Studio 5 Contributor Sue Neal has tips to turn your own digital photos into creative and personal cards.
Digital photography has completely changed the way we take pictures. We now have the freedom to take as many photos as we like without worrying about the photo developing costs.
We can upload our photos to our computer and leisurely browse through them and pick the best one to print. Because of this we are becoming better photographers. We can be adventurous and creative. We’re not only taking pictures of people and places, but all those little details that can be so interesting; flowers, architecture, food, textures, movement etc…
{I took this photo at a turtle farm while on vacation in Cancun. The turtles were in these huge concrete pools. I was absolutely memorized. I must have taken hundreds of pictures. The sun was glinting off the water, the light was perfect and I knew, that surely, at least one of those pictures would be a keeper. I had no idea what I would do with it until I got a photo-card assignment with Paper Crafts Magazine. It began, for me a passion for photography and photo cards.}
Why not multi-purpose those photos and create beautiful, one-of-a-kind photo cards. If you don’t already have some photo-editing software, you can always download one of the many free programs available.
Visit this link to see the top 11 free photo editors for Windows. http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pixelbasedwin/tp/freephotoedw.htm
{We were driving through Montana on the way to Canada and decided to get off the highway and enjoy some back roads. Within minutes, I saw this stunning patch of red poppies. I made my husband stop the car (something is he quite used to!) and shot away. Again, the light was just so perfect, the color glorious. I focused on the larger poppy to create the out-of-focus background.}
Once you’ve explored all the creative possibilities; cropped, filtered, added text, you need to print your photos out. You can use your home printer or print them professionally.
There are also creative options in what you print your photos on. Glossy photo paper is great for maximum ‘pop’, but there are some other options that might better suit some photos. Look for Inkjet Canvas paper and other inkjet media. Or try printing on water color paper. Professional photo processors usually have a wide array of mediums to print on, so be sure to check them out.
www.cheapjoes.com/art-supply/SM9751_4601_strathmore-inkjet-paper-canvas.asp
http://www.amazon.com/Pictorico-Premium-Canvas-Sheets-200623/dp/B00004UDPK
http://www.hyaz.com/ This is a list of many different inkjet media.
There are creative options for photos you’ve already printed and not edited. Try distressing your photos with fine sand paper, adding rub-ons, stamping with a permanent ink like Staz-on, adding little embellishments or using them to alter projects like you would with paper.
The possibilities are endless and I know you’re love the creative process…but in the meantime, please feel free to download the 7 cards I’ve created. Simply print and make into a card. http://myeyeqdownloads.shutterfly.com/
{This is actually a lawn ornament in my yard. One day I was on the ground taking pictures of my flowers, I looked up and saw that arrow and blue sky. It was so striking! I knew it would make a great ‘direction’ type photo card.}
{I didn’t even take this picture…I think my husband did. I know you need a tripod and a long exposure to create this kind of movement. The photo is so peaceful and gentle that it was easily paired up with this quote.}
{A lot of my best pictures are taken on vacation, probably because I have the time to do it. These is the sunrise on Haleakala on Maui. I took hundreds of pictures as I froze to death! There are many inspirational quotes that pair up perfectly with a sunrise or sunset.}
{I’m not even sure how I managed to take this good a photo through glass, so don’t ask me! The color was irresistible! I got the “Hang in there” idea from an issue of Paper Crafts Magazine.
{Saw this on a stroll through a little Austrian town, Halstatt. Seriously, I think the home owner put this out just so people could take pictures of it! I de-saturated the photo to make it look more black and white with that color pop.}
You can check out other projects by Sue Neal at www.sueneal.blogspot.com
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