Canvas
Dressing Up An Office Space With Canvas Pictures
Office spaces are always dull and lifeless when you first move in and the challenge of dressing up your office begins. You want something nice and elegant, yet something unique and different that will have your office stand out from the rest. There are plenty of different office supply stores where you can purchase different pictures and wall hangings, but why settle for what other people already have? Instead of spending your budget on these normal items that everyone else has in their offices, why not think about canvas pictures instead?
Canvas pictures are a great way to dress up any office space, yet still give you freedom over what you hang and how your office comes together. Think about it – beautiful, unique canvas pictures of your favorite things hanging all over your office, yet everyone will think that you spent a fortune on them somewhere. You will be able to pick any pictures you like – from family photos to landscapes to abstract art – it does not matter. Any photo you choose can be printed on canvas so you can then enjoy it in your office.
Also, canvas pictures are so affordable that you will easily be able to purchase them for less than you would spend on those mass-produced paper prints at the office supply store. You will also be able to choose the size of your canvas pictures, what type of wrapping they have, and more. You can even edit the pictures how you want them before they are printed, or pay the canvas printer to edit them the way that will make them look the best on canvas. You can easily order them online and have them shipped directly to your office. From there, they are ready to hang directly out of the packaging and you only have to worry about where to hang them.
Once they are hung you will find that people who come into your offices will admire your new canvas pictures in any room. They will assume that you have spent a fortune on them, but you didn’t. And, they will easily become a focal point and a great ice breaker for new clients or customers. Don’t waste your time with cheap, mass-produced paper prints from an office supply store, instead check out what ZaZa Gallery has to offer you in the way of canvas pictures. Let their experts help you order the perfect canvas pictures for your office today.
Top Reasons Why Canvas Prints are Better than Posters
If you’re a fan of poster art and other large format photograph displays then it’s possible you’ve started to catch wind of the canvas print movement. Although subject to a lot of resistance, mainly from painters upset that photography is cutting in on their favorite medium, canvas printing is picking up a lot of steam, and many former poster lovers have wholeheartedly switched to canvas.
But what real advantage do Canvas Prints have over posters? Certainly not cost. Canvas Prints are a much higher quality product, with more expensive materials, and more labor involved. You’re not going to find a canvas print for the same price that you’ll find an equivalently sized poster. However, we don’t think that matters so much considering what a significantly superior product canvas prints are to posters.
Let’s start with the materials used in making canvas prints. Unlike a poster, canvas prints come with a solid frame. It isn’t a decorative frame like one you would display a photo or poster in, rather the canvas is actually wrapped around it. The end result is a finished product that doesn’t need frame, mat, or glass to display and be protected. The stretcher bar frame is very sturdy, and is extremely easy to hang.
You will often find that the inks used in canvas printing and poster printing are completely different as well. Because paper in itself doesn’t have a long lifespan, most print shops won’t bother using inks rated to last decades either. With canvas, because the whole finished product is rated to last over 100 years without deteriorating, professional print shops will print it with highest quality archival inks. These inks won’t deteriorate or fade, and are UV resistant.
Beyond that, once printed, a very special protective sealer is applied to the canvas. This makes the print very malleable so that the ink and canvas won’t crack when it is stretched. Beyond that it makes the print moisture resistant, if not completely water resistant. A professionally done canvas print of museum-quality can be held under running water without any damage. We all know the same can never be said of a poster print, or even a photo paper print. The sealer also goes a great distance in protecting the canvas print from dirt and scratching.
Without a doubt, when it comes to quality and durability canvas prints beat posters hands down. But what about in appearance? There’s no contesting that posters have a classic look to them. They’ve been around forever – Their glossy finish and curling dog-eared edges is as much predictable as it is familiar, and familiarity is often comforting. However, if the quality of the image is your primary focus give canvas serious consideration. I’m not going to lie and try to tell you that canvas is the ideal display surface for images with extremely fine details and sharp edges. For things like that smooth glossy photo paper is still going to be ideal. However, for images with deep rich colors and a softer feel, canvas is perfect.
The texture of the canvas creates extremely tiny areas of light and shadow on the surface of the image that causes very subtle shifts as you change lighting conditions or viewing angle. While this texture is directly responsible for softening edges and ignoring extremely fine details, it also adds to the immense beauty of the product. Colors become much more rich, the image pops off of the surface, and the end result is truly stunning.
