ldphotolab Archives - Page 3 of 11

Last-Minute Mother’s Day Gift Ideas That Will Warm Her Heart

If you’re still on the hunt for the perfect Mother’s Day gift, not to worry! With Mother’s Day being a bit earlier this year, even the most seasoned gifter might be a little off their game. Luckily, there are still plenty of Mother’s Day gift ideas that are not only quick and easy to order but are still thoughtful and made with love. From one-of-a-kind cards to personalized mugs and photo books, below are some of our Photolab’s top last-minute gift ideas that will warm her heart.

A Thoughtful Mug for Mom

Showing mom you think she’s the best mom ever is easy: just put it on a mug! You can add personalized text to any of our Photolab’s mugs, so you can tell her exactly how much you care for her. Add a photo of your choice as well – one she will be able to cherish for years to come.

If you have young kids, you can encourage them to design their own special mugs for mom with the help of our Take and Create Books. These books are full of templates for items including our mugs, which they can draw their own artwork in, and then have those drawings digitized and printed on a mug (or other gift items). You can learn more about our Take and Create Books here.

Our mugs can be ready for pick-up in just 24 hours, making them an excellent choice if you’re in a pinch for a last-minute gift. Plus, they only take a few minutes to customize!

A Special Locket Full of Love

With a personalized locket, mom can keep her loved ones close to her heart at all times. Choose from locket-sized photos in various shapes, including circle, heart, oval, and square, to match your chosen locket. Each print also comes with a variety of sizes from 1”x1” to 0.2”x0.2” so you can pick the one that fits perfectly.

If you’re gifting to a senior/grandmother, it could also be a thoughtful surprise to include old photos of her and her children. Rather than cutting up the originals though, make sure they’re digitized first! Our Photo Scanning Box service can help you digitize large amounts of old print photos quickly and easily.

These locket prints are ready for pick up in just 24 to 72 hours at most of our locations.

A Photoshoot Just for Her

Treat mom to a photoshoot that’s all about her! This gift requires no prep time at all but is a thoughtful way to show your appreciation for your mom and how beautiful she is inside and out. Hire a local photographer, or pick up a camera and stage your own photoshoot at home for her. You can include the kids as well, but take some photos just of her too. Make sure to mention in your ‘Mother’s Day Photo Shoot’ gift that she’ll receive a selection of prints/enlargements or a canvas gallery wrap to commemorate the experience and preserve those special images. This can also be a thoughtful gift for a mom-to-be!

If you’re looking for pointers for doing your at-home photoshoot, make sure to check out our DIY Studio modules; it’s free to sign up, and you’ll get all kinds of helpful tips from pro photographer Erin Manning in each module. For your Mother’s Day photoshoot, we recommend checking out the modules on ‘Composition Tips’ and ‘Lighting Techniques.’

A Photo Book of ‘Moments with Mom’

So many of our most memorable moments in life are often with mom. Help her cherish them by preserving all of your favourite moments with mom in a fully personalized photo book. Hand-pick the photos displayed on each page, and even add thoughtful notes to tell her why those moments mean the world to you. Don’t worry about the design element – we have a Mother’s Day template all set to go for you, so you can simply drag and drop your images!

If you’re tight on time, not to worry. Our Express Book, an 8×8 photographic book with a leatherette cover, is easy to customize and ready for pick-up in just 24 to 72 hours.

A One-of-a-Kind Mother’s Day Card

Sometimes there just isn’t a Mother’s Day card in the card aisle that says exactly what you want to say. That’s where our personalized greeting cards come in. They can be customized with any theme and photo(s) of your choosing, plus you can add a truly personal and heartfelt message for mom that is one-of-a-kind. Just knowing you took the time to make a card for her is sure to warm her heart!

Left it a little late? Just because you’re looking for a Mother’s Day card last minute doesn’t mean it can’t still be thoughtful. Our single-sided photo cards and premium folded greeting cards on photographic paper can be customized and ready for pick-up in just 24 to 72 hours!

