Printing Photos from a SD Card

PictBridge technology may be a popular way to share phenomenal photos with family and friends, but it is hardly the only way. Another very effective and easy way to print frame worthy shots is through a card reader. These days you will be hard pressed to find a digital camera that doesn’t have the memory space to store at least a few thousand high-resolution pictures. However, if you want to move your cherished shots from your camera directly onto your computer without using cables, you’ll need a card reader. This is where a Secure Digital (SD) card comes into play. … Continue reading

Calendar of the Year

I’m more J.Crew than JWoww, which is probably why I love, love Minted.com’s super fab new photo calendars. The company, which embraces innovative indie designs, recently released a line of photo-licious 2011 calendars that are 100 percent customizable. Which means conservative yet trendy (okay, wannabe trendy) moms like me can now covet calendars the way they do holiday cards. I know what you’re thinking: Photo calendars as Christmas gifts… ho, ho, ho-hum. Not this year. Believe me; if there is anyone, who is hair-triggered to place her kid’s adorable mug on a mug, mouse pad, tote bag or calendar, it’s … Continue reading

A Picture Perfect Day Courtesy of a Perfect Stranger

Have you ever had one of those days? A day that begins completely ordinary, but magically turns extraordinary? I had one a few weeks ago and have been meaning to write about it ever since. The day started off very typically—-feeding my daughter breakfast and getting ready to tackle our to-do list. The one thing that made this day a bit different was the fact that there was not a cloud in the sky. It was an unbelievably beautiful spring day with above normal temperatures. After what has been dubbed by many around Wisconsin as the longest winter on record … Continue reading

Is There Any Way to Speed Up the Scanning Process?

If you have ever tried to archive boxes and boxes of old photos, film or slides in a single afternoon then you might have asked yourself that very question. I know I have. When my cousin bought a new scanner years ago I offered to help her organize old family photos so that she could archive them on her computer. She had three shoeboxes filled with loose pictures mainly from the 1970s that she wanted to scan in a single day. We both figured it would take no more than four hours to complete. Boy, were we wrong. Try four … Continue reading

Photo Printing Options

Judging by the line of people at my local grocery store most digital photographers print their photos outside their homes. It never ceases to amaze me how long people are willing to wait in line for the person in front of them to painstakingly go through each and every shot on store photo kiosks when they could be getting the task done at home. By using Pictbridge-enabled cameras and printers you can avoid the long lines at places such as Wal-Mart and Walgreens. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, PictBridge is the single printing format shared by the … Continue reading

Features to Consider Before Purchasing a Photo Scanner

You finally made up your mind and decided to add a photo scanner to your home office. Congratulations! Now comes the hard part—-what to look for prior to making your purchase. RESOLUTION Hands down this is the main feature to consider when shopping for a scanner. Resolution is measured in pixels per inch (dpi). At least 2700 dpi is required to enlarge slides and negatives for an 8 x 10-inch print. Keep that number in mind when you’re out shopping. Though for the most part the majority of photo scanners on the market today scan at least at 3,200 dpi. … Continue reading

Why Invest in a Photo Scanner

So you finally moved into the 21st century and got yourself a digital camera. But what about all those boxes full of loose photos that are cluttering your basement. This might just be the perfect time to finally purchase a photo scanner. Spring cleaning can be made much easier with this simple piece of technology. For those of you who are not familiar with photo scanners they function like a copy machine, but instead of printing out paper copies they digitize photographs, slides, negatives and other records for you to store on your computer. Which means pictures of your son’s … Continue reading

Mother’s Day Photo Accessory Gift Ideas

I admit that most of the social interaction I get being a work-at-home mom is with other moms whose kids my daughter plays with. So you’ll forgive me if I over-generalize and say that most of the family photographers I know are women. Frankly, I don’t feel as though this is a starling fact. I am the designated photographer in my family and while all of the professional photographers at my TV job are male many willingly admit that when it comes to still photography their wives are the ones that wield the camera in their households. So as Mother’s … Continue reading

Do You Hesitate to Ask Others to Take Your Picture?

How many times has this happened to you: You and your family are visiting a picturesque vacation spot and you want a group shot of the entire clan, only you forgot to pack your tripod and there isn’t anywhere for you to place your camera and use the self-timer feature. You want to ask a fellow visitor to snap a shot of your entire brood, but others in your group resist because they don’t want to “bother” a stranger to take the photo. What do you do? I’ve found myself in this type situation on many occasions and depending who … Continue reading

Alternatives to Tripods— Image-Stabilizing Equipment

I just got off my tripod soapbox and now here I am discussing image-stabilizing equipment again. I promise not to mention the word tripod in this blog. Rather, I’m here to focus on alternatives to the traditional three-legged device. They’re designed to eliminate the dreaded shaky shot minus the inconvenience of toting around a bulky accessory. The first device is a zoom lens. Yes, I know, you’re wondering how a lens is going to help stabilize your shots. This particular lens features technology that does the work of a tripo… (You get the idea). It’s called the Nikon AF-S VR … Continue reading