Product Review: Snaptotes Photo-Personalized Purses & Totebags
By Diane Berkenfeld
(l. to r.) A Snaptotes diaper bag created from portrait sitting images, and a Snaptotes clutch bag with an image from a pet photography session. All photos © Diane Berkenfeld.
Want to offer your female portrait and event clients something more unique than a print, something they can take with them wherever they go, showing off your images? [read: walking billboard.] If so, check out Snaptotes, the Durham, North Carolina-based company at www.snaptotes.com. Snaptotes makes purses, totebags and other items that are personalized by adding digital imagery. Products range from clutch and makeup bags, to satchel and bucket-shaped purses, tote bags, diaper bags, beach and workout bags, and more.
The images are made using a sublimation printing process.
Most of the bags are made out of a strong microfiber material that looks great. The beach totes are made of durable canvas. The products use high quality materials, with many featuring key fobs, feet to protect the bottoms of the bags, and plenty of interior pockets. Certain models also let you to choose a custom color interior liner.
And depending upon the model, you can have the image placed on both sides, for an additional fee.
Web-based File Uploading/Ordering
Snaptotes bags are easy to create, you simply upload your image, tweak placement if necessary, chose the lining if applicable to the style you are ordering, and they create the bag for you. It takes the company about three weeks from uploading ‘till your bag is delivered.
The company also has templates for each of their products that you can download and use for placement to make sure that no important parts of your image are cropped out.
Snaptotes asks for files to be under 5MB. Create the original image at full resolution and drop down the size of the JPG you’re uploading to the Snaptotes site. Exact file requirements are available on the company’s website.
Bags I’ve Had Made
I have had three bags made so far, a Satchel [not shown], Clutch, and Diaper bag. Each one was created with the photo(s) placed only on one side.
The Satchel has leather trim, feet, interior key fob, interior pockets and a large exterior pocket. I used a black and white image of a baby taken during a portrait sitting for this bag.
For the clutch, an image from a pet portrait sitting that was originally altered in Photoshop to look more like a painting than a photograph was used. This purse allowed for the choice of the interior lining and I chose pink, which went with the coloring of the image.
For the diaper bag, a layout was created in Photoshop using multiple images in two different sizes, color and black and white, in alternating placement. The final image was uploaded as one file.
I’ve been consistently pleased with the quality of the output of my imagery onto the Snaptotes products, as well as the overall quality of the products themselves. The company suggests that you Scotchguard the totes/purses once you receive them to further protect the printed image(s).
One of the cool things I realized when deciding upon images to use on the Snaptotes bags I ordered is that images with a little extra pizzazz looked even greater on the final product than they did on-screen. It gave me the ability to truly design one-of-a-kind pieces of usable photo art for my clients.
And the variety of the product line is large enough that there are styles that will appeal to a diverse clientele.
Although the website does sell direct to consumers, they pay full retail price, whereas professional photographers who sign up for the Snaptotes Pro Program receive wholesale pricing.
Snaptotes are a great way to add-on to sales from portrait or event photography. Check out the website www.snaptotes.com for more information and to see examples of some of the great bags that other photographers have made for their clients.
Color Spaces Simplified
By Gary Small
This map compares how much of the color spectrum (that large oval in the far back) different color spaces cover. ProPhoto RGB covers the most of the spectrum, Adobe RGB is the second largest, and sRGB is the smallest. Also shown is the color limits of the Epson 2200 printer (printing on Matte paper). Image by Jeff Schewe.
Greetings. Here’s a question I hear quite often. What color space should I choose when shooting? The answers I’ve heard have been so varied that it can oftentimes leave you more confused than when you first asked! I will try and simplify it here for you and hopefully it will reduce some of the confusion.
First of all, what is a color space? Well, to put it simply, think of a color space as a container, holding all the colors that were used to display or print a particular image. Some color spaces use more colors, some use less.
Put another way, think of when we were kids and we played with those boxes of crayons. Some of us had the box with only 8 colors. Some had 32 and some had the big box with 64 colors and the built-in sharpener. But you may have noticed that even if you had that big box of crayons, not only didn’t you use all of the colors in the box, but typically you found yourself using many of the same few colors over and over again. That’s the idea behind choosing and using a color space. We try to choose one that contains the colors we will use most often.
The human eye is capable of seeing the most colors. Presently, no mechanical device has been able to reproduce all of the colors our eyes are capable of seeing. So any color space you use will always contain fewer colors than our eyes can see; so we have no trouble there. The place we get into trouble is in reproducing colors across various media. For example, some colors we can view on a monitor cannot be reproduced by an inkjet printer and somehow that has to be dealt with.
