Ok... So you've been taking pictures for awhile now...
What are you DOING with your photos?? Pretty much just putting them
into albums?? In boxes?? How about poster-making as omni suggested
in another item? Or matting/framing them?  Are you giving any of them
away to others? What about selling??  Any other ideas besides almbums,
posters, or framing?

37 responses total.

  It's nice also to look back on those pictures (for me it's my trip to WV)
to recall fond memories of the wonderful time you had.

most of mine wind up in a huge box in the basement.  I'm much too critical
of my work.  However, over the 25 yrs or so I've done several I'm proud of.
I published some in a yearbook I edited with quotations inserted under/in
them.  I have a bunch I've blown up and framed for display, and only a couple
I've given away.  Never tried to sell any, and only entered one in a contest
once (but didn't win).

3 places:  (a) Most go in a box, like rickyb's. 
            (b) some go to work and hang on my walls til a better one comes
               along     
            (c) I enter a few contests

I've had a couple pictures I've considered entering in contests but haven't
yet.

Hmm, a yearbook??  That sounds interesting--Maybe that could be a project
for me to work on. I LIKE that idea! Thanks!!  [I hope you don't mind my
using your idea, rickyb??]

Go ahead and enter - what have you got to loose?  Lots to gain. 

#4:  Denise, there are yearbooks and then there are yearbooks.  I was the
editor of my professional schools yearbook.  Since we all had to spend 4 years
in Cleveland during school, I had a section called "Goodbye Cleveland".  I
walked, drove and flew all around town shooting what I thought were landmarks.
Not so much as the historical society might view them, but as my classmates
might view them.  Some topics included road signs from every possible
direction into and out of the city, as this is how most of us viewed
Cleveland...just a place to stop for 4 years (heh).  then there were the
skyline shots, parks, bars/clubs, events, lake erie, museums, etc, etc, etc.
I wound up with a full 16 page signiture in color, and several B/W pages on
each side.

another kind of "yearbook" you could put together is a book of your year. 
collect your own shots of people, places, events, markers, etc, which you feel
made your year memorable.  Arrange them in some kind of chronological or
topical order and include some copy to describe what you're looking at so
others will be able to grasp the concept, and so you can remember when your
memory fails or Alzheimers sets in  ;)

I've never really done the latter (except in context of a trip, etc) but I'm
getting more interested in the idea since you mentioned it and I'm thinking
about it more.

Actually, I've thought about this in the past, espcially in the
recent past its been in the back of my mind, ricky [doing the
yearbook thing].  Actually, I had thought about it again after
my family reunnion in July--was thinking it would be cool to do a
'family' sort of book--but then figured it would cost to much
to make copies for everyone., Then I started thinking about
maybe doing something for myelf, about myslef--
interests, where I've been, etc...  [Maybe I'm having an
early 'mid-life' crisis sort of thing, though its not really
a crisis--rather, an assessment of myself--as in where do I
go from here with my life... And I can't decide where to go
until I know where I've been and what I've accomplished, etc.  
I'm not always good at putting things into words but I do
take acceptable pictures!!  :-)  ]

hi guys! Well, I've got a ton of pictures, but I'm not quite sure what to do
with them.... oh and I'm a student with a VERY limited cash flow.... I've got
pictures from almost everywhere I've gone.... every dance... every play that
I've been in... every state I've visited.... does anyone have any suggestions
on how I should make the most out of my photos?

I have never found the answer to that.  Most of mine go into a box or a
drawer.  Some people make photo albums of one theme or another and I believe
this is the best answer.  They will be priceless later on.

Or you might make a photo-collage which is date/event specific, on posterboard
or foam-core board.  Then you can either use them as posters, or frame them
for display.

those are some great ideas!!! any other ideas guys? I really want to make sure
they are kept in a better manner then in the bottom of my dresser drawer:)

Have the best ones enlarged and then hang them on a wall.  

Don't forget to use _archival quality_ supplies for photo albums.  These
protect the photos from chemical degredation.

what exactly are _archival quality_ supplies? I'm kinda new at this stuff:)

risa - I don't know much about archival quality supplies, but they are free
of acids and other chemicals which can cause photos to slowly turn brown and
lose their color/clarity.  I have never bought a photo album, but if you buy
it, it probably would say "archival quality."  If not, try to buy one from
a photo supply store.

Anyone know more detail about archival quality supplies?

That'a bout the exent of my knowledge of archival quality too, but I've seen
some albums at Barnes & Noble and they _are_ marked as archival quality.

From what I've heard, especially watch out for those albums where you put your
photo into a plasic window if it is not "archival" plastic.  This has the
danger of eventually destroying your entire image area.

