ldphotolab Archives - Page 9 of 11

Canada’s Best Spots for Winter Photography

From British Columbia to New Brunswick, Canada has loads to offer when it comes to spectacular locations for photography, and winter brings in an added bonus – snow covered landscapes! From popular destinations like Niagara Falls to some of the lesser explored sites, our LDExperts in the Photolab have rounded up some of the best places you can visit this winter to capture some great shots worth printing.

Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Photo by @cadestewart

Vancouver Island may be notorious for its mild winters, but there are quite a few locations that offer beautiful photography landscapes in the winter. With views ranging from frosty beaches in Tofino and Victoria, to snow-covered mountains in Comox Valley, Vancouver Island is definitely a photographer’s paradise this time of year.

Yoho National Park, British Columbia

Photo by @just__karl

While most Canadians planning a “winter national park vacation” in the Rockies tend to focus on Banff Alberta, neighboring Yoho National Park in British Columbia is highly overlooked even though its scenery rivals that of other Rocky Mountain National Parks in Canada.

Yoho National Park is located just a short 10 minute drive from Lake Louise in neighbouring Alberta, or via the town of Golden on the other side of the park offers beautiful photography spots around every corner. A few popular spots include Emerald Lake Lodge, Hamilton Falls which has a frozen waterfall, Lake O’Hara and the Elizabeth Parker Hut, and the breathtaking Wapta Falls.

Churchill, Manitoba

Photo by @andre.brandt

Churchill, an isolated town on Manitoba’s northern Hudson Bay coastline, is a magnet for photographers looking to capture polar bears and more importantly, the northern lights. Churchill is located directly beneath the Auroral Oval making it one of the best places on Earth to witness Mother Nature’s light show. The northern lights (aurora borealis), peak from January to March but is also visible on clear nights all year round.

While out capturing this shot, photographer Andre Brandt shares his experience: “Three days after the 2017 ‘Blizzard of the Century’ in Churchill, Manitoba I took the opportunity to go out and capture the aftermath. I didn’t have to go far to see the beautifully carved snow drifts from the 100km/hr winds we endured for days on end. These particular drifts, on the Churchill River, were almost as hard as concrete. With the sun setting it provided nice side light to really enhance the details and veins in the snow. Despite the -40C temp this day I’m sure glad I trekked out to capture a few shots of these drifts.”

Niagara Falls, Ontario

Photo by @sakithranaweera

Niagara Falls in summer is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. But visiting in winter is a whole different experience altogether. Winter brings an added dimension of beauty to Niagara Falls and this natural wonder transforms into a frozen landscape unlike any other. The mist from the falls combined with the ice-cold winds of winter spray the nearby ornamental walls, lamp posts, trees and buildings, creating lovely frozen ice sculptures. The Winter Festival of Lights which takes place from early November till the end of January is also a great time for photography enthusiasts to capture some vibrant colorful shots. The festival boasts over two million lights and over 125 animated light displays along the Niagara Parkway.

Arrowhead Provincial Park, Ontario

Photo by @trail_bound

A few miles from Toronto is the picturesque Arrowhead Park not only famous for its adventure sports but also its beautiful landscapes. Photographer Mike (@trail_bound) captured this picture while looking for snowy landscapes close to Toronto, “All we’ve been getting in the Toronto area is rain for the past month, so we headed 3 hours north to Arrowhead Provincial Park to see some real winter! This is the point where a small flowing river empties into the frozen Arrowhead Lake.”

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Photo by @tynskiphoto

From the rolling mountain range in the Cape Breton Highlands to the fields in the Annapolis Valley to the many lighthouses that dot the coastline, Nova Scotia is certainly a photographer’s dream. Hiking in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park – Franey Trail is sure to result in some breathtaking photographs. A visit to Nova Scotia’s most photographed lighthouse Peggy’s Cove, and the quaint fishing village are definitely also a must!