Without getting overly technical, the most commonly used color spaces are, sRGB, Adobe RGB (1998), and ProPhoto RGB. The difference between all of these is the number of colors each one uses.
sRGB is the narrowest of all the color spaces and was developed for the web, with the idea of being a universal color space. In other words, any images that would be displayed on a web page would be rendered in this color space. It uses the fewest colors, which keeps images smaller and more efficient.
On the other end of the scale, ProPhoto RGB is the widest color space and uses the most colors out of all of them. It is typically thought by many pros that this is the color space to work in; because you wouldn’t have to worry that a color or color range you want to work with won’t be available to you.
Somewhere in the middle is Adobe RGB (1998). This was considered a good balance between the extremely narrow sRGB and the very wide and robust ProPhoto RGB.
Most digital cameras nowadays will give you a choice of choosing either Adobe RGB (1998) or sRGB. I am not going to tell you absolutely which color space you should choose because everybody works differently. I hope to be able to help you make an informed decision on your own, once you’ve read this article.
To help you, you must first and foremost, think about what will be done with the finished images you are producing. Since most output devices reproduce fewer colors than are contained in the wider color spaces, any images produced in a wider color space will have to be converted before being sent to that device. The simplest idea to think about is, if you are shooting images that will only be going onto a web page and will never be printed, sRGB would be the color space to work in, since that’s the color space used on the web. If you are printing on an inkjet printer, believe it or not, it too has a narrow color space that very closely resembles sRGB. So you’d probably do well with it there, too. If you are going to output onto more complex imaging devices which work with larger amounts of colors, you might consider working in a wider color space like Adobe (1998).
More things to consider:
When you work in one color space and need to output to a device that works in a different color space, a translation must occur. Let’s say you are working (or shooting) in Adobe (1998) and printing onto an inkjet printer that works in sRGB. You’re going from a wider to a narrower color space. What that means to you is, there are more possible colors in the image you shot with your camera than the printer can possibly reproduce. So when translating the colors for the printer (think of a funnel), the colors that aren’t reproducible on the printer have to be converted into different colors that that printer can reproduce. They will be translated into colors that will try to simulate the original colors as closely as possible, but will not always match. So there’s always a chance you will lose some of the original colors your image had when you captured it. This is when you hear terms like “clipping” and “out of gamut”. This refers to dealing with colors outside the range of that device and how to handle them. But again, I don’t want to get overly technical here.
My best advice is, keep it simple. Try to work as closely to the color space that you will be outputting to. If you don’t know where you’re outputting or may be outputting to various places, you may want to choose a wider color space. Although there are many who feel that you should just work in the widest color space possible and go from there, I feel that is not always the best choice or the most efficient. But that’s just my opinion. When photographing social events, like weddings, I usually shoot on sRGB, because the images are going onto the web for the family and guests to view, as well as being printed on printers that work within that color space. When I shoot commercial images, I tend to work in a wider color space, like Adobe (1998), because the clientele tends to be more critical and the subtlety of the colors may be more important.
Of course, I always encourage people to experiment and see what results work best for you. But I believe this should give you a good place to start. Hope this helps. Happy shooting!
Photo Gadgets, Gizmos & Gifties Galore… Oh My!
Compiled by Diane Berkenfeld
In the last month or so we’ve seen so many cool new gadgets, gizmos tech and non-tech items that will appeal to any photographer—we knew we just had to share it all with our fellow photographers. Its enough to make a an adult want to beg Santa to deliver them all. Not wanting to wait till we can post full reviews, we’ve decided to whet your appetites with some information on each of these cool new items. Read on for more…
Finally, a photo vest for women.
Finally, a photo vest for women.
For the Ladies
Pro photographer Marla Holden has created a product that makes me wonder why no one ever designed one before, but that’s ok, because Marla finally did. What product am I talking about? Foto Fashionista, the very first photographer’s vest designed just for women. Designed to fit a woman’s body, yet offer pockets to hold a variety of photo items, the Foto Fashionista vests come in a variety of casual designs. A more formal looking vest will be added to the line next year. Check them out at www.fotofashionista.com.
Products to Aid You in Carrying Your Camera Comfortably
The Spider Holster clips onto your belt.
New in the gadget arena is the Spider Holster, camera holster. Picture this, a secure plate connects to the bottom of the camera via the tripod screw threads and then is slipped in and out of the Spider Holster itself, which can either be slipped onto a regular belt or the durable belt the company offers. Once connected, the camera can’t slip out until the photographer takes it in his/her hands to shoot. By keeping the camera secure at the hip, you aren’t putting strain on your shoulders or neck. And, using the company’s belt, you can attach two holsters to carry two bodies, one at each hip. Most tripod quick release plates will attach to the bottom of the Spider Holster’s plate for use on a tripod during a wedding or other job that requires you to use a tripod or monopod. I’ve just begun using it myself and am very impressed. Check out the website at www.spiderholster.com to see exactly how it works.