If you’re considering giving fine art canvas prints a chance for your next would-be-poster project, I suggest you check out ZaZaGallery.com where you can get a museum-grade 8×10 canvas print for only $25. If you like what you see you can always go bigger.
What Exactly Are Canvas Prints? Why Should I Buy One?
Canvas prints is the term that has come to describe a process by which a digital photograph is printed onto a canvas medium. What is compelling about this process is the depth and realism that can be achieved with this style of photograph printing. Even though canvas prints retain the vast majority of the smooth, realistic lines in the original photograph, the gentle diffusing of the edges and blending of colors actually adds to the original photo’s beauty.
Canvas is the preferred, traditional medium of oil and acrylic paintings. As such many avoid it as a photograph printing surface because they feel it is unauthentic or presumptuous. That may have been a consensus years ago, but it is no reason to avoid adding to the beauty of your photography now. Canvas printing has been on the rise for several years, and has quietly but securely won its way into the hearts of artists, photographers, and consumers alike.
There’s more than just an aesthetic advantage to printing on canvas, however. For example, have you ever tried printing a paper banner to put on display at an event like a sports game or trade show? I’m sure you discovered that whether you printed it on your home printer, or had it made at a shop, it didn’t last very long. Paper is overly prone to tearing, crinkling, bleeding, and falls apart of a rain drop even looks at it funny.
Canvas is none of those things. It is very heavy and durable. It is exceedingly difficult to tear. Properly printed and sealed canvas can be held under a water faucet and not bleed, weaken, or stretch. It can easily handle a few raindrops. Best of all canvas is heavy, so it won’t blow around in the wind, crinkle, crease, or distort in any way. It is truly the perfect medium for posters and banners, in addition to fine art prints.
Best of all, canvas prints are affordable. Unlike paper photograph prints, canvas doesn’t have to be put in an expensive frame with matte and glass. Even without a frame a well stretched canvas print is considered a finished product, and can be put on display as is. You don’t have to worry overmuch about protecting the canvas either – Just keep it out of heavy moisture areas like bathrooms, and away from prolonged direct sunlight. If you follow these few little suggestions, your canvas print will last for over 100 years without any visible signs of deterioration. That’s over four times as long as traditional photograph prints.
There are many uses for printed canvas, whether as an art piece, promotional poster, banner, or anything else you can think of. For example, I currently have a 3” wide 8” long unstretched canvas print covering an unsightly door. Not only does it negate the terrible aesthetics of the door, but it inspires conversation whenever I have guests. What else can you think of to put on canvas, or use printed canvas for? Let us know at ZaZaGallery.com and we’ll see if we can bring your imagination to life.
Photography Portfolio: Building One Part 2
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Styling of the ‘Book’
Personal preference does enter into what you want your portfolio to look like. A portfolio is your physical representative and you want it to speak for you and your work when you are not able. Portfolios are personal in many ways although you must be prepared to have your personal taste picked apart. No two agents or editors want the same thing in a portfolio so what one may rave about, the other may hate.
In general, the book should be in keeping with the style of the photography. If you specialize in ultra modern architectural photography, an ultra modern look to your book makes sense. Of course the style goes beyond the cover – pages, colors, even the folder or bag it slides into should continue the imagery.
Keep in mind, however, that by the time the agent or editor sits down with you and your book, they probably have met with hundreds of photographers and thumbed through thousands of books. Agents are not impressed by over done, over worked or overly cutesy ideas. They prefer simple books based on intelligent and creative ideas.
Size of the ‘Book’
Books come in all shapes and sizes but what is going to convince an agent or editor that you are the one for them? Again, it depends on the work you do. Previously published editorial work i.e. a page from a magazine, should be in the size it was originally published. Wedding portfolios should be in 8×10″ because that is usually the maximum size people have their wedding photos enlarged to when hanging them on the wall. Most other portfolios are 11×14″ or larger. ‘Big’ better shows off the images and lends a ‘larger then life’ feel to the book.
If, like many new photographers, you must travel or mail your book to agents, 11×14″ may seem too big and too expensive to mail. But think about this – the agent will have already seen your work either as a few 8×10″ images you sent with a letter of introduction and/or your website. They are interested in your work and they have asked to see your book – they know exactly what they are asking and would not do it if they were not keenly interested in taking you on as a client. Is this the point where you want to pull back and not present your photography to the best of your ability?
