Creatively Cute Wedding Gifts + Keepsakes
Make your day unique and personal!
Photos can make your wedding day more personal and after the event, they can live on for years after! Here are some creative ways to bring photography to your celebration and beyond!
Please, please, please – don’t let those gorgeous professional photographs sit on your computer gathering dust. Select a few favorites and get them up on the walls of your home as canvas prints, framed decor or even a gallery wall with multiple shots.
Of course, the bride and groom will want a wedding album filled with images and snapshots from the celebration, but professional photo books are also a great gift for parents, grandparents and the wedding party!
Trendy personalized gifts are always a favorite at any wedding! Bring us your ideas and we will help you design a special gift for your guests or wedding party.
Gift this adorably cute heart collage to the newly engaged couple. Gather images from their social media and surprise them with the perfect engagement gift.
Need help on a project like this?
Join us in the design process while we create the perfect solutions for your day. Choose from hundreds of ideas for gift giving and personal storytelling. Here are just a few…
– Save the Date Cards + Magnets
– Announcements + Thank You Notes
– Guest Book
– Personalized Bridal Party Gifts
– Custom Keepsakes
– Imagery + Reception Décor
– Video Productions + Slideshows
– Prints + Memorabilia (from your wedding day photos)
– Photo Books (for yourself, the bridal party + your parents)
– Home Decor (showcasing your professional photographs)
– Passport Photos (for the honeymoon)
Fun with FILM Photography!
/by Natalie GunnFun with FILM Photography! Trust your local professional lab (that’s us) for film processing.
THE CAMERAS:
The new generation of film photographers are using disposable cameras, SLRs inherited from relatives and newly purchased used models. There is very little in the way of new film cameras being manufactured or innovated, so we are left with almost a “complete” range to choose from. There will be nothing new to look forward to, so the concentration moves from gear to simply producing the best work with that gear as you can.
THE IMAGES:
Film images are known for having their own “look”. Photographers are embracing the diversity of what a particular film can offer depending on the way it is shot, developed, and printed — it’s far beyond the recommended ISO or development chemicals. Many of the factors involved in exposing, developing, and printing are subjective when compared to certain digital manipulation techniques, including most Photoshop uses.
TRUST YOUR LOCAL PRO LAB:
The new photo consumers not only want prints, but they also want their files delivered on digital media AND stored in the cloud. There are lots of processing options for today’s film photographer! Your local photo lab (that’s us) is the perfect destination to learn and experiment with your photography. Not to mention, you’ll have confidence in knowing your film is developed in an authentic lab environment.
DEVELOPING THE FILM:
We love film photography – in fact, it’s where we got our start! When we process a roll of film, each and every negative, slide and film strip is individually analyzed to optimize color, density and sharpness. We even look for and remove dust and debris before printing or scanning. Our experienced production team personally inspects every photo for quality so your prints from film will last a lifetime and beyond. In fact, our archival quality papers will last at least 80 years without fading and discoloration.
IMPROVING YOUR SKILLS:
Film photographers are hungry for knowledge and love stopping in to chat with our team. We’ll help you understand your equipment, expand your skillset and experiment with various processing methods.
What Happened to my film? Troubleshooting Tips.
/by Natalie Gunn4 Quick Tips for protecting your photo legacy!
/by Natalie GunnSTEP 3: DIGITIZE
Box up your printed memorabilia and bring them to a trusted local photo preservation expert (like us!) for scanning. The keyword here is “local”. We never recommend shipping your most precious possessions across the country! Each print will be professionally digitized and saved as high-resolution JPG files. We can even create labeled folders to keep your sorting efforts intact.
Tips for selecting the perfect Wall Art for any space!
/by Natalie GunnArchiving Best Practices
/by Natalie GunnConcierge Archiving Services
/by Natalie GunnIf you love a good project and tackling that cluttered photo closet (or desktop computer) doesn’t scare you – go ahead and dive right in! After all, you have a personal connection to all those memories and you know exactly what you want to keep or toss. Here are a few Pro Tips for those of you who are managing a photo organizing project on your own:
Begin by sorting based on subject, event, or date. Choose a categorizing method that makes the most sense for you. Think ahead to how you and your family will want to access these memories in the future. If you’re working with printed photos – make piles or use small bins. If you’re organizing digital files – create folders and name them based on your preferred sorting method.
Toss or delete multiple or redundant images from the same event. After all, do you really need to keep 26 images from little Chloe’s birthday party? Also, eliminate duplicates or poor quality shots where the lighting or subject matter isn’t up to par. The goal here, is to refine your photo collection to only the “best of the best” images/photos.
Decide what you want to do with the physical photos and memorabilia long term. Do you simply want your photo closet more organized? Do you want to digitize all of your printed photographs? Do you want to make photo books for family members? Knowing your end goal, will help you make decisions on how to complete your project.
Let the local expert do the heavy lifting
Sure, you could scan your family photographs one by one on a home scanner, but do you really want to give up your weekends for the next 6 months?
Trusted local photo experts (like us), have the equipment, training, and professional experience to manage this portion of the project for you. We’ll carefully digitize, color correct and save your printed memories as digital files. Once your memories are in a digital format – you have countless ways to share them with family members and make fun photo creations with them.
PRO TIP: Determine which family members would like a copy of your digital files – not only today but also in the future. It’s easiest and most affordable to order multiple copies of your files at the time of digitizing. Think about your children, your siblings, your parents, etc.