The HoldSLR hooks on a belt and lets you slip your camera inside. A camera cover protects it outdoors.
It seems that when it rains, it pours. First there was only the camera strap, now there are multiple options for carrying a camera in a more ergonomic and comfortable way. The HoldSLR is a new product that uses a wire frame and removable boot and camera body cover, great for use outdoors. The frame is made from compressed steel wire that has a vinyl coating over it. A camera’s lens simply slips into the frame, which hangs off your belt. It can accommodate large lenses, with an opening of 3.75-inches. Gravity secures the camera in the HoldSLR, and the water resistant boot is collapsible to accommodate different size and length lenses. See the actual product for yourself at www.holdslr.com.
Sun Sniper lets you comfortably carry your camera.
The new Sun-Sniper Sniper-Strap “Steel” is a camera strap that features a steel wire insert, making it virtually impossible for thieves to cut the strap to steal the camera off your back. The strap was designed by a photographer, and is worn across the chest, with the camera hanging upside down, ergonomically, at your rear, instead of hanging off your shoulder and bumping into walls, or other objects. California Sunbounce is distributing the new Sun-Sniper strap exclusively in the U.S. Go to the website at www.sunbounce.com for more details.
Rock Steady Camera Stabilizers
SteadePod lets you stabilize a camera or camcorder when there's no room for a tripod or monopod.
Yet another new gadget we saw at PhotoPlus Expo is the SteadePod. Designed to steady a camera without the use of a tripod, it is a small gadget that consumers or advanced amateurs can use with a digital P&S, DSLR, or camcorder. The SteadePod, about the size of a tape measure, screws to a camera or camcorder as you would a tripod. A stainless steel cable extends from the SteadePod and is anchored by a footpad and with a slight amount of tension placed in the cable the photographer’s camera or camcorder is steadied. A ratchet and locking mechanism allows positioning of the camera for a steady picture nearly anywhere between 6” to 6’. It swivels smoothly, allowing for panning and tilting of the camera/camcorder. To see exactly what it looks like, go to the website www.steadepod.com.
Delkin's Fat Gecko uses 2 suction cups to adhere a camera to most any surface.
Delkin’s Fat Gecko Camera Mount was introduced earlier this year, but it is such a cool device that when we saw it again at PhotoPlus recently we decided to include it here. The Fat Gecko has dual suction cups that allow you to mount a camera securely to any smooth, flat, non-porous surface. It uses a regular 1/4 x 20 tripod mounting screw to attach to a camera or camcorder. That means you can use it to mount a camera to a car, boat, plane, or other moving vehicle. Check out the website www.fat-gecko.com that showcases user footage, both stills and video captured using the Fat-Gecko and its sibling models—the Fat Gecko Mini Camera Mount, with a single suction cup; and the Fat Gecko Bike Camera Mount designed to attach cameras and camcorders to the center handlebars of a bicycle.
Joby Ballhead.
Joby, the company that first introduced the flexible mini tripods that can wrap around practically anything updated its entire line earlier this year. In addition to updating the line, Joby added the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Ball Head for use with the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom. The ball head offers a full 360-degree pan and 90-degree tilt. It can hold up to 6.6 pounds of camera weight features a quick-release bubble level clip and is equipped with a standard 1/4-inch adapter. For more information go to the website at www.joby.com.
Cutest New Lensbaby [Optics]
Lensbaby—the cool manual, selective focus lens system developed a few years back by professional photographer Craig Strong—has added two new optics to the Lensbaby system: the Soft Focus optic and the Fisheye optic. Because of the selective focus capability of the lens, the Lensbaby lets you embark on a wonderful new direction in creative photography. If you don’t know what a Lensbaby is, you don’t know what wonderfully creative photography you’re missing out on. Go to www.lensbaby.com right now and check it out!
Lensbaby Fisheye Optic.
The Lensbaby Composer is the ultimate in Lensbabies. The Composer lets users easily control the selective focus movements. And, when you’ve got the lens in the exact position you want it, the Composer holds the focus where you’ve set it. If you’ve only experienced a Lensbaby via the Original Lensbaby or Lensbaby 2.0, check out the Lensbaby 3G, revamped and going by the moniker Lensbaby Control Freak, or the Composer. Both of these models let you lock the lens in place so you can easily take more than one frame of a scene and get repeatable results. (The Muse is the optic swappable version reminiscent of the Original Lensbaby design.) The optics are the really cool part of the Lensbaby lenses. There are six different optics and each alter the way that images are captured.
Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic.
The optics include the single glass, double glass, plastic, Pinhole/Zoneplate—and the newest optics—the fisheye and soft focus. Each of the optics feature a 50mm focal length, but the fisheye optic has a 12mm focal length. The fisheye optic has a 160 degree angle of view and creates photos that are circular in nature. One of the cool things about the fisheye optic is that it offers a focus range from 1-inch away from the lens, all the way to infinity. The new Soft Focus lens gives you that dreamy effect you were used to when shooting film (back in the day).
Blazing Fast Media Cards
Speed and capacity of media cards are ever increasing, along with the ability of newer DSLRs to utilize the speed of these cards. Lexar recently added the Lexar Professional 600x CompactFlash cards to its line. These cards are fast, and are available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities. The 600x CF cards, when used with a UDMA 6 enabled device [read: DSLR], write speeds of 90MB/s are guaranteed. Pair the cards with the new Lexar Professional ExpressCard CF Reader for 80MB/s read speeds. The new cards are ideal for use with cameras like the Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Nikon D3x or D300S. All Lexar Professional media cards come with a free downloadable copy of Image Rescue 4, the latest version of the company’s image recovery software. Go to www.lexar.com for more details.
A few months back, SanDisk introduced the SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash cards with capacities of 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB that have read/write speeds of up to 90MB/s (600x). These UDMA-6 cards are designed for use with the latest DSLRs on the market. The SanDisk Extreme Pro ExpressCard Adapter is optimized to take advantage of the new card’s read speed, up to 90MB/s read speed. The company also introduced new SanDisk Extreme CF cards at 60MB/s read/write speeds (400x) in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities. Check out www.sandisk.com for more information.
Lock Your Data in a Locker+
Kingston DataTraveler Locker+
Kingston Digital just launched the DataTraveler Locker+ USB flash drive. The DataTraveler Locker+ was designed for the consumer/prosumer or small business that wants to be able to secure their mobile data. The DataTraveler Locker+ features 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption. What this means is that you’ll need a password to access the data, once you’ve set up this USB drive. Try incorrectly 10 times in a row and the drive locks down and reformats, wiping the data. Kingston is shipping these drives in capacities up to 32GB. The company also offers the DataTraveler Locker, which lets you set up a partitionable area for public sharing as well as an encrypted zone. Kingston also offers the DataTraveler Vault Privacy Edition for enterprise and government customers. The DataTraveler Locker+ is compatible with Mac and Windows-based PCs. Go to www.kingston.com for more information.
And Now For Something Really Different
Light Sculpture.
Want to offer your clients something really different? Shapeways is an online marketplace that allows creatives with various levels of 3D modeling skills—from none to very experienced—affordable access to the latest 3D printing technologies and the ability to create custom-made giftware in a variety of materials. Don’t worry if you’re not skilled at 3D modeling, there are plenty of artists selling their 3D designs through Shapeways Shops. There are a wide range of 3D items available, made from different plastics or stainless steel, from holiday ornaments to personalized cufflinks and jewelry to home décor, but the item of real interest to us is the Photoshaper. The Photoshaper creates a depth-layered 3D picture, based on the contrast of the picture. The Photoshaper accepts JPG, PNG and GIF files. The size of the output is 3.5”x5.11” and can be output either horizontal or vertical orientation. Check out the website at www.shapeways.com.
Product Preview: Olympus E-P2
Company Expands Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera Line
By Diane Berkenfeld
The Olympus E-P2 with the 17mm pancake lens and accessory viewfinder attached.
Less than six months after launching the PEN E-P1 Micro Four Thirds camera, Olympus has released the follow up camera, the E-P2. The new PEN, like the E-P1, offers 12.3-megapixels in resolution, and an interchangeable lens system with In-body Image Stabilization. Like the EP-1, the E-P2 can capture HD video and stereo Linear PCM audio recording. The E-P2 comes in a black metal body.
There are a number of improvements and additions to this new Micro Four Thirds camera model from Olympus. One of the biggest features that photographers desired—and was missing on the E-P1—but is available for the E-P2 is a detachable electronic viewfinder (VF-2). The VF-2 and the optional external microphone adapter EMA-1 both utilize the same accessory port which is just below where the electronic viewfinder sits near the top of the body, on the rear. One of the cool things about the viewfinder is that it pivots, which means you can use it normally, or unfold it and use it as a waist level finder. This feature is great for street shooting or when shooting from the ground. The viewfinder, although an accessory, is being included with the purchase of the E-P2 body.
