Photolab Archives - Page 4 of 17

Hone Your Photography Skills at Home By Entering Our Daily Photo Contest

Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you can’t flex your photography muscles! Now is a great time to hone your skills. To keep you inspired, we’re hosting a daily photo contest with new themes each day, from April 1 – April 5.

1) To enter on Instagram:

Follow @LDPhotolab on Instagram
Share a photo of the daily theme using the hashtag #LDdailyphotochallenge. Entries are taken for the day’s theme only and are due by midnight (pacific time) each day.
Daily Themes:
- Wednesday, April 1, 2020: COLOR
- Thursday, April 2, 2020: NATURE
- Friday, April 3, 2020: UP CLOSE
- Saturday, April 4, 2020: WATER
- Sunday, April 5, 2020: HOME

2) No purchase necessary. Limit one (1) entry per social network per day of the contest. Limit one (1) prize may be won per household. Daily entries must be received no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Time on each day of the contest. London Drugs is not responsible for entries that become lost or misdirected.

3) 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 2, 2019;(ii) have reached the age of majority in the province in which they reside as at April 1, 2020 (iii) are not employees of London Drugs, their respective advertising and promotional agencies, or any family member living with any such employee.

4) The winners shall be chosen the day after each daily contest ends (see dates below) in Vancouver, British Columbia, from all eligible entries received per contest. Winning entries will be chosen based on photographic skill, artistic sensibilities, emotion, impact and originality. To win, selected entrants must have correctly answered the skill-testing mathematical question included on London Drugs’ Statement of Declaration and Release form, sent to them by email and must sign the 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.

5) There will be 1 (one) prize(s) awarded to 1 (one) winner per day of the contest: each receiving an 8×10 glossy or pearl print valued at $5.99. At the end of the contest, there will be 1 (one) grand prize(s) awarded to 1 (one) of the daily winners: receiving a 12×18 Canvas Gallery Wrap valued at $79.99. Prize(s) must be accepted as awarded, are 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 at the closest London Drugs location to the winner.

Contest entry dates: April 1 – April 5, 2020
Daily prize draw dates: 12:00PM Pacific Time April 2 – April 6, 2020

Grand prize draw date: 12:00PM Pacific Time April 7, 2020

6) 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 winner does not respond then she/he will be notified for the second time, 3 (three) days after the first notification. If the winner 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.

7) 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.

8) London Drugs, their respective advertising and promotional agencies, 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).

9) 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 www.londondrugs.com, and in accordance with all applicable privacy laws.

10) 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.

11) 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.

12) 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.

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.

How to Capture Vibrant Spring Flowers with Macro Photography

If the onslaught of seasonal allergies is any indication, spring is here, and that means flowers are starting to pop up all over our yards and neighbourhoods. This is good news for the photography enthusiast, as there will be lots of new chances to capture colourful, vibrant flowers as they bloom. You don’t have to leave the comfort of your home either – you can experiment with taking photos of flowers in vases or planters inside your home, or out in your front or back yard garden. To help you capture stunning floral images you’ll be proud to showcase, our LDExperts are sharing all kinds of tips below, from shooting tips to what kinds of macro lenses they recommend, and which print surfaces will make your colourful spring images pop.

Lenses for Macro Photography

Bursting with colour, flowers hold a great deal of beauty, and often look even more stunning when photographed extremely close up, showing off their vibrant colour and unique details. A good macro lens will allow you to focus while the lens is very close to the flower. For this reason, we recommend giving a macro lens a try. You’ll be able to get extremely close to the flowers, filling the frame with fresh blooms, and easily isolating the smallest of subjects.

The best option for macro photography is an interchangeable lens system – either a DSLR or mirrorless camera – which you can then add a macro lens to. Look for a macro lens with 1:1 magnification ratio or higher. A 50mm macro lens will focus closer than a 100mm macro lens, but will still provide the same magnification. Whatever system or brand you use there will be a macro lens for it. You can browse our full selection here.

Or as an affordable alternative, try a macro extension tube that fits between your camera body and the lens, which will essentially turn your standard lens into a macro. However, this does reduce the total light the lens can transmit, so you’ll need to use a wider aperture or slower shutter speed to compensate.

If your smartphone also acts as your primary camera, you could add a macro lens accessory to your smartphone, which will help you achieve somewhat similar results with the convenience of your phone. The lens is simply clipped on top of your phone’s built-in camera lens.

