Latest Posts

7 Tips for Snapping Pics of the Little Ones

Written by

It was Dorothea Lange who said, “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” Although seemingly obvious, this quote is one to keep in mind while taking a child’s picture. The reason we love the cute pictures of the little ones (aside from their “awww” factor) is because they represent small slivers of time. We use these photos as aids in remembering moments otherwise forgotten; His first ice cream cone, her first steps, or your first family trip abroad. What was your tot wearing, or what was the priceless expression on your little girls face? It’s your photos that will reveal these moments later on down the road, so make sure you’ve given your best effort in accurately capturing these instants. We’ve put together some photography tips below that will help you take some timeless photographs of your favorite little booger.

1. Kids will should be kids!
Let your kids do what they do best, and you are guaranteed to steal some memorable moments. Running, singing, dancing, screaming, and being just plain silly. You capture these moments on camera, and you capture their childhood.

The statuesque photos of them posed at Sears in their “cutest outfit” are great….for wallets. However, the pictures that you’ll be grateful for years from now are the natural shots, unforced and undeniably authentic. Pass on the poses and grab the genuine. Have your camera ready for when your kids are having fun in their own natural scenery playing with Barbies or building a fort. As adults, your children will thank you when they get the opportunity to glance into their past.

Focus on the face - and you're guaranteed a winner

2. Focus on their face.
This is a no brainer for our camera savvy PhotoBin fans, but a reminder never hurts. While your child is discovering the wonderful world around them, hundreds of unimaginable fantasies are running through their head. Your only clue as to what they are thinking? Their facial expressions. While you are snapping pictures of them playing in the garden, or feeding the fish, be sure you are looking at their face, more specifically their eyes. As their eyes inquisitively light up and their jaws drop in awe, have your lens cap off and your finger ready to push the trigger.

3. Setting and environment are key players.
If you want bright and vibrant pictures, you need bright and vibrant surroundings. Here’s a fun idea: Let your toddler dress themselves for the first time and give them their most colorful toys. They’ll have a blast, you’ll get a good laugh, and the final results will be monumental!

A few things to think of when looking for colorful surroundings and photography ideas:

  • Do you have a bright accent wall in your house?
  • Are there flowers in bloom nearby?
  • Can we paint or color right now?
  • Where is that hot pink tutu Aunt Susie bought?

(more…)

Unique Photobook Idea APRIL: Wedding Guest Book

Written by

Wedding season has begun and brides and grooms everywhere are adding the final touches to their plans for their spring and summer ceremonies. All of these plans, designs, wedding colors, and seating charts are carefully crafted in hopes of ensuring their day is both memorable and unique.

If you are one of these brides or grooms who have been planning for months upon months, you may be seeing the light towards the end of the tunnel. Although the hectic planning process is nearly finished, it has now become crunch time to make sure you have every single item checked off on your to-do list. Wedding invitations, check. Florist, check. Live band scheduled, check. Wedding guest book…. wedding guest book… uhhh-oh.

Don’t panic – This month’s unique photobook idea will help turn a necessary, but typically ordinary item into a conversation piece! Wedding guest books remain a very important part of the ceremony as they help capture the emotions of your guests on this special day. This month’s photobook idea will help transform the wedding guest book from what once was a forgettable tradition into a must-have timeless wedding accessory.

We have recommended two approaches to tackle these wedding guest books:

1.) A photobook showcasing pictures of the bride and groom, taken from the days, months, and years leading up to the ceremony.

-or-

2.) A photobook with pages specially assigned to guests, displaying their photos next to the area that they will sign. (This one takes a bit more time and effort but the guests will love it!)

Your guests will love seeing these photographic reminders of why this day is so special!

Wedding Guest Book Containing Photos of the Couple
The first wedding guest book mentioned is simply a photobook with photos of the adoring couple taken from various occasions or events. Brief instructions are below:

1.)   Go to Photobin.com to begin creating a photobook. Depending on how many people will be attending the ceremony, you may want to select the largest size 12 x 12 to provide more room for guests to sign.

2.)   Next, is the cover: Upload your favorite photo of you and your spouse and it will be enlarged wonderfully for display on the cover. Another idea for the cover is to upload a beautiful photo of the venue your ceremony will be held at. This is a great idea for destination weddings!