Most companies that produce portfolios for artists and photographers also sell shipping boxes custom fit for their covers. It is well worth buying the box as well. When you send the book, do not send it the slowest, cheapest way possible. Agents are fickle and easily distracted and if they are hot on your work today, they may not want to wait three weeks while your portfolio wanders from one end of the country to the other. Insure the heck out of it and send it as fast as you can realistically afford. First impressions are everything and make sure you are always presenting your work in its best light and yourself as a professional.
How Many Words are Too Many?
As beginners, we all want to explain our work. It is human nature to be nervous, to want to speak for our images and to attempt to explain how or why we took that shot. Don’t. Your portfolio is not a place for words; it is a place to let your images speak for themselves. Nothing says more then your picture standing alone and leave captions for your Facebook page.
Final Thought on ‘Books’
Last year I met a prominent Dallas based photographer at a wine and cheese party hosted by an agency for new fine art photographers or photographers interested in breaking into the fine art market. This prominent Dallas based photographer had done almost entirely editorial work for magazines at this point in her career and proudly displayed her book for an equally prominent agent. The agent thumbed through three pages and declared ‘the images are wonderful but the book just won’t do!’, much to the embarrassment of the photographer. She had designed the book to impress magazine editors – there were words under the images and a magazine style design to the pages! Even under her personal work, she had explained the images because in her experience, that is what magazine editors preferred.
Thankfully, the agent gave her a second chance – bring me a new book sans words and plain pages, then we can talk.
Moral of the story? Always be prepared with a backup plan, know your subjects and do not be discouraged when your first attempt fails to impress, there is always a second chance.
Published By PicturePhotosonCanvas.com
Author Anne lockly
Copyright ©2008 picturephotosoncanvas.com
Photography Portfolio: Building One Part 1
Nothing is as critical to a photographer starting their career as a portfolio. A portfolio cannot be built in a day, a week or a month. It is an ongoing evolutionary process that takes time to create and is constantly updated and changed. As new images take shape, old ones are dropped from the book or website and the content changes like the seasons.
A photographer may also have more then one portfolio depending on their interests and genre. In fact, photography agents frown upon too much variety in a single portfolio as they prefer to see that the photographer has a single and sustainable focus. Depending on which client the photographer is meeting with depends on which portfolio is highlighted while the others gather dust until next time.
Web-based and Print Portfolio
Is a web-based or print portfolio more important to the aspiring photographer? Both actually as they both have their purpose. As technology continues to become more and more important in our lives, the shift may permanently change to a web-based portfolio but for now, there are still editors and agents that insist on seeing a printed portfolio.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages:
- a web-based portfolio is able to reach millions of people all over the world simultaneously so drawing initial interest is a huge advantage over the traditional printed portfolio
- a web-based portfolio is cheap and easy to change so as your work improves, old images can be removed and new ones put in without any cost or major headaches
- a web-based portfolio can highlight some types of images better because of how the image is lit by the monitor
- a web-based portfolio is great if the editor or agent lives on the other side of the world but bringing a laptop to a face to face meeting can backfire – let’s face it, we are only as reliable as our computer under those circumstances
- a print portfolio is tangible and agents or editors appreciate seeing what your images will look like printed
- a print portfolio tends to separate the wannabes from the pros because it takes a substantial investment in time and money to produce
- a print portfolio will never let you down in a meeting
- a print portfolio can be left with an agent for them to peruse and you know eventually they will have to deal with it
- a print portfolio is expensive to produce and heavy to carry
A web-based portfolio is a wonderful place to start but nothing beats a real ‘book’ in the end. Start small but expect to invest over time – you will be glad you did when an agent signs you on!
Did You Bring your ‘Book’?
Learn the language of agents and editors. They will not ask for your portfolio unless they realize you are a complete newbie. Instead, they will ask for your ‘book’. And unless you are the most amazing photographer they have ever met (and its best to have more then just your mother and your wife’s opinion on this before stepping into an agent’s office), your book better be professional, organized and complete. Extra images sticking out, scraps of paper, Sticky notes or paper clips are not allowed. Most agents will ask you to leave and only if you are an incredible photographer (and possibly lucky), will they tell you how to fix your mess and to rebook your appointment once it is finished.
Types of Photography to Highlight
This sounds straightforward but it is not. There are so many types of photography and types of photographer, where do you start and do you put it all under one umbrella?
Ideally, a wedding photographer should not have macro images of their favorite arachnid friends or their editorial work for the kayaking magazine no matter how proud they are of the way the reflections highlight the clean lines of the fiberglass hull. Brides are not impressed with bugs or epoxy resin. Brides are impressed with other brides and their handsome grooms, your last trip to the latest war zone and that day you spent in the senior’s home trying to capture the story in the resident’s many wrinkles. What do all of these have in common? They show first off that you have done other weddings and that you are used to shooting on the fly but also that your photography has depth beyond ‘cute’ or ‘exciting’.