Technical Tips for Better Macro Flower Photos

Aperture

First, let’s talk about aperture. You’ll be choosing your aperture based on whether you want to keep most of the image in focus, or would rather draw only a main point of interest into focus. For instance, you may choose to have the entire flower in focus, or just a few key petals that have some water droplets on them. To keep most of the image in focus, you’ll want to use a narrow aperture (a higher f/stop), versus if you only want part of your image in focus, try a wider aperture (a lower f/stop). Just switch to Aperture Priority Mode on your camera (Av on Canon, A on Nikon), choose your f/stop, and your camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed.

Focus

Because of the shallow depth of field you will be dealing with when shooting macro, your focus needs to be very precise. As a result, you may not want to rely on auto-focus. Consider switching to manual focus to ensure the sharpest possible image. You could also switch to a single point auto-focus in your settings, which will help you focus on a particular part of the flower.

ISO

To ensure the best quality image, make sure you are using the lowest ISO setting possible for your exposure. If you do need to use a higher ISO, to help avoid camera shake and ensure the image is sharp, consider using a tripod which help with eliminate camera shake.

Shooting Tips for Macro Flower Photography

Ready to start shooting spring blooms? Here are 9 photo tips to try:

Avoid harsh lighting or shaded areas which can cause unflattering shadows by shooting on an overcast day.
Use a good polarizer to make the blue skies deeper, but also saturate colour from the flower, and eliminate glare and shine on the flower’s surface.
Find one flower that stands out from the rest, or an insect like a bee on a flower, and focus your shot on that subject.
Hard to find a flower that stands out? Shoot from a lower angle, up at the flower, with the sky as your background.
Use a tripod that allows you to get very low to the ground (it’s best if it has legs that release and can spread wide).
Try different coloured backgrounds, such as a background of green grass, versus a sea of colourful flowers in the background.
Experiment with the distance your flower is from the background, as this will change the depth of field (blurring the background to different degrees).
Use a frontal fill flash, which will increase the sharpness of your image, and boost the look of saturated colours.
Try shooting in the rain and mist, when water droplets are visible on flower petals. No moisture to work with? Carry water in a spray bottle, or add glycerin to the water so that the droplets stay better on the petals and leaves.

Prints That Will Highlight Your Flower Images

If you’re looking for a print to do your colourful floral photos justice, look no further than our Photolab’s aluminum metal panels. They have a high gloss finish that will make your photos look incredibly sharp and vibrant. Coated aluminum sheets are infused with dyes that will especially bring out the colour in your rich, detailed floral images. Perfect for making those bright flowers pop! Many photographers also choose this print surface because of its durability and resistance to fading.

Choose between aluminum panel montage walls, an aluminum panel with black frame, collages, or your standard full image aluminum panel. We can print these up to 40×60 in size! Turnaround time is quick – just 5 business days for smaller panels. Panels larger than 16×20 may take up to 14 business days. You can order through our website, or using our London Drugs Photolab App (available for iOS and Android). If you’d like a little guidance from our LDExperts, or want to see a sample, just visit us at your nearest London Drugs location!

Refresh Your Décor with Fresh Fine Art Prints

Is your home in need of a little refresh this year? One of the easiest ways to breathe new life into your space is with some fresh wall décor. Even better, why not use your own photos to spruce up your walls? Fine art prints can be used to fill otherwise bare walls, and their gallery-quality will truly elevate the look of your space. It’s a great way to put some of your favourite images on display, plus you’ll have a more personal connection to the fine art on your walls.

Thanks to innovations in photography and printing technology, the ability to turn your own photos into fine art is now right at your fingertips. The resolution of cameras has advanced greatly, high quality printers like our Photolab’s Epson P9000 use inks with archival stability of 200 years, and the range of fine art papers available to choose from continues to grow.

What Fine Art Paper to Choose

Photo printed on the London Drugs Photolab’s Baryta fine art paper

One of the newest fine art papers now available in our Photolab is Baryta. This bright white cotton paper is ideally suited for photographic images, and is designed for long life – making it an excellent choice for your wall décor. This paper gets its name from the special coating of barium sulphate that is applied to the cotton photo paper before it is coated with emulsion. The baryta layer brightens the image, while also preventing other chemicals from penetrating other layers of the paper.

This print surface is popular amongst photographers, for its rich blacks, wide colour gamut, and excellent contrast and sharpness. The rich blacks and bright whites make it ideal for black and white photos, while the bright white paper also makes colourful images pop.

