Digital Camera Gift Tips
You own a digital camera, right? You like to take pictures and you probably would love to give them away as gifts. As a recepient of a couple of photograph prints I can assure you that they make great gifts with a personal touch!
Seattle Time has posted an article for tips on how to give away great Photo Prints as Christmas or regular gifts. Plus, if you want to become a professional photographer then giving away Photographs as gifts is a great way to get started.
Seattle Times Photo Gift Tips:
Match the photo to the gift. A landscape photo works well blown up for a calendar but not so well on a small mug, which calls for a closely cropped photo with one or two people. Horizontal photos fit calendars best, while verticals are ideal for mugs and T-shirts. Some online services allow shoppers to preview products with chosen photos.
Use a good photo. “The better the original photo, the better the final product,” noted Marcia Rhines, co-owner of Competitive Recognition in Sumner. “Although we have software to enhance and improve photographs, it is still difficult (sometimes impossible) to make a bad photo look great.” Close-ups and images with bright colors translate well.
Count those pixels. Be cautious enlarging a 4-by-6-inch photo into an 8-by-10-inch calendar. “You have to have the resolution to pull it off or else it will really look bad,” warns David Simmerman, past president of the Olympia Camera Club. Wal-Mart recommends a resolution of 300 dpi or higher for its photo gifts. “If your image is below the minimum resolution/size requirements, do not simply increase the size in your editing software,” Wal-Mart’s Web site notes. “You must either rescan the image or use a higher-quality image.”
Think beyond photos. Scan children’s artwork to use as decorations.
Consider the recipient. Sure, Grandma and Grandpa will probably love anything with a grandbaby. But rather than a whole calendar of just your family, consider one with photos of all their grandkids, suggests Simmerman. “They want to see everybody,” he notes.
Consideration, Part II. Don’t assume all friends and family are as charmed with your darlings as you are. Extended relatives — especially ones with their own kids might prefer a photo for the fridge.
Do it yourself. Print pictures or artwork on iron-on transfer paper to decorate cloth accessories such as an apron or canvas bag. Transfer paper is sold at craft stores.
Plan ahead. If you know you want to put together a calendar, for example, take seasonal pictures throughout the year to illustrate different months.
Check out the whole article here.