The Photo Canvas Blog

By Lew Bedell

In 2005, the founders of Artistic Photo Canvas and its freshly assembled team of imaging experts didn’t jump on the eco-friendly bandwagon… In reality – when it comes to the canvas printing industry – it’s much more fair to say we drove it.

From the beginning – and in stark contrast to other canvas labs even to this day – we made choices that would be right for your images and right for the planet. So, on the occasion of Earth Day, we wanted to share some of the milestones on our journey of environmental stewardship with you. We hope you’ll agree that on Earth Day – and every day – it matters.

To reduce APC’s impact on the environment, we committed ourselves from the very outset to using a superior set of materials to create each and every canvas print we sell. For example, unlike 99% of inkjet canvas buyers, we pay a little more to procure canvas that is produced without optical brightener additives, fluorescent whitening agents and other harmful chemical agents. Ironically, the higher quality canvas we print on is a significantly brighter white to begin with in spite of the disuse of these chemical agents. And because there are no OBAs to break down, our prints do not fade or yellow with the passage of time.

In addition – and also unlike the majority of our competitors – the protective coatings we apply to each canvas are water-based instead of solvent-based. Solvent-based coatings not only create toxic fumes that are dangerous to those who apply them, they require the production and use of chemical agents that are known to seep into groundwater. When we made the choice to forego solvents, we were determined not to sacrifice the archival and UV-inhibiting properties of a great top coat. It turns out, our unique combination of canvas, inks and coatings has been rewarded with a rating that means our canvases will withstand deterioration for in excess of 150 years, this according to Wilhelm Imaging Research, the leading worldwide authority on print longevity.

Some of our competitors started using cheap plastic stretcher frames, but we found them to be both aesthetically and environmentally wrong. Instead, we chose to use solid-wood stretcher bars made from wood harvested in managed forests – and mill them in-house so we could recycle all waste. But we recognized we should do more to help reverse the ravages of deforestation. So, APC committed to supporting the efforts of Global ReLeaf, a program of American Forests that has already resulted in the planting and care of more than 25 million trees through 500 projects worldwide.

APC’s commitment to sustainability has even extended to the way we pack and ship the canvases we create. Our slim, heavyweight shipping cartons were custom designed to avoid excess volume and are made with roughly 30% post-consumer recycled content. All scrap cardboard created during our custom manufacturing process is baled and sent for recycling. And – unlike competitors that fill their cartons with foam peanuts, plastic air bags, bubble wrap, kraft paper and other wasteful cushioning materials – APC’s shipping cartons have been specifically engineered to effectively utilize minimal packing materials and instead leverage air space to protect our canvases in transit.

Perhaps just as important, we’ve worked to keep our canvas print prices remarkably low – competitive even with the inferior and environmentally unfriendly canvas prints sold by “traditional” labs – so you don’t have to sacrifice savings to do good for the planet.

Prize Alert! …Read on to see how you could win one of five signed copies of Doug Sahlin’s latest book, Digital SLR Settings & Shortcuts for Dummies.

By Doug Sahlin

The goal of every serious photographer is to create the most compelling image possible; an image that viewers give more than just a casual glance. Here are 10.5 ways to achieve this goal:

1. Pick the low hanging fruit first: When you see a scene or object worth photographing, take the first picture that comes to your mind. Then slow down and analyze what you’ve got. Move around until you see the composition that best captures your vision and take another picture. Repeat as needed.

2. Simplify: Some photographers try to include too much information in a photograph. When you compose a photograph, see what’s in the viewfinder. If what you see is confusing, zoom in to remove some of the elements. Cut to the chase and simplify the image. Less is more.

3. Wait for the light: Sometimes you’re in the right place at the wrong time. If the light is harsh (also known as “Sucky Light”), wait a few minutes for clouds to diffuse the sunlight, or come back when the light is better.

