|
Over the past couple of weeks, I've gotten a lot of comments about our holiday card, which some folks didn't realize is actually a picture of our dog Cami. (Check out that adorable fuzzy white dog!)
I had one business associate call me up and tell me how she loved the card and that it was the best holiday card she got from anyone. You might think that she was predisposed to think so since she has met Cami personally, but people usually have the opposite reaction when they meet Cami. The fuzzy white dog is not a big fan of people who don't live in this house; she generally tries to hide from them. Although around us, Cami is a wonderful dog, around others she is basically a mutant.
I talked to a client the other day who complimented me about the card and asked me where I got it. I said I took my dog, a bow, and my camera outside and took the picture. He couldn't believe it was MY dog. (Yep and I have the vet bills to prove it!)
The reason the card looks "store bought" is because I had cards professionally made from the digital picture. Our Nikon digital camera produces pictures with amazing quality. We also got an 11x14 poster made of a landscape photo we took at Glacier National Park. Today, someone asked where we bought it.
I did a bit of research and decided to try out Shutterfly to get the prints made.
Their prices seemed fair and they got good reviews online. Plus, they give you 15 freebie prints just to try them out, so that seemed like a cool deal.
The only bad thing about getting prints made online is the upload times. To get good quality prints (and especially enlargements like our poster) you have to give Shutterfly high-resolution images. So it helps to have a high-speed connection, although you also can mail them a CD if you prefer. If you get cards made, you need to be careful not to put anything important close to the edge of the image because it might get cut off.
In any case, it was a cool experiment and I'll definitely use the service again. I love the idea that with digital pictures, I can choose to only get prints made of only the GOOD pictures. For amateur photographers like me who take a lot of questionable photos, it eliminates a lot of wasted film ;-)
|