A Photo Button for the #1 Mom

Tell the world your mom is #1 by designing a photo button that she can proudly wear all Mother’s Day like a badge of honour! Want it to say something else besides ‘#1 Mom’? While ordering, add any text (and photo) you like! Our buttons are fully customizable. We also have both 3” and 1.25” round buttons, as well as heart-shaped buttons to choose from.

If you’re thinking of ordering one for your mom, just make sure not to leave it too last minute: our photo buttons are ready for pick-up in just 5 to 7 days.

To customize your Mother’s Day gifts on-the-go, just download our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android to order straight from your smartphone! Otherwise, you can also always order through our Photolab online or in-store using our kiosks. For exact turnaround times, please check with your local London Drugs Photolab.

Give Your Home A Spring Refresh With These 5 Photo Ideas

A lot more time has been spent at home this past year. If you’re feeling like your space is getting a bit ‘stale’ and could use a design refresh right now, you’re not alone. Especially as we head into spring, now is a great time to brighten up your home with some fresh and colourful images! Try these 5 photo ideas from our LD Experts in the Photolab that will help breathe new life into your space.

1. Swap Out Your Framed Photos

Freshening up your space is as simple as swapping out the photos in your existing frames! Pick some favourites from past spring seasons that will add some brightness and colour to your home. These could include landscape photos you’ve captured during spring or family photos of springtime events like Mother’s Day and Easter. Vacation photos are also a great way to brighten up your space.

We have a wide variety of print and enlargement sizes to fit all kinds of standard frames, from 4”x6” all the way up to 44”x96”. Pick between glossy or pearl finish, depending on your preference. For framed prints, we recommend pearl, as there isn’t as much glare with this mattified satin surface, making it a good option for displaying behind glass.

The easiest way to refresh your frames with new prints and enlargements is by downloading our London Drugs Photolab App on your smartphone (available for iOS and Android), uploading some of your photos directly from your phone, and ordering some prints. If your photos live on your computer, not to worry, you can always order from our Photolab website as well.

2. Create a DIY Gallery Wall

If you’re looking for a DIY project to take on at home, creating your own gallery wall is an easy and rewarding project that will give your space an entirely fresh look. This is also something you can add to as you find new frames and take new photos that you want to add to the gallery wall. Just like the other frames in your home, these can also be updated seasonally.

Here’s how to create your own gallery wall:

Choose a colour palette. This can go for your frames (all one colour, or a mix of colours in a palette) and for your images (black and white or colour photos). A colour palette can help you keep a cohesive look and feel amongst all the prints on your gallery wall. Of course, if you prefer a more eclectic look with a variety of colours, go for it! Your space should reflect your style.
Pick a theme. The theme could be your pets, family, friends, vacations, wedding photos, etc. They don’t have to all be from the same day, but choosing an overall theme will help you narrow down and select which images to feature. For instance, you could display photos of your pet throughout their life, or photos of various vacation destinations you’ve visited over the years. If you want to change your images seasonally, pick a spring theme for this time of year, selecting photos taken during previous spring seasons (or get outside and shoot some new ones!).
Pick a display medium, and print your photos. Before you start printing, it’s important to decide how you want to display the photos in your gallery wall. As an example, do you want to go with framed prints or canvas gallery wraps? If you’re framing behind glass, you may want to opt for pearl versus glossy enlargements. Fine art prints are also an excellent choice to give your photos that gallery-quality look. Our Photolab also offers framed and matted prints if you want that matte look for your images. We recommend choosing one print style to stick to for all of your gallery prints.
Choose a layout. Organize and assemble your images on the floor to see how they will look on display. This gives you the opportunity to make changes to your vision…before hammering any nails into the wall! It can help to put a vertical line of painter’s tape down on the floor to ensure your prints are being distributed equally on both sides of the tape and the overall ‘wall’ looks balanced. If you like clean lines, you may choose to have all of your prints fit nicely within a defined rectangle or square. Or, go with a more ‘imperfect’ look by having some prints stick out past the others.
Measure out your display. Use painter’s tape once again to mark a vertical line, this time down the centre of the wall. Then measure your frames and tape a square/rectangle showing where you want each of your frames on the wall, keeping consistent with the spacing between your prints.
Assess your gallery wall. Take a step back to assess whether you like the look. If not, peel the tape and try again!
Hang your prints. Get your hammer, anchors and level out, it’s finally time to hang your prints!

