For this blog post our very own Caroline Cohoon will take the reigns.  Caroline is not only our amazing Director of Customer Service but she is also an accomplished photographer and world traveler.  Take it away Caroline.

Thanks Eric!  You know, selling original paintings is a wonderful thing but it comes with a price. Not only meaning it comes with a large price tag, but also the fact that you no longer have the painting around. Making gicleé canvas prints is a great way to get even more out of your art.

The art market often takes a big hit when the economy takes a down turn, and be able to offer more affordable options for you art through gicleés you can help keep business thriving. Offering gicleés in no way diminishes the value or desirability of your original painting. Originals are truly one of a kind and show a depth and texture that won’t always be identical in the gicleé copy. You can also embellish each gicleé after printing so that each one becomes a new and unique piece with even more value.

Some places offer scanning services but unless you are in a big city you may not be able to find somewhere capable of scanning large paintings. You can also hire a photographer to take digital photos of your art in a studio but both these options may add a lot of expense to your reproduction budget. Here are a few tips to getting a good digital photo of your art that will make for good quality gicleé reproductions.

Make sure your camera settings are correct. You want the highest resolution available. While cameras today are often 10+ MP you can set them to a lower setting to get more photos on a memory card. For your reproductions, always make sure it is on the maximum setting. Check the compression level as well; you want a large JPG file that won’t compress the photos causing pixelation. This usually looks like stair steps or a pie piece, but it may also be described as “standard, fine or superfine.” You want “superfine” or the pie piece. If you don’t have a good quality camera you might consider renting one for a day from a local camera shop. Tell them your plans and see what equipment they recommend.

Lighting is key. You want the most even light possible. If you like to varnish your paintings to make them glossy it is best to photograph them before adding that varnish to reduce any glare. Make sure all the lighting is the same. If you have daylight from windows in the scene as well as indoor lights the colors will not reproduce correctly. You could shoot outside in shade for even light, or indoors with only one light source but try to make sure there are no shadows. Turn the flash off. It will only create shadows and glare.

Put the camera on a tripod to make sure it gets a sharp picture. Set it to be straight on the art and as close as possible. You want to fill the image as much as you can with the art to maximize resolution. Try to get the painting as level as possible. If there is a slight angle then the painting will not appear square in the finished digital file.

Take extra shots. Don’t take just one, take a few to make sure. You may also experiment shots in different lighting to make sure you like the end result.

The digital picture will likely need some touchups to make sure it is the best possible copy of your painting. Color and contrast adjustment, as well as touching up any glare spots or leveling the edges to make sure it is square. If you have some knowledge of Photoshop you can try these adjustments yourself. Never save over your original, give the edited version a new name and save it as a copy just in case you need to go back to the original. To maintain quality, if you crop the photo make sure you don’t change the resolution and make it smaller. When adjusting the image size always make sure that “resample image” is unchecked. Also save as a JPG at the maximum quality level which in Photoshop is number 12. This is the same setting as the compression level we discussed setting for the camera. You can also have Canvas Press do these tweaks and cropping for you with our basic retouching option that only costs $15.

If you aren’t satisfied with your results then you may want to choose to have it professionally done. Get in touch with some local artist groups and see if they have recommendations or perhaps have a discount setup with someone who can make digital copies for you.

Making gicleé prints on canvas helps bring your paintings alive. Since the texture matches that of an original painting on canvas it adds realism and makes an incredible copy. Again, it won’t be the same as your original but it will make a beautiful piece of art with excellent value.

