Dads of all kinds have been there for us, from our first bike ride without training wheels to when they shed a tear at our high school graduation. After all the birthdays, soccer practices, and comforting hugs, we’re all grown up—but our dads get to still play a huge part in our lives, especially as we have kids of our own.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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 11th and April 25th 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!
Welcome to the London Drugs Photolab!
With over 35 years of photofinishing experience, the London Drugs Photolab can help you to preserve your memories and bring your photos to life. Our Photolab provides a wide variety of prints and personalized gifting products to creatively share your best photos, from photo books and mugs, to fine art prints and so much more.
Our experienced Photolab Technicians are dedicated to producing the highest quality photofinishing products, as well as offering Photolab services including film processing, scanning, and digital restoration: all using state-of-the-art equipment.
Why trust us with your photos? Watch the video to see how our LDExperts Nikki and Dave have built trusting relationships with their Photolab customers. Or just ask the countless Canadians – families and photographers alike – who already trust us with their photos!
Visit the London Drugs Photolab online or in-store to start creating something unique with your photos, or download our London Drugs Photolab App for iOS and Android. We can ship to your local London Drugs for pick-up, or deliver anywhere in Canada.
At London Drugs, we are committed to being involved in the communities we serve. Our London Drugs Photolab Experts have a true passion for photography, and enjoy any opportunity to celebrate artists in our local photography community. From the Capture Photography Festival to the Local Inspirations Artist Gallery program, we aim to support photographers in many ways, in an effort to share the joy of photography.
Local Inspirations Artist Gallery, featuring local photographer Yuji S.
The Local Inspirations Artist Gallery program is an ongoing company-wide celebration of photography at the community level. The photographer’s work is featured in a gallery at the artist’s local London Drugs, professionally printed by our London Drugs Photolab Technicians, using state-of-the-art printing equipment. The gallery is a platform for local photographers and artists to showcase their work to others in the community, while also helping them gain new clients and grow their business.
Yuji S. is one of our Local Inspirations-featured photographers, whose images are currently on display at our Broadway & Vine store. Yuji is a stock photography contributor for Getty Images, and enjoys taking photos of animals, people and nature. He uses our London Drugs Photolab for all of his printing and custom created photo gifts, so naturally Yuji knew the Photolab would be a great place to showcase his favourite prints! For those interested in purchasing one of Yuji’s prints, they can contact him at: yuji@ysphotography.ca.
If you wish to be featured in an upcoming gallery, visit your local London Drugs Photolab for details about showcasing your work and becoming a local inspiration to others.
Hi everyone, Amanda here again from The Mommy Mix.
I’m not going to lie or try to pretend I’m something I’m not, when it comes to being organized I’m a hot mess mom! I’m lucky if I can remember to send in my kids’ milk orders on time and unless I have an appointment written everywhere I’ll most likely miss it. Not this year, 2018 is going to be my year to get organized and stay that way. It can be your year to get organized too if you join me in following some simple steps.
When it comes to remembering things that need to be done you can pretty much guarantee that they’re going to pop into your head at the worst times; while you’re lying in bed, out shopping, sitting at work… Make sure you’ve always got a Notepad and pen nearby so you can start a list and every time your memory decides to start working you can add a quick note about the task you need to get done. You can make your “reminder notepad” super personal to who you are and what (or who) motivates you with your own images and text.
Whether you’re looking for something that allows you to enter specifics or you just want to circle a few important dates, you need to find a calendar that works for you. At the London Drugs Photolab you can create unique and personalized Photo Calendars in a variety of themes and styles with your own pictures that can also act as reminders of birthdays or any other special events in your life. The calendars span 12 months, but you can start the calendar on any month, so you can create new calendars any time of year!
If you’ve chosen a Traditional, one of the Coil Bound Photo Calendars or even something compact like the Desktop Photo Calendar than I’m sure it’s safe to say you want to be able to track details, and now you can. Remember the lists that you’ve been making; transfer anything from it of importance on your calendar, write down any bill payment due dates plus don’t forget birthdays, anniversaries and appointments. Make it a point to look at your calendar at least once a week.
You go in your fridge every day, right?! Stick a Magnetic Memo Board to it so every time you go grab the milk for your morning coffee or cook dinner, your bake sale tasks, appointments and special days for the week will be staring you in the face every day!
What tips do you have for getting organized in 2018?
For more personalized organization tools visit the London Drugs Photolab online, in-store, or simply download the London Drugs Photolab App (available for both iOS and Android devices)!
Even in today’s digital-centric world, printing has remained an incredibly important part of the photography process. Photography is meant to celebrate a special moment in time, and photo printing helps us to share that moment with the world. It’s worth reminding ourselves just how powerful a photo can be, especially while we celebrate World Photo Day.