Hmm, I know my current albus are acid free but I doubt they're the
'archival' kind. Guess I best start looking around for osmething!

I am not on firm ground here, but my guess is "acid free" paper means it is
archival quality.  I think the clear plastic sheets that touch the photos
should be Polyethylene, and not PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride.  (PVC is both
chemically active, and it contains plasticizers which can also migrate from
the PVC sheet to whatever it contacts and result in chemical changes)

I know a lot of people spend some time trying to fit the right frame
with the phot that will be hung... Well, I was looking at some frames
recemntly for some of my 4x6 photos I plan to hang but found a frame
for an 8x10 that I thought would look wonderful for a specific phot
that I hadn't previously considered having enlarged.  I wndered
after this find, how common it is to find the frame first and then
fit it to the phot? [does this make sense??].

Earlier in the week, I was in a stationery store and there's a company
that makes these 'kits' for turning photos into books... Whatcha do is-
after buying the kit is--find/choose your photos [up to 14, 28, 42, etc]
and place each one on its own 'sample' page. Then create whatever text
you want in the page with the photo [up to 15 words, I think]. You also
choose the color of the book cover, the title of the book [and photo for
the cover of the hardback...], and an optional 'running head' that will
go onto the top of each page. Y oops, Ya then send this stuff in with
your check and about 3 weeks later you get back a book with all of these
photos and sayings [all laser printed]. The qyuality looked pretty decent.
Have any of you seen this sort of thing before anbd used this to create
your own book?  [The mention earlier in this posting had mentioned
a yearbook type idea and I was wondering if this was similar to that idea.]

I never thought of the question of when you choose the frame.  Usually I have
a format in mind and then I buy a frame.  For instance, the last frame I
bought was an oak frame with a mat with 4 openings for 4x6 prints.  In this
I put 4 various pictures of doors from Arizona.  The doors were all greens
and blues against pastel adobe walls with cactus alongside each door.  Looks
pretty neat.  

I have never made any kind of album or book.  I think your books sound
imaginative, though.

[BTW, on a side note... In case any of you are interested in coming to
Zingerman's on Monday evening at 6 [so I can get my Zing's fix before heading
back to NC Tuesday morning], I can bring some of my trip photsos with me...
Let me know if you're interested in!]

I got my first 2  8x10 enlargements back... and I already had 2 oak finish
frames. One of the photos looks ok in it [not super, just ok] and the other
one, I don't like in this frame at all!  So now I'm going to have to go find
one that I do like...

I had a phot blown up into an 8x10 and was very disappointed in the
photo they sent back.  Apparently when doing enlargements such as this,
they trim off about an inch or so from each side [or something like
that] so with them trimming down the photo, it effected the overall
picture!! Why don't they tell us that to begin with--or is this common
knowledge that I never heard of??  He said I would've been better off with
an 8x12 instead[ but I didn't know THAT was an option, either!! He said
that the 8x12 was like having two 4x6 together...]  This is the photo
shop I've been taking my pictures to for ages since I know the owners
and they do good work. But the past couple months, Mark hasn't been there,
AND now this stuff about enlargements [they didn't do my 5x7 right,
either.]. Sigh, I'm so disappointed right now!

Another thing I'm wondering... Have any of you used some of your
phot artwork as gifts for others?  With the holidays coming up, I was
just wondering what kind of things people have done!  :-)

Denise, regarding your enlargement concern, I assume the "cropping" of the
photo is what bothered you, not the quality of the print.  

Some photo shops have a viewer that lets you select a specific cropping and
then order that for enlargement.  ("Cropping" is the cutting off of selected
parts of the image).

The original 35mm negative is 24mm x 36mm.  That means for every inch of
enlargement you get on the "small" edge, you would have 1.46 inches of
enlargement on the "Big" edge.  This means that the ratio of length to height
is not exactly the same as any of the available print sizes.

For example, if the small size is enlarged to exactly that of a standard
photograph size, you would have these following large dimension:

            "Small edge"    "Big edge"      Amount cut of   final print size
            ------------    ----------      --------------    ----------------
                3.5"           5.1"               .1"           3.5x5
                4.0"           5.8"               .8"             4x5
                5.0"           7.3"               .3"             5x7
                8.0"          11.7"              1.7"             8x10
               10.0"          14.6"               .6"            10x14
                                                                 

When I make an enlargement, I usually tape paper over the 4x6 print with a
window of the exact portion that should be on the final enlargement.  I
then submit the "taped" example with my request for enlargement.  You just
have to know ahead what size your final enlargement is and ratio the
length and width accordingly.