Andreas Gurskey recently made big news in the fine art photography world for selling a photo for 4.3 million dollars.  Pretty insane right.  Well the photo has been object of a lot of criticism and acclaim over the last few weeks, but the one thing you can not take away from Andreas Gurskey’s work is his ability to see the whole picture.  Gurskey has a knack for seeing patterns in the environment, in crowds, and in places you wouldn’t expect (like the 99 cent store).  His work proves that you and should inspire you to look for art EVERYWHERE.  Sometimes you just to take a step back…maybe even way back to get a different perspective at what you are looking at.  Always ask yourself, “I wonder what this photo would look like if I took it from over there?” or at this angle.  The other thing Gurskey is known for is that when he displays a photo, he doesn’t hold back.  He normally prints his work to ginormous sizes.  The print that sold for 4.3 million was around 12′ wide by 7′ high and had impeccable detail and texture.  All of his work does.  Here is a look at some of his work.

The 99 cent store

Kuwait Stock Exchange II

And here is the photo that sold for 4.3 million dollars to a private collector.  Let us know what you think about that.

I have to give a big thank you to my sister Jen for coming up with this topic.  What the heck do all these things mean on my camera dial?  They could also be somewhere on your point and shoot…Let me give you an idea of what I am talking about.  If you have a DSLR…or something that looks like this

Then you may have a dial on top of the camera that looks like either of these.  The top one is a Nikon dial and the bottom one is a Canon dial.

Even if you have a point and shoot my bet is that some of these same figures and letters are somewhere on your camera.  Now the trick is figuring out what they mean and how to use them…or should I use them.  The goal here is taking better pictures of your kids…right.  And a big part of that is understanding your camera and how it works and what it’s limitations are.  Just like GI Joe always said “Knowing is half the battle”…important words to live by.  Ok, I may be overstating, but it is kind of true.

All right, let’s get down to it.  What exactly do those thingies on your dial mean, what do they do, and should I use them or not.  First off let’s figure out what they mean.  Here is a quick guide to let you know at least what the buttons stand for.

The first thing I want you to do is ignore and don’t use any of the little picture icon settings like: portrait, landscape, close-up/macro, sport…etc.  Those aren’t magical settings that are going to make that particular photo look fantastic and brilliant.  They are presets that the camera companies have pre-programmed to try to help you out in those situations.  In my opinion you don’t need them, and they can often mess you up more than they help you out.

Onto the letters and a little more about their meaning.  I will go in order of importance (in my opinion)

• M – Manual Mode – That means that the shutter speed and the aperture are completely in your control.  The upside: You have the most creative control in manual.  The downside: Probably the hardest to master.  *Note: I would say the majority of professional photographers learn and shoot in Manual Mode.
• A or Av – Aperture Priority Mode – In aperture priority mode you select which aperture you want to shoot at and your camera auto selects the best shutter speed for a “correct” exposure.  This mode can be very helpful if you are in a situation where your light is constantly changing.  In manual mode your fingers would be busy changing settings, in aperture priority mode, you set the aperture and the camera does the shutter speed.  Did you notice the ” ” around the word, correct?  Without getting into too much technical stuff, just know that you may still need to do some tweaking to the image to get an exposure to your liking.  Overall this is a good setting to use in a pinch.
• S or Tv – Shutter Priority Mode – You guessed it…you select which shutter speed you want to shoot at and the camera will select the aperture for a balanced exposure.  You know what…honestly…I wouldn’t worry about using Shutter Priority.  Aperture Priority is much better to master (in my opinion).  So for right now, don’t use it.  Oh, and why Canon decided on Tv for Shutter priority?  It stands for “Time Value”.  They are trying to keep it Old School.
• P – Program Mode – This is a little bit better than fully auto.  The camera is still picking your shutter and aperture for you, but you can still adjust a few things you couldn’t in Auto mode.  You can control the flash, the ISO (film speed) and white balance of the camera.  The upside: Your flash won’t automatically pop up for almost every single photo.  You are in control of when the flash fires or not and a few other things that control the quality of the photo.  The downside: You are losing a lot of creative control with the camera choosing your shutter speed and aperture.
• Auto or green rectangle – Auto Mode – the camera is in complete control of…well…pretty much everything.  You are just pointing and shooting (probably not why you bought a DSLR).  It is controlling your shutter speed, your aperture, when the flash goes off, the white balance of the photo, and the ISO the photo is taken at.  The upside: This is a good way to learn if you are just starting.  Begin to notice how shutter speeds and aperture work together.  The downside: Zero creative control.  Your DSLR is a effectively a large, expensive point and shoot (which is totally ok when you are starting out.)