Newfoundland

Photo by @thecovegirl

Photographer Nikita (@thecovegirl) shares her experience shooting in Newfoundland in the winter: “Fishing sheds are a big part of the Newfoundland culture. These sheds are not only for storing fishing gear and tools, but it is often a place of solitude, catching up with friends, and an occasional drinking, singalong, accordion playing dance party. Although they are rarely used in winter, you can’t help but notice these colourful sheds in the midst of a cold winter’s day. Standing on the road side, with my tripod and Canon in hand, under a surreal dusky moon sky, mixed in with some wild weather and crashing waves, reminded me of how beautiful the winter season truly is. The moon was just a reminder that another day was over, soon summer would be here, and the fishing shed would be back in full swing. But for now, I was discovering the beauty of winter.”

Canada has some of the best locations for winter photography irrespective of which end of the country you live, so where will you be heading this winter? And with the ease of our in-store kiosks, the London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android, or our website, you can select from multiple print options for your best frosty photographs! Turn your pictures into stunning wall decor, a case for your electronics or even customize a 2019 calendar for your work desk! Don’t forget to check out our winter photography tips before you head out on your next photo adventure!

8 Tips for Taking the Perfect Holiday Card Family Portrait

We all know that one family that kills it at the holiday greeting cards every year. The card is always beautiful, the message inside is so thoughtful, and most importantly, their family portrait looks flawless. What’s their secret? They’re probably following these 8 tips for taking the perfect holiday card photo:

1. Decide on a style

You want your family portrait to properly reflect your family. If no one in your family would ever wear a suit and tie, then a dress code that formal won’t be a good fit. The opposite is also true – if everyone is excited to get all gussied up, go with it! Just make sure everyone is on the same page – you don’t want one kid in jeans and the other in a fancy holiday dress.

If you want to go with a cute and quirky photo, you could also add some props to the mix! Hand out some funny antler headbands, or some Santa hats.

2. Pick a colour scheme

The key to a great looking family photo doesn’t lie with matchy-matchy outfits. It does, however, lie in finding a good combination of colours, textures and patterns that work together. So skip the ‘everyone wear red’ mentality, and instead have your family work within a broader colour scheme.

3. Choose a location

Your location may depend on who plans to take your photos. If you’re planning to take the photos yourself (with a self-timer), your best bet is outdoors or somewhere in the home where you have lots of natural light. Otherwise, lighting your photo properly might be a struggle if you’re not an expert. If it’s snowed recently, there’s your chance for some great ‘winter wonderland’ shots, as well as some possible snowball fight candids!

Also keep in mind the style and colour scheme for your family portraits when deciding on a location as well, so that they all fit the look you are creating.

4. Keep your subjects happy

Not everyone loves taking photos, we get it. Sometimes, preparing a little reward is an easy enough way to keep your subjects happy during the shoot. Plan ahead and order in some pizza or have some other yummy snacks on-hand. Or if you’re shooting outside in the snow, consider having some hot chocolate on-hand to keep everyone cozy and warm in between snapshots. It’ll go a long way to avoiding the usual groans when you ask to take ‘just one more’ photo!

5. Go pro or DIY-it

You have the option of hiring a professional photographer, or taking the photos yourself. If you have smaller children, you may prefer to hire a photographer, so you can simply focus on making sure the kids are all under control and happy, instead of also having to focus on lighting, framing, and everything else that comes along with shooting.

If you’ve got a little (or a lot) of photography know-how though, then you may decide to shoot the photos yourself. The biggest advice our LDExperts can give you is to take lots of photos. That way, you’ll have plenty of options to work with later on – so you can find that one perfect shot where everyone’s eyes are open. Have a tripod and self-timer remote with you, so you can easily set up the shot, join your family and then hit the shutter release.

6. Schedule a time

The last thing you want is to feel rushed during your family photo shoot. Especially with the shorter winter days, you’ll want to make sure you schedule enough time so you’re not running out of sunlight (if you’re shooting with natural light). Ideally, the weekend will give you the most time. If you can schedule your shoot on an overcast day, that will be your best bet!

7. Get everyone in focus

The size of your family is going to help you decide what aperture you want to use with your photos. A nice wide aperture (ex. f/2.8) will give your family portraits that beautiful blurry background, but you have a lot of people in your frame, you might find that some of your family members end up out of focus. If this is the case, you’ll want to go with a narrower aperture, to ensure everyone stays in focus!