You’ll also notice the tactile nature of Baryta, which is what really gives it that ‘fine art’ feel. The paper has a weight and thickness to it that you may not get in other papers – even fine art papers.

What Size Print to Order

With the help of our Photolab’s large format printers, we’re able to do Baryta prints from 4”x6” all the way up to 40”x60”. If you need it even bigger, our standard print enlargements go as large as 44”x96”. So no matter what size your space is, you can likely find a print size to fit it. The choice is yours – either pick one image to be the focal point and order a large-scale print, or you could opt to print a selection of smaller images, and frame them as a gallery wall display. Either way, you’ll be elevating the look of your home with exhibition-quality prints.

What Camera & Lens to Use

The basic rule of thumb, if you’re planning to print large photos, is to ensure you’re shooting at high resolution. Check your camera’s settings to see that you have selected the highest quality setting under ‘Image Size’.

To really take your wall photos to the next level, it’s worth considering an upgrade if you don’t already own an interchangeable lens system. This will help you to achieve the best results possible for your images with even more control.

If size isn’t a concern, we have lots of great DSLRs to choose from, which pair with a wide variety of new interchangeable lenses. Most manufacturers’ lens mounts are also compatible with older lenses, so if you’re looking for a more affordable way to upgrade to a DSLR, check out our used section in-store or talk to an LDExpert about what system would be best for your needs.

If you want something that’s compact and not too bulky, a mirrorless camera like the Nikon Z6 II is a great option. This pairs great with the Sigma Contemporary 30mm f/1.4 DC DN lens – a compact lens that offers outstanding image quality. The large-diameter lens with f/1.4 brightness makes a shallow depth of field possible, for a stunning bokeh effect.

And when the next season arrives, simply switch out your images for new ones, and your space will have a fresh new look and feel instantly! Ordering is quick and easy – just visit our Photolab online, or download our London Drugs Photolab App (available for iOS and Android) to order on-the-go. If you’d like to order the next time your in our store, simply visit us in the Photolab to use our in-store kiosks.

Documenting Life’s Most Special Moments Using Unique Bamboo Prints

Do you consider yourself the photo taker of your friends and family? There’s always one. The one who always makes sure to get the shot. The one who wants to document each and every special memory, to be preserved for years to come. From all your little one’s ‘firsts’, to birthdays, weddings, vacations and even those candid everyday moments, you capture them all. It’s an important role, and one that is very rewarding. Seeing someone’s face light up when they first lay eyes on a meaningful photo, captured and preserved, is well worth it. The ability of photos to bring back our most precious memories is incredibly special. Being able to share that memory with your loved ones, in the form of a print, is even more special.

Of course, for such special memories, you’ll want to choose a print surface that’s as unique as the images you’ve captured. That’s where bamboo prints come in. These fine art prints are one of the more unique offerings available from our Photolab, and can lend a really beautiful look and feel to your images.

Here, we’re sharing 3 reasons why bamboo prints are a great choice for your loved ones’ life moments:

Special and long lasting

There’s something special about bamboo prints. Hahnemühle Bamboo is the world’s first Fine Art inkjet paper made from 90% bamboo fibres. Bamboo is a fibrous material, giving the texture of the prints a unique look and feel. It is also known for being an all-natural ‘super material’, with long lasting and ultra-durable qualities. Bamboo prints experience little to no colour fading over time, in fact, they meet the most stringent age resistance requirements.

Environmentally friendly

Did you know that bamboo is a highly renewable resource? That, combined with the long lasting quality of bamboo prints, makes it an environmentally friendly option for your precious photos.

Warm and heartwarming

Bamboo paper offers more than just crisp and brilliant colour reproduction. It also gives a lovely natural warmth to your images. A perfect pairing for your most heartwarming photos! Warm-toned or monochrome images are best suited for this fine art paper.

Technical tip: Make the most of your bamboo prints

Like fibre paper once used in the darkroom, bamboo paper has a unique texture to it. Not nearly as defined as fibre paper is to the eye, but the bamboo print absorbs the image in a similar fashion. With this in mind, when shooting images you plan to print on bamboo, consider using a large aperture lens. A great example would be the 50mm F1.8 for any interchangeable lens system. There are very affordable options in the $200-$300 range from Canon, Nikon and Sony. These are a great step up from a kit lens, and allow you to open the aperture up far beyond a kit lens and experiment with bokeh (the effect when the background is blurred to an almost abstract level).

The bamboo paper finish resonates with the bokeh effect making the sharp image elements pop even more! For more information on great lens upgrades for your camera set up, drop by any London Drugs location and talk to an LDExpert. They love talking cameras!

