Easter Archives - London Drugs Blog

Photography Tips & Gear for Capturing Better Easter Photos

With all kinds of fun props like colourful painted eggs and baskets at your disposal, Easter is a great opportunity to experiment with your camera and expand on your photography skills! Of course, it’s also a chance to capture some great shots of your family – especially the kids – in their element as they hunt for eggs and put their egg painting skills to the test. To help you to better preserve those memories and flex your photography muscles, our LDExperts have compiled their top creative and technical Easter photo tips for you to try.

Capturing the Action of the Easter Egg Hunt

The traditional Easter egg hunt is a chance to capture fun action photos of the kids. With all that motion though, you’ll want to make some adjustments to your camera settings to ensure your photos are as sharp as possible.

If you’re planning to use your smartphone for photos, check to see if you have any settings tailored to motion, such as a sports setting. This will help ensure each photo of the kids running around is blur-free.

You’ll have more control over your settings if you have a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Firstly, you can choose a lens that is best suited to the situation. A 50mm f/1.8 lens would be a good choice for getting great family photos when the kids won’t sit still or are running around. In general, a lens with a wide aperture is ideal.

Secondly, you can adjust a number of settings on your camera to make sure your images come out as crisp as possible. If you’re not as familiar with using manual mode, there are two other settings you can try:

Select Continuous Shooting Mode. This will allow you to take multiple photos in quick succession – so you don’t miss a moment!
Switch to Shutter Priority Mode (TV on Canon, S on Nikon), then increase the shutter speed to above 1/200. If your surroundings provide lots of light, try a shutter speed of around 1/1000. In this mode, your camera will automatically make the necessary adjustments to your aperture.

If you’re familiar with Manual Mode (M on Canon & Nikon), you’ll be able to adjust not only the shutter speed as described above, but also the aperture. If you’re finding it hard to keep your kids in focus, you could try using a less shallow depth of field (larger f/stop) instead to ensure the depth of field is broader and the kids stay in focus.

Capturing the Fun of Easter Egg Painting

Kids and paint: it’s a recipe for some fun candid photo ops. For the best candid shot, you may want to use a longer lens if you’re using an interchangeable lens camera – an 80mm or 100mm lens for instance. This way, you’ll be far enough away not to distract your subjects, while still getting the tight framing you want.

Once the eggs are painted, you can also get creative with some close-up shots to show the unique patterns and details. On a DSLR, switch to Aperture Priority Mode (Av on Canon, A on Nikon) and make sure to select a lower f/stop, creating a shallower depth of field. This will allow you to put the focus on a specific egg, with the rest falling out of focus. For extreme closeups, consider using a macro lens – whether it’s a lens for your camera, or an accessory attachment for your smartphone.

To capture the creativity happening at the table, why not also try an aerial shot? For a photo like this, either hop up on a chair, or if your camera has an adjustable LCD screen, hold your camera high above your head, and rotate the LDC so that it’s easier to see what you’re shooting from such a high angle.

Capturing the Cuteness of Easter-Themed Portraits

Once the Easter egg hunt and egg painting are said and done, you may want to use a few of the props, like the baskets and eggs, to do some Easter-themed portraits. Bunny ear accessories would be a fun addition too.

If you have an interchangeable lens camera, our LDExperts recommend using an 85mm prime lens, otherwise known as a portrait lens. You can choose between the f/1.8 or f/1.4, with the latter giving you a shallower depth of field (that nice blurry background we all love). Otherwise, if you’re using your smartphone, check to see if you have a Portrait Mode or Live Focus Mode available. This will simulate a similar bokeh effect as the portrait lens on a camera.

Printing Your Proudest Easter Photos

Be proud of the photos you’ve captured! Those photos hold memories that will be cherished for years to come. Our Photolab has a wide variety of print options to best showcase your images, from prints and enlargements to fine art papers and creative products. Just head over to our Photolab website to order, download our London Drugs Photolab App on the App Store or Google Play, or simply use our in-store kiosks. Not sure which print surface will best showcase your photos? Just ask one of our LDExperts in the Photolab!

5 Alternative Easter Baskets

With Easter, the first things that come to mind are chocolate eggs, stuffed bunnies, egg colouring kits, and colourful weave baskets. But Easter doesn’t have to consist of only the traditional items – this year, think outside the box (or basket!) We’ve curated a few alternative Easter baskets featuring unique items for kids and adults that you can use as inspiration to build your own!