8. Keep it simple

While you might be tempted to get very creative with your photo-taking, don’t forget the true purpose of the photo: to show your family and friends how your family has grown and/or changed over the last year! So while some art direction isn’t bad, just remember that you want to have a good photo that features all your family members’ beautiful faces – not the backs of their heads, or their silhouettes.

Sharing your holiday portraits

Once you’ve got your picture-perfect family portrait, it’s time to start creating your holiday greeting cards! We’ve got lots of tips for designing your own greeting cards to give out over the holidays – check them out in this post.

Another way to preserve that beautiful family photo is by having it printed as a fine art print, like an ultimate enlargement, aluminum metal panel, or canvas gallery wrap.

And if you snapped some other great gems during your family photo shoot, you can also create some beautiful gifts and decor with them. We can put your chosen photo on a mug, a Christmas tree ornament, or even a Christmas stocking!

You can find our entire selection of customizable greeting cards, fine art prints and personalized gifts on our London Drugs Photolab website, or you can always visit us in-store or simply download our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android to order on-the-go!

Craft Your Own Unique Gifts on Make a Gift Day!

Let Your Kids Be the Artist with our Take and Create Photolab Books

The best gift you can give this holiday season is something from the heart. That’s the inspiration behind Make a Gift Day, which is celebrated on December 3^rd each year. Make a Gift Day encourages us to hand craft our own gifts, employing a little DIY skill and whole lot of love, to create something entirely unique and thoughtful.

With Christmas just around the corner, Make a Gift Day is the perfect opportunity to make some extra special Christmas gifts for your loved ones. Don’t worry if you’re not an expert-level crafter – we’re here to help!

Our London Drugs Photolab can print your photos, and customize all kinds of creative products like mugs and fleece blankets with your photos – but did you know we also print your (or your kids’) artwork on these items too? All we need is a paper copy of the artwork, and we can scan it and put it on any of our creative Photolab products.

To celebrate Make a Gift Day and make the process of customizing your own gifts easier, our Photolab now has free Take and Create Books for you to use! Inside you’ll find templates for designing your own personalized ornaments, bookmarks and 11oz mugs.

Just pick up your free Take and Create Book from your local London Drugs Photolab, bring it home, and let the kids have some fun with drawing their own designs on the templates. If you fancy yourself an artist, why not fill in a couple templates yourself, too? Once you’re all done, just bring in the book with the templates you chose to colour in, and we’ll scan each one and create your unique gifts for you!

(Right) Metal tree ornament template

We have all kinds of ornament designs to choose from in the book – from stars and Christmas tree shaped ornaments, to hearts and marquee shapes. When you order your custom ornament, you’ll also be able to choose from a variety of surfaces, including metal, ceramic, crystal and pewter. Our personalized 11oz mugs can be ordered in a selection of colours, or we can even put your drawing on our Magic Mug! This mug will magically reveal your hidden artwork once hot liquid has been added to it.

(Left) Bookmark template, (Right) 11oz mug template

To start crafting your own unique gifts, just visit your local London Drugs Photolab to pick up your free Take and Create Book!

Holiday Gift Ideas for Neighbours, Teachers, Co-Workers & More

During the holidays, surprising your loved ones with the ‘big ticket’ items they’ve been dreaming about all year is easy – what’s hard is finding a way to really wow with the smaller gifts meant for neighbours, teachers, co-workers or anyone else on your holiday shopping list. This year, consider foregoing the usual box of chocolates in favour of something that will really make them feel special: something personalized.

Our LDExperts recommend personalizing a photo mug, water bottle or carafe with a photo (and even a personal message if you like) to create a truly unique gift for all of the special people in your life. It’s sure to not only spread some holiday cheer, but will show them you’re thinking of them.

To help get you started, here are some ideas for customizing your own photo gifts:

For Your Neighbours

Do you have a snapshot of your neighbour and their family from a block party this summer? Or do you have a photo of your kids and theirs playing together? Maybe you can easily snap a photo of their pride and joy sportscar in the driveway. Whatever it is, find an image that will showcase some of the favourite things or people in their life, and use it to customize a mug, water bottle or carafe for them. It’s a small way to thank them for being such a wonderful neighbour this past year!