The E-P2 offers most all the features of the E-P1 as well as the following new features: a newly-developed Continuous Autofocus (C-AF) Tracking System that tracks the subject across or back-and-forward through the frame; iEnhance to automatically adjust color and contrast for a more dramatic effect; two new art filters added to those that the E-P1 has; full Manual Control of shutter/aperture in Movie Mode; and HDMI Control of camera’s playback functions using the TV Remote when the camera is connected to an HDTV.
The two new art filters, Diorama and Cross Process—along with the other six art filters—can be used for still images and HD video. The Diorama art filter offers selective focus and gives users a miniature model photo feeling by narrowing the depth of focus and enhancing color and contrast.
The E-P2 comes with either the Olympus M. ZUIKO Micro Four Thirds 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 (28-84mm equivalent) or 17mm f/2.8 (34mm equivalent) lenses.
The Olympus E-P2 will be available in December. For more information, go to www.olympusamerica.com.
Just before the E-P2 camera was announced we were treated to a sneak peek and were quite impressed with what we saw. Look for a full review of the E-P2 to be posted soon!
To read the Picture-soup.com review of the E-P1, click here.
The Power of Photojournalism in War
By Jason Etzel
In 1832 Senator William Learned Marcy spoke the phrase, “To the victor belong the spoils.” Although first spoken (or at least documented) this was not a new concept by any means for those who won a battle of any kind. With a victory you could design how it would be viewed to those alive [at the time] as well future generations who would read and learn what you left behind as history of this battle. This meant that selective editing could always be done by the victor, filtering words, omitting particular events or details, artistic renderings showing how they wanted the victory to be recorded.
And in 1832 this was still true, until technology changed how history would be written—by both those who triumphed and those who felt defeat—by the invention of the camera, it would now be seen unchanged. In the world we live in today, doctored images are common knowledge, we know now what is seen may or may not have been really there. For hundreds of years historical figures were seen only as their statues or oil painted portraits perceived them to be. Battles were drawn showing honor and courage without really showing tragedy, violence, or loss.
In 1839 when the camera was first shown to the public, everything became real and an instrument in the field of journalism. The first war images are credited to an anonymous American who took a number of daguerreotypes during the Mexican-American war in 1847, and for the first time the face of the soldier was seen. The first known war photographer was Carol Popp de Szathmari who took photos of various officers in 1853 and landscapes where battle took place in 1854 during the Crimean War. However it was in 1861 that a portrait photographer in New York City named Mathew Brady changed the world of photography and journalism as we know it.
Having mastered the new art of photography from his time studying under the skilled daguerreotypist Samuel Morse, Brady had a thriving portrait photography studio. His subjects included numerous historical figures including past and then present Presidents of the United States of America. When the first shots were fired of the American Civil War in 1861, and against the wishes of friends and family, Brady put the essentials of his studio into a wagon and made his way to the battlefield at Bull Run. At Bull Run Brady took images of the war-torn landscape of destroyed buildings and bridges as well as the dead littering the countryside.
At times he was so close he was nearly captured by the Confederate soldiers. This was not a commissioned painting, nor an article being written for a newspaper, to be released to the public. These were images being taken, processed, and printed from where it all happened and they spoke louder than any cannon fired during any war. Through the course of the Civil War, Mathew Brady and his team of photographers captured the bloodiest battles as well as the faces of the men who fought on both sides.
War was no longer a distant battlefield; it was piles of dead soldiers and a country tearing itself apart. Many feared on both sides that the images showing war would cause both an escalation to stop or continue the war. Photography became a weapon itself, as many photos were staged with bodies moved into positions to manipulate public perception of battles.
As the years passed so did the purposes of photography and war. It was used for reconnaissance, intimidation showing strength of arms and new weaponry, and even to confirm the deaths of famous figures such as Dale Titler’s photograph of the downed plane of the WWI German Ace Manfred von Richtofen more commonly known as “The Red Baron” to discourage the German people and lower moral.
The chaos and confusion of battle was illustrated to the world with Robert Capa’s images from the landing at Normandy for the D-Day invasion of Europe. Joe Rosenthal’s “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” and Alfred Eisenstaedt’s “V-J day in Times Square” have also become timeless images showing triumph and victory on distant shores as well as at home.
During the war in Vietnam, newspaper correspondent and columnist Joseph Galloway often fought alongside the troops he covered with his cameras, documenting the conflict around him.
Perhaps one of the most famous images of the century came from Eddie Adams with his portrait of an execution of a prisoner of war in 1968. It led to not only a Pulitzer Prize for Adams, but many claimed it changed the balance and political opinions of the war in Vietnam.
