An Eye for Photography

I'm just in pure admiration to my eldest brother for he's really an artist in his own right. He is talented and people keep saying and it's true that our family is into arts and crafts for almost all of us know how to draw, design and creative. My bro is a visual artist and uses canvas as his medium using his favorite oil paint to draw his masterpieces. He already have joined national competitions and have won various awards. Not only in painting does he excel but also in the world of photography.

Let me boast a little bit if you may for he also got some awards on his photography works. His subject and lighting are superb and he doesn't uses any software to correct the colors of his images like many photographers are using. I can say that he has an eye for photography for he can turn a simple subject like a chair, door, fruits or maybe an auto lift into a beautiful work of art with meaning and dimension.

I just hope that he'll continue to create more paintings and photography and win on many contests for he has a passion for those.

Free Christmas Photobook Templates

Here are some of the Christmas Photobook Templates that I made and  you can use them  for FREE at ARTSCOW.

If you're a member at Artscow, all you have to do is pick a template of your choice 20 pages, 30- 36 pages and then upload your photos at your gallery and  then just DRAG and DROP your photos to the template. You can re-arrange all the picture frames if you want bec. the template is customizable as well.

Enjoy!

Collecting as a Hobby

Aside from photography and canvass painting my eldest brother is also into collecting of vintage stuff and memorabilia. He has this small gallery in their house where he showcases all of his paintings and his collections. He collects old LP records, old photographs of celebrities, magazines, vintage bottles, coins, cameras and whole lot more. He also wanted to find a military coin to add to his collection as what I have from him.

He actually enjoys what he is doing and even though we teased him at times that he is only collecting junk, for him he is collecting art and memories and having said that we can't argue anymore.

FREE! 10pcs 20 Paged 8"x8" & 9"x7" Photo Books from Artscow

Here's another freebie from ARTSCOW.com : FREE! 10 pcs 20 Paged 8"x8" & 9"x7" Photo Books. All you need to pay is the shipping. Yey. I need to start making layouts of my photobooks once again to avail of this promo. My Project 366 for this year was put aside when I became too busy blogging and I hope I can finish that early of 2013.

If you're not a member yet sign up at at ARTSCOW

Coupon Code: WINTERIMPRINT
Expiry date to validate at your account: Dec. 17, 2012

After validating at your account you have 30 days to use the code. So if you validate the code to your account today Dec. 11, 2012, you can use the code up until Jan. 11, 2012 (HK time).

Trends in Commercial Printing

With the age of the Internet, so many commercial printing companies have come up short. We are watching magazines and newspapers fold and turning to digital means to keep up. However, there are some trends in commercial printing that are actually helping this industry not only stay afloat, but also to succeed and see more opportunities.

Digital Printing

One of the latest trends is digital printing. This is what the future holds and companies that have made the transition are flourishing. One major perk to this type of printing is that it is far less costly. So, with lowered overhead costs, you can lower your prices and attract even more customers.

This type of printing is also very fast so you can get jobs done far faster than you could with commercial printing. The color durability is also high, so finished products will stand up very well to light and other sources of degradation.

Offering Service Combinations

Some customers will still want traditional commercial printing so this should still be an available option. You can still offer this as a stand-alone service, or offer it along with digital printing. You can put together a variety of different combination packages so that customers have plenty to choose from. You can also allow customers to create their own package. For example, a customer may still want to use traditional printing methods for their brochures, but want to use digital printing for another aspect.

Graphic Design

To take your business to the next level, you may want to follow the trend of incorporating graphic design into your printing business. You can find many phenomenal graphic designers out there that can help you build upon the services that you offer. Those with these skills can help to create websites and digital content and these can be added to your printing services. For example, if you create brochures and business cards for a company, having a graphic designer will also allow you to help them create their website. This will increase your revenue and help your customers only need one company to get all of their advertising needs done.

Wedding Photography and more

I always love taking pictures. I believe that every moment and every scene deserve to be preserved through photos as that moment might not or will not come back again. During the early 80’s I always borrow camera from my generous cousin if there is an occasion because we still don’t have a camera that time. Those photos that are in my possession right now are cherished memories of the past and it’s always fun to see them from time to time for it brings a lot of good memories.