3. Add Fresh Life to Your Coffeetable

Don’t neglect your coffeetable, it’s easy to give it a refresh too! A new vase and a floral scented candle can breathe in some fresh new life, as can a bright new coffeetable book. A good coffeetable book is not only a conversation piece, and a place to store treasured memories, but it can also be a piece of décor that you can easily switch out from season to season. For spring, personalize a coffeetable book from our Photolab with some of your favourite springtime memories (scenic hikes, your garden, family activities, trips, etc.). You can even choose from spring templates to help theme your photo book. We recommend choosing the coffeetable book with a custom photo cover, or cover with a window; you will be able to personalize the cover with a spring-themed photo of your choice that will be seen when the book is sitting on your coffeetable, making it a perfect piece of seasonal décor.

4. Bring Spring Indoors with Photo Panels

Liven up your space by going BIG with one of your favourite spring-themed images! While we have enlargements up to 44”x96” in size, another option is to have your image printed as multiple-panel split art, where your image is split over a few large prints. This style of wall art can make your images look even more eye-catching!

Our aluminum metal panels are a great choice for this split art style, as they are frameless and ready-to-hang. The high-gloss surface also makes colourful images pop really well, so they are perfect for brightening up your space with vibrant spring images. Lots of people seek out cherry blossoms and tulip fields for photo ops during the spring – those are great images to feature in this format, as would any other vibrant landscape images!

When hanging your split art, start with the middle panel first to ensure your prints will be centred on your wall. We suggest spacing the panels out about 2 to 3 inches apart if your panels are on the larger size. Smaller panels may look better with a little less spacing.

5. Brighten Up with Some Updated Pillows

A tried and true way to add some brightness to your home in time for spring is to update your pillow cushions! A new cushion colour or pattern will do the trick, or you can customize something fun with our Photolab’s photo pillow cases. Choose a pet or family photo to feature, or if nature photography is your forte, a macro flower photo or other spring scenes would be a great way to customize your pillows for the season. They’re sure to make you smile every time you walk into the room!

Spring Cleaning Your Photos

Speaking of refreshing your home with photos this spring, your photos might need a little spring cleaning too! If you have lots of old photos in albums or collecting dust shoeboxes, now is a good time to digitize them to ensure they aren’t lost to damage and degradation. Digitizing them yourself can be a big undertaking, but our Photolab can help make the process seamless. Just pick up a Photo Scanning Box at your local Photolab, bringing it home and fill it with up to 800 photographs and documents (up to 8.5”x11” in size). Then just bring the box back to us in-store, and we’ll digitize them all for you and put them on a USB drive. Simple as that! We also have a Slide Scanning Box to help you digitize up to 80 35mm slides.

Once digitized, your photos will not only be safe, but you’ll have so many more opportunities to share those precious photos! Use them in any of our 5 ideas above, from printing and framing them, to including them in your coffeetable photo book, or printing them on a pillow! The options are endless once your photos are digital.

You can also check out this blog for more tips on organizing and preserving your irreplaceable photos.

Complete This Ultimate Photo Scavenger Hunt This Spring Break

Looking for a fun Spring Break activity for you and your family? Get your smartphone or camera ready, we’re going on a scavenger hunt! To help inspire your creativity and encourage you to experiment with photography, our London Drugs Photolab invites you to participate in the ultimate Photo Scavenger Hunt this Spring Break. Each of the photo categories below will challenge you to examine your surroundings from a different perspective, experiment with different photography styles, and hone your photo-taking skills. Plus, you can share your scavenger hunt photos with us on Instagram for a chance to win a $100 printing credit for our London Drugs Photolab!

Here’s how to participate in our Spring Break Photo Scavenger Hunt contest:

Follow @LDPhotolab on Instagram
Share your scavenger hunt photos on Instagram with the hashtag #LDPhotoScavengerHunt to be entered for a chance to win a $100 LDPhotolab printing credit!