Nearly 150 years after Mathew Brady set out to capture the American Civil War, photojournalism still continues to advance, educate, and at times manipulate conflicts worldwide. Just as Andrew Jackson used paintings and monuments to tell stories of victory and triumph, leaders today use the press in all of it’s forms—particularly photography—to show the frozen moments in time that they want remembered.
Sometimes they can immortalize a great achievement and cement your place in history, however it can also backfire as President George W. Bush found out in 2003. By flooding the media with images of him on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with a banner reading: “Mission Accomplished” many would believe the war ended that day in the Fall of 2003, however the conflict remains and now the banner is a mere punch line for a joke, and a large part of his presidential legacy.
Today’s media is no longer limited to just words, images, and video but also can include computer graphic based animations and renderings. For most, the portrait of Barack Obama altered by Shepard Fairey is considered a sign of change, others saw it as a violation of a law on the copyright of AP photographs. All the same it became part of everyday culture and awareness around the world.
The photojournalists are the eyes and the ears for the world. On this Veteran’s Day, it is important to remember and be grateful for those people who have been the eyes and the ears for us all—and the sacrifices they made to do so.
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- Civil War photographer Mathew B. Brady, self portrait circa 1875.
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- Robert Capa, famous for the photos he took of the troops storming the beach on D-Day. Photograph by Gerda Taro.
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- Joe Rosenthal. Famed for his Pulitzer prize winning image “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima”.
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- Eddie Adams. Photographer known for the Pulitzer prize winning image of the shooting of a prisoner during the Vietnam war.
♦ Jason Etzel is a working photographer who is well respected in the photographic industry today. For 15 years he has worked for companies such as Unique Photo, B&H, and Dyna-Lite, providing sales, education, and research development of photographic products. In addition, he is also a frequent contributor to photographic publications such as Photo Insider and other photographic blogs. Even though he is based out of New Jersey, Jason is frequently seen from coast to coast at photographic events discussing the history of photography, where it is today, and where he hopes it is going tomorrow. Look for future articles by contributor Jason Etzel on Picture-soup.com.
Product Review: MOO MiniCards
By Diane Berkenfeld
MOO, the company known for their variable data printing solutions has introduced a new version of its well-known MiniCards. The MiniCards measure 1.1-inches x 2.76-inches, basically half the size lengthwise of traditional MOO business cards. Having created traditional MOO business cards in the past and reviewing them for this website, we jumped at the opportunity to review the new MiniCards.
The MiniCards come in packages of 100, and are delivered in a sturdy white cardboard box. Optional felt, acrylic and leather cases can be purchased from MOO as well as the company’s Mosaic frame, which displays 20 MiniCards. The Mosaic frame comes in two versions: solid white acrylic or solid black acrylic.
The basic concept behind MOO printed products is the company’s ability to offer variable data printing. What this means is that each card or MiniCard can be a different image. This makes Moo products ideal for photographers and artists to showcase their work.
The new version of MiniCards allows image uploading for use onto the front and back of the MiniCards, so you can upload images on one side and a logo on the other. Additional layout options include new templates, fonts and colors. And, the company now offers a bulk discount for customers purchasing its new 400 unit pack.
Unlike the traditional business card shape, think of the MiniCards as panorama images. Once you upload your images to the Moo.com website, you’re given the opportunity to tweak the cropping of your image(s). You’ll want to consider the final shape of the MiniCards when deciding which images to upload. I found that I liked the way the majority of my images turned out. There were a couple of images that didn’t work in the crop as well as I thought they might. So, if I create another batch of MiniCards, I know I’ll reuse certain images, and not use others. This is purely a subjective opinion on my part.
Here are some of the MiniCards I had printed. You can tell right away that these images work well in the MiniCard shape. At the top left of the image is the storage box that the MiniCards come in. All photos © Diane Berkenfeld.
The quality of the printing is just as good as the quality of the larger, traditional business cards that I’ve had printed by MOO. The paper quality has good heft to it, and the printing is high quality; text is easy to read. The one thing I would like to see in a future update is the ability to increase the font size on the side dedicated to your contact information more than is currently allowed.
There may be some folks who wonder if the MiniCards are an odd size for a business card, but there isn’t an absolute as to what a business card should look like these days. I’ve seen larger than normal business cards as well as small squares, the MOO MiniCards and those half the size of the Minis, as well as other shapes. What best represents your unique identity is what’s right for you.
The MOO MiniCards are definitely cool, and offer me another format for showcasing my photography. And, for the price of $19.99 per 100, they’re a great buy.
[Check out the Picture-Soup.com review of the traditional business cards by MOO here.]