I’ve been hooked to photography when I bought my DSLR in 2009 and even made a simple photobook of the photographs that I have taken. How’d I wish I have taken a step further with my photography other than being a hobby. It would be nice if I end up a professional photographer just like some of my friends who made it as a business now. But just the same, I enjoyed taking photos all the time.. as in all the time because I have my Project 365 or known as the Photo-a-Day challenge this year. I guess I’d still continue that next year for it can still hone my photography skills even though I rarely use my DLSR anymore.

Speaking of being a professional photographer and having a business of their own, I always admire all the photographers who are working very hard to master their craft. Taking photos on different events is no joke as it requires a lot of skill, patience and creativity to bring out the beauty of the event. I reckon, just one of the challenging event to photograph is wedding for there are many details that you need to capture. There’s so much action and emotion during the ceremony that any photographer should be attentive to.

Nicholas Sumner Photography

Getting a good photographer for you wedding and other event is a must. Nicholas Sumner Photography, a wedding photography Halifax specializes in wedding, portrait, travel and event photographs. Professional photographer, Nicholas Sumner has been a photographer for almost 20 years and has been shooting various events for a long time now. A thorough browsing of his website can give you a glimpse of his works and whole lots more.

What's Your CANON Story ? Contest

Mechanics via http://www.canon.com.ph/15years/:
Share your Canon story through words and images. Write a 500-word
narrative and send us 1 to 3 photos that tell us how Canon has impacted
your life in a positive way. Join the "What's Your Canon Story?" online
promotion, from August 15 - December 31, 2012 and get a chance to win a
brand new Canon Digital IXUS Camera.

I'm a Canon camera and printer lover ans when I saw this contest promo from Canon, I wanted to try my luck and who knows I might win. Let's see if I can whip up a narrative story as my entry.

Gifts for Christmas

Wow! Christmas is just so near and I have already did my Christmas shopping. I enjoyed buying gifts for my loved ones and soon I will buy some more as I am not yet done. I still need to find gifts for my godchildren that requires careful thinking as well. One of my godchild is into sports so anything sports related gifts are perfect.

Another godchild of mine is a music lover and he loves to play drums as what her mom said to me. I'm thinking of buying him drumsticks so he can really use it. I will not wonder anymore if one day he'll become a musician and be in a band to perform. Thanks to his parents as well for they are supporting and encouraging him on the things that he loves.

My 23rd 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

In 2011, I wasn’t able to do the Project 365 or known as the Photo-a-day challenge so what I did was A YEAR IN REVIEW photobook instead. It is to document the memories that we had during that year through photos as well.

Again, I had it printed at ARTSCOW. The photbook is book bind that’s why it’s durable unlike those other books that are glue bound only.

Music on Christmas and New Year's Eve

Wow, I'm actually getting excited already for my favorite events of the year is coming very soon once again. I'm going to seat down with mom and SIL so that we can come up what dishes we'll going to prepare on those days.

Meanwhile, my brother is the one in-charge with the lights and sounds that we'll have especially on New Year's eve. We usually have a videoke machine where we can sing all night all eventhough there are times that our voices are not that good hahaha. It's going to be fun and riot for sure, as my nieces and nephews love to sing and dance. I'm not sure, if bro will install other lights just like what they did last year, I just overheard that they found a first-rate Fibracell reeds at WWBW online but not quite sure where are they going to use them for.

I'll just let them worry about that because my assignment is what to cook on those special days. Ahh I can't wait anymore.

My 22nd 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

Ever since I got my iPhone last year and have downloaded Instagram, I became an IG (Instagram) addict already. Been taking photos almost every day to document all life’s happenings.

I compiled all the IG photos that I have and made it into a book. Actually, I did not use any template on this because I made this entirely at Photoshop and have it printed at ARTSCOW.

Oh BTW, if you don’t know how to make a layout at photoshop just use MY INSTAGRAM TEMPLATE for free.

Pixoto: Online Community for Photographers

Just one of the many things that I love to do is to take pictures all the time. I found joy in capturing all the moments in every situation events. I bought my 1st Canon DSLR cam way back in 2008 and upgraded my lens kit to a 75-200mm lens.

What makes me also hook into photography is that a seemingly lifeless/boring subject or ordinary material will eventually have meaning once taken with a different angle. That’s the beauty of photography, you can see beyond the subject as you can create or picture a story in your mind when you see a certain photo. I’m certainly not a pro for I have whole lot to learn especially on my DSLR camera settings. I also do not need the latest camera to be able to capture a stunning photograph. Just like what experts say, it’s not in the camera but on the photographer. However, nothing will beat the outcome of those that have super lenses but these days, photos can be processed tremendously using various enhancing programs like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

Sharing photos to our friends/family and even on our online community can also give happiness to any photographer. It’s even more thrilling to get positive comments and even constructive criticism.