3.)   Finally, you create the interior pages. We recommend you choose a solid color background, preferably black or white, but you can choose a color that falls in line with your theme if you would like. Just remember to provide pens or markers that will stand out against the selected background color for instance, a silver Sharpie against a black background.

4.)   After you select the background colors, you will need to select a layout for each page. PhotoBin provides dozens of layout options for you to choose from. You will find one in particular, a “text only ” page to be the perfect blank page, ideal for signatures. However, what makes this wedding guest book so unique are the photos inside, so you need to include at least one picture per two page spread. How you arrange the pictures is up to you. We’ve included some of our own screen shots within this blog to provide inspiration. Below are some suggestions you may find helpful as well:

  • Full page photo on the left page, text only pages on the right
  • Smaller photos placed in the center, leaving room for comments around them
  • Photos spread out sporadically leaving enough room in between for comments and notes

 

Wedding Guest Book Containing Photos of the Guests
As mentioned earlier, this book will take a bit more time, but is well worth it.

(more…)

Save Money During a Busy Wedding Season: Memorable & Affordable Gifts

Written by

Shhhh… can you hear it? Ba, bum, babum. The “Bridal Chorus” is starting and wedding season has commenced. Let the cake smashing begin!

Many of us will be attending one, if not multiple weddings this spring. This is a fun time of year because weddings are simply full of entertainment with the dancing, laughter, delicious meals, family bonding, and timeless traditions. However, you would never think to go to a wedding empty handed, and let’s be honest; all of these wedding gifts start to add up. (Even when you don’t attend the nuptials, if you are invited, it’s proper etiquette to send a gift.1) Let’s not forget the money spent on dresses, tuxedos, showers, and parties if you are a member of the wedding party. Wow, wedding season is getting pricey and you’re not even getting married!

So how does a frequent flyer of weddings save some money? We’ve included some wedding gift ideas below that are easy on the purse and wallet while remaining thoughtful where it counts.

Thoughtful wedding gift ideas that are easy on the wallet

A Sentimental Gesture
This gift requires some time and effort but little to no money. Yet, your newlyweds will be unable to forget it for years to come…literally. Weeks before the wedding (maybe even months depending on your schedule) contact everyone you know who is reasonably close to the couple. If you were friends with the groom before you met the bride, this means extra effort to include her friends and family as well, or vice-versa. Yes, this may require you to go outside your comfort zone and reach out to people you’ve never met, but it will be well worth it in the end.

Upon contact, inform them of your top secret gift idea. Let them know you would like them to write you a letter or email describing how they know the couple and their favorite story about the love birds. The letter however, will be addressing the newlyweds. The authors’ anecdotes can be about anything they would like; a trip they’ve gone on with the couple, how they all first met, a funny inside joke, encouraging words, etc. The more personal and meaningful, the better.

Once you’ve received the letters from everyone, print them out if necessary, and neatly bundle them together. How you would like to give these letters to the newlyweds is up to you. We recommend a special chest or box with a lock and key, brought to the wedding with the letters inside. This is the part where you decide how much money you can spend. What’s important is the instruction you provide with the letters. Let your special couple know that these letters have been written by friends and family who love them and are excited for the journey ahead of them.

Directions:
“The bride and groom are to open and read ONE letter each anniversary. The purpose of these letters is to remind you of your beginning, your surroundings, and the reasons you are together. These notes may make you laugh or cry, but one thing is for sure, you have a lot of people rooting for you.”

Note: You can obviously write your very own personal instructions, just be sure to remind the couple they are to only open one letter each year.

(more…)

“Photo Related” April Fools Pranks – It’s Time for a Good Laugh

Written by

Here at PhotoBin we love a good laugh, and we know our customers do too.This year, we’ve decided to gather some harmless photo and video related pranks. These fun and easy practical jokes can be pulled on friends, family, or co-workers. Just promise us you won’t point your targets our way when they are ready to retaliate. :)

(Pranks have been pulled from AprilFoolZone.com online contributors)


Let Me Help You
Put a small amount of paint or ink on your finger. Go up to your prank target and pretend to notice a “mark” on their face. Tell them you’ll rub it off, but instead, actually place a mark ON their face. Act like you got the mark off and walk away… But not before you snap a quick picture with then on your camera phone!