For Your Teachers

If you’re looking for a thoughtful way to thank your child’s teachers for all their hard work, a personalized gift will go a long way. Teachers generally get a lot of mugs as gifts, so why not switch it up and personalize a water bottle for them instead? Employ your child to draw up some artwork – maybe a simple ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Thank you Ms. ______’ theme – and we can help you scan that artwork and put it on a water bottle! Or if you have a scanner at home, you can then simply upload that digitized artwork to our Photolab site to customize your bottle.

For Your Co-Workers

Co-workers aren’t always easy to get gifts for, especially when you’re trying to keep it to something small. Here’s a creative gift idea you’ll know they’ll appreciate: personalize a mug or carafe for them, so that no one in the office will ever accidentally use their mug again! Add some custom text to it like ‘This is Gary’s Mug’, or simply add a photo of their face to the mug, so there will be zero confusion who’s mug or carafe it is. Now they won’t have to fear leaving their mug in the office cupboard! That might just make you their new favourite co-worker.

For Your Friends

This is an easy one – just pick a favourite snapshot of you and your BFF. We’re sure you won’t have any difficulties finding lots to choose from. Or take a quick peek at their Instagram, for a particularly special moment from their year, and surprise them with that on a water bottle or mug.

Our LDExperts also suggest making your gifts even sweeter by including some treats inside! Add a packet of hot chocolate mix, a candy cane, and a small baggy of marshmallows – all wrapped up in some cellophane.

To get started on your own personalized gifts, just visit our London Drugs Photolab online, in-store or simply download our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android.

And don’t worry – if someone surprises you with a gift you weren’t expecting…you can order our 11oz and 14oz mugs same-day!

How to Next Level Your Christmas Stockings

Are you stockings starting to look a little shabby? No, we’re not talking about the ones on your feet – we’re talking about your family’s Christmas stockings! For lots of families, hanging stockings over the fireplace is a long-standing holiday tradition. But sometimes those traditions need a little sprucing up. If your stockings are looking a little worse for wear after years of use, we can help you upgrade to some truly next level stockings…completely personalized for every member of your family!

Customized Stockings

Our Photolab offers customizable Christmas stockings in a variety of styles. If each member of your family gets a stocking, give them the opportunity to make it their own. Let them choose a photo for their stocking, and they can even add their name or nickname to it. Don’t leave out the family pet either – we can help you make one for them too! You also have the option to have the photo featured on just one side, or on both sides of the stocking. Of course, all of our stockings will come with a small loop so they’re ready to hang!

Customized Stocking Stuffers

While you’re at it, you can take your stocking stuffers to the next level too! It’s always great to have some stocking stuffer fillers in there like candy canes and chocolates, but stockings are also a great place to include some more thoughtful, small gifts as well. We have lots of items you can customize, that will fit perfectly into your family’s Christmas stockings.

Two of our LDExperts’ top picks for personalized stockings stuffers are photo keychains and ornaments. Both are small enough to fit perfectly in your stockings, and are a nice, thoughtful gift they can cherish beyond this holiday season.

Keychains can be customized with your choice of photo, and come in a variety of styles, from a metal heart to a metal square with leatherette backing. We can also include a name or personal message on the photo for added customization. The same can be done with our ornaments.

The ornaments are available in 20 different styles: on metal, pewter, crystal or ceramic. Our metal ornaments can be printed on the font and back, and all of our ornaments come with a pre-drilled hole so you can easily hang from your tree with a small ribbon. We think the personalized ornaments are a great gift to make a yearly tradition! Each Christmas, simply pick a photo that best represents that person’s year – and add the year in text to the ornament so they’ll always remember when that memory was from. It’s a sweet custom that will be so special to look back on, as you collect new ornaments over the years.

Ready to take your Christmas stockings to the next level? Visit our London Drugs Photolab online, in-store or simply download our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android to get started!