My challenge to you would be to learn how to use your camera in the M for Manual mode.  But we can take baby steps.  At least now you know exactly what those buttons are.  You can start to explore by using them…skipping over a bunch of them and take note of what does what on your camera.

Once you start to master these different modes you will notice how much more control you have over your photos and how good they will start to look…of course you know Canvas Press is here to make any of those amazing photos you take into canvas prints for you ;-D…Just in case you forgot.

Are you beginning to get all nervous and breaking out into cold sweats at night because you can’t think of that perfect gift for your mom, dad, wife, husband, uncle, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa or best friend? ( I could have gone on with that for a while).  I know at some point in our life we have all been there.  Stressing about giving that PERFECT Christmas gift.  Seriously, in this day in age where it is so hard to come up with an imaginative idea to give someone where do the ideas come from?  Oh, and don’t bother asking that person you are shopping for what they want because more than likely the response will be…”Oh, just get me a gift card and I will go and get something myself.”  Wait…isn’t the whole POINT of Christmas to give a gift so the person your are giving it to doesn’t have to go and get it themselves…..insert puzzled look on my face….And how much fun can wrapping a gift card be?

Here is what I propose to you.  Give your loved one (I won’t do the list again) a canvas print from us here at Canvas Press.  You can take any of your favorite photos, upload them and we will make them into the absolute perfect Christmas gift that I guarantee they will love.  Why? You ask.  Because photos melt peoples heart, photos are memories of a specific moment that will live a long and healthy life and they can recall a happy occasion or event with a simple glance.  You can be the big hero this year at Christmas by turning one of your photos into a canvas print.  Oh, and another reason to do it is…what else are you doing with all those photos on your camera or phone?  You have had this perfect Christmas gift hiding right under your nose and you didn’t even know it.  Go ahead and make one and pretty soon you will be addicted to making more canvas photo prints for everyone!…Well we can hope.

Smith was a photographer for Life magazine and perfected the photo essay while working for them.  He could tell a complete story without any words whatsoever.  He is well known for being a bit on the bristly side and was a well known perfectionist.  When you look at his photographs and photo essays the stories he was telling through his camera still rings true today.  Do a google search for him and you will be amazed by how he is able to capture the human emotion, in war time and in peace.  Smith actually was on the Pacific front lines during WWII and was wounded by enemy fire.  His war images are some the most honest and thought provoking of that genre.

In this image think of the story he is telling.  What does the photo say to you.  Where is this man going?  Where is he coming from?  And notice the foreboding clouds in the background…lots of symbolism there.

I’m telling you, the guy was a genius at telling a complete story with one photo.  Think about Eugene Smith when you are taking photos.  What story are you trying to tell with your pictures?

We are all about giving you the tips on how to take better photos of your family, pet, vacation photos…whatever floats your boat.  But you may be doing things to mess up your photos that you didn’t even know you are doing.  Here are 5 common mistakes that we all have made that inevitably mess up that family photo.