You can post one entry per scavenger hunt category, for a total of up to 20 entries. The more categories you enter, the more chances you’ll have to win the $100 prize! Make sure to indicate in your caption which category your photo is fulfilling. The contest runs March 15 – April 5, 2021. Official contest rules can be found below.

Plus, your photo could be selected for a feature on our Instagram Stories!

Tips to Get You Started

This photo scavenger hunt is meant to get you thinking creatively about your surroundings! Once you’ve looked through the list of categories above, here are a few photo tips to get your started:

Think outside the box – You don’t have to take the categories literally! For example, ‘something green’ could be the colour green, or something environmentally-friendly.
Try a new perspective – Before you take the shot, consider if a low or high perspective would add to the photo’s interest, rather than simply shooting it straight-on. Sometimes, a change in perspective can convey an entirely different message.
Try shooting on film – One of the things people enjoy most about film photography is that it makes you think more intentionally when composing and capturing your shots. Plus, there’s the wonderful feeling of excitement that comes with seeing your newly developed photos for the first time! If you don’t already have a film camera, we offer a selection of single-use cameras and instant cameras. And if you already have a film camera, we have you covered, with a selection of film products as well. Of course, we can also develop your film for you when you’re done the roll!
Get creative at home – You don’t have to leave the house to participate. Just get creative with the categories. For example, ‘an uplifting sign’ could be a sign you see through your window, and blossoms could be from a house plant.
Challenge friends/family – Why not create some friendly competition? Challenge your friends or family to see how many categories they can capture within a set amount of time. Or delegate one person as a judge, and have awards for the top photos based on photographic skill, artistic sensibilities, emotion, impact and originality. This could be something you do together with your bubble, or connect virtually with those outside your bubble afterwards to share your photos.

Proudly Displaying Your Scavenger Hunt Photos

Once you’ve completed our scavenger hunt, it’s time to admire your photos! You might just find you’ve taken some real gems. Before those photos disappear into the abyss of your smartphone or memory card, why not do something more with them?

If you’re particularly proud of one of the photos you took, consider printing it as an enlargement you can display. We can print all the way up to 44×96 and offer mounting up to 24×36. Aluminum metal panels, canvas gallery wraps or our fine art prints (like Kauai and Baryta) are also great options if you want to really elevate your images. If you can’t decide on just one image that you love, create a collage with all of your favourites!

If you participated in the scavenger hunt as a family, you can create your own personalized Spring Break photo book, with pages featuring each person’s images. Your photo book could also include images beyond just the scavenger hunt, from bike rides to baking at home – however you’re spending time together! Considering this Spring Break will look vastly different than usual, it’s worth documenting all the ways you and your family made the most of your time at home this year. It will make a valuable keepsake you can look back on years from now.

We look forward to seeing all of your Spring Break Photo Scavenger Hunt snapshots over on Instagram with the #LDPhotoScavengerHunt hashtag!

Spring Break Photo Scavenger Hunt Contest – Official Rules

To enter:

Looking for a fun Spring Break activity that will inspire your creativity? Participate in our Spring Break Photo Scavenger Hunt!

Follow @LDPhotolab on Instagram and share your scavenger hunt photos with the hashtag #LDPhotoScavengerHunt to be entered for a chance to win a $100 LDPhotolab printing credit! You can post one entry per scavenger hunt category, for a total of up to 20 entries. The more categories you enter, the more chances you’ll have to win the $100 prize!

