Five Reasons to Use Photography for Gift Giving

Personalization. In my opinion the first and biggest reason to use photographic gifts is the personalization that it affords the giver. I'm not talking about just giving someone a photographic portrait of yourself, although that is an excellent and very personalized gift. How about giving that special person a coffee mug or t-shirt that has their favorite (or yours) on it? The idea is to give them something that is as useful as it is artistic.

Exclusivity. By using a photograph that you have made yourself or that you have purchased from an outside source, you are offering the recipient of the gift something that can't be bought at a department store or, for that matter, even at a jewelry shop.

Individualality. With the artistry of the photographic image, you can tailor a suitable gift for anyone on your gift list. Do you have a friend or relative that likes to cook? Give them an apron with a photograph of a cake they've made. Have a person on your list that likes dogs or cats? Give them a coffee mug with a photograph of a favorite animal. Is one of your special people a nature or outdoors lover? Give them a framed print of an especially favorite scene or panorama.

Decorative. Imagine how good you'll feel when you visit someone that you sent a photographic greeting card to and they have it displayed on their desk when you arrive. Think of how good you would feel when you are complimented on your "good taste" in art.

Useful. Photography as "art" is a given, but you can use that art to create gifts that are useful as well as attractive. Consider giving a grandmother an attractive refrigerator magnet with a portrait of the grandkids on it or a favorite pet displayed there. Give your children a t-shirt that has a favorite scene displayed on it. Do you know someone that is a bird watcher? Give them a coffee mug with a photograph of a Northern Cardinal on the cup.

These are just a few suggestions on how you can use your (or someone else's) photographic talent to create gifts that are sure to be treasured by the person that received them.

The list of possibilities for photographic gifts grows constantly as new uses for our artistic talents expand. I have already mentioned a few items that may be created but here are a few more in case you need help. Do you know someone that is a card player? Give them a deck of playing cards with scenes from a vacation they (or you) especially enjoyed. How about giving your favorite cook an apron with a picture of one of their specialties on the front of the apron? There are an awful lot of people that enjoy assembling jigsaws and one of your favorite photos might be just the thing for them. How about a beautiful nature scene that you admire? Have a photograph of the scene printed on canvas and frame it for display in your living room for everyone else to appreciate as well.

My name is Alan Chin and I am a professional photographer specializing in photojournalism and event photography. Visit http://www.facebook.com/alanchinwenglon to see examples of my work. If you would like to order prints or photographic giftware follow the links on the gallery pages where you can purchase many of the items I have listed in this article.

Top Reasons to Buy a New Camcorder

One of the most commonly used devices within the modern world is the digital camcorder. Camcorders are growing in popularity and there are now models coming into the market place on a regular basis and these all have a range of new features. There are a lot of people that actually do not know how to use their camcorders appropriately and unfortunately, not using a camcorder properly will result in footage that is of poor quality. In order to get great footage of that special event it is important to know how to use your camcorder in the correct manner.

If you are not managing to get fabulous footage using your camcorder then it may be time to consider getting a new camcorder. When it comes to getting a new camcorder it is very important to start by establishing how much money you are willing to spend. It is very important to plan your budget prior to looking at the various camcorders that are available. Once you have decided on the amount of money that you have available you can then consider what features you would like the camcorder to have.

Once you have decided on the amount of budget that is available for the camcorder and also the features that are required it is then important to take time to look into what camcorders are available so that you are able to make an informed decision. One of the most important things that you should take into account is the amount of light which is going to be in the area where you hope to capture the footage as this will have an impact on the quality of footage. Recording footage in a low light environment with an inappropriate camcorder will result in footage which looks grainy. It is possible to take footage in an area that has a low amount of light; however, a suitable camcorder needs to be used in order to still get good quality footage. The good news is a lot of new camcorders perform extremely well in low-light environments.

Another important thing to consider is the size of the camcorder as it is very important that you can hold it properly so it's steady whilst taking the footage. It is best to get a camcorder that has the buttons in a suitable location so that you can press them at the same time as holding the camcorder and focusing on the images that you wish to capture.

Another feature that is worth considering is the ability that it has for connecting to your computer. There are a growing number of camcorders that offer the ability to connect to a computer through wireless connections; however, this type of camcorder will cost more money as they use the latest in technology. If your available budget will not stretch as far as this it is best to opt for a camcorder that offers Firewire, USB2 or USB3 connectivity. These types of connectivity will deliver files to the computer within a short space of time so you can edit your masterpiece as quickly as possible!

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