Pixoto is an online community where any photographers can join free. It is a place where their images compete weekly in Pixoto’s ImageDuel system. I was in awe browsing all the beautiful and creative photos that they have on the site. Any member can upload a portrait stock images in their dashboard and categorize them according to content categories. Check their blog as well to know what category they ask participants to upload for their contest.

Who knows in the future, I can even compete in one of their contest. For now, I still need to hone my photography skills for it has become “rusty” already because of lack of practice.

Rockstar Princess Photobook Template

Princess Rockstar theme party is the trend these days for your little princesses. Why not? They can dress up wearing their boots, rubber shoes, wrapped or chunky leather bracelets, tutus, leather jackets and more. The venue will blast with top tc electronic sound system, colorful lights and a lot of dancing and singing.Kids will really enjoy that kind of party theme.

Here's a Rockstar Princess Photobook Template that I made and it's available for FREE to use at ARTSCOW. It's available in 8x8 sizes in regular and deluxe print. Pages are from 20, 30 and 39 pages.

• 8" x 8" Hard Bound Custom Cover.
• First 20 pages included.
• Additional page $0.50/each.
• 157gsm premium paper.
• 100% acid free paper.
• Double-sided printing.
• Easy drag and drop images, themes, backgrounds, and control text placement.
• Customized with your own title, photos and add text to the spine.
• Including lots of layouts, backgrounds and themes for you to choose.

Party and Music

A party is not complete without any music, right? It makes any event or party alive and festive. During parties, you can hire live bands playing the guitar with guitar pickups, drums and other musical intrument or you can just play music on your CD players or other gadgets.

Choose any genre of music that you'll have to set the mood of your party. It can be nostalgic, rock/heavy metal, ballad, country music, kid songs etc to suit your party's theme.

My 21st 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

Two  of my friends in the US had a vacation last 2010 and we had a grand reunion back then. We had our get together in a hotel and stayed for a night. As usual, it was a riot! Just imagine 20+ girlfriends with their husbands and even children all together at the same time. Talks are endless, foods are overflowing and games are funny.

This is a 60-paged photobook that I made and had it printed at ARTSCOW.

Black Friday Shopping

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US and this year it will fall on November 23. This will be the craziest shopping event of the year as a lot of stores like Target, Macy's etc. are offering various sales and deals on just about anything. I remember my cousins told me that there's a time when they had to line up so early in the morning in one of the popular stores in their area just to get the LED TV and other electronic gadgets.

Not only at regular stores where shoppers can shop because Black Friday deals are also available online.How'd I wish I can buy a new desktop, laptop or even a new cellphone for myself. I guess I have to contact my cousins once again to get me for the prices can be crazy. I have some relatives coming home for a vacation so I can just ask them to bring it home for me. Yey, great idea. !

My 20th 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

Please bear with me if I'm slow in sharing all of my photobooks here hehe.  Been caught up with lots of work that’s why don’t have much time posting all of them.

This is the New Year photobook that I made. My sister and her family were here in 2009 so our Holidays are special. Wish they will be back next year’s Christmas.

Another Rockstar Theme Party

These days, theme party decorations are very popular. Another daughter of my friend will be celebrating her 7th birthday this November and her theme will be a Rockstar Theme party. I'm very sure that it will be another great party with lots of food, gifts, surprises and fun. Rockstar party will not be complete if there is no music, singing and dancing. 

I already learned that there is a runway where kids can dance and sing. The birthday girl will also have   that she can use to sing and thank all her guests.

My 19th 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

Christmas 2009 is a very special to our family. During that year, my sister and her family who residing in Sydney came home to let her 2 little kids experience how Christmas is spend here in the Philippines.

Her kids are amazed about our Christmas traditions like the Manuhan wherein kids can ask for some gifts (money or not) to adults. They also experienced a lot of things and even ate native foods.

I compiled all the photos and made a photobook and have it printed over at ARTSCOW.

Door Hanger Advertising

These days, the competition among businesses can be real tough and challenging. A company or a store cannot solely rely on walk in customers for they cannot target a large group of customers that can patronage their service or products. This is where advertising comes in the picture that can help any business survive and be known. 