Spring Break Photo Scavenger Hunt Categories

Blossoms
Letter L
Bird
Something tall
Rain boots
Reflection in a puddle
Something green
Candid
Outdoor mural
Unique building
Prized possession
Something with paws
Canadian flag
Someone smiling
Sunset
Beautiful landscape
Uplifting sign
Shadows
Something close up
Selfie

Contest Dates: March 15 – April 5, 2021

No purchase necessary. Limit one (1) entry for each category listed in the Spring Break Photo Scavenger Hunt (the “Contest”) – up to a maximum of twenty (20) entries per social network per contest. Contest will commence on Monday, March 15 2021 and all entries must be received no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Time on April 5, 2021, 11:59pm PST. London Drugs is not responsible for entries that become lost or misdirected. All entries become the property of London Drugs Limited and will not be returned.
Contest is open to all residents of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba who, as of the date the prize draw is made: (i) have not won a London Drugs contest since April 5, 2020; (ii) have reached the age of majority in the province in which they reside as at March 15, 2021 (iii) are not employees of London Drugs, or any family member living with any such employee.
Entries must be posted as a feed post on a public Instagram account to be eligible.
In the event of a dispute as to who submitted an electronic entry, the entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the Instagram account associated with the entry. “Authorized account holder” of an Instagram account is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an Instagram account by the applicable social media platform
The entrant must clearly indicate in the caption of the Instagram post which category the photo is fulfilling. If the entry is not clear which category the photo is fulfilling, both in the caption and in the photo, it will not be eligible. London Drugs reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant should entrant’s registration be incomplete, not meet all requirements of these official Rules, or contains inappropriate or offensive content. Your entry may be rejected if (in the sole and absolute discretion of the London Drugs) is not fully completed with all required information and submitted and received in accordance with these Rules during the Contest period.
A carousel post that features multiple photos will only be considered as one entry (the first photo in the carousel).
In the event that more than one entry is posted per scavenger hunt category, only the first entry collected (starting from the bottom of the contest hashtag on the Recent hashtag search tab) will be eligible.
Entries must be posted to Instagram between the dates of March 15, 2021 and April 5, 2021. Entries posted before this date will not be eligible (this includes entries that were posted before March 15, 2021 and were edited to add the Contest hashtag between March 15 and April 5, 2021).
The selected entrant will be randomly chosen by London Drugs on April 8, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia, from all eligible entries received. To win, selected entrants must have correctly answered the skill-testing mathematical question on the online entry form and must sign London Drug’s declaration and release confirming compliance with the contest rules and acceptance of the prize(s) as awarded, releasing London Drugs from liability in association with the contest and prize and consenting to the use of their name, photograph, voice and statements for promotional and publicity purposes.
There will be 1 (one) prize awarded to 1 (one) winner: prize is one (1) promo code for the London Drugs Photolab valued at $100. The promo code will have an expiry date of December 31, 2021. Prize must be accepted as awarded, is non-transferable and no substitutions are permitted. London Drugs reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value should any prize become unavailable for any reason. Prize will be awarded via email or the social network it was drawn from.
Only one prize may be won by any one person and household. In the event that any selected entrant incorrectly answers the skill-testing question or is otherwise unwilling or unable to comply in full with these rules, a new entry will be drawn.

Contests dates: March 15 – April 5, 2021

Draw Date: 12:00 PM Pacific Time: April 8, 2021

Selected entrants will be contacted by email, or social network they were drawn from. No correspondence will be entered into except with selected entrants. If the selected entrant does not respond then she/he will be notified for the second time, 3 (three) days after the first notification. If the selected entrant still does not respond within 3 days of the second notification, a new winner will be chosen in the same manner until a winner is successfully contacted.
The chances of winning a prize will depend on the number of eligible entries received. Decisions of the judges in respect of all aspects of this contest including, but not limited to, eligibility of entries and correctness of answers given to the skill-testing question, are final.
London Drugs, their respective advertising and promotional agencies, the independent judging organization, and their respective agents are not liable to an entrant in any manner relating to the contest or the awarding and use of the prize(s). Contest winners must hold the copyright and necessary consents and licenses to any image they provide for entry into the contest.
This contest is subject to all federal, provincial, and municipal laws and regulations. By entering the entrant consents to the collection of all personal information included on their entry and agrees to the use and disclosure of such information by and between London Drugs and their agents. The winner(s) also agrees to the collection, use and disclosure of their name, entry, photographs, voice and statements for London Drugs’ publicity purposes without further compensation. All personal information collected from entrants will be used only for the purposes of administering the contest and for marketing and promotional purposes as contemplated by these rules; under no circumstances will any personal information be sold or rented to third parties. All personal information collected by London Drugs will be kept in accordance with the privacy policy of London Drugs, which can be viewed at londondrugs.com, and in accordance with all applicable privacy laws.
This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or any other social media platform which may be used to communicate this contest. All such entities are completely released of all liability by each entrant in this contest. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the contest should be directed only to London Drugs.
London Drugs is not responsible for any failure of any website during this Contest, nor is it responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of computer online systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment, software or any e-mail, online or internet entry lost due to technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to an entrant’s or any other person’s computer or property related to or resulting from playing or downloading any material in the promotion.
The right is reserved by London Drugs to terminate this contest, in whole or in part, and/or modify, amend or suspend the contest, and/or these rules in any way, should any cause beyond the reasonable control of London Drugs or its agents affect the proper administration thereof.