You can also read about photographer Matt Ferguson’s first impressions of bamboo prints here! If you’re intrigued about bamboo prints, feel free to pop in and visit our Photolab to see and feel the difference in person. Then use our in-store kiosk to order your photos right then and there. Or if you’re ready to start printing right now at home, simply hop on our Photolab website to order. If your images are on your phone, why not download our easy-to-use London Drugs Photolab App (available for iOS and Android) to order your prints? Then choose to have your prints shipped to your door, or conveniently pick them up in-store when they’re ready. It’s that easy! Beautiful bamboo prints of beautiful family photos. Your loved ones with thank you for preserving their most treasured memories.

2 Creative Ways to Revisit your Best 2019 Memories in 2020

Before you fully jump into 2020 with exciting new goals and ambitions for the year ahead, why not take a look back at 2019 to appreciate all of the moments and experiences that made up the previous year? Photos are, of course (in our humble opinion), the best way to do that. And with a little creativity plus the help of our Photolab, you can preserve all of those ‘best of’ memories to appreciate over the coming year. Keep reading below to see how you can create your own 2020 calendar and 2019 yearbook!

2020 Calendar

January is the start of a new year, and if you didn’t have the time over the holidays to order a calendar for 2020, it’s not too late! You can still create one – our Photolab’s personalized 12-month calendars can start on any month, in fact. And the process is much simpler than you realize. We’ve broken it down to 3 easy steps.

1 – Source your images

Sourcing your images can be a little daunting. What do you want the calendar to look like? Do you want it monthly memories from the previous year? Would you prefer your favourite landscape images? Or perhaps a highlight reel of your best vacation images? Whatever you decide, curate the 12 images and you’re ready to go. If you can’t whittle down your photos to just 12, not a problem! You can also feature a collage of various images for each month on your calendar, so you can include all of your favourites.

LDExpert tip: If you use Google Photos, they have created a ‘Best of 2019’ feature that automatically curates a series of ‘Best of’ albums so you can easily find your favourite moments of the year to include in your calendar. You can find it by opening Google Photos and tapping on the “For you” tab.

2 – Source your important dates

The best part about making your own calendar is you can print all your important dates right in the calendar. Think of all the family Birthdays, anniversaries, or special memories and compile your list. That’s all, step two is complete. If you’d like to get extra fancy, you can add an image to the date, for a visual reference.

3 – Log into our Photolab and start building

Now that you have your images and dates, the only thing left is to build it! Our online platform, London Drugs Photolab App (iOS and Android) or in-store kiosks provide a quick and simple interface that allow you to build your calendar with ease. Create your own account or sign in, so you can save your project as you go. You can even choose from a variety of themed templates and colours, and add text, to fully customize your calendar.

2019 Yearbook

Now that you’ve gotten the calendar off your list, and you’re feeling inspired, why not move on to your 2019 yearbook? For most of us, our phones tell the story of our lives best, as it’s the camera in our pocket at all times. Building a yearbook of last year can be a fun and rewarding job. Again, we’ve broken it down into 3 easy steps.

1 – Map your book out

The first step is to make a plan. Having an idea of what you want your book to look like will go a long way to simplify the design process. There are some questions to consider. What type of book will you build? (Browse the many options here, and decide what one is best for your yearbook.) How do you want the book to be broken down? Some ways to do that are monthly highlights, major milestones (like a wedding or graduation), vacations/trips, or other memorable experiences that require their own chapter.

2 – Pick your images

Once you’ve mapped out the plan for your yearbook, the next step is pulling the photos you’d like to consider for the layout. Be generous when doing this first pull. Remember that having a vertical and a horizontal option might help when laying out your book. This won’t be the final curated selection, but the images you will be working from for your layout. You can skip this step and go directly to your layout, but you might be overwhelmed by the number of images you have depending on your shooting habits.

3 – Lay it out

To create your yearbook’s layout, you can do so at home using software like Photoshop, InDesign, iPhoto or others, or you can use our website, which has a wide selection of templates and layout options. Remember to create an account or sign in to your London Drugs Photolab account so you can save your yearbook project as you go. Tell your story by combining your images to speak together cohesively. A detail shot combined with an overview can tell much more of a story vs single image. Remember to tap into your creative side, enjoy the experience and reminisce as you go!

