Do It Yourself Kits

 

I get a kick out of sharing my photos with others.

So when birthdays or holidays roll around I find myself looking for ways to turn some of my photos into gifts.

And like most of you, I’m also on the lookout for ways to save money.

For both of these projects, the sets were 50% off making each an inexpensive way to make custom photo gifts.

---

For one project, I found a lovely coaster set. While this one is meant for the Christmas Holidays, there sets available for other occasions as well. These attractive coasters are made of glass.
Customizing the coaster set is simple. Each coaster has a opening for a 2″ x 3″ photograph. For this project, I collected photographs of four of our grandchildren and printed them to the 2″ x 3″ size.
Then it’s just a matter of trimming each photo and inserting it into the small photo mount on the back of the coaster. Here are their happy faces ready to greet someone who needs a coaster for their drink.
This set also includes a handy wooden holder that keeps the coasters organized when they’re not being used.
This coaster kit is made by Melannco. This company makes many other photo-related products including frames and photo storage cases. The original price was $14.95 but I purchased it for only $7.50.
Another popular photo gift item is a mousepad. Here’s one that’s ready for you to customize. This mousepad has openings for four different size photographs.
The sizes for each of these photos are indicated on the template (upper left corner) that is shipped with the package. Again, I collected four photographs of family members that when printed could be sized to fit onto the template.
Here I trimmed each of the photos and attached them to the template. You can attach the photo with an adhesive, but I chose to use a small piece of scotch tape.
When completed, the template slides into an opening on the back of the mousepad and beneath the clear, protective surface. And that’s all you need to do to customize this gift.
This mousepad kit is also made by Melannco. The original price was $9.95 but I purchased it for only $5.00.

 

---

Without a doubt, I’m happy with both the quality and cost of these photo gifts.

I purchased both of these kits at a local Kohls department store. I’ve seen similar kits made by other manufacturers for sale at Target, Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I’ve also seen them for sale online at Amazon.

 

To find out more about their products visit Melannco.

 

Please note that Stay Focused has no connection to Melannco.

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

---

Add Soft Lighting to your off-camera flash

The modern day external flash unit is a vital accessory for indoor portraits, still life, food shots and more.

Light that originates from a small source such as an external flash unit is harsher than light that originates from a larger source. To “soften” the lighting especially for portraits, photographers often use “modifiers” to alter the lighting to something more pleasing. Most of the modifiers work by spreading the light out over a larger area.

LumiQuest has been a well-known maker of modifiers for many years. Among their bestsellers is the Softbox III. When I was attending the WPPI Expo, Heidi one of LumiQuest’s principals gave me a quick demonstration of this lightweight device. I was so impressed that I ordered one when I returned home.

The concentrated light from the flash bounces inside the reflector of the Softbox III and passes through the translucent material covering its face. Instead of harsh light originating from the small flash head, a softer light originates from a much larger reflector.

Follow along as I show you how I’ve used the Softbox III to improve the lighting on some of my recent portraits.

When it’s disassembled, the Softbox III folds flat to a 8″ x 9″ size, making it convenient to take anywhere. As folded, it easily fits in the outer pocket of my camera bag so is always available when I’m carrying my external flash.

(more…)

Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Convention – Part 3

Last Wednesday was the last day of the WPPI Trade Show and I again walked the aisles to take it all in.

Most of the attendees are at WPPI to learn techniques that they can harness for their wedding and portrait photography businesses. To promote their products, companies provide floor demonstrations that show ways that their products are used.

---

For example over at Canon‘s booth, noted photographer Clay Blackmore was demonstrating how he uses Canon’s portable strobes for making portraits. Here he is shooting in this on-floor studio. His setup uses a softbox strobe and background strobe triggered by his on-camera flash and a pair of reflectors. His demo attracted many attendees who were interested in seeing the results of using simple equipment and techniques. His camera was equipped with a wireless transmitter which immediately sent the images which were displayed for the audience.

---

One of the largest group exhibitors were the photofinishers. The competition was less based on price and more based on selection and customer service. As you can see by the exhibits, there is a tremendous selection of size, finishes, variations and mountings. Albums, postcards, posters, t-shirts, more….
Pictage	Bayphoto
WHCC	Color Inc

---

Shootsac makes camera accessory bags that don’t look like camera accessory bags. Designed with the female photographer in mind, they’re both practical and fashionable. For more information contact Shootsac.

---

Triple Scoop Music is in the business of licensing music. They have a large library of more than 7000 songs. Photographers that want to use music for slideshows and/or videos can license any of these songs which can then be used royalty-free. Having licensed music in the past, I am convinced that having a single point of contact makes for a hassle-free way to add music to your productions. For more information contact Triple Scoop Music.

---

Having heard about Fuji‘s 3D camera, I stopped by their booth for a demo. The Fuji W3 camera is an advanced point-and-shoot with two lenses. When you snap a photo, the two images are combined to form a single “.mpo” file which you can immediately view on the specially designed 3-1/2″ LCD without using glasses. Plug your camera into a 3D television, pop on a set of glasses and you’ll see amazing 3D effect of this camera. Below is an example. When viewed, I was able to see the 3D effect of my outstretched hand. This stuff is cool. For more information see Fuji

---

As a frequent trade show goer, I’m sometimes blasé about walking up and down aisles. But this week, I could sense real excitement from both exhibitors and attendees. I too came away excited about the WPPI show.

This trade show is mainly about small businesses – photographers seeking the know-how to profit from their skills. They want to stay ready for the opportunities that arise as the economy recovers. I’m heartened to share the energy.

As an aside, I am a frequent visitor to the Las Vegas trade shows – 2 to 4 a year for the past 30 years. From my un-scientific measure, it’s been 4 years since I’ve seen Las Vegas as busy as this week. With concurrent conventions taking place the hotels, casinos and restaurants were filled. I’m hoping that this is a sign that things are looking up for economic growth all over.

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

---

« Older Posts — Newer Posts »