Statement of Declaration and Release

All selected entrants will be required to sign the Statement of Declaration and Release attached before they can be declared a winner and receive a contest prize.

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!

Pro Tips for Photographing Your Pets and Immortalizing Their Cuteness

Especially with so much time spent at home lately, you may be running out of subjects for your photos – but what about your furry friend? They make a great pawtography subject!

To help you get started, we’ve launched a new video all about taking pet photos over on our Photolab’s DIY Studio! Our Photolab members have free access to all of our DIY Studio modules, which are a great resource of insider photography tips to help you improve your photos. If you don’t already have a Photolab account, you can join for free here. In our latest video, pro photographer Erin Manning is sharing lots of helpful tips for taking great photos of your pet – she’ll even show you how you can immortalize their purr-fect little face on all kinds of fun pet photo items, from pillow cases and tumblers to key chains and pet bowls.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy camera, your smartphone will do just fine! In fact, Erin has some clever tricks that will help you take even better photos of your pet using your smartphone. Get a sneak peek of her pet pics video below, and watch the full DIY Studio video here!

Once you’ve got some great photos of your fur babies (thanks to the photo tips you picked up from DIY Studio), here are some fun and adorable ways to share them.

Make Your Pet a Meme

A creative way to put your best pet photos to use is by captioning them with something funny! If you’ve got an adorable photo of your tired doggo, why not add that photo to one of our photo mugs, and add some text like: ‘Mondays, am I right?’ or ‘Case of the Mondays’? The possibilities are endless – just take a look through your collection of pet photos and see which ones have humanlike attributes you can associate with them. A quick online search for ‘pet memes’ will give you lots of ideas to get you started!

Our Photolab makes it easy to customize every part of your mug, from the colour to the photo, theme and text. Just customize, order, and pick-up in-store or ship to home. It’ll be a great way to make you smile first thing in the morning (even if you’re not a morning person!).

Immortalize Their Hungry Face

Snapped a great shot of your pooch mid-lick or tongue-wagging? Sounds like the perfect photo to customize a pet bowl! Our Photolab offers two pet bowl sizes, small and large, so you can pick the right one for your pet. Then just choose from the available photo templates that include fun pet patterns, and customize the number of photos featured on the pet bowl, from one to nine photos (because who really can pick just one?).

Treat Them to a New Pet Tag

Upgrade their pet tag with a beautiful aluminum one that is fully customizable! Portrait-style photos are great for this (make sure to follow Erin Manning’s tips in her pet photos video). Just choose from one of the three pet tag shapes, bone, heart or round, and then add your photo. You can also add your pet’s name to the tag too, if you like. We also recommend customizing the back of the tag (if you choose a double-sided tag) with your contact information, in case your beloved pet ever goes missing.

Turn Your Fur Baby into Fine Art

Yes, you heard that right: that great photo you took of your fur baby is worthy of a fine art print! Choose from beautiful papers like bamboo, Baryta, Kauai, canvas, metallic paper, and metallic canvas, each of which offers a unique and elevated look to your images. Frame the print of your photogenic pup and hang it above your desk, or anywhere else in your home so they can put a smile on your face every time you see it. In fact, if you’re particularly smitten with your pet, why not create a whole gallery wall to honour them? Mix and match frames and print sizes for a bit of added visual interest.