4. Do something different: Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. When you see an object or scene that you want to photograph, don’t photograph it in the same way you usually do. If you normally use a wide-angle lens, switch to a telephoto lens or switch to a different vantage point. Break out of your rut and stretch the envelope.

5. Photograph a shape: Many photographers photograph objects like trees, buildings or cars. Instead of photographing a tree, look for an interesting shape that just happens to be a tree. You don’t have to photograph the entire object. Sometimes you find an interesting shape within an object. You can find interesting shapes everywhere.

6. Look for patterns: Instead of photographing a forest or a group of flowers, look for an interesting pattern, or look for a break in a pattern. Continue reading…

Reprinted with permission from JFLPhotography.com

By Jacob Lucas

TO BID ON THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECE OF ART, HEAD OVER TO OUR EBAY PAGE.

At 2:46PM on Friday March 11th 2011, an absolutely massive earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan. At a 9.0 magnitude, it’s the earth’s 4th largest earthquake and the largest earthquake to have ever hit Japan in recorded history. Shortly thereafter, giant tsunami waves breached the coast of Japan leaving behind them a wake of sheer devastation. Over ten thousand people were killed, and tens of thousands more are still today injured or missing. The nation is still managing the further devastation caused to the country’s transit and power industries, with a very real threat of a nuclear fallout in the greater area around Sendai and Fukushima.

Growing up, Australia was a very popular tourist destination for Japan, and directly influenced my country’s now multi-cultural society. In high school and at university, I invested a lot of my time studying not only the Japanese language but also their culture and way of life. I’ve spent three months in Ibaraki prefecture, about three hours north of Tokyo, as an exchange student living with a family and experiencing the country and the way of life first-hand. At heart, they are truly a peaceful and honourable people who definitely do not deserve to suffer the effects of this terrible tragedy.

I instantly knew I wanted to help and worked to find a way. I’m pleased to be able to provide a print of this image entitled “Cherry Sunrise”, of cherry blossom trees native to Japan and in full bloom at this time of year, for auction. All proceeds of the auction will go directly towards the relief efforts orchestrated by the American Red Cross.

Now YOU can help too.

I’m thrilled to say that the crew at Artistic Photo Canvas have graciously offered to provide the printing services. This image will be printed on a HUGE 24¨x36¨ gallery wrapped canvas. If you’ve never seen the fabulous work that APC provide in their canvas printing, these canvases really do make photographs come to life in a beautiful way and their staff are truly wonderful people. The canvas will come shipped to you, ready to hang on your wall.

TO BID ON THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECE OF ART, HEAD OVER TO OUR EBAY PAGE.

I encourage everyone to really dig deep and bid to help the people of Japan overcome the devastation caused by this tragedy. Bidding will start at just US$49. It’s never too late to help.

More information:

ARTISTIC PHOTO CANVAS
AMERICAN RED CROSS

Jacob Lucas is a Seattle based photographer, originally from Hobart, Australia.

For the first time, high resolution versions of the Photoshop World Tweetup images created by photographer Erik Valind are available for purchase as souvenir canvas gallery wraps from Artistic Photo Canvas.

PSW revelers are invited to explore the Orlando 2011 Tweetup image gallery and create superior quality canvas mementos of the good times had during the conference.

For a limited time, APC is offering images from the collection as thick gallery wraps measuring 6¨ x 9¨ for just $25! This special promotion comes with free shipping within the continental U.S.

Canvases can be ordered with or without the Tweetup/Adobe watermarks.

To create souvenir canvases, simply note the unique three digit Image I.D. located at the end of the caption beneath each image in the gallery below. (Click on the thumbnails to see the Image I.D.s) Then follow the easy ordering instructions on the Tweetup canvas order page at APC.

Special thanks from Team APC go to Erik Valind and David A. Rogers for the amazing job they did capturing the fun of the evening in photos – and for the post-processing required to make the souvenir canvas promotion possible.