Can’t See Myself
If the person you are prank-ing uses a small wall mirror, take a picture facing directly away from the mirror. Crop it on your computer to exactly the same thing you would see in the mirror. Print it out on a large piece of paper, and then tape it to the mirror. Watch as the person frantically tries to see themselves.

Photo Switch
Find a small picture of a monkey (or anything else you think is funny) and use temporary glue (a glue stick works well) to place it over the photo on the victim’s driver’s license. Then send them out for beer, or find some other excuse to send them somewhere where they will need to show their ID.

Not What I Expected
Go to the video store (or Red Box) with the prankee and have them pick out some movies they want to watch. Then when you get home, have them go get some snacks or something and while they’re distracted, switch the DVDs inside the cases with some really lousy movies you know they’ll hate. Then laugh when they think that the video store gave them the “wrong” movies!

Going Buggy
This prank takes a bit of prep work before April Fools, but the extra effort will be so worth it! Take a picture of the top part of the kitchen counter. Go on the internet and search for a picture of a cockroach. Then, copy it on to the picture of the counter. Print out a few copies (cut off any extra white space), and place them on the counter. At first glance, your target will think the kitchen is infested! If your target is squeamish be sure to capture their reaction on camera!

(more…)

Unique Photobook Idea – March: Family Recipe Book

Written by

March is half way through and we are nearing spring which means we have some exciting events approaching; Easter, graduations, weddings, and BBQs! With all of these family gatherings coming up, here at PhotoBin we can’t help but think of all the food that we’ll be diving into face first. Traditional recipes, secret ingredients, and a lot of “love” make family meals special. However, the “passing down” of these traditions is what ultimately makes them so meaningful to each family.

Now, we’ve all heard of family recipes being passed down from generation to generation, but have you ever thought to make a recipe book? That’s right, a custom addition to your existing cookbook collection that you can call your very own. A high-quality, hard bound, professionally printed, photobook turned cookbook. Not only can you pass this book down to your next generation of chefs, but you can share it with the entire family.

Are you the family cook, or do you have a family full of chefs? Either way this is an innovative way to share your recipes with family and friends.

Ingredients:

  • Favorite recipes
  • Digital photos of the finished meals or treats
  • Family trivia
  • PhotoBin.com
  • Some free time to “build” the book online

Directions:
Gather your family’s favorite recipes; Email your brother for his BBQ Tri-tip tricks, or call your aunt for her double chocolate cake recipe. Have everyone send in their recipes, and of course include your own. The more members that contribute and the more generations included, the more meaningful the book becomes.

Fill your cook book with favorite recipes from every family member!

The next step is the food photography. You can either have your family members take pictures of their finished products or you can take the photo next time you’re enjoying the dish. Either way, make sure each recipe has a corresponding picture.

Tips to remember while photographing food: (more…)

Kurt Cobain and Walt Disney Have More in Common Than You Would Think

Written by

Deemed official by Congress in 1955, March is National Irish-American Heritage Month.  According to IrishAmericanHeritage.com, approximately 44 million Americans share Irish ancestry. With the American population well on its way to 312 million this means that one out of every 14 Americans are of Irish descent. Wow – you might be Irish and not even know it. In fact, you might even be related to the late Irish descendant and Nirvana front-man, Kurt Cobain…. Don’t you think that’s a possibility worth looking into? Finding out interesting facts about your family can be fun and relatively easy (<–pun intended). In honor of Irish-American Heritage Month, we’re providing some help on the topic of ancestry discovery.

Do you know where your family tree was planted? Some people have been told about their family origins by their parents, while others have taken to the internet and used genealogy websites to investigate their lineage. Even so, some people remain naïve as to where they come from. This is where the significance of Irish-American Heritage Month lies; not necessarily in the exclusive celebration of Irish heritage, but in the promotion of ancestry discovery as a whole. Black History Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, and Irish-American Heritage Month all act as important reminders; these months remind us to take the time to delve into our pasts, climb our family trees, and appreciate where we come from… this way we can be grateful for where we are going!