We hope these tips help you bring your images to life, and remind you of all the amazing experiences you had in 2019. With these two projects complete, you can look forward to capturing even more great memories in 2020! And having designed your own this year, you can shoot with that in mind, and even curate your images by the month to make compiling next year’s calendar and yearbook even easier.

3 Ways to Explore the Joy of Film Photography

Video might have killed the radio star, but digital photography hasn’t killed film. Goliaths like Kodak might have fallen along the way, but the resurgence of analogue photography within the mainstream has begun to pick up steam once again. Like the video store experience compared to online streaming, the patience of shooting on film, the mystique, is lacking with the digital capture process. The patience of photography has been stripped for instant gratification.

The good news is the trend is shifting back towards analogue methods, and people are even opening social media accounts dedicated solely to their analogue pursuits. The nostalgic look of film photos, and the excitement of having them developed, have made them a special and unique alternative to digital photography. Film also requires the photographer to be more intentional with their photo-taking (you’re limited by the number of exposures on your roll of film!), something many see as valuable mindset when learning to take better photos.

Here we walk you through 3 ways to explore analogue photography, whether you’re trying it for the first time, or remembering why you’ve missed it. You might even find some gift ideas here for a budding photographer or film aficionado on your holiday shopping list!

1. The one-time use film camera

For the younger generation, they might not remember the simplicity of the one-time use camera. Prior to digital, it was all about the wonder of the all-in-one point-and-shoot. Those didn’t have the control of a normal film camera, and the lens was never the greatest, however these traits are exactly what made them magical. The uncertainty of what the image would look like added a fun element, but they always got the shot. Stash it in your pocket so it’s there in the moment when you need it. There is a reason they still are used on tables at weddings long after the digital revolution. If you have young kids, these make a good gift, as they are durable and affordable, and are a great way to introduce them to the joy of taking pictures.

2. The positive film camera – ready in minutes

The world of instant cameras grew in popularity in the 70’s, with the Polaroid. When Polaroid stopped producing film in the 2000’s, many hearts were broken. Lucky for us, the brand was saved and resurrected as “Polaroid Originals”. Fujifilm have their Instax camera line that does the same. Polaroid is unique because the whole image surface is your negative. Professionals used to use Polaroid to do light tests before loading film in their cameras. There were even some artists in the late 80’s who worked on specially-made Polaroid film that was in a 1m wide roll! They can’t be enlarged as they are a direct positive print on paper, but that is what makes them that much more unique. Their instant nature also makes them a fun camera to have.

Positive film cameras like the Instax have become hugely popular in recent years. With tons of models and colours to choose from, they’ve made having a film camera fun and trendy for kids and teens especially. Handy mini albums make it easy to share your favourite shots with friends, and Fujifilm regularly releases new and unique instant film themes – from Taylor Swift Edition, to Holiday Bundles (which make great gifts for Christmas!).

The distinctive look of Polaroid and Fujifilm Instax photos has also made them popular as decoration in homes, dorms, schools and workplaces alike. There are also lots of creative DIY’s out there, for ways to display these photos in fun ways – from hanging them with string and pegs, to creating wall displays with many photos arranged together to form shapes like a giant heart. The ways for displaying these photos are endless!

3. The negative film camera

Negative film just means it captures the inverse of the colour – nothing negative. When the print is made from film, it results in the positive appearing on paper. Using film, as we said above, is an experience that digital photography just can’t replicate. Using older analogue cameras can also add some dynamic effects. Accidently (or intentionally) running a film through twice can create some really happy accidents with double exposures. Older models also can develop light leaks with age. These leaks can create beautiful effects in your images that are natural and a surprise.

Photo credit: @lifesetsail

Instagram influencer Brit Savage of @lifesetsail has started to shoot her Instagram snapshots using a negative film camera:

“I’ve always worked with photographers that shoot film but only ever had a digital camera for myself. Earlier this year my parents gifted me their old film camera from the 80’s and I haven’t been able to put it down since! I LOVE the dreamy feel of film and that I don’t overshoot (or at least don’t take a hundred photos of the same thing). I even like that I can’t see my images right away – which means I won’t pick them apart! Having fresh scans arrive to my inbox literally feels like Christmas, every single time!”

Next time you’re at a flea market of thrift store, see if there is an old 35mm camera you can get to play with. You won’t be disappointed.

Digital images meet film nostalgia

If you love the nostalgic look and feel of film photos, but want to apply that to your digital images, you can also try out our LDPhotolab’s new vintage style 4”x5”prints! They mimic the look of old film photos – like the classic Polaroid, scalloped edge prints, old tape prints, and more. You can also choose various finishes, from glossy and pearl, to fine art options. Check them all out here.