Hiring a Professional
If a project like this just isn’t for you or if you’re managing an extreme amount of memorabilia – then you may want to consider hiring a professional to help sort, name, and organize the items. Our archiving team can help you get started and advise you on the best way to approach your project. We also have relationships with local professional organizers and archivists who can assist as well.
Creatively Cute Wedding Gifts + Keepsakes
/by Natalie GunnCreatively Cute Wedding Gifts + Keepsakes
Make your day unique and personal!
Photos can make your wedding day more personal and after the event, they can live on for years after! Here are some creative ways to bring photography to your celebration and beyond!
Please, please, please – don’t let those gorgeous professional photographs sit on your computer gathering dust. Select a few favorites and get them up on the walls of your home as canvas prints, framed decor or even a gallery wall with multiple shots.
Of course, the bride and groom will want a wedding album filled with images and snapshots from the celebration, but professional photo books are also a great gift for parents, grandparents and the wedding party!
Trendy personalized gifts are always a favorite at any wedding! Bring us your ideas and we will help you design a special gift for your guests or wedding party.
Gift this adorably cute heart collage to the newly engaged couple. Gather images from their social media and surprise them with the perfect engagement gift.
Need help on a project like this?
Join us in the design process while we create the perfect solutions for your day. Choose from hundreds of ideas for gift giving and personal storytelling. Here are just a few…
– Save the Date Cards + Magnets
– Announcements + Thank You Notes
– Guest Book
– Personalized Bridal Party Gifts
– Custom Keepsakes
– Imagery + Reception Décor
– Video Productions + Slideshows
– Prints + Memorabilia (from your wedding day photos)
– Photo Books (for yourself, the bridal party + your parents)
– Home Decor (showcasing your professional photographs)
– Passport Photos (for the honeymoon)
ENJOY THE MEMORIES AT THESE KEY TIMES IN YOUR LIFE
/by Natalie GunnThroughout our lives, there are those key events where reminiscing and looking back in time become extremely important to us. Whether you have to sort through boxes of old memorabilia or access the thousands of digital images on your device – these are the times when your photo collection becomes more valuable than ever.
Childhood
It’s scientifically proven that children have a stronger sense of self when they have access to pictures from their childhood. Take that a step further and expose them to their family heritage. TIP: Make copies of photos with their parents and grandparents as children and store them with your child’s memorabilia. One day they’ll want to see who they resemble.
High School Graduation
Grad parties are known for celebrating achievements and it’s always fun for the guests to enjoy memories from the graduate’s childhood years. Set up a photo display that features their photos and memorabilia in fun ways! (PS: We literally have hundreds of great ways to do this!)
Wedding
Que the infamous wedding video. That’s right, it’s still a thing! Make it easy on the bride and groom by gifting them a digital copy of their entire life in photos BEFORE the wedding. This will help make the video production process so much easier. Plus, what a great thing to gift at this stage of life!
Anniversary
Celebrate your time together by reminiscing over a lifetime full of great memories. If you’re hosting a party – let your guests enjoy your wedding photos with you.
Milestone Birthday
Those “over-the-hill” milestones are a great time to look back and get a good laugh at how you’ve changed.
Memorial Service
Celebrate a life well lived by displaying old photos and video clips during a memorial service. Collect favorite snapshots that include childhood, hobbies, acknowledgments, and family milestones full of happiness.
Passport Photo
/by Natalie GunnPassport need updating? Don’t forget the photo! Walk-in’s are always welcome!
The world is yours to explore with a passport in hand. Have your picture taken in our studio by our professional staff. We promise to take as many photos as needed to pass U.S. Department of State regulation at no additional charge. A few things to keep in mind when traveling:
If your travel plans include cross-border travel from the United States, your passport or passport card need to be up-to-date. Some countries require that travelers hold valid passports for a certain period of time before entry. All travelers and citizens of the U.S., regardless of age, are required to present a valid passport or passport card when entering or leaving the country at any airport or border crossing.
Passport photos can also be used for the convenient and less expensive U.S. passport card. The passport card is valid when traveling between the U.S and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda at land-border crossing or ports-of-entry at sea.
Bring back the 80’s + 90’s and protect those priceless home movies!
/by Natalie GunnTIME IS RUNNING OUT!
Because of environmental factors, VHS tapes are literally deteriorating and degrading as we speak. Not to mention the fact that VCRs are virtually non-existent for viewing them. If you wait too long to digitize home movies, there might be nothing there to capture or view.
YOUR KIDS WANT TO WATCH
Trust us – your kids and grandkids WILL want to watch these… if not today, someday.
FAMILY HISTORY
As the family historian, it’s your duty to preserve the family legacy (a.k.a. memorabilia). Once you have a home movie digitized, it becomes a file that is easily shared with other members of your family.
Keep your memorabilia local – here’s why:
Who wouldn’t be devastated if suddenly their priceless home movies were lost in the mail, misplaced or damaged by a shipping carrier?
Sentimental irreplaceable possessions like photos, videos and home movies should NEVER be shipped away to an unknown location or service provider. It’s just too risky! Things could get lost, damaged or never find their way back to you.
Instead, talk to a professional archiving expert (like us). You need someone who really gets it. Our shop is full of dedicated people who care about your life being documented. We stake our reputation on it. Best of all – money spent locally stays local. Let us handle your photo life so you can get back to real life!