1. The Self-Care Easter Basket

This Easter basket is made specifically for the person in your life who would love a little self-care! Whether it’s a facial massage spa set, an all-natural candle from Woodlot, a hair dryer and volumizer hot air brush from Revlon, a luxurious-feeling night cream from Derma-E, or some detoxing matcha face masks from Maskeraide, there’s definitely something they can indulge themselves with!
BONUS: Build your Easter basket using a non-traditional basket or tote so that it can repurpose for something else.

2. The Music Lover Easter Basket

For the kids or adults who love to blast their tunes, this Easter basket is made for them! Adults will dig these colourful Jam Live TW Headphones or BoomPods Zero Bluetooth Speaker, while kids will love these Mandalorian or Frozen-themed headphones from EKids. There are also these adorable animal-shaped Bluetooth speakers. Choose from a pug, tiger, bear, panda, and even unicorn for a unique Easter basket surprise.

3. The Memory Maker Easter Basket

Be sure to include one of these items for the person who loves to capture memories! The Fujufilm Instax Mini Cameras allow you to capture moments and create mini keepsakes instantly with small-sized film, while the Fujifilm Quicksnap Disposable Camera offers a touch of nostalgia. The Mason by Aura digital frame is another unique Easter basket gift choice. This digital WiFi photo frame allows you to displays your photos, but also allows your family to share their photos to it by using the app. Don’t forget, you can also create customized gifts using our PhotoLab! Read about these gift ideas in our blog 5 Creative Ways to Celebrate Easter at Home.

4. The Electronic Toy Easter Basket

There will be guaranteed excitement when kids (or kids at heart) spot one of these items in their Easter basket! These electronic toys are great for entertainment, but can also be outdoor fun for the whole family to interact with. Choose from a remote-control helicopter, glider, micro-drone or a hyper stunt car.

5. The Foodie Easter Basket

These Easter basket goodies are sure to delight the foodie in your life! Kids will love creating bunny-shaped waffles with the Dash Mini Waffle Maker, while adults will appreciate the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker or the KitchenAid Hand Blender. If the Easter Bunny is feeling a little extra generous this year, why not splurge on a Cuisinart Master Stand Mixer, great for whipping up all kinds of festive desserts. (This one may not fit inside the basket though!)

You can still build an epic Easter basket with all of the traditional treats, but if you’re looking for an extra special or unique item, we hope our curated list gives you a few ideas. Happy Easter!

5 Creative Ways to Celebrate Easter At Home

While Easter may not include all of the people and traditions it normally would this year, there are lots of ways to make the most of it with your bubble! Try some of these creative ways to celebrate Easter at home, from Easter-themed art projects to virtual egg painting parties.

1. Swap Easter Ears for an Easter Mask

A set of Easter ears always makes for a fun photo opp, but this year, why not switch things up with an Easter face mask from our Photolab? You can choose one of our Easter patterns, or you can customize your mask with one of your own photos. Order yours in advance so you have a chance to wear it leading up to Easter as well! They’re sure to get a smile while you’re out grocery shopping.

2. Create Some Easter-Themed Art

If you’re looking for an activity for the kids, our free Take & Create Books are great to have on-hand. You can pick them up from our Photolab in-store, or you can download the book for free and print it out at home. It’s full of templates for things like photo mugs, bookmarks, buttons and even face masks that they can draw in their own designs for. Let their creativity run wild with creating their own Easter artwork!

Once they’re done drawing, you can scan the pages with an at-home scanner, or simply bring the book back to the Photolab and we can scan them for you. Once the drawings are scanned, you can then upload the files to our Photolab and personalize some Easter keepsakes with those drawings.

3. Virtual Easter Egg Painting Party

Show off your egg dyeing or egg painting skills with your bubble, or have a virtual chat where you can paint ‘together’ and vote on the best designs. Consider sending egg dyeing/painting kits to each household so everyone can participate. We have everything you need – from paint brushes and paints to food colour kits in both original and neon colours.

If you’re planning to host a virtual Easter celebration, make sure you first check out our DIY Studio video on 5 tips to look and sound your best on your video calls! Pro photographer Erin Manning has some handy tips to share, from how to find the most flattering light (or using a ring light like this) to positioning your camera for the best angle. It’s free to sign up to get access to all of our DIY Studio modules – you can join here!

You can also find helpful tips for using a camera as a webcam for your video calls here.

4. Create Cards to Send to Family & Friends

An Easter photoshoot at home is a fun way to get your household involved and create some lasting memories. (Not to mention, it’s a chance to ditch the loungewear for some nice Easter clothes for a change!). For the best photos, a tripod is recommended, either for your smartphone or camera. You can use the camera’s self-timer, or a remote controller to make sure everyone can get in the shot. Those aforementioned Easter face masks would be great for a group photo, or have some other props on-hand, like Easter baskets and your painted Easter eggs. If you’re looking for photo tips for capturing all of your Easter activities, check out this blog here.