We have seen a lot of different kinds of advertisement and it can be in the form of TV/radio commercials, print ads, social media advertisements, flyers, banners, stickers and whole lot more. If you are seriously considering of aggressive advertisement of your business, you can try the door hanger advertising wherein your company/logo, products and what you offer are printed in full colors on both sides that you can hang on any doors. Hanging Ads, an Airdrie Advertising company in Canada can help you with your door hangers. 

 Every business needs exposure and marketing and hiring a Cochrane Advertising company can always lend you a hand in many great ways to let your business target your customers. Be aggressive and focus in promoting your business, it can be a real hard work at first but in the end all your efforts will be replaced with good profits and sales.

Personalized Calendar Sale at Artscow

Everyone is getting ready for their Christmas gifts and giving personalized calendar are cool gifts to everyone. I gave one to my sis last year with our family photos and she loved it so much that she even kept the calendar up to  now.

Code: CALENDA2013
Ends: Nov 12 (Free Shipping)

mini wall calendar 8.5"x6" - $6.99
wall calendar (12 months) - $8.99
wall calendar (18 months) - $11.99
desktop calendar 8.5"x6"/ 6"x8.5" - $8.99

desktop calendar 11"x5" - $9.99

I made some calendar templates FREE to use at artscow.com, please check them out

Nothing Beats Christmas

As Christmas draws near, I'm so sure that all of us will be busy making a list, shopping and wrapping gifts that we can give to our loved ones. Apart from that not only our homes, office and malls will be filled with filled with beautiful garlands but also churches and chapels. It's even more nice if you can donate Church furniture or any church items not only during Christmas but any time of the year 

Nothing beats the happiness and the festiveness that we get during Christmas that is why a lot of people all over the world is awaiting for the most wonderful time of the year. 

My 18th 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

This is my 18th photobook that I ordered from Artscow.com. My friends and I met for lunch about a year ago and to preserve the memories during that occasion, I thought of making a photobook. I only used MY MINIMALIST 8x8 template that I made at artscow and all I did was to drag and drop my photos in the template but also made some few arrangements.

Sophie Digi-Layout

This is one of the pages from my Sophie 2009 photobook that I made for my dog Sophie. This layout is very simple because I want to emphasize the photos of my dogs. Also, I have little time to make intricate digiscrapping layouts that’s why I opt for a simple one.

My dog Sophie is turning 4 this January 2013 and I’m actually thinking of giving her a simple party just like what I gave her for 3 years already. This time, I can give her a new pet bed and new toys as my gifts.

My Days of Summer Digi Kit

DAYS OF SUMMER, is my latest kit available only at artscow.com.

I just love how this kit turned out. The colors are lively and fun and for sure your summer photos will come out great using this kit. I also made a lot of pre-made samplers and templates that you can only use inside Artscow and I hope you can use them.

Rockstar Party

These days, themed parties for kids and adults are very popular already. Just last weekend the daughter of my friend turned 7 and it has a rockstar party themed. I just finished watching the party's video and it looks awesome. The stage, the music, the food, the performers look awesome. The kids had a lot of fun dancing and singing in front of the stage and I bet the audio people did a very good job and for sure they even used the best mastering software for their audio system.

Meanwhile, another friend is the official photographer/videographer on the said event. I'm pretty sure they have lots of photos that they can also use to make a photobook. I'm going to share my rockstar photobook template that they can use.

My Rockstar Digi Kit

MY ROCKSTAR is my newest kit at Artscow.com. I was inspired by niece’s Rockstar drawing few months ago and thought of making a kit with music or rockstar theme. I also made the guitar graphics manually at photoshop and I love how it turned out especially when I put  "styles" on them.

This kit is now available at artscow and it’s FREE to add from Sept. 1 till midnight of Sept. 15, 2012 HK time, meaning when you use the kit you’ll not be charge for it. Don’t forget to check out the various templates that I made using this kit, they are free to use.

Scrap any music themed photos of your kids using this kit. Enjoy!

My 17th 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

This is a photobook that I made for my dog SOPHIE that I ordered from ARTSCOW.  She was just 3 months when I got her and now she’s almost 4. Sophie is a mix breed of Schitzu (where she got the long coat) and dauschund (where she got her long body). Now, she’s 3 1/2 years old and unfortunately, I’m not doing any photobooks for her but I really wanted to do so.