Where do you begin?
If you are going to start looking into your own family heritage, we recommend starting with old photos. Believe it or not pictures are great launching points for your journey into the past. Dusty old photographs may depict family members you’ve never met or relatives that your parents have never mentioned. Your family’s photos can provide important details that verbal accounts may overlook.

Use photos to provide clues that others may have forgotten.  First, you need to gather up all of your old pictures handed down to you from your family. If you don’t have many pictures to start with, canvas around! Ask your siblings, parents, aunts or grandparents for all of their old photos and albums. Once you have all of your old pictures gathered and organized it’s time to have them scanned to digital. You can scan the pictures at home or send them to a professional scanning service like PhotoBin. Not only will scanning your pictures make your genealogy exploration easier, but you are also taking a step towards preserving those pieces of family history forever.

Ask for help.
Once your photos are digital, sharing them will be as easy as clicking a button. You can now email your family members the digital files in search of the stories behind the photos. Another approach in asking for help would be to upload the digital pictures to your Facebook Timeline and have your family contribute comments. A third option is to upload your pictures to websites similar to Ancestory.com and MyHeritage.com. These sites allow individuals to look up family photos by last name and submit useful tracking information. (Of course, websites like these require a fee.) No matter how you begin your investigation, photos will be some of the most helpful tools. Not only will the actual photographs provide help, but any handwritten details can provide huge leads in the right direction. For instance, you may find handwritten notes including names, dates, and locations on the back of the old pictures. Be sure to include these tidbits of information wherever you upload your digital photos as they may help your family members put together the pieces.

A picture really is worth 1,000 words!
After you’ve shared your pictures with your family members, story time begins. Start gathering the narratives, stories, and anecdotes from relatives. Some pictures may spark more interesting stories than others. Meanwhile, different family members may report very different stories about the same photo, so be sure to compare each version and ask about any discrepancies.

Go back. Waaaay back.
Try and go as far back as possible when constructing your family tree. The further back you go, the more branches you discover and consequently the more interesting the discoveries become. A few years back a member of the PhotoBin team had found out she was related to BOTH Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee[i] who, if you remember, fought against each other in the Civil War. This remarkable fact would have never been discovered if her family members had stopped their quest too soon. So when you think you’ve searched back far enough, think again, and keep digging!

Irish I had a “cool” relative.
After all of this searching and investigating, the true beauty is found in the unexpected discoveries. You may never know which historical figures you are related to or which pop-culture superstars you have ties to unless you start tracing your family lines. With that said, Irish-Americans have played a huge role in shaping and molding this country we all know and love. Below is a list of interesting Irish-Americans and their contributions to our society.[ii]Who knows, you might be related to one of these unforgettable people and the photographic clues are just sitting in a box in your closet.

  • It was an Irish man who first stepped off of Christopher Columbus’ ship in 1492. Patrick Maguire, a member of the ship crew.

 

  • The five Sullivan brothers were Irish-Americans. The Sullivan brothers were five brothers who all served together in the U.S Navy and died during WWII on the ship Juneau.

 

  • The most decorated soldier of WWII – with 28 citations of bravery including the Medal of Honor – was Audie Murphy of immediate Irish descent.

 

  • From housemaid to socialite to well known heroic Titanic survivor, Irish-American Margaret Brown became immortalized as ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown.’

 

  • The world’s first heavyweight boxing champion, John L. Sullivan, held the title for ten years!

 

  • Originally born in County Cork, James Holland moved to the U.S and invented an “underwater cigar” which became the world’s first submarine.

 

  • Walt Disney was not just a famed animator and studio owner, but was an Irish-American pioneer in the motion picture industry.

 

  • Anne Sullivan Macy, the Irish-American who is better known as the teacher of Helen Keller, broke down the “walls of silence” for communication through means of finger spelling.

 

  • In 1956 Alfred Hitchcock became an American citizen. This famed thrill-movie director was of both Irish and British descent.

 

  • Tom Monaghan – founder of Domino’s Pizza – has close Irish connections, with his grandparents coming straight from the Emerald Isle.

 

  • The late Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana came from an Irish lineage.