After you’ve taken a photo everyone is happy with (and everyone’s eyes are open!), you can personalize your own Easter cards with that image to send as a special keepsake to family and friends you weren’t able to celebrate with in-person. Our cards have Easter-themed templates for you to choose from, so you can pick the design you like best to add your photo to. Plus, you can add a personalized message inside too. It’s a thoughtful way to connect with those outside your bubble.

5. Play Easter Bunny

While you might not be able to do an Easter egg hunt together with all of your family, you can be the Easter Bunny this year and send your loved ones a special Easter basket of goodies they can enjoy! Make it extra special with a personalized Easter mug, either featuring your kids’ artwork (made using our Take and Create Books), or a photo from your at-home Easter photoshoot. Just add some chocolate and candy eggs, a personalized card, and wrap it all up to drop off or send by mail.

We wish you all a safe and Happy Easter, and hope you all have the chance to create and capture some great memories!

Photography Tips for the Cutest Easter Photos

Easter is the perfect time to take some great family photos. With spring here, the flowers are blooming, the sun is out, and Easter goodies make for great props. To help capture all the Easter fun, our LDExperts have put together some helpful tips to inspire the photographer in you.

Capture colourful Easter eggs

Capturing colorful Easter eggs is a must-do photograph every Easter. You can experiment with creating patterns or mix them all together to create a visually appealing shot. Another fun way to do this is to capture them in a basket wrapped with some ribbon and a cute bow!

Snap Easter egg candids

Kids have as much fun dyeing and painting Easter eggs as they do eating them, so don’t miss out on the priceless expressions and fun moments! You can also shoot with a longer lens (80mm or a 100mm) to remain far enough away to be unobtrusive and get a tight frame. The anticipatory moments while gearing up for the Easter egg hunt is also another great opportunity to capture some beautiful candid shots – as is the Easter egg hunt itself!

Use simple backgrounds

One of the jobs of the photographer is to guide the viewer’s eye to specific points in the picture. Thanks to the vibrant colors of Easter eggs and Easter décor, setting up for photographs can be a breeze. You don’t need to have a well decorated or vibrant backdrop, even a simple table or plain wall would suffice. Creating the right depth of field while composing your shot is key. You can also experiment with selective focus – choosing exactly which Easter eggs in the frame you want the focus to be on!

Have fun with your pets

Why leave your furry friends out of the Easter photography fun? Easter-themed pet shots are especially a must-do if you just happen to have a real bunny rabbit, of course! Setting them up with a cute ‘Happy Easter’ card can create an adorable photograph. You can also get creative with other Easter décor like having them sit in an Easter basket or pose with the Easter eggs – but make sure they don’t get their paws on the the chocolate!

Dress up the little ones

If your kids are too small to participate in the Easter egg hunt or Easter egg painting, then they are the perfect age to dress up in those cute bunny outfits! You can also surround your baby with colorful eggs; a white backdrop and light clothing will help play up the colour contrasts. Want to create a beautiful background in seconds? Simply lay them on the bed and scatter some colourful plastic eggs all around!

Step outside and into nature

Spring flowers make a beautiful backdrop, so why not make good use of them this time of year? You can play with the lighting and angles to get a great shot. This photo was shot using a 180mm lens with f/5.6 aperture and a shutter speed of 1/350s. With the sunlight out, you’ll have to make sure you have the right settings to compensate for the brightness.

Once you’re done capturing your own beautiful Easter memories, don’t forget to get them printed! Our London Drugs Photolab App offers the best convenience and is available for iOS and Andriod. Or you can simply order online.

Our coasters offer a great way to display your photographs and add some Easter décor to your house. Easter themed cards are the perfect way to celebrate and share a family photograph with friends and relatives. Collages are a great way to display all the wonderful Easter memories you’ve captured. And if you’re looking for something unique, try our photo tiles, they make a great keepsake of the little ones!

Order your personalized Easter themed photolab products between April 11^th and April 25^th 2019, and use promo code Bunny2019 to save 15% on your order.

If you’re looking for help on what would work best for your photographs, just visit your nearest London Drugs store and speak to one of our LDExperts in the photolab!

9 DIY Easter Projects to For You and Your Kids

Easter is here, so it’s time to gather the family for some quality time together this holiday weekend. But beyond an Easter egg hunt and a big delicious dinner, what are some good activities to keep little hands occupied and entertained? Don’t worry, we’ve got some ideas for engaging DIY Easter projects.