1. THANKS MOM, NOW I’M SEEING SUN SPOTS – Everyone in the photo is squinting and you can’t see Dad’s face because he has a baseball hat on.  What happened?  Well, you took the photo during the brightest part of the day and everyone is facing the sun or the sun is directly overhead.  This causes everyone to squint and casts really dark shadow’s on everyone’s faces.  Now I know you were at Disney World and you really wanted to get the shot with the flying Dumbos in the background and that is fine.  So you have to take the good with the bad, but look around for some different options.  One option is to find a shady spot for everyone to stand under to get that photo.  Another option would be to find an angle where everyone isn’t facing into the sun and you can still see Dumbo flapping those ears in the background.  The last option would be to wait until a cloud comes over to give you that perfect even light you need…of course on a cloudless day you may be waiting a loooong time.
2. YOU CHOPPED MY FEET OFF! – You have seen this one.  You see everyone’s entire body…except for their feet in the photo.  The photo “rules” for composing a group or individual portrait is to crop either A. Just above the knees B. Mid-Thigh or C. At the hips.  Anything below the knee can look a little strange.
3. THE PHOTO IS VERTI-ZONTAL – It’s not quite vertical and it’s not quite horizontal.  Somewhere in the middle makes it a crooked photo.  Now some wedding photographers try to pull this off, but it rarely works out as a good photo.  Try your best to keep your camera level while taking the photo.  Find a horizon line somewhere in the background as a guide to help find that perfect level photo.
4. I ONLY SEE THE TOP OF GRANDPA’S HEAD! – Taking a large group photo can be kind of stressful.  Take your time, even though most of the family wants to get back to eating, drinking, or whatever it was they were doing.  Something that can easily ruin a great family shot is people hiding behind other people in the back.  And all you end up seeing of them is the top of their head or half of their face.  It’s not enough to tell everyone, “If you can’t see the camera then you won’t be in the picture.” Because you will have the smart aleck uncle who is barely peeking his eyes over someone’s shoulder.  Look through your camera and check to see that you can see everyone’s face through the camera…again, take your time, it’s worth moving people around a little to make sure everyone is in the photo.  Sitting some people in the front in chairs helps with the tiered effect when you don’t have steps to stagger people on.
5. PUT THE DRINKS AND FOOD…DOWN – During the Christmas season you are likely to be at several parties or family gatherings and these are all fantastic photo-ops because you are visiting with people you haven’t seen in a while and enjoying good food and maybe a little eggnog.  But nothing will ruin a photo faster than someone holding a plastic plate of half eaten food.  Take a quick second to have everyone put their plates and drinks down before taking their photo.

We hope you take these tips to heart and try to remember the mistakes that so many of us have made in the past.  This is a festive and happy season and we would hate for a ruined family photo to bring down anyone’s spirits.  As always, you can count on Canvas Press to give it to you straight.

Galen Rowell’s images of landscapes are different.  They are different in the fact that before Galen, wilderness photos were much more of the observer with a camera.  Galen transcended wilderness photography by becoming an active participant in the image and landscape he was photographing.  Rowell often hiked, climbed mountains, and camped for days on end before getting the photo he wanted.  In 1972 he became a full time photographer and one of his first major assignments was a cover story for National Geographic.

When I think about the dedication, the persistence, and the patience it took Rowell to capture some of the images he did it is absolutely inspiring.  It reminds me it is ok to go off the beaten path…even if it’s just a few yards off the path…to grab a shot of a beautiful sunset or a field of wildflowers.  After seeing these images I there may be a spike in travel to Yosemite and Yellowstone.

The Rule of Thirds is probably the single most important thing to learn when your start practicing your photography.  It will automatically make your photos more interesting.  I didn’t say it would make your photos great, but it will definitely make them more interesting to look at.  When we talk about The Rule of Thirds we are basically talking about Composition or the placement of key subjects in relation to one another in the photograph.  So whenever I use the word “composition” I am talking about “the rule of thirds” and vice versa.  Have you ever heard of people saying, “Well he/she has a great eye” when it comes to photography.  More than likely that “eye” they are talking about relates to how you compose your photographs.  You can be born with a great “eye” or you can develop and practice your composition and develop your “eye” for composing great photographs.  This is where The Rule of Thirds helps out those people who may be “Composition-ally Challenged” (by the way, I know I am using quotations waaay too much in this post already so I will try to cut back).