I think what he was suggesting with the 8x12 was to pay for a 10x14 print
and have it cut to 8x12 which would have included what you wanted, but it 
is not a standard format.  

Oops, that should be 24x35mm for negative size.  The table is ok, though

For a Christmas present for my Mom, I put together a 1996 photo album
for her...  In this album,  I used family photos I had taken during my
visits to MI this year [and fortunately< I got to see ALL of my siblings at
least once during this past year; with many siblings spread around the country
[and at times, around the world, this isn't always an easy thing to do!]. I
also included several scenery shots as well. And spread throughout the album,
I added some rather interesting and appropriate quotes, poems, and an
introductory note [to Mom], too.  It was a hit!  :-)

Sounds like a great & imaginative Christmas present for your mom.  

I decided to go for that collage thing that was suggested earlier.... my
friends and I spent an entire night working on it  and it was a huge
success... we added all sorts of cartoons and drawings and stickers thast
represented us.... it was a sort of "FRIENDS" collage...... if you guys have
any ideas of what I could add to this lovely wallhanging I would greatly
appreciate hearing them:)

Hey Risa, that sounds like a fun idea--I'm glad to hear that you're havinga
good turnout with it!!  

something I do a lot with photos is put them in my screensaver.  I fyou have
access to a scanner, there are many programs that will randomly display
various formats (gif,jpg,bmp) with or without special effects, as a slide show
screensaver.  I have one called "your photos".  I often have a combination
of my own photos mixed with a few things from my favourite tv shows, or
musicians.  These all diplay in random order.  I know there are programs
floating around on the 'net for Windows 3.1 and for Windows 9x.  And Mac. 
  I've also experimented with actually putting together a stand alone
screensaver.  I made one of photos from the "Xena: Warrior Princess" TV show,
andI've been thinking of putting together one of my own family photos, scenic
shots, etc...  But the pre-existing screensavers are easiest for most people.

Serious question - why do you use a screensaver? My screen just goes dark
after five minutes or so if nothing is being done, which seems sufficient
to "save" the screen (actually, save the electron gun in the tube).

WEll, I like screensavers.
They're a little personalizing touch on hte computer...  and when I'm gone
from the computer for a minute or so I like coming back to something nice
looking and not a black screen.  Also, one of my PCs does not have power
management features.  SO it will not turn it's own screen off.
  My newer comp will do this, but it's just a matter of personal preference.
   I have it set up so that I have a screensaver, then after a while, (say
20 minutes) the screen is turned off.  
     This way If I'm away for a minute or two, I walk back to see my photos.
IF I'm away from the comp a long time, though, the monitor is turned off, and
power saved. 

Si gustibus non disputandem est (with apologies to anyone that knows Latin).

A thing I've started on recently is a family slideshow for my grandparents.
This is a BIG project.  My grandparents had 8 children who all have lots of
children, and there are even greta-grandchildren running around!  BIG family.
So, I've been spending time borrowing photos from relatives, scanning them
in, and cleaning them up, trying to date them, etc.
   i have right at 1000 photos, and I'm not done! (i know, too many)
     What I'm doing, is this:  i have a video card onmy computer(ATI
All-In-Wonder Pro) that has video-out.   So I'm going to arrange, by subject,
all of these photos on the computer.  Then add in some special effects, title
screens, etc.  Then I'll send it all out to VHS tape.  And it started to be
for my grandmother, but i know the whole family will want it, so this coming
Christmas, everyone will be getting a video tape family history slideshow
thing from me.  My Mom's camcorder allows audio dubbing.  So i'll borrow it
from her, and dub in music to go with the sections of the tape.
        i know, big project, and not for everyone.  But It's June, my goal is
Christmas, so I've time.  :)

Sounds like a great project!  I'd like to do something similar myself someday.
While you're at it, think about including some family-tree type information
(or even do some early family history as a prologue/epilogue, which can be
illustrated by non-family graphics if real photos are not available).

I scan the best of my photos and put them on my web page, at

http://www.tech.mtu.edu/~dmbrodbe/photos/

I've also given away prints of a couple of them, as gifts.

My more recent projects [more than a year ago] have been making a few
scrapbooks to give as gifts.  The most time-consuming one was a few years ago,
making one for my parents' 50th anniversary. I had sent letters to everyone
on the invitation list [to the surprise anniversary party], asking for any
stories and/or photos as well as pages for the scrapbook from my siblings.
I did get a number of stories and photographs, including some photos that
included my parents before they got married.  Then for the following
Christmas, I made a somewhat smaller scrapbook with photos from the actual
anniversary party.  

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