Preserve Family Moments Together

Your four-legged friend is part of the family, and being able to see them grow together with the rest of your family is so precious. Preserve those sweet moments together by turning them into keepsakes, like this photo puzzle. Once you’re done piecing it together, take it apart and pass it along to another family member to complete, or frame it and hang it on your wall!

Of course, your pet photography doesn’t have to be limited to just cats and dogs. Many of Erin Manning’s pro pet photo tips (and our ideas for preserving those photos) can be applied to pet birds, gerbils, lizards…or whatever animal has captured your heart. There are also lots more tips available on DIY Studio covering everything from composition and lighting techniques, to how to improve the look and sound of your video calls. More helpful videos are coming soon on DIY Studio, so make sure to check back for new videos.

A don’t forget – if you’re snapping pet photos from your smartphone, make sure to download our London Drugs Photolab App (available for iOS and Android) to order quickly and easily straight from your phone. When ordering photos or other products with your prized pet on them, you can choose to have them shipped to your home, conveniently pick-up in-store, or select curbside pick-up if available at your local London Drugs location.

We’d love to see what you create with your pet photos! Share with us on social media by using the hashtag #LDPhotolab.

Updating Your Space for Fall with Photos

The days are growing shorter, the air is becoming crisper, and that can only mean one thing: fall is upon us! As we begin to transition to boots and cozy sweaters, it’s also an excellent time to look at updating our space for the fall season too. Especially with the number of Zoom calls and meetings happening from our homes these days, many of us have become acutely aware of how bare our walls are (or how much they could use an update!).

A quick and easy way to breathe new life into your space while also adding some seasonal flair is with some of your own fall photos. Our Photolab has all kinds of options to help you decorate, from beautiful glossy and pearl enlargements to fine art prints like canvas, metallic paper, Kauai and Baryta, which will give your walls an impressive gallery-quality look. Keep reading below to see how some local photographers are updating their space for fall, and find out how you can enter for a chance to win a stunning print from photographer Sonika Arora!

Ashlyn George’s fall photos were taken on a Sony A7III and DJI Mavic 2 and printed on pearl photo paper.

Saskatoon-based adventurer/photographer Ashlyn George of The Lost Girl’s Guide updated her office space for fall with some beautiful landscape images she’s taken. If you’re spending more time in your home office this fall, framing some photos is an easy way to make your space feel cozier and welcoming (so you won’t mind spending more time there!).

“It was perfect timing with the change of season to update the photos in my home office. When not outside adventuring, I like to surround myself with as many reminders of the outdoors as possible. Each image I chose to print from London Drugs Photolab is very personal. I photographed one of my family’s wheat fields during harvest and paired it with a series of photos from an autumn road trip I took to Alaska a few years ago. Images were shot on with my Sony A7II and DJI Mavic 2 and printed with a matte Pearl finish.” – Ashlyn George, The Lost Girl’s Guide

If you’re planning to display your fall photos in a frame, then our pearl prints are a great choice (you’ll want to avoid overly glossy print surfaces when framing). They have a slight satin feel and will give your images a smooth, professional look. Order pearl prints of your own fall photos here.

Lisa Bourgeault’s fall photo was taken on a Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera with a 24-105mm lens and printed on fine art canvas.

Calgary-based photographer Lisa Bourgeault is giving her walls a seasonal touch with a vibrant photo of the changing leaves with the city of Calgary as her backdrop. Her photo was printed on our fine art canvas, and like all of our prints, our Photolab Technicians hand-inspected the image after printing on our state-of-the-art Epson 9000 large format printer.