Processing your film

Our London Drugs Photolab very much still believes in the power of film photography – that’s why we still offer C41 film processing at all of our Photolab locations. So, if you do decide to pick up a one time use or analogue camera, you’ll know you can always get that 35mm film developed conveniently at your local London Drugs .

The LDPhotolab is photographer Jim Sollows‘ sole source for printing his photos, and he has been bringing in his film for processing for years:

“I love shooting film because I’m intimately involved with every aspect of crafting the image…no automated processes, no computers, no hundreds of images to pick through…each unique image was envisioned, composed, shot and processed entirely by my own hands. I love shooting film and helping others to share the experience.”

Left: Jim Sollow’s photo, taken using his Leica M6. Right: Jim’s photo printed on our Photolab’s bamboo paper. (Photo credit: Jim Sollows @jsollows)

All this to say film is not dead – like vinyl it’s making quite the comeback. The beauty is you can get your film scanned when processing, so you can experience the joy of film, with the usability of digital. With the digital files, you can then use your photos for family calendars, photobooks and more! If you have a young budding photographer in your life, consider introducing them to the joy of film and opening their minds to a world of chemical reactions to light.

The Mommy Mix’s Top Holiday Gifting Ideas Using Your Own Photos

Photographer, blogger, wife and mom of 2 boys, Amanda from The Mommy Mix is here today to share some of her top holiday gift ideas! Her secret? It’s all about the personalization.

Photo credit: The Mommy Mix

The holiday shopping season is here, and that means our minds are focused on the perfect holiday gifting ideas. When choosing early Christmas presents, there are a few key questions you need to ask yourself.

Will this gift be useful to the recipient? “This frame will perfectly showcase some portraits from her photography hobby.”
Is the gift touching?“He will weep with joy when he sees this keychain with his favourite people on it.”
Is this gift thoughtful? “She will cherish this ornament forever.”
Does this gift show how much the recipient means to you?“He is going to love this gift filled with a few of his favourite things.”

London Drugs can help you get the answers to these questions and check off the loved ones on your holiday shopping list early.

Perfect Holiday Photo Gifting Ideas

Nothing says “Christmas” more than family, and friends, therefore the obvious choice for gift-giving is a personalized item. Something that they will never outgrow or get tired of, something that they will want to keep for a lifetime. The London Drugs Photolab has many options for the perfect personalized photo gift.

Christmas ornaments are the gifts that will keep on giving year after year. Metal, pewter, crystal, ceramic, and now a wood ornament that allows the natural grain to come through. Every time your recipient trims their tree, they will think of you, and all of the joy you bring to their lives.

Photo credit: The Mommy Mix

The wood ornaments are so durable – even a child can’t break it. Also, they make great personalized gift tags.

Create a photo keychain for the special people on your list. These keychains are not like the cheap plastic ones you used to find at your local portrait studio. No, these personalized keychains are stunning and make great gifts for grandparents or parents who love to show off the little ones in their lives.

Photo credit: The Mommy Mix

I have to say I wasn’t sure what to think when I placed my order for a Tanner and a Panda Keychain. However, I am in love, and only sorry I didn’t order one for myself.

Does anyone print photos anymore? I know I have a ton of memories sitting on my computer and phone, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. Bring those images to life in a photo book or even just a good old fashion photo print on matte, glossy or fine art paper – Baryta and Kauai – with a beautiful frame around it. The gift that speaks volumes without using words.

Photo credit: The Mommy Mix

Other Holiday Gift Ideas from the London Drugs Photolab

Create individual cards for everyone on your list with personalized holiday greeting cards.
Show the pet lovers and furry friends on your list you care with pet tags or a personalized pet bowl.
Photo fleece blankets will keep your loved ones warm and toasty during the winter chill.

What are you waiting for? Beat the rush and skip the stress of being a last-minute shopper with the personalized gift selection at the London Drugs Photolab. For more details and to order your photo gifts or prints, visit your local London Drugs in-store kiosk, the London Drugs Photolab website or download the London Drugs Photolab App on iOS or Android.

Which personalized photo gifts will you be buying this holiday season?

To help you get a jumpstart on your holiday gifting, Amanda is giving away a $100 London Drugs gift card to one lucky Canadian reader over on The Mommy Mix! Head over there to find out how you can enter for a chance to win.

Hone Your Photography Skills at Home By Entering Our Daily Photo Contest