Developing negatives has always been an exciting part of the process for any photographer, and for a long time it was the only way to share your captured images. It was the only way to tell your story. Henry Fox Talbot pioneered the process of chemically developing film negatives, patenting the process of ‘calotype’ in 1841. This calotype process made photography more practical than paintings and illustrations, with the new ability to make any number of prints from a single negative image. Suddenly, photography was accessible to the everyday person.
However while our options used to be limited to basic prints and enlargements, photographers now have all kinds of unique print surfaces at their fingertips. Thanks to digital technology, we can tell the story of each photo not just with the developed print, but through editing and the print surface itself. After all, a bright, vivid image won’t be conveyed the same way as a dark moody image on the same surface. You’ve chosen a moment in time that you want to celebrate, now you just have to find the perfect surface to share it. Here is a look at some of our favourite print surfaces.
Aluminum Metal Panels
These high-gloss aluminum metal panels have become a popular choice for photographers in recent years. We’ve had many professional photographers tell us these eye-catching prints have been popular with their clients as well. The coated aluminum sheets are infused with dyes that can make any image, especially detailed and rich landscape photos, come alive with vibrant colour.
The London Drugs Photolab has expanded the availability of metal printing technology from just one location to now several Photolab locations, which have the special presses necessary to create the aluminum prints on-site. The lightweight and durable surface makes these prints ideal for hanging on the walls of your home or gallery. They’re also an especially good choice for high traffic areas, thanks to their resistance to fading.
Local photographers Stacy William Head and Larry Hilderman have both printed their landscape images on aluminum metal panels. Stacy finds that the aluminum surface gives his rich, long exposures a very surreal feeling compared to paper or canvas. Larry appreciates the depth it gives his landscape images. You can read more about both Stacy and Larry’s experiences with aluminum metal panels on their respective blog posts here and here.
Canvas Gallery Wraps
Turning your most precious moments into a true work of art is easy with canvas gallery wraps. Using specially pigmented inks with archival qualities, the image is printed on a fine art canvas. The canvas is then stretched around the sides of a 1.75” wooden frame and secured on the back. This style gives the image added depth and dimension. Since the image is printed right to the very edge of the canvas (otherwise known as “full-bleed”), the print can be hung on a wall without an art frame. If you do want the look of a border, our LDExperts in the Photolab recommend a black or white frame, or a floating black frame.
Our LDExperts recommend keeping the canvas dry and avoiding water or liquid cleaning solutions. This will help to preserve the image’s colour and contrast, allowing it to last for many years without noticeable fading.
A new offering is the metallic canvas, which features a pearlescent finish and vibrant colour reproduction. If you’re looking for a unique surface texture, this is an excellent choice.
Bamboo Prints
The texture of bamboo prints really is unparalleled. Made of 90% bamboo fibres and 10% cotton, this ultra-matte, finely crafted white paper offers a unique look and feel to your image. The surface offers maximum aging resistance and an extremely large colour gamut. As an added bonus, bamboo prints are also environmentally-friendly, as bamboo is considered to be a highly renewable resource.
Local photographer Matt Ferguson was impressed after printing on bamboo for the first time. The “texture and physical feel to the print” made it stand out, and he felt as though he “could actually touch the trees and feel the coolness of the fog” featured in his image. If you’re curious to hear more about his experience you can, check out this blog post.
Hopefully World Photo Day will inspire you to experiment with your photofinishing options and try something new. Consider the image you have (portrait or landscape), the colours (vivid or dark), and the purpose (home décor or gallery display) and use those elements to help you decide which surface will best tell the story of your image. If you need a little extra help deciding which surface is the right choice, just speak with one of our LDExperts in the Photolab department in-store!
For the 3rd consecutive year, London Drugs is proud to be a sponsor of the Capture Photography Festival, celebrating local and international lens-based artistic talent in Vancouver. The festival is devoted to exhibiting challenging and thought-provoking photography at over 50 esteemed galleries and public installations.
This year, the London Drugs Photolab printed the works of several high profile Capture exhibits, including LA-based photographer Aline Smithson’s exhibit Self & Others: Portrait as Autobiography, and the News Photographers Association of Canada’s National Pictures of the Year awards exhibit.
Using the best in photofinishing equipment and innovative materials such as our Hahnemühle Fine Art Bamboo Paper, our passionate, experienced Photolab Technicians printed flawless fine art pieces hung in galleries across the city.
These fine art printing services aren’t just reserved for professionals, either. Amateurs, freelancers, and professionals alike can get museum-quality prints, using the London Drugs Photolab’s cutting-edge printing services.
Visit our Photolab in-store or online to find the right print for your photography project!