 

8 Friendly Reminders for Pet Photography

Written by

Capturing their Personality & Embracing their Individuality

When it comes to portraying your pet’s unique personality on camera, one simple statement can help you tremendously: “Pets are people too!”  You’ve probably heard this somewhat cheesy phrase used before, but it truly is helpful when trying to learn how to photograph animals and pets. Pets are people too, in other words they are each unique individuals. Animals have distinct personalities, likes, dislikes, appearances, and sensitivities. When trying to take a photo of your favorite furry friend keep this mind and the quality of your photos will improve considerably. This leads us to the first tip….

Consider their character.
As mentioned above, your pet has a unique personality; it’s what makes you love them so much! Is your dog a maniac who loves to go bonkers and keep you on your toes? What about your princess of a cat, who refuses to socialize with anyone outside of your household?

Identify the attributes about your pets’ character that make them special and try to reproduce these qualities in your photos. For instance if you have a sleepy pug, quietly get down low on the floor and snap a photo of him snoozing away. On the other hand, if you own a nimble cat who loves to jump from shelf to shelf be sure to include action shots of your cat prancing and pouncing. Avoid a boring pet portfolio and let their personalities shine!

Make them comfortable; place them in their favorite settings.
If your pup loves the park or your cat loves her carpet tower, be to take some photos of them in their comfort zone. They will feel far less frightened, and may hardly notice you taking photos. It might help to make an effort to include their favorite toy. The more comfortable your pet is, the more playful they will be and in turn, the more interesting your pictures will be.

(more…)

Photobook Ideas! – Valentine’s Day

Written by

FEBRUARY’S PHOTOBOOK THEME OF THE MONTH
…is Love. (What, you thought we’d actually do something different?) Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and some of you are starting to wonder what to buy that special someone. As much as we love our PhotoBin customers we also know their tendency to procrastinate. Don’t worry though; we are here to provide some last minute photobook suggestions.

Make them a gift that depicts just how special you think they are; a unique photobook inspired by them and your time together.

Below are some tips to help you lovebirds add an exceptional touch to your PhotoBin photobook.

1.) CLIP ART
Before uploading your photos into the photobook builder, we recommend adding some clip art to them. The good news is you don’t have to be a professional graphic designer for this step. The simple clip art and text seen on the front cover image below was done in Microsoft Office Power Point!  You heard us. You can even use the Paint program on your computer. We just pasted simple heart and text to show you a sample, but for you creative types out there, we know you can make some beautiful cover photos!


If using Power Point:

-  “Insert a Picture (from File)” and select the photo that you will be enhancing.

-  Next, “Insert a Picture”(from Clip Art).

- Your Clip Art menu will open on the right side of your screen.

-  Start browsing!

 

-  After you incorporate your Clip Art, next is text!

- You can either “Insert a Text Box” or “Word Art”

- Word Art allows you more freedom and creativity with colors and word shapes.

- Once you’ve fine tuned your photo to how you see fit, “Group” all of your elements. Now

right click, and save as an image.

Easy right?

2.) INCLUDE MORE THAN JUST PHOTOS!

In the screen shot below, we quickly put together an example of a scanned and uploaded concert ticket. It would be a sweet surprise to that special person if you include some mementos you’ve kept over the years. Meanwhile, if the item you want to include can’t be scanned, take a digital photo of it!

  • Suggested mementos:
    • Concert tickets
    • Game tickets
    • Flight tickets
    • Programs from performances or shows
    • Menus from restaurants

Keep Reading…

(more…)

28 Easily Put-Off Tasks Around the House

Written by

We have recently been inspired by Apartment Therapy’s article, “20 Home Tasks to Get Done During Down Time”. We decided to re-post it including our own additions to their list….

This is a helpful list of ideas for productive tasks you can do while moping around the house during the cold season, or simply while watching a movie. Unleash your stored up DVR recordings, turn up your iPod, or crack open a bottle of wine; these tasks are not difficult, but they are too often forgotten. Make them an enjoyable experience so that way maybe, just maybe, you don’t put them off so long.

Of course, our favorite ideas are #27 and 28: Find and organize your old photos & videos to send them in to PhotoBin for converting!    (Biased?  Who us?  never!!)