By Chris Stampar

Hey everyone! Hope you all got home safely from Photoshop World. It was a hectic week but I know we all had a blast. For those of you that stayed home, thanks once again for tuning into our coverage here on the The Photo Canvas Blog. We really appreciate it and hope it’s been helpful!

After my sessions with Joe Mcnally Thursday morning I headed to hear a series of talks on social media and blogging. The first was a session called “Tweeting With Authority” by Rod Harlan, wherein he discussed various aspects of how Twitter functions – as well as third party resources. The first key discussion point was understanding that Twitter is all about dialogue. It’s not a one-way street; the beauty of the network comes from the interaction between vast ranges of individuals. You have to engage with your audience, and the more you do so the more connected you and your audience will feel. If you work to create a truly personal and beneficial relationship between you and your followers, then you will see the benefits that Twitter has to offer at their greatest potential.

One of Rod’s personal tips was to only use 115-120 of the 140 available characters on Twitter to allow space for people to retweet your post or add their own small thought. He also suggested that if you’re lacking substantive or interesting material to tweet about, search through sites like Delicious or StuffToTweet to find neat links to share with your followers. Rod also mentioned several useful third party applications like CoTweet, which allows you to give several people access to the account, SocialOomph that will allow you to schedule tweets, and Untweeps which helps you manage who is following you so you can block spam.

Directly following this session was a panel discussion hosted by Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, and Richard Harrington entitled “Blogging for Photographers.” Here Scott and the gang provided some very useful, concise pointers on blogging that I’d like to share. Firstly, its important to understand the power you stand to gain from blogging. Traditionally, sharing information with wide audiences was restricted to a small group of privileged individuals who had access to large publishing companies. However, with a blog, you now become your own publisher! You are free to share what you want, when you want, with whoever you want for virtually no cost. This is a tremendous opportunity for yourself or your business that the world has literally never experienced before. Take advantage of it!

Once you get your blog up and running there are a couple important things to keep in mind. First is consistency. Make a plan. Decide on a reasonable schedule for how many times a week (three is a good starting place) you can absolutely commit yourself to posting, and stick to it. Readers like to have consistency because it gives them something to anticipate, and hence a reason to keep coming back to your site. Also make sure to try and add a photo to every post you make to keep things interesting. Even if you don’t have photos laying around to post, you can easily find royalty/license free images online, or even spend a couple bucks to grab some from iStockPhoto.

Most importantly, remember to be yourself. Find your own unique tone, style, or voice, be consistent, and in due time you can have a successful blog. Continue reading…

By Chris Stampar

Joe McNally is the master of all things flash, so there was no way I could miss his speed light session at Photoshop World on Thursday morning. Joe’s first class focused on getting the most out of one light, and the results are truly amazing. Often people think that to produce beautifully lit photos you need some seriously expensive studio equipment. But that’s no longer the case; a small investment into a single speed light and some very cheap, or even DIY light modifiers, can go a long way.

The first thing Joe pointed out were the three essentials of light: quality, color, and direction. In terms of quality, are we going to use a large, soft light source like an octabank, or will we only fire the bare bulb for harsh lighting effects? More importantly, what effect will that decision have on the mood or feeling of the photo?

Next is color. Are you looking for daylight balanced flash for a natural look, or will you add a gel to give a colorful flare to your photos? Color is critical, and understanding color symbolism, or the mood that certain colors elicit, is even more beneficial.

And lastly, direction. Where will you place your light source and how will this affect your exposure, story, feeling, even composition?

Joe of course also offered a couple of technical tips to boot. First, the closer the light source is to your subject, the bigger it is relative to the subject, and the softer the light will be. It’s also important to understand the difference between exposure compensation and flash compensation. Changing your camera’s exposure comp is a “global change” and will affect all aspects of the photo including the ambient light and the effect the flash has on your overall exposure. Changing your flash compensation however, only alters the amount of light that comes from the flash and not the overall exposure of the picture.

Lastly, using flash is all about experimentation. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, just learn from them! Continue reading…