I am totally thinking I have been living under a rock. No, that’s not entirely true. I’m beginning to think I have been spending so much time generating content that I have not poked my head up in quite awhile to see what is going on around me. Good think this old dog is still able to learn a new trick, cause lookit this:

Isn’t that cool? Pictures. On a pillow. Pretty nifty in and of itself, but now think bigger and different. Obviously, I couldn’t put one on my kids on a pillow, because I have 8 and how would I choose? But the foliage pictures I took? Some of those would make nice Photo Blankets or even shower curtains. Yep, I said shower curtains.

I guess today’s lesson is just keep snapping pictures, because somebody somewhere is sitting there thinking up something really cool to do with them!

So, now that I am selecting better pictures for the PAD, I’m thinking it might be something I want to publicize a bit more, yk? Yes, I know I haven’t unveiled today’s delicacy, but I just sat down to blog. I have 9.75 hours until midnight, but I can assure you the photo is already uploaded. Be patient.

Back to the publicizing: How about doing that with 100 FREE business cards? Ooprint has cards designed especially for bloggers AND you can upload your own images., logos or photos. Yep, photos! That’s just slick. When I was in Vegas some of my buddies had cards with their own photography work on them, and I was a bit jealous. Muhahahah! No need to be jealous anymore!

Have you seen which digicam Wize recommends? Today, it’s the Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi Digital Camera with 17-85mm Lens. And it’s got a WizeRank of 96, which I suppose is reasonable for a camera that costs almost $$1500. If that’s as out of reach for you as it is for me, they have product reviews on lots of other camera as well. And they don’t stop there, either. You’ll find reviews on all sort of appliances, tools, electronics and even baby stuff.

So what’s the WizeRank?

WizeRank is a single score between 1 and 100 that is easy to understand, and is based upon all of the information gathered from consumers and experts. Because it is based on user and expert reviews and rankings from thousands of independent sources, WizeRank is completely impartial, and cannot be manipulated. We’ve done a lot of work to ensure that it’s robust, comprehensive, and statistically sound.

Comparing apples to apples, and oranges to oranges. Nice!

I finally got around to reading an iphone review today. I was curious about the camera on it. The review went on and on before mentioning the camera, to the point that I had begun to fear they weren’t going to mention it at all. Or maybe I just wanted to read the part that interested me the most and resented the delay. Because of my legendary patience and all. Anyway, I digress as usual.

The iPhone has a 2 MP camera, and the reviews indicate it’s a presents a good image quality even with no flash, but there’s no video capability. Now, I don’t currently carry a cell, and I am not planning to rush out and get one. But if I ever do, it will absolutely have a camera on it. Because, man wouldn’t that make the PAD a breeze?

If you live near a KMart, they have an awesome sale on memory right now. Not IBM memory, silly, but camera memory. My mom brought me over a 1GB SD card today, and it was just $14.99. The sale ends tonight. I know it’s late notice, and I apologize. She didn’t tell me until this afternoon, when I asked her to pick me up another one. So go already. If I had my van, I would so be over there, but I don’t, so one is all I get.

I need some help, dear readers. Right now, I use a Canon Powershot A530. But I am constantly looking at digital cameras, planning my next upgrade. I’ve long been fascinated but the SLRs and the different lenses and filters you can get for them, but I’m worried about being able to get them to focus properly, since I need to be speedy. How hard are they to focus? Is there an indication from the camera when you hit the proper focal point? If you were me, which camera would you choose? And why?

My Canon is 5MP, and I’m not willing to go down from that by very much, because I want to be able to get good 8×10s. As I get better, bigger prints might make me even happier. I use my zoom all the time, and I’d like more than the 4x I have, and it must be optical, not digital. Macro is a must and also the capability for video with sound. The Canon has no internal memory, and that really frustrates me sometimes, so internal memory is mandatory. And I want it to take a totally huge memory card.

Wow, this is too cool! You know I take a lot of pictures, more than you see here. And a few of them are pretty good, if I do say so myself. It would be nice to have them framed, only bigger, and nicer, like on canvas and and looking like a painting. PhotoFiddle.com specializes in just that kind of photo art.

Here’s an example of thier work:

And here’s their press release:

Photographers, from pros to point & shoot alike, can now artistically enhance their digital pics and traditional photos into stylized photo art masterpieces on professionally stretched canvas using dozens of easy-to-create artistic designs, finishes and collage templates, online at www.PhotoFiddle.com.