5 Tips for Designing Your Own Holiday Greeting Cards

No you’re not reading this post wrong – it’s October and yes we’re talking about the holidays already! But take our word for it, now is the perfect time to start working on your holiday greeting cards. Especially if you’re planning to send cards to elsewhere in the world, you’ll want to get an early start so that they arrive on time. And getting them done early also allows you to spend a bit of time personalizing your cards to make them extra special!

Sending personalized greeting cards to family and friends is great way to spread some holiday cheer, and update everyone on what you’ve been up to over the past year. And while we love the internet, we think it’s better to skip the e-cards and go for traditional mailed cards for the most thoughtful and personal holiday message. Our LDExperts have rounded up their top tips for designing your own holiday greetings cards, to help get you started:

1. Be conscientious of your recipients’ traditions

As you’re going through your list of people you’d like to send greeting cards to this season, make notes of what type of holiday card should go to each person. Our Photolab has a variety of personalized greeting card options with Christmas, Hanukkah and general Winter-themed templates, so no matter what their family traditions, you can find a beautiful card to customize for them.

2. Pick a favourite photo (or two!) to personalize your card

Once upon a time, we would slide a print photo or two into a generic holiday card, as a way to keep our family and friends updated on how things have changed over the last year. After all, a lot can change in a year – whether it be a fast-growing newborn, a furry new addition to the family, or you and your better half celebrating your first Christmas together. Holiday cards are the perfect opportunity to share those important moments from that year with the people you love.

With our personalized greeting cards, you can take that all to the next level! Just choose a photo, or two, and add them to any of our greeting cards, through our Photolab site, in-store kiosks or through our London Drugs Photolab App. We have specially crafted holiday templates so you can simply drag and drop your photos, creating a perfectly personalized design in seconds. You know your mother-in-law will be impressed.

Some options for photos are:

A photo of your family from earlier this year
A photo from last year’s holiday celebrations
A styled photo from your own holiday photo shoot!

3. Share a special message from the heart

The key to a truly special holiday greeting card is a heartfelt message. Are they celebrating their first Christmas as a couple? Is their little one celebrating their first Christmas? Or maybe they’re away from home during the holidays? With our personalized greeting cards, you can add your own message for the recipient that is 100% unique, and touches on an aspect of their life. Create one individually for each person on your list – it’s guaranteed to make their mailbox a little merrier.

If you’re strapped for time, or aren’t one for words, even a simple message wishing them a wonderful holiday will go a long way. And you can easily order multiple copies to pop in the mail for all your family and friends.

4. Give your greeting cards a professional finish

Choosing a higher quality paper material won’t just wow your recipient, it will also be more durable, so they’re less likely to be damaged when sent by mail or when they’re opened.

When ordering double-sided cards, folded cards, or postcards from our Photolab, you can choose from either traditional card stock or one of our 6 specialty papers, which will give your cards that extra special touch – literally. Our specialty papers come in linen natural white, linen white, matte soft white, matte white, shimmer silver, and shimmer soft gold

5. Add your personal signature

Add a final personal touch by signing each card by hand. It might seem like a small detail, but it can really make your card stand out. Just make sure to give it a few seconds for the ink to dry, before closing your card and putting it in the envelope. You don’t want to smudge things, right at the very end!

Once your personalized greeting cards are ready to go, make sure to get them in the mail early! Ideally, you want your greeting cards to reach their recipients by early to mid-December, and the further they need to go, the sooner they should be put in the mail. Luckily, we offer Canada Post services at many of our London Drugs locations, you so can drop them off the next time you’re in the store!

Procrastinators We’re Here for You! 7 Photo Gifts You Can Pick Up in 24 Hours

We’ve all been there. You meant to pick out a gift for that birthday party weeks ago, but somehow time got away from you. And now it’s down to the wire. You might think you’re stuck with getting them something generic: there’s no way I’ll be able to get them something special now! The good news is, there’s still time. You might be surprised to hear that there are lots of personalized gifting options available at our London Drugs Photolab that you can pick up within 24 hours or even same day.

To help you out, here’s our procrastinator cheat sheet for last-minute gifts:

There’s no time to lose! Get started right away by uploading your photos to our Photolab online, using our in-store kiosks, or downloading our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android! For exact turnaround times, make sure to contact your local London Drugs Photolab.