“This is one of my favourite fall pictures. It was taken early September in Calgary, just at the beginning of fall, but the fall colours had already started to appear and having taken it at sunrise, it just feels magical with all the vibrant colours. I chose to print this picture on canvas because I like the look and feel of it, and I just like the way it looks while hanging up on my wall. It’s really nice to have my picture printed and hung up and being able to see it every day.” – Lisa Bourgeault

If you want to give your wall décor a truly fine art look, we highly recommend trying our canvas prints. Matte canvas prints are water-resistant and composed of 35% cotton with a 65% polyester blend, giving them a uniform finish. They’re professional grade canvas for any giclee print that needs the very best substrate. We print your image on the canvas using a special pigment, right to the edges, so you can frame it flat or stretch it yourself. Order a canvas print of one of your own fall photos here.

Sonika Arora’s fall photo was taken on a Nikon D800 camera with a 24-70mm 2.8 lens and printed as a glossy enlargement.

Vancouver-based photographer Sonika Arora has a brand new print to give her space a refresh! Her image of the fall leaves in Stanley Park was printed by our Photolab as a glossy enlargement.

“This photograph was captured in Stanley Park on an early fall morning at sunrise. What drew me to composing this particular frame was how the seawall was blanketed in beautiful fall foliage. I wanted to capture both the leaves and the iconic city view, so I decided to frame the shot from a low perspective. I feel this composition not only showcases the leaves, but it simultaneously draws the viewer’s eyes in towards the city skyline further creating a great balance for a classic fall scene in Vancity.” – Sonika Arora

Glossy prints tend to enhance the contrast in images, making the colours in your photos even more vibrant: perfect for your most colourful fall images! Order a glossy enlargement of one of your own fall photos here. Our HD Pro Glossy prints are also an excellent option – learn more about what sets them apart here.

Start updating your space with photos

Feeling inspired and ready to add some fall festiveness to your bare walls? To get started, upload your fall photos to our Photolab website, or download our London Drugs Photolab App (available for iOS and Android) on your tablet or smartphone to quickly and easily order prints for your space. Need some help with your order? Our LDExperts are always ready to help in-store in the Photolab.

If you’re looking to capture some new fall photos this season, make sure you check out our blog post here with photography tips to help you capture the beauty of fall.

Enter for a chance to win a special fall print

Photographer Sonika Arora will be giving away a print of one of her beautiful fall photos, printed by our Photolab, to one lucky follower on Instagram! The winner will be able to choose either a glossy or pearl enlargement greater than 12×18 in size, up to a value of $99. The print will feature Sonika’s image of fall foliage in Stanley Park that you see above – what a great way to freshen up your space for the fall season!

The giveaway will kick off on the first day of fall, September 22. Make sure you’re following @LDPhotolab and @SonikaArora604 on Instagram, so you’ll know as soon as the giveaway goes live!

The Cutest First Day of School Photos

Whether your kids are learning from home or are back in the classroom this September, one thing is certain: the first day of school is even more of a significant moment in time than it usually is. In the midst of such extraordinary times, there’s even more reason to document the ways life has changed (or stayed the same) this year – from life at home to the first day of school. Many parents snap a first day of school photo each year to signify the start of a new chapter for their child, while documenting their growth since the previous school year. They grow up so fast, and photos help you document it!

Below, we’ve rounded up 10 of the cutest first day of school photos of little ones ready to hit the books. And keep on scrolling to learn how you can preserve your child’s first day of school milestone, with prints from our London Drugs Photolab (plus get a code for free shipping)!

Photo by @lifewithavaandleo

Photo by @thattimewhen.ca

Photo by @staceykasdorf

Photo by @creativewifeandjoyfulworker

Photo by @fourlittlebunnies

Photo by @chelseycieslik

Photo by @fsadeli

Photo by @jennaliesch

Photo by @jenpistor

Photo by @laurahoyda

Our Photolab can help you mark this important annual milestone in you and your child’s life with keepsakes you’ll appreciate being able to look back on years from now. Choose from quality prints in different finishes such as glossy, pearl, bamboo, metallic and even canvas. Also, our print size options are nearly endless, starting at 4×4 and going all the way up to 44×96 for some prints. We can even turn those first day of school photos into fridge magnets!

You can conveniently pick up your order in-store, or if you’re not nearby a London Drugs location, we can ship it directly to you. Use our promo code SHIP2020 for free shipping on orders over $7.99! Valid September 17 – September 30, 2020.