So, what exactly is The Rule of Thirds?  The wiki definition states: an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

Let’s simplify that shall we.  Have you ever played tic-tac-toe?  If you drew out a tic-tac-toe board across your photo like this you will have the guidelines for the rule of thirds:

So what should you do with those lines.  Well let’s go back to simplifying the Wikipedia definition.  I’ll break it down like this.  Don’t put your subject (in this case…your kids) smack in the middle of the frame.  The rule is you don’t want to split your subject in half (both vertically or horizontally).  Use these lines as guides to place your subject on one of the lines for a more pleasing composition.  This rule is especially helpful to those of you who like to dabble in a little vacation photos or landscapes.  The general rule is that you shouldn’t put the horizon line in the middle of your photo.  Place it closer to the top third or bottom third of the photo.

Now let’s go one step further.  The intersection of the lines on your tic-tac-toe rule of thirds are called “power points”…no…not the Microsoft software.  These are areas of a photo where your eye naturally falls.  So if you can compose your image to have one of the important elements landing on one of the power points your photo will be that much more compelling and interesting to look at.  Here are where those power points are at:

Allright.  Now it is time to show you some real world examples of some good uses of The Rule of Thirds so you can get an idea of how you can use it the next time you are composing a photo of your kids.  None of these photos are split down the middle.  In some of them the subject is just off to the center, but it makes a big difference.

This last photo is a good example of using the bottom 2/3 of the the image and leaving room at the top of the photo as interesting blank space.  And notice he isn’t split exactly down the middle of the photograph…so even a slight adjustment can make a big difference.

I also recommend you google “Rule of Thirds” and there are a ton of other great examples…these are just ones I happened to have taken over the past year or so.  You can also get some great examples of using the Rule of Thirds when photographing landscapes and other scenic vacation photos.  Now you can start to play around with your composition and keeping your subject out of the middle of the photo.

Keep in mind that this…like most other photography rules…can be broken, but it is better to understand the rule enough to know when you can break it.

Are you thinking about taking the plunge and making photography a hobby?  Congratulations, and on behalf of photo nerds everywhere…We would love to have you!  You are in the Christmas Day phase of the hobby…buying all your gear.  It is exciting and a little nerve racking at the same time because there are so many options out there.  From what camera brand to go with to which lens or lenses should I buy…it can be a little overwhelming.  One thing you should not neglect is what you are going to be lugging that camera gear around in.  Your Camera Bag.

Your camera bag is a very important piece of gear itself because not only will it house and protect your equipment, but it can also make a statement about your personality.  Again, there are a ton of different options and brands of camera bags out there.  But there are really only a handful of different styles and that is what you want to focus on.

1.  The good ‘ole shoulder bag – The tried and true bag used by camera enthusiasts and photojournalists for decades.  This is a Domke bag.

2.  The messenger / satchel bag – A relative newcomer.  The functionality of the shoulder back but a little more slim-lined.  This is a Crumpler brand messenger camera bag.

3.  The backpack – If you are into hiking, traveling, or more active type photographers.  This is a Lowepro camera backpack.

4.  The rolling case – Slightly more professional.  Great for traveling or for wedding and event photographers.  This is a Lowepro rolling case.

5.  The waist bag – Yes, the waist bag is a distant cousin to the fanny pack.  But, it will save your back and shoulders from seeing a chiropractor if you need to carry your equipment for long periods of time.  This is a Tamrac waist bag.

And ladies, you will be very happy to know that there are several lines of camera bags that are made especially to fit your lifestyle.  Purses and satchels with a more designer look to them have gotten pretty popular these past 2-3 years.  You may pay a premium price for them, but hey it can be a purse and a camera bag.  So you really are getting 2 for 1 when you think about it.  There are a few great brands out there.

Epiphanie – I have met the owner (Maile) and she is super cool and I think offers a fantastic product.

Kelly Moore Bags

Jill-E Designs

*Emera Bags

Now that you know the different styles of bags out there let me give you a few tips on what to look for in a good camera bag.