From table size to wall size, PhotoFiddle.com can transform a simple digital photo in seconds into a dazzling array of art styles, from watercolor and pop art to a black and white line drawing or oil painting. PhotoFiddle.com is a fun way to become an instant artiste and add a creative flair to individual photos or collages. And, it’s a compelling alternative to custom designers and professional framers who are far more costly and take weeks to deliver.

PhotoFiddle.com is easy to use, takes only a few minutes for a design, and doesn’t require any creative expertise, software purchase or program knowledge. Unlike some of the well known photo and art programs, ‘PhotoFiddlers’ simply register and follow four easy steps 1, Uploading a picture to the site from a digital camera or scanned image, 2. Cropping and reviewing the art, 3. Choosing a design for PhotoFiddle to apply the photo, which can be previewed before 4. Ordering. Final artwork is available on professionally stretched canvas, framed or rolled canvas or museum quality, archival photo paper.

Among the most popular of the more than 50 PhotoFiddle designs and templates are:
- Pop Art
- Stained Glass
- Pencil Sketches
- Tinted
- Painting
- Collage designs
- Comic Book
- Filmstrip

PhotoFiddle allows users to experiment with different template designs without paying any setup fees in the convenience in their own home. Users can even email copies of the custom artwork for preview by family, friends, and associates before ordering.

Gallery art canvas and archival photo paper sizes are available from a simple 8” x 10” to as large as 6 ft. x 24 ft. The company offers live customer support during normal business hours, and an online tutorial for standard questions or creative input on projects.

Whether it’s a memento from a recent vacation, an old picture that’s been stuck in a draw for decades, or a bunch of 4×6 album photos that can be brought to life in a striking photo collage, PhotoFiddle canvas artwork is an ideal gift for anniversaries, weddings, or as an elegant accoutrement to home décor. Gift certificates are also available.

About PhotoFiddle
PhotoFiddle, headquartered in Melville, New York, offers 3-4 day turnaround on customized photo art that users design online, at far less cost than custom framers or home design professionals. For more information visit: www.PhotoFiddle.com.

Examples of Photofiddle.com work:
http://www.emediawire.com/prfiles/2005/05/18/242325/paintingstyles2.pdf

I just think that would be so cool! I said that, didn’t I? Sorry, I blather IRL if I get excited, too. PhotoFiddle offers gift certificates, too.

I saw another site today that will surely delight any photographer. Especially ones like me, who tend to lose track of time. TinyPrintsHolidays.com specializes in last minute holiday cards, and the pricing is very reasonable. Oh, I know it’s just June. But I tell you, you will look up next week, and it will be December. I know this is true, because a friend of mine told me she was going to see her mother this week, and I asked her if she hadn’t done that last month. No, she told me, I went in February. People, I’ve lost 3 months! I digress. Again. Back to the subject.

TinyPrintsHolidays has a large selection of greeting cards, and some of them even take multiple photos. And the ones that just use one photo actually use a nice sized image! I hate those little holiday cards that make you use a magnifying glass to see everybody. You can order as late as 12/17 for Christmas delivery. So, int December, when you realize Christmas is 2 weeks away, when you thought you had 3 months, you know where to go.

Now can someone please return my March, April and May?

If you guys read my other blogs, you know I think outside of the box, and am always looking for good deals. I am going to share one with you today. Now, don’t think I’ve lost my mind when I tell you that I found a great photography deal at a wedding supply place, because it’s true! If you look at the front page of shopforweddings.com, you’ll see that they have disposable wedding cameras for as low as $3.49. That’s a steal, and the disposable cameras are great for when you go places you don’t to take your high-end camera, like amusement parks or beaches, where it might sustain damage. And kids love them, too, if you take them right away and get prints. Unlike this lame mother who still has some undeveloped from seven years ago. You’ll do better than that, though, right?

I guess it is time to clean the desk again. Sigh.

I’ve been looking at digital frames, and thinking–that’s such a neat idea! I’d like to get several-one for each of the kids, one for my PADs (umm, pictures like this one would so not go in a digital frame, ok?), and the ego-maniac in me really wants one for my Self Portrait Sunday shots.

With a digital photo frame, I wouldn’t have to weed the shots of the kids down to the “best” one. It’s pretty easy to weed out the ones that are blurred, or that the eyes are closed, or the expression is just weird. But I’m usually left with 10 or 12 that are “keepers”, and I only have room on my wall for one picture per kiddo. I could load all the good ones into the digital frame, and viola, constantly changing scenery, of all the faces I love.

The only thing holding me back is the price. One is do-able, but I need eight nine ten. They do come with free memory cards, though