How Many Images?
Good question! What is your maximum time for remaining interested in a subject? I know, it depends on what it is you are looking at and if it is good work or not. If it is good, you will go out and buy the book of the photographer’s work or buy a print to hang on the wall. If it is not, most of us are good for about six images and then we are ready to move on.
How many images to put in a portfolio is best answered by the old phrase ‘always leaving them wanting more’. If six images makes your heart ache then twelve could make it bleed. The same goes for every other emotion on the visual palette. Use as few as possible and always use only your best work even if the subject may not be as remarkable as you would like. Then leave a contact number or a website where the agent or editor can go to see more – now you have them hooked and that is a good place to have them whether you are just starting out or you are a seasoned professional.
This article was produced by Picture Photos on Canvas
Author Anne lockly
©2008
HDR TUTORIAL: SECRETS TO HDR
Photography: High Dynamic Range
You got up early and you hit the trail and now you are gazing at a breathtaking scene. A majestic mountain range fills the panorama. In front of it a lake is reflecting perfectly the grandeur of it majesty. Thunder heads are beginning to form above the snow caped peaks. Around the lake there are cattails outlining the coves that have just a bit of mist over them. As you gaze upward you begin to notice the first light of the day is starting to illuminate the mountain tops. As you look through your camera you decide to bracket you exposures because that’s what you always do. However you realize that you will latter have to choose one of those exposures and you also realize that a single exposure can not do this scene justice. How many times have we taken a shot with a foreground exposed perfectly and the background or sky was blown out. Or maybe it was the other way around the background was exposed properly but the foreground was pitch black. No worries friends, technology has brought us to the age of High Dynamic Range.
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So what is Dynamic Range. It’s the range of light values that are recorded to make up an image. The long and short of it is this. Using a Tripod set your camera to the Manuel position.
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Once you figure out what you want your f stop to be as you take into consideration depth of field, adjust your shutter speed so that you have a perfect exposure. Your light reading should be taken from either the fore ground or just below the horizon but certainly not from the sky unless it’s the clouds you are trying to capture. Some like to use an external light meter others like to use the one built into the camera. I use the one that is built into my canon 5 D. Now that you know where your perfect exposure is click you shutter speed dial 3 clicks down the scale towards underexposed. Take the shot and click your shutter speed up the scale one speed closer to perfectly exposed.repeat this process until you are 3 shutter speeds over perfectly exposed. This is called bracketing your exposure. Here are a few pics to help you get the idea
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Now you should have seven images, from very dark on one side to very light on the other. I usually use around four of these exposure to create my hdr.
I am now going to show 4 images that that where used in one of my projects, the f stop was set at 16 because for landscapes you need greater depth of field and the shutter speeds varied of course.
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After that those shots are merged into one image by a Program such as Photo-shop cs2 or greater or Photomatixs. Cs3 can also be used. Most start out with Photomatixs as it will only run you $100 although their is an open source software called
Qtpfsgu that dose a pretty good job though I have never used it I have seen some photos merged with it and they looked good. Yes that’s right its called Qtpfsgu what a weird name.
I personally like the Photomatixs HDR program. In the interface of this program you will find all kinds of dials for tweaking your image. Play with these dials for days on end !! Then you will be able to archive what you are looking for.I also find that this is only part of what makes a great hdr the other half is stuff like white balance, brightness an contrast and even occasionally additional dogging and burning in photo-shop
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If you are going for a natural look like the one your eyeballs gave you the day you took the photos you will need to be good at remembering how it all looked and then adjust your image accordingly or you can get creative with it as you can do all kinds of things with the dials like push the color with the saturation dial or you can tweak the luminance dial to give it a modeled look. What ever you do don’t let anybody cramp you in the way you want to express yourself by means of your photography. Some times I go for photo-realism and try to get close to what I saw and some times I just play around. These treatments are not necessary for every image I take but some times they’re just what the doctor ordered. It depends on what I am going for.
When you make an HDR photo you generally get two types of feed back The first type is wow that’s amazing your photo has a painting look took to it. This is by far the most common feed back I have received. One reason why this is a common response is because painters paint what their eye sees not what a lens and processor can record unless they are painting from a photograph and the Dutch masters didn’t have photographs. In essence the Dutch masters pioneered HDR scenes captured on two dimensional textiles such as canvas. This is why many will be reminded of paintings when viewing your photos.