1.  Excellent interior padding.  (note: exposed foam will deteriorate over time and will leave nasty black residue on your gear)

2.  Buy a little bigger than you think you need.  You never know…you may need that extra room when you start expanding on your lens collection.  This is also a good idea because there is nothing worse than trying to pry your camera out of a stuffed little camera bag and you end up missing a photo-op.

3.  The ability section your bag based on your gear (ie moveable separators).

4.  Made of durable material.  Make note if the exterior is padded too.  You may not need that option, but in case your lifestyle is a little more rough and tumble it is good for the bag to be able to absorb those shocks.

5.  Accessibility – how quickly can you get into your bag and your camera and lenses without missing the shot.  This is where the shoulder and satchel bags have an edge.  You can quickly unbuckle and grab your camera as where a backpack you have to take off and unzip.

6.  Comfort – This is where backpacks take the cake because you are dispersing the weight across two shoulders rather than one.

7.  Style (the cool factor) – If style is important to you than don’t overlook this important option.  If you want to go really out of the norm than check out Etsy and look for some homemade camera bags.  Then you will really stand out.

There you go.  Now you are in the know when it comes to buying the bag that your camera gear will live in.  It can be a daunting choice so hopefully it was made a little easier or at least more bearable.

If you are thinking about buying a DSLR camera or maybe you just bought one to take better photos of your family, kids, or you just got bitten by the photography bug then this is a great post for you to read.  For those who don’t know what DSLR means that stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex.  They look like this…you know the ones that have all the dials, buttons, and you can switch the lenses.

They can range in price anywhere from $600 to over $5000 for the camera bodies.  If you are just starting out I would go closer to the $600 end of the range.  But this post isn’t about what kind of camera to buy.  I am going to tell you the one and only lens you will ever need in your bag in case you DO buy a camera.  When you buy a camera, the salesman will usually try to “package deal” you.  They will include a kit lens that in my opinion are the cheapest lenses the camera maker puts out.  When you go in to buy the camera body you will want to ask for a…are you ready…a 50mm lens.  That’s it.  That is the only lens you will need…for a while.  I bet you are wondering, “What is his reasoning behind this claim?”  Let me lay it down for you.

1. They are super inexpensive so you aren’t going to break the bank with some super expensive pro caliber lens.  They run about $120…the cheapest BEST lens you can buy.

2.  Most pros have this very lens in their bag.  So that should tell you something.

3. It is a super fast lens.  A fast lens means that you have the ability to shoot in low light situations.  It does not mean that it will make you run faster.  With a maximum aperture of 1.8 – this means it can let a lot of light in to have higher shutter speeds in darker situations, and higher shutter speeds equals less blurry photos.

4. The 50mm f1.8 lens has fantastic bokeh.  This may be a new vocab word for you.  Bokeh is the portion of the photo that goes out of focus while leaving your subject sharp and in focus.  I have also heard it been referred to as “that fuzzy part of the photo.”  Whatever you want to call it, this lens will make your portraits look more interesting and professional.

5. It is small and light so you aren’t clunking around with some big lens on your shoulder (saves in chiropractor bills).

6. This lens is the absolute best lens to train your eye with (in my humble opinion).  If you are just starting out then grab this lens and use it…use it all the time and you learn composition and lighting faster.

I know what you are thinking.  But I want a zoom lens so I can take wide photos and close-ups with one lens.  That is exactly what the 50mm is…you just have use your manual zoom feature (your feet) to zoom in and out.  You are just going to have to trust me.  I have been a professional photographer for 11 years and it is by far my favorite lens of all time.  Here is what they look like so you know what to look for.  I included both the Nikon (my brand) and the Canon as not to play favorites.  I hope that you found this helpful.  We love to talk photography and anything creative for that matter here at Canvas Press.  Give us a shout if you ever have questions about photography.  Especially if you want to turn one of your stellar photos you just took with your 50mm into a canvas print.