Tag Archives: Photo Cards

Valentine Photo Ideas: Think Pink

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Valentine's Day photo shootAre you thinking of sending a custom valentine that friends and family will love? There’s one simple thing you can do to make your photos pop: use props!

Since most Valentine’s Day photo cards share a palette of pinks and reds, adding a shot of pink or red to your photo is a fun way to tie your photo into the card design. A cute prop, such as a big candy heart or a flower that matches the colors in your card, makes it look like the card and photo were meant for each other.

Less is more, when it comes to props. One eye-catching spot of color will have the most impact. If you have more than one person in your photo, one prop per person is a good rule of thumb. To make the props stand out even more, dress your subjects in neutral colors.

You can also take the opposite approach and use clothing or simple accessories to add punch to your valentine photo ideas. For boys, try a bow tie or hat. For girls, a hair bow or ribbon. A piece of clothing, such as a red shirt, sweater or dress, will achieve the same effect. You can’t go wrong when you think pink!

Top 10 Family Photo Tips

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Getting ready to take the annual family photo for your Christmas cards, New Year’s cards or Thanksgiving cards? We see a lot of family photos, and wonder how our customers manage to take such great ones. To make your photo session easier, we’ve compiled our top 10 family photo tips, especially for those who have lots of family members to organize or little kids to corral.

Family Photo

10. Choose your time carefully
Make sure the kids are fed and rested. We all know what happens when we skip nap time, and even adults get cranky when they’re hungry.

9. Bring toys or treats
Don’t be caught empty handed. You’ll need to take quick action if you have to turn that frown upside down or want to reward good behavior.

8. Set a rain date
If you’re shooting outside, or are hiring a professional photographer, be sure to set a rain date in case someone gets sick or the weather isn’t perfect.

7. Have fun
Let people make funny faces, move around, and strike poses. You never know. Those often turn out to be the best photos, with lots of personality.

6. Plan for interaction
Play a game, sing a song, anything to get the group focusing and interacting with one another. Tickling might work for kids, but don’t overdo it.

5. Bring props
Sometimes a great theme comes out of a prop idea. Everybody wears the same hat or a silly mustache. Perhaps the photo is shot through a picture frame or window, or reflected in a mirror. If this appeals, browse photo websites for ideas.

4. Not smiling is okay
No smile is better than a plastic one. If your teen decides to take a stand, nothing good can come from arguing about it. You will treasure the photo when he or she gets older.

3. Capture the moment
Everyone doesn’t have to be looking at the camera or perfectly posed. Great photos capture a moment in time. Stilted ones are not as real or fun to look at.

2. Family apparel
Should you or shouldn’t you coordinate your holiday outfits? There are two schools of thought on this, and it all depends on your family. The main thing is to make sure everyone is dressed in a similarly casual or formal way, so no one stands out in a bad way.

1. Relax
Kids are great at reading Mom’s mood. If you are relaxed, they will be too. This is especially important if you are paying a photographer. Your time is limited, so make the most of it.

Featured Favorite

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Halloween Photo CardsWhen our customer, Lindsey, decided to take a photo of her son in his new Halloween costume, she was a little worried about getting him to cooperate. “I didn’t think that my son would actually keep the costume on long enough for me to take this photo.” But using a little mom-ingenuity, she came up with a great idea. “The wagon was a distraction to get him to focus on something else other the big ears, fuzzy feet and long tail. The wagon is a new toy for him (an awesome hand-me-down from his two cousins in Seattle, WA) and since he hasn’t quite figured out how to use it as a walker yet, he likes climbing into and sitting in it.” Great photo? Check.

Next on the list was finding Halloween card ideas. Lindsey says, “I was looking at several websites for a photo card that was modern, clean and simple – yet fun and really highlighted the photo – and Pear Tree Greetings was the only site that had options that worked for what I was looking for.” Excellent choice, Lindsey! And we love that your photo is black and white, which makes the card the perfect Halloween-y combination of black and orange.

You may not have thought about sending out Halloween photo cards, but as Lindsey will tell you, “it’s a fun way to send family members a recent photo and certainly is a nice memento to have that shows my son’s growth over his first year. Thanksgiving and Christmas cards are next!”