The next most common type of feed back is usually negative and it goes something like this “I don’t manipulate my photos those are digitally enhanced I use to work in the dark room I am purest”. That’s ok don’t let it get to you. This type of post processing intimidates them. I suppose they don’t watch HD TV or HD movies either, they are content with their black and white TV. The really amazing thing is, if you read up on Ansel Adams people criticized him about his zone system for the better part of his life and now he is a photography Icon. What’s more, there are huge similarities between his zone system and HDR so, if you like creating High Dynamic Range photos your in good company.
Author Hugh Parker
photos on canvas are a novel gift and a profitable way to grow a photography business
This article has been published by
PicturePhotosonCanvas.com
Canvas Prints: Winery Strategy
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Are you a photographer or artist looking to leverage your skills. Find a niche in your community and you might just find a bread and butter formula with the potential to scale county wide maybe even nation wide.
The first bread and butter niche for me revolves around wine, and wineries. I live thirty Minutes outside of Napa which is one of the largest wine producing regions in the world, and people come to visit this place from all over the world. The first thing I began doing to fulfill my vision was to photograph all of the most beautiful vineyards in the area. I then started photographing wine caves. After that I started getting shots of cellar doors,
and then varietal grapes. Finlay I started collecting wine bottles and taking artistic photos of them.When I felt good about the shots I collected I made gallery wrapped canvas prints in the 8 x 10 size format. Handing some one one of these can have quite an impact.
Soon after this I formulated a price list. I then created display easel to merchandise my canvases on and started approaching wineries. Some of the wineries would ask me if I could make a canvas out of there wine bottle. The primary customer that would buy these images was their wine club members. Below are some of the images of what we produced and how we would display them on the easels. these easels became invaluable to me.
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The Image bellow has been sold in an 8×10 canvas hundreds and hundreds of times
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This niche has really developed in to a constant outlet for us. We currently have a few winery clients that order 20 and 200 canvases a month 7 months out of the year. If I could only find some time I am sure that I could develop many more relationships like this one. There are close to a thousand wineries in my area.
Do you live in a tourist area. Is there a niche that you could plug into. Sure there is so keep your eyes peeled for opportunities abound.
Canvas Prints: Cafe Strategy
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Many Photographers and artists alike have have looked in to exhibiting their work in cafes. This strategy can be an excellent tool in our arsenal but there are a few things to remember if we want it to be effective.
One thing I have found is that if the cafe you wish to exhibit your art in is a hopping place, the owners or manager will want something that will enhance the atmosphere of their establishment. This is one of the reasons that canvas prints can really give you a competitive edge. At present it is very novel for photographers to offer their work on canvas, and for painters its a great Idea because they can offer limited edition canvas prints at affordable prices.
If you go in to a cafe and they either don’t have art on the wall because no one has aproched them or don’t have a waiting list for you to show your art in their cafe, then you probably don’t want to hang your art in there because it might not be worth the effort.
In one of the cafes I exhibited in I used art pieces on opposite sides of the price spectrum so that I could capture a larger market. The larger Pieces caught the attention of my audience and allowed me to cater to those with larger walls and budgets. The smaller pieces allowed every one the opportunity to walk out with a cherished canvas at an affordable price. I have tested out many ways of showing the price and artist information. The thing that has worked the best for me may shock you. Its not an author biography next to the art piece.
The best I have ever done in a cafe happened when I put a 5 inch white string dangling down with a 1 and a half by two and a half white tag attached to it that had the artist info, Price, website, and phone number. Its as if that hanging tag was calling out to people and as there curiosity built they became impelled to reach out their hand and grab the tag to look at it. This involved a physical ligament with the art. I truly believe this is a gem of knowledge about this venue. Not every cafe owner likes to have price tags hanging like this so sometimes you may have to compromise.
The last cafe was in the bay area. I used three canvas panels to make up one image. bellow you can see two of these. I had a lot of people purchased art from the exposure I received from these large images. Some who saw the canvas prints contracted custom work with me, others visited my website as a result and purchased art.
All and all I sold a lot of canvas and I am still receiving referrals from the the art I had exhibited there even though the art has not been there for six months. Below are a few images of the exhibit. The large images are 3 feet by 4 feet
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The easel below has three 8×10 images that we had displayed in other areas. we always sell a lot of these.
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