Whether we’re in lockdown or not, Julie Pallant challenges us to do more with our photographs – and it’s incredibly fun and rewarding too.
Writes Julie, "If you are anything like me, you probably have thousands of images stored on your computer, with the majority never seeing the light of day. While some get loaded onto Facebook or Instagram and a few get submitted to photo competitions, the rest are destined to remain buried in the digital dungeon of our computers.
"Yet there are lots of ways you can take these images off your computer and out into the ‘real’ world. For instance, you can enjoy your images every day around the house by having them printed on canvases, calendars, coffee mugs, coasters, fridge magnets, mouse pads, business cards, shopping bags, jigsaw puzzles and the current must-have fashion item, face masks. They also make unique gifts for those hard-to-buy-for friends and family members. And it’s a great activity if you find yourself in lockdown – dig through your images and see what you can produce!
"The process started for me when I took some photos of my grandson at the Melbourne Zoo and I wanted to share them in a way he could enjoy as he got older. My initial idea was to produce a photo book that his parents could read to him and teach him about the different animals he met at the zoo. I processed the zoo photos to replace the backgrounds with more attractive looking textures (full instructions are provided in my article in edition 105 Spring 2021 of Better Photography), and then used them to create a 20x28 cm hardcover photo book using Snapfish (see Resources box). Although Snapfish is one of the cheaper printing companies, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the book. If you want a better quality product (that is not going to have a 2-year-old’s grubby little hands on it), you might prefer to check out professional printing companies such as Momento."
But this is just one of half a dozen ideas Julie has. Read all about it in the current issue of Better Photography (Issue 106). Click on the link below to subscribe - plus you get immediate access to 50 back issues full of super informative material and inspirational ideas! Use coupon code BP40 to get 40% off - just $29.88 for an annual subscription.