Product Review: Personalized Pexagon Thumbdrive
By Diane Berkenfeld
My new pink 4GB Pexagon USB thumbdrive sits atop the box it was delivered in.
Pexagon Technology has been in the digital media business for some time. I stopped by their booth at the recent PhotoPlus Expo tradeshow and saw a great range of products that are ideal for the photographer or studio who needs to deliver digital files and keep their branding at the top of mind with their customers. Pexagon offers a wide range of digital media storage—USB drives in numerous styles and capacities—as well as Store-It drives. The unique thing about Pexagon is that they offer personalization of the USB drives and portable Store-It drives. And they offer bulk pricing.
The USB drives that can be personalized include swivel and traditional style USB drives in 14 different colors, and with capacities ranging from 128MB to 16GB. The portable Store-It and Store-It Pro 2.5-inch hard drives also come in 14 different colors and in capacities up to 500GB. They are Mac and PC compatible and connect to computer via USB 2.0. The Store-It and Store-It Pro drives are bus powered, meaning that they receive power by the computer via USB.
Instead of burning the images you’re delivering to clients on a CD or DVD that will likely be taken out once to download the files and then stored, never to see the light of day again—deliver the files on a USB drive that can be used and reused over and over. The USB drive is something that anyone can utilize and more importantly, it keeps your brand name in front of them. As a photographer, being able to deliver files in a reusable media format that is branded with your business name is to me, a much better solution than using media that is branded with the manufacturer’s logo or name.
Choose the capacity you need, whether its delivering low-res proofs on a 128MB drive or a complete job of final high-res image files on an 8 or 16GB drive.
Pexagon can personalize the swivel and traditional USB drives with two lines of copy on one side and a logo on the other. The Store-It drives can also be personalized with logo and copy. The personalization is crisp and easy to read. And, because it is laser engraved, it will last. Better still, there’s no set-up charges for the personalization.
The company also offers other personalized items as well as various styles and colors of USB drives, including those that take the shape of animals, wood covered drives, USB Jellibandz (wristbands that feature a USB drive in the closure, Jellibeenz (diminutive USB drives), business card USB drives, and more. They also offer a USB drive that is incorporated into a lanyard, making it perfect for staffers or students to keep their media close at hand.
I’ve used both the Pexagon USB media drives and Store-It drives for years, and have never had any issues. They’ve always worked perfectly. The pink 4GB personalized USB drive I just received from Pexagon came in a nice sturdy cardboard box, with an accessory lanyard. The colors that the company offers are really nice shades—very trendy, and they have the look and feel of high quality products. And, delivery was pretty quick after it was ordered.
The company has a dedicated Photo Solutions salesperson, as well as salespeople dedicated to other vertical markets which I think is smart, as they’ll understand the concerns and needs of their customers better. For more information, go to the website at www.pexagontech.com.
Book Review: Karen Sperling’s Painting for Photographers
Karen Sperling's Painting for Photographers. Cover painting and design by Karen Sperling from a photo by Felicia Tausig.
Karen Sperling’s Painting for Photographers; Steps and Art Lessons for Painting Photos in Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop, (ISBN: 978-0-9818163-0-2) is being released by Artistry Books in multiple formats, including an autographed hardcover edition, complete with a CD of source photos to use with the tutorials, bonus tutorials and brushes, and a 10% donation to charity for $149.95; print on demand softcover edition with downloadable source photos for $85.95; regular softcover edition with downloadable source photos for $39.95; and an e-book with source photos accessible from within the digital edition for $35.95. The author is the founder of Artistry Tips and Tricks, a website that educates photographers by providing tips and techniques for creating painterly images from digital photographs. She was also the author of the first manuals on Corel Painter and has penned several other Painter books as well.
Sperling uses numerous examples to illustrate the techniques including many by other photographers as before images, with her painted version as the finished images. The inclusion of the before and after images is extremely helpful, so the reader can see and fully understand the techniques that are being explained.
Sperling offers a wide range of tips and tricks, for portraits (including people and pets) and landscapes, in addition to more general techniques. This is an important focus as many professional photographers will likely be turning portraits taken of clients into paintings. For the fine-art photographer, landscapes are an important subject to tackle, and techniques for these images are also discussed in detail.
The author begins the volume with a quote by Andrew Carnegie, “If you think you can do something, you probably can.” Sperling explains that painting is 90% thought and 10% execution.
The book offers an introduction to art concepts, which is important for the photographer who may not have taken art classes in the course of their schooling; something that really is necessary to know to turn a photograph into a painting without having it look like you just ran it through a filter or plug-in in Photoshop. Such art concepts include understanding color harmony and tonal ranges.