Photo via Alice and Lois

1. Marbled Easter eggs

When it comes to decorating eggs this year, get fancy! You can make beautiful marbled eggs with just nail polish and water

(and rubber gloves to keep the mess down). Check out the tutorial here and try all kinds of colours!

2. Sidewalk chalk eggs

Spring has sprung, and soon the weather will catch up. Your kids will want to spend all their time outside in the sun. Get them prepared for outdoor fun by making some egg shaped sidewalk chalk! Mix tempera paint and Plaster of Paris, place the mixture inside plastic Easter eggs, wait for it to dry, and voila!

3. Pin the tail on the bunny

It’s not Easter without the Easter Bunny! Update the classic “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” game from your youth to “Pin the Tail on the Bunny”. Print the bunny out on poster-sized paper, cut out some fluffy tails, and you’re good to go. No need to use actual pins, little pieces of tape will do the trick for bunny-to-tail adherence (and save your walls). This is a fun and safe way for kids to interact with rabbits! Rather than getting them a real bunny for a pet, which is a surprising amount of work, play with pretend bunnies instead.

Photo via Sugar and Charm

4. Bunny hand puppets

If your kids are really bunny-crazy, make some felt bunny hand puppets for them to play with year round. The bright colours and soft fabric make these just as fun to put together as they are to play with. They’ve got such great little faces!

5. Easter egg scavenger hunt

If you want to perhaps reduce the amount of chocolate your kids eat, as well as make the traditional Easter egg hunt a bit more exciting, try an Easter egg scavenger hunt! Fill plastic Easter eggs with clues that will lead to the next egg, and the next, until the adventurers eventually find the final egg and a special prize.

Photo via Tiny Rotten Peanuts

6. String Easter eggs

This one is a bit messy, but that’s why your kids will love it. Put those sticky fingers to good use! Blow up some small balloons and wrap them in coloured string or embroidery floss soaked in a liquid glue solution. After they dry, pop the balloons and you’re left with these cool string eggs!

7. Toilet roll bunnies

These little bunnies turn out so cute, you’ll hardly believe they were made from repurposed toilet paper rolls! Cover them in fabric or paint, add some ears, whiskers, and a tail — you’ve got a bunny! This project is really easy for kids for put their own spin on.

Photo via Martha Stewart

8. Envelope bunnies

Say “Hoppy Easter” with these adorable envelope bunnies. With markers, construction paper, and pompoms kids can create rabbits out of envelopes, and then fill those envelope bunnies with a card and treats!

9. Mini wooden Easter baskets

This one is a bit more fiddly and time consuming, but it’ll keep your kids engaged and they’ll end up with a fantastic Easter basket to hold some chocolate eggs. All you need is paper cups, popsicle sticks, glue, and paint. If you treat them carefully, these baskets can be kept for future years and your kids can remember how much fun they were to make!

Remember, all of these suggestions should be family activities. Do the crafts with them, and don’t expect picture perfect results. The fun is in trying new things and learning together! Happy Easter!

On the Hunt for Easter Treats? Egg-citing Gift Ideas for the Entire Family

Everybody loves getting something sweet Easter morning, but there’s nothing wrong with shaking it up every now and then, especially when the majority of us are still working through that Valentine’s Day bulk.

Personalized Mugs

With 47 different customizable Easter mug templates, you’ll have no problem finding the perfect breakfast companion for everyone at the ‘big kids’ table.

Spend some quality time with the tots! Have little ones create their own handprint art, which can be easily digitized so you can add it to an Easter-themed mug design. You can digitize your artwork using an at-home scanner, or visit your local London Drugs Photolab in-store to use our self-serve scanner, or have an LDExpert scan it for you.

April long weekend is best spent with the family, April 1^st – get personal.

Easter Cards

For the family unable to make it – or the sentimental aunt, cousin or grandparent – customize an Easter-themed greeting card! Choose your favorite vacation photo, a dance recital snapshot, or the hockey goal candid – tell a story, share some news, or just send a ‘Happy Easter!’ greeting.

There are over 30 different templates to choose from, and our LDExperts are always available to help you through, step by step, at every London Drugs Photolab.

But what is Easter without eating an entire Lindt bunny before breakfast? We’re all kids at heart – can anyone say no to the kind eyes of the marshmallow Peep, or turn down cracking open that mysterious orange plastic at the center of every Kinder Surprise egg? So why not fill that personalized mug with Easter goodies, as an added treat!

Photography Tips & Gear for Capturing Better Easter Photos