When you place your portrait orders, I do suggest to parents to invest in an extra image of their family session or of their child’s individual portrait now. Save this image for them to have when the time comes that they can fully appreciate it.

I know it may sound like a sales pitch but think about this for a moment. Wouldn’t it be cool to give your future son or daughter in-law some portraits of your child at different ages? At the very least save them a high school senior portrait!

I know I would love to have my husband’s high school senior portrait. There are none available. I would also like to have something better than the poorly exposed, blurry family snapshots of him at various ages as a kid too. But there are none.

I am glad to have my dad’s black and white high school senior portrait. And I have an 11×14 sepia print of my mom’s portrait that has been hand tinted. I did not get mom’s portrait until she passed away. I would have enjoyed one much sooner.

A thirty year old reminisces

I remember once when I was thirty and I was home at my mom and dad’s house for a visit I was looking at photos. Hanging in my old bedroom are images of my folks, my brother and