Photolab Archives - Page 6 of 17

Best Locations Across Canada for Spring Photography

Spring time is finally just around the corner, and with it comes spectacular views of blooming flowers and lush colorful landscapes – it’s truly a photographer’s paradise! To help you capture spring in all its glory, our LDExperts in the Photolab are here to share some of the most picturesque spots across Canada to snap colourful tulips, cherry blossoms, wildflowers and more! Depending on where you’re located, you’ll be able to find spring photo ops from February all the way through until June.

Need a few pointers before you start shooting? Don’t forget to check out our Spring Photography Tips blog here for expert advice on capturing the beauty of spring blooms. Once you’ve got some favourite floral shots, you’ll want to check out what print options our LDExperts recommend at the end of this post!

Abbotsford Tulip Festival (April)

@sabbiechoi

The Abbotsford Tulip Festival takes place in beautiful Abbotsford BC, where the Warmerdam Family has been farming tulips for 4 generations. With thousands of tulips spread over a 10-acre area, the Tulip Festival is a great spot to go for a stroll to photograph the millions of stunning tulips – provided you don’t go before they really start to bloom. Early in the season, the tulips are in low bloom, with most of the flowers still in the green-bud stage. It’s best to be patient and go during high bloom later in the season, when the majority of tulips have bloomed and the fields are full of colour!

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (April)

@rootbeer_popsicle_

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival has something for everybody. From ‘The Big Picnic‘ where you can enjoy the blossoms at Queen Elizabeth Park to Sakura Days Japan Fair where you can explore Japanese cultural arts. With over 2,500 different locations to explore around the city and about 50 different types of cherry trees coming into bloom, Metro Vancouver offers plenty of beautiful photography opportunities!

Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse / Butterfly Conservatory (Feb-April)

@debrabollmanphotography

Just a short walk south from Niagara Falls and Table Rock Centre, the Niagara Parks Floral Showhouse has a wide collection of orchids, succulents, and other tropical plants on display throughout the year, along with floral shows that reflect the changing seasons. It’s a great spot to capture all kinds of nature photography under one roof this spring!

The Art of Nature Series that is currently underway until Apr 28, 2019 features specialty programming throughout Niagara Parks. It also features a travelling exhibit at the Butterfly Conservatory displaying winning photographs from the Canadian Wildlife Photography of the Year contest. A great place to check out the work of some inspiring Canadian photographers.

Canadian Tulip Festival (May)

@nicholasplacephoto

With over 1,000,000 tulips in bloom, 1000+ artists performing and 100+ activities and attractions, the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa is a photographer’s delight! From tulip bouquet displays, to tulip bicycle tours, tulip art exhibitions, tulip markets and even workshops on the art of photographing flowers using creative composition, there’s something for everyone at the Canadian Tulip Festival.

Sakura Watch in High Park (May)

@emilyborhi

Sakura cherry blossoms turn High Park, Toronto into a beautiful pink visual treat! In 1959 the Japanese Ambassador gifted 2,000 Sakura trees to the city of Toronto and thus began the yearly tradition of viewing the cherry blossoms. While there is no fixed date for the blooms, it is usually estimated to arrive around mid-May. If you’re looking to skip the crowds while capturing the spring blooms, you can also visit the weeping cherry blossoms at Kariya Park in Mississauga.

Waterton Wildflower Festival (June)

@gatheringdustphotography

Step into wildflower wonderland in the wildflower capital of Canada. Waterton Lakes National Park is home to more than 1,000 vascular plant species including half of all wildflower species found in Alberta. From beargrass to orchids, pink meadowsweet, and glacier lilies, you’ll get a crash course on the different species of wildflower. You can even view wildflowers from horseback and indulge in an afternoon tea with local experts. They also provide workshops on wildflower photography if you’re interested in honing your skills!

Once you’ve snapped the perfect shot, there are so many great ways to showcase it in print. Our London Drugs Photolab App offers the best convenience and is available for iOS and Android, or you can simply order online. While traditional glossy prints will bring out the vibrant colors of your photos, our pearl prints will give your photos a quality feel and smooth, professional look. Black border prints work great on close up photos of blooms, as they’ll really make the colour pop. If you’re looking to experiment with unique fine art printing options, there are bamboo, canvas and metallic paper prints to choose from. Aluminum metal panels work best with vibrant images, making them a great choice for displaying your most colourful spring photos. If you’re unsure about what prints would work best for your photograph, just visit your nearest London Drugs store and speak to one of our LDExperts!

Bring Out the Creative Side in Your Kids this Spring Break

Spring Break is here and if you’re looking for innovative ways to keep your kids busy, we’ve got just what you need. Our Photolab provides free Take and Create books with templates designed to encourage kids to explore their creative side; they’re a fun family activity! Once they’ve created their works of art in the free book, you can purchase magnets, mugs or even coasters with your kid’s masterpiece on them!

Great for kids of all ages, the books provide simple templates for kids to draw on – like the mug template pictured above. The templates are sized according to product, so we can easily scan and print onto your chosen surface. Just pick up your free Take and Create book from your local London Drugs Photolab, bring it home and let the kids have fun drawing and colouring their own designs. Want to get in on the action too? Colour a few of the templates yourself along with the kids! Once you’re done, bring the book with the templates back to the London Drugs Photolab, where we’ll scan the artwork and print it on the photolab products you choose to purchase.

Or, if the kids are getting a little stir crazy in the house, and you’ve got shopping to do…just drop by our Photolab and let the kids colour in their Take and Create book in the store while you shop!

Did you know you can also bring in any paper copy of your kid’s artwork and we can scan it and put it on any of our Photolab products? Or simply use your at-home scanner, and upload the digital copy directly to our Photolab website! Choose from bookmarks, coin banks, blankets, mouse pads and gamer pads, key chains, ornaments and more to print on. There are also all kinds of cool products like beach blankets and beach bags available, if you’re planning on jet-setting somewhere warm for Spring Break.

So, get started on your kid’s spring break project by visiting your local London Drugs Photolab and pick up your free Take and Create book today!

This New Photolab Service Can Help Archive All Your 35mm Slides!

Did you know heat and humidity can destroy your slides over time? Whether you still love to shoot with slide film, or have just uncovered some dusty old boxes full of slides, those pictures matter. It’s important to keep them safe. After all, those slides hold the memories of loved ones, and those memories are your family legacy!

You may already be familiar with our Photo Scanning Box service, which helps you to digitize up to 800 of your old photos and documents. It makes preserving your old photos incredibly easy! Now, we want to help you preserve your slides too. We are excited to soon be launching an all-new Slide Scanning Box service, which can preserve up to 140 (35mm) of your slides at a time, from damage and degradation!

Here’s how it works:

Take our FREE Slide Scanning Box and fill it with 35mm slides only (you can even put the whole carrousel slide tray in the box!)
Return the box to your local London Drugs Photolab and we’ll digitize your 35mm slides. Up to 80 slides is $100.00*, and additional slides are $1 each*
Your treasured slides will be returned to you along with all the digital files on one or more USB flash drives.

*Payment is required at the time of drop off. Price is subject to change.

Once your slide photos are digitized, they will not only be preserved in case of damage to the originals, but now you will be able to easily access those precious photos and share them with love ones in all kinds of creative ways. Just visit our Photolab to see how we can help turn your photos into photo books, cards, calendars and more! We can even create stunning wall décor from those slide photos, from aluminum metal panels and fine art bamboo prints to canvas gallery wraps.

For more details on our Slide Scanning Box (coming soon!), visit us in the London Drugs Photolab in-store.

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!

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!

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: