculptures to every state in the union and even did our first international shipment.

We have seen growth in our customer base each year since kicking off Fun Fotos on the
web in 2001. This year we saw tremendous growth.

I think more and more prospective customers are seeing our photo sculptures and
discovering the quality of our cutouts, popouts, "Go Crazy" sculptures, exclusive wedding & anniversary photo sculptures, as well as, the magnets, ornaments, key rings and pins that are personalized with their pictures. Very unique...very personalized...very well done.

We'd like to thank our customers for entrusting us with their photo figure projects and guarantee only the best craftsmanship, quality and value in 2007 and beyond.

We salute our 2006 customers...some of which we highlight below...

"I wanted to let you know that I am so pleased as to how the photo sculpture turned out!

I will definately use your company again!" C. Chavez

"We were very pleased with your product. We ordered it to be part of a set of photo sculptures that have been done over the years through other companies and yours was by far the highest quality piece." E. Durkin

"I received the sculptures today and they are exquisite. I can't thank you enough for all the hard work you put into my orders. You have made this a special holiday for me and my family with these treasures." L. Wilhelm

"I received the sculptures...they arrived in great shape and look absolutely beautiful...thank you so much for doing such a great job.I will keep you in mind whenever I need a unique, beautiful gift." K. Trzcinski

lab prints vs computer prints

I thought I would comment on this blog about a topic I haven't seen covered or explained in any public venue. Since we use photos in our business in creating photo sculptures we explain this issue to prospective customers and they always seem in the dark about it. It's the issue of durability and longevity of computer generated photos.

We strongly recommend when customers provide us with a photo that it be
a lab print...one that is produced in a professional lab as opposed to computer generated. Don't let the term "lab print" scare you. Just about any place that processes film can also make a "lab print".

But, few people actually ask for lab prints...printed the old fashioned traditional way. They aren't aware of the difference and the durability and longevity issues associated with computer prints. And unfortunately, I don't know of any retail outlet that clarifies how the prints you receive were produced or the risks involved with computer generated photos.

It seems the "Average Joe" looks at the convenience and speed of computer generated photos and they don't think about the quality until weeks or months later (if that long!) when they see the picture fading or change color or sustain permanent damage.

With computer generated photos the image is printed on the surface of the paper. You get a photo and you get it quick but the photo is at risk of damage because that image is at the surface. More prone to scratches, fingerprints, color fading from UV rays and especially moisture damage. Just a drop of water or any liquid will ruin the photo, leaving a permanent white spot where the ink has been washed away.

With lab prints the image is imbedded in the emulsion of the paper...into the grain. Therefore, not as susceptible to damage. All photos, if not kept from some environmental hazards like sunlight, chemicals, sharp objects etc. can sustain damage with time. But, if taken care of properly, lab prints will last for many years to come. If they get wet, simply let them dry untouched and they will usually be okay.

On our website we explain the differences and when a customer is wanting the speed and convenience of sending us an image via e-mail that we print by computer, we explain it again. To reduce or curb damage we apply a protective sealant to the photos we print by computer. The sealant repels moisture, reduces scratch & fingerprint risks and eliminates UV damage risk. It's the best protection that can be applied, and works well with our process, that we've found.

It adds an expense (that we absorb) and a step/time to our process of creating photo sculptures, but we think it's the right thing to do considering people are spending money for us to make something very personalized for them...often times with a photo that is very sentimental, emotional and important to them.

For more information you can check-out this informational page at our website...
http://www.funfotos.com/faq.html