In fact, I also wanted to make a mini closet for her where I can put her stuff like few shirts and skirt plus her grooming kit. I have to ask my bro what else he needs aside from the dowel pins that he asked me to get for the other project that I'm asking him to make for me.

Anyway, if I have more time, I’m sure I’ll be making more photobooks for her.  

CHECK OUT MY PHOTOBOOKS HERE. I’ll be posting more soon!

Busy in Making Templates

I was in a roll on making templates for artscow lately that I forgot to call the answering service

of the water company that we have bill issues. Well, i hope it will be settled soon as it is very ridiculous to pay the every high amount in our bill.

I've made about 3 instagram photobook templates and it's now up at artscow. Thanks to my friend's request for me to make that album and I think that is an awesome idea. Those that have no time or don;t know how to make a layout in photoshop can easily make a photobook because of my template.

Yesterday, I also made some templates for calendar 2013 and hoping that customers will be using them before the year ends as their Christmas gifts too.

Free Instagram (IG) Photobook Templates

Instagram  is a very popular place for photos to share. I made this FREE template that you can use only inside Artscow.com.

How to use this my INSTAGRAM Photobook Template:?

All you need to do is:
1. upload your IG photos to your Artscow account's album
2. use this template : it comes in 8x8" (20, 30 and 39 pages)
3. drag and drop your photos
4. add date or short description on IG photo
5. save your design
6. preview your photobook  have it printed at artscow

Voila, you're done! Artscow, always gives free coupons so at times you can get a photobook for free and you need to pay for the shipping only.

You can now start using  my FREE to use instagram phtobook template that I made!

Just in case you don't have an Artscow account yet, SIGN UP HERE.

To Remember and be Remembered

There are many different things a person can give someone else to remember him or her, from Frederique Constant timepieces for watch lovers to a simple handkerchief. If it's an intimate relationship, personalizing the item with a specific engraving for example is a great way to make it several times more special. But sometimes you don't have anything left, but some photos and a memory of a few phrases a person used to say. In that case the ideal thing would be to start a photo- or scrapbook.

Something to remember
Normally each family has some kind of item which belonged to a great great grandmother or grandfather and was passed on from generation to generation. Usually it's some kind of jewelry like earrings or a watch (Pulp Fiction coming into mind). Such an item tells a little bit of the family history and if you don't have one you should start this tradition now by buying a watch here for example. It doesn't have to be anything expensive, but it should be a timeless thing and nothing digital. It would also be better, if it wasn't gender bound as you never know if your great grand child is going to be a girl or a boy.

Photo- or Scrapbook instead
Of course you can start a photo- scrapbook instead of buying anything to pass on. Photobooks are perfect for any event. You can sit together with the whole family looking at pictures and little notes to remember a special day in the past and telling family stories. The only problem with those is that the more time is passing the more photo- and scrapbooks you will have to add which in a few decades will lead to a ton of paper. Through social media you can create photo albums online and send them to your friends and family, which is an easy way round.

Photobook Templates for Babies

 If you’re a scrapper or not, you can instantly  make a photobook  for your sweet  baby by using one of my baby templates.

Here are templates that I made that you can use for free inside Artscow’s website. All you have to do is drag and drop your photos inside the frames, add your journaling if you want or re-arrange the layout and have it printed at their site.

Images are linked to my template.
For baby girl:

Inside pages:
 
For baby boy:

My 16th 8x8 Photobook from Artscow

My mom celebrated her 78th birthday in 2010 so I have to make a photobook for her. I was pressed for time so I just used
my template that I have for artscow, check it HERE.
I just dragged and drop the photos and made some revisions on the page and I’m done. That’s the convenience of using a template, you can make a photobook in an instant.

I just hope that you are also inspired with all the photobooks that I am sharing here.

CHECK OUT MY PHOTOBOOKS HERE. I’ll be posting more soon!

Swimming Pool/Beach Inspired Digi kit

Here are just some Swimming Pool / Beach Digi Kits that you can use to scrap your summer photos. Doing summer, we always go for a vacation to hit the beach or swim at the pool and it’s  great way to bond with our family.

It’s already rainy seasons in our country but at least we can use electric swimming pool heaters to make our pools warm. While it’s a wet, wet, wet world in our country, some parts of the world is summer time already.

I still have to scrap our summer photos and these kits are just perfect.