  1. Organize your kitchen drawers
  2. Clean your remote control and phone buttons with a cotton swab
  3. Organize take out menus and update your phone with favorites
  4. Clean your humidifiers 
  5. Clean your hair brushes and makeup brushes  
  6.  Downsize movie and music collections
  7.  Clean the inside of your washing machine and dishwasher
  8. Alphabetize your DVD collection
  9.  Restock your home office area with fun things
  10.  Sort your junk drawer – You might find some cool stuff!
  11. Shred old mail (you know you have a pile of it!)
  12. Wash your pillow covers and clean under the cushions in your sofa
  13. Self-clean your oven (or do it by hand)
  14. Clean under the kitchen sink, and organize your cleaning supplies
  15. Clean & polish your shoes.
  16. Untangle and organize your jewelry
  17.  Make a list of family and friend’s birthdays for the year (Facebook       helps)
  18. De-fur the pets, brush and wash them
  19. Organize/throw out old magazines
  20.  Remove the lint filling up your blow dryer’s intake filter
  21.  Clean the crumb trap at the bottom of your toaster
  22.  Organize your closet – make a “donation” & “throw-away” pile
  23.  Organize your kid’s closet
  24.  Shake out the dust from rugs & cushions (outside of course)
  25.  Organize your book shelf by title, theme, or even color
  26.  Update the pictures in your picture frames
  27. Find and gather all your boxes of photos and start sorting! Organize by size and date to prepare for sending them in to PhotoBin for photo scanning service 
  28.  Find all of your old home videos and send them in to PhotoBin to be converted to DVD!

Keep reading our blog for great ideas!

To visit Apartment Therapy and see their original blog, click here: www.apartmenttherapy.com

Once Photographed – the Little Things Can Make a Big Statement

Written by

When capturing our memories on camera we tend to photograph the people we surround ourselves with, the places we visit, and the monumental events in our life. More often than not though, we overlook the little details. We forget about the smaller objects that make up the bigger picture.

Let’s examine the first 30 minutes of your day as an example, there are so many little details involved in this process: You shower, you pick a clean towel from the cupboard, you make a statement with your outfit you choose to wear, you make a fresh pot of coffee and select which mug you will drink out of today, you feed your dog, you grab one of your favorite hats and fumble with your keys to jump in the car. (If you’re a female there are about 15 more steps included in the process!). All of these steps incorporate seemingly insignificant items yet, believe it or not, make up a great part of who you are. If you want to depict your memories accurately, why aren’t you photographing these items? Okay, you don’t really need a picture of the dog food, but hopefully you see what we’re getting at.

Below is a list of suggested items that are found in your home which help make up who you are as an individual. These smaller items, when photographed correctly, can give a glimpse into what makes you, you!

1.)    Your hat collection –
This item might be more directed to the male population, but females may have great hat collections as well. Think about the all the hats on your rack or in your closet. Hats from your university, your high school, special events you’ve attended, and of course your favorite professional sports teams. These hats represent little facets of who you are. Line them up and grab a photo from a great angle. Enlarge it and put it on a canvas in your game room!

2.)    Your colorful nail polish assortment –
Ladies – some of you change your nail polish color three times a week depending on your mood, outfit, or the season. These lacquers tell everybody else a little story about how you’re feeling or what you’re into at the moment. Your nail polish bottles of all shapes, sizes, and of course colors, can provide a vivid focal point for a very eclectic image. Grab all your polishes and start shooting!  This idea also works well with your favorite eye shadows or make up brushes.

Snap a picture of your favorite wallpaper pattern, change the colors and hang it up in another room!

3.)    Favorite patterns in your fabric, tile, wallpaper –
You purchased those rugs and shower curtains for a reason; they are aesthetically pleasing andgo well with your style. Why haven’t you taken a picture of them? Skew the contrast, enrich the bold colors and you have wall art to hang in your house!

4.)    Your liquor cabinet / wine rack–
If you enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner or cocktails on the weekend, you are familiar with the beauty the bottles can provide. Each brand puts an extensive effort into making their bottle stand out among the rest on the shelf. If you are a martini lover, take a photo of your favorite gin bottle with your sophisticated shaker. As for the wine lovers, you can find some incredible shots among the bottles and wonderfully curved glassware. These pictures can make for some great images to hang in your den or kitchen.

(more…)