Archive for the ‘Photo Gifts and Projects’ Category
How to Photograph Artwork–Tips from a Pro
Document Your Artwork — Photo Tips from Lori McNee
In past posts, I showed you how to create an artist’s portfolio — a photo book displaying your art. 
A book that can be printed, e-mailed or posted to a Web site, blog, Facebook or Twitter. In those posts, artist Tom Eddington had his fine wood sculptures professionally photographed and the finished book is spectacular. In this post, artist and blogger Lori McNee explains how to photograph your own artwork to get optimal results for a professional-looking representation of your work.
How to Photograph Your Artwork the Easy Way! Part 1
Enjoy–and learn from– the mystery, promise and past conveyed in Katherine Westerhout’s urban photos
As I was checking my inbound tweets, 
I saw one about how truly amazing this woman’s photos are. Checked it out and totally agree. That’s why I’m sharing Katherine Westerhout’s gallery and perspective with you.
Study her use of light, how she frames her subjects and what you think makes each photo so special. Then try to apply those ideas to your own photos. Good artists study the great masters and learn from them; as amateur photographers, we can study the work of people like Ms. Westerhout and learn from her.
See what you think about her philosphy and her photos. Then send me a Tweet or Facebook comment to share your thoughts. Let’s share this photo find with more people!
Artist’s Statement — Katherine Westerhout
Closely related to the language of dreams, photography reveals reflections that informmy life. Through them I seek a richer view of the literal world, in a place of the moment, seen in expanded dimensions. Within abandoned buildings, I meet a vision of the psyche. An echo punctuates human absence; carried on the light is a harbinger…These buildings are full of mystery and promise, and the longer one lingers, the more embraced one feels by a presence beyond the prosaic, in a sweeping realm, conjoined and familiar.
About the Work
These photographs are a selection from an ongoing series of urban landscapes that focus on interior spaces of abandoned buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond; in 2003, the work included temple sites in South East Asia, and has now moved into other areas of this country, as I continue to photograph the abandoned cityscape of America.
Remember the Birthday Fun
Do you have tons of pictures you took at your child’s last birthday party?
Gather them up to put into a birthday photo book. Just upload them to lifephoto.com — you can set up your own birthday book photo folder there at no cost.
At $6.95 for a 20-page softcover 6″ x 4″ photo book, it’s easy to make one for each child’s birthday. And these books will be a memory that will last forever. Here are some of the options:
- 7 books sizes
- Hardcover or softcover
- 4 paper stock choices
- Lots of birthday backgrounds to use (or not)
- 2-4 photos will easily fit on a page
- Many photo arrangement choices
- Full flexibility for photo placement, captions and text
Fast, Easy and Inexpensive Photo Books for Every Birthday
Get started now and surprise your child. Better yet, send one to Grandma and Grandpa, too.
PHOTO SHARING NOTE: Don’t forget — you can share your birthday photo book and your digital photo album by e-mail, on Facebook, Twitter or a blog.
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Need a Housewarming Gift? Make a Personalized Guest Registry.
Someone will surely bring wine. Or a floral arrangement. 
Or a china platter. But you can bring a unique gift that the new home owners will treasure forever.
Make a personalized guest registry in which all the well-wishers can record their congratulations and useful advice for the new homeowners.
Photo Book Guest Register
Use photos of the house, moving day, family members helping with the move or painting the rooms. Take photos of the yard, the front door, the picket fence. Have fun with your photos and everyone will have fun signing the book and reliving the memories. Choose register style as well as background (or not) for your photos and register pages. It’s fast and easy. A housewarming guest register makes a memorable gift!
Military Wife and Children Sent a Memorable Photo Book to Their Hero
We’ve had quite a few Valentine photo books come in that were made for deployed 
military men and women. Every one is unique and beautiful; each reflects that family’s personality. But one stood out and I really want to share it with you.
It was made by the wife of a deployed military sergeant in the Airborne division — a paratrooper. His wife and young children put a wonderful photo book together. They used a flag graphic for the cover and titled the book “To Our Hero With Love.”
To Our Hero with Love
Inside they included fun photos, photos of dad with cartoons and funny messages superimposed, and scans of the children’s Valentine art. It’s fun. Creative. And very touching. I think you’ll enjoy viewing it, too. Here’s the full book in Lifephoto’s preview mode. Maybe it will inspire you to make a special photo book for someone you know who’s serving in the military!
This Soldier Will Almost Feel That Kiss on His Cheek!
Here is yet another terrific Valentine photo book created by a military
spouse back home. Pictures of dad with the kids and more pictures of the moments he missed with his wife and children. This military Valentine ends with a special message from home.
Still Time to Make a Military Photo Book — Get Coupon Code
All the information is contained in this past post. Get busy — the deadline to get a free print copy expires at midnight (CST) February 13, 2010. (Be sure to send me your e-mail address along with the previewer link.) But you can still e-mail your Valentine book (or post it on FB or Twitter or a blog) after that date!
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Free Valentine Photo Book for Military Families
Here’s another heartwarming photo book put together by a military wife — sending hugs for Valentine’s Day.
Lifephoto enables military families and sweethearts to make their own photo book online free and send it via e-mail, or post to Facebook or Twitter. When the link is also sent to me (tish@lifephoto.com), a coupon code for a free printed photo book ($12.95) will be sent back to them.
(Note: to get your coupon code, you must send the previewer link and your e-mail address to me. Deadline for sending link is midnight (CST) February 13, 2010.)
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Lifephoto helps deployed troops stay connected to military families back home.
In early January, Lifephoto.com put out the word that military spouses and 
families could make their own Valentine photo book online and send it at no cost to deployed soldiers. The responses has been wonderful.
The Valentine photo books, filled with photos from home and loving messages, can be sent via e-mail or even posted on Twitter or Facebook — fast and efficient ways to get those books of hugs to their military loved ones. Besides that, Lifephoto offered to print their Valentine photo books without cost. The free printing offer is valid until midnight (CST) February 13. See my previous post for details. But links to the photo books for e-mailing or social media posting will continue to be available at at no cost after that date.
NOTE– Your e-mail address needed. If you send me a preview book link to get the coupon code for the free printing, you must include your e-mail address so I can send it to you.