Sperling also explains how to turn a photo into a painting. She discusses what types of images make great starting points, how to choose an image to take further; and how you can take the best parts of an image or images, while leaving out distracting elements—turning ordinary images into extraordinary pieces of art.
An entire chapter is spent on portraits, detailing body parts and how the different types of painting, acrylic, oils, watercolor, airbrush, etc. vary the look of an image. Another really helpful part of the book is the inclusion of examples from some of the portrait-painting masters, such as Degas, Rembrandt, and others.
Sperling follows a similar tone with the Landscape chapter, showing examples of how different styles of painting can alter the look of an image.
The chapter on pets is segmented into sections focusing on cats, dogs, and horses—which is helpful, as these are the more common animals that photographers will likely be working with.
The author explains the various tools that Corel’s Painter program offers users. She also explains the powerful tools that Photoshop offers the digital imager who wants to use that program. Sperling also includes shortcuts, including explaining the benefits of utilizing a Wacom pen and tablet in turning a photo into a painting because of the added control offered by the device.
Sperling completes the book with a discussion of over-painting techniques and the supplies needed to do so. Over-painting is the technique of painting with acrylic or oil paints on top of the canvas that the image has been printed upon. It is becoming a popular technique and adds an extra quality of uniqueness to images that receive this treatment.
Sperling notes that she finds painting both on the computer and with traditional paint to be more about confidence and suggests that if the reader practices and familiarizes themselves with the materials and techniques used, they’ll be more comfortable in working with these varied media. Sperling closes by bringing the reader back to her opening sentiment that, “If you think you can, you probably can.”
Creating painterly art from photographs is ideal for the professional photographer, who can use this to add a new dimension to their studio’s offerings. The guidance and education in Karen Sperling’s Painting for Photographers takes the intimidation out of turning photographs into painted masterpieces.
Check out Karen Sperling’s website at www.karensperling.com to see examples of her work. Go to www.artistrymag.com for Sperling’s Painter tutorial site.
— Diane Berkenfeld
Impressions of PhotoPlus Expo 2009
Having just recouped from three days of attending the PDN PhotoPlus Expo (www.photoplusexpo.com), held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in NYC, I thought I’d
share my impressions of the show. PhotoPlus is designed for professionals in the photographic and imaging industries, and showcases the latest in photography. October 22-24, 2009 marked the 26th consecutive year of the show. This year there were a number of companies that chose not to exhibit, including Fujifilm, Pentax, The MAC Group, Calumet, and Adobe. However I didn’t feel that made a big difference in attendance. There were also a number of new companies to the industry showing product for the first time.
Although no registration figures have been released yet—I felt the show was well attended. You see, for someone who has attended dozens of tradeshows over the last 10 years, I judge the attendance on the tradeshow floor by how easily one can navigate through the aisles. If you’ve got to weave among other attendees and stop often to wait for others to let you through, then its pretty crowded. If you can easily and quickly walk the show, then its not that crowded. Well, I’m pleased to say that even though we’re in the middle of a recession, PhotoPlus Expo 2009 was well attended—all three days. Normally the show which is held Thursday through Saturday is more well attended on the weekdays than on the Saturday, however this year there were just as many folks walking the tradeshow floor on Saturday as there were earlier.
In addition to the hundreds of exhibiting companies, over 100 special events, seminars and hands-on workshops were held over the three days of the show. Topics ran the gamut from portrait/wedding, commercial/editorial, lighting, marketing and business, Photoshop and color management, and more.
Stay tuned to the Picture Soup blog for more from PhotoPlus Expo 2009.
[By the way, if you want to put next year's dates in your calendar now, PhotoPlus Expo 2010 will be held Thursday, October 28 - Saturday, October 30, 2010.]
— Diane Berkenfeld
Lark publishes new Magic Lantern Guides book for the Olympus E-P1
Lark Books has published Magic Lantern Guides – E-P1. The new book is authored by Frank Gallaugher, who has years of experience shooting with Olympus cameras. The book (ISBN: 1-60059-671-1) costs $14.95 and will be available November 3, 2009.
Magic Lantern books help new digital photographers take the trial and error out of using and shooting with their new cameras. No matter if you’re a beginner or more experienced photographer, Magic Lantern Guides offer practical information and smart advice, while explaining all the features of a DSLR or interchangeable lens camera, and are written in an easy to read style. The Magic Lantern Guides are easier to understand than many of the manuals that come with these types of cameras.
You can check out the website at www.larkbooks.com to find out more about this book or see the other titles that Lark Books publishes.
— Diane Berkenfeld
[Editor's Note: Read the PictureSoup review of the Olympus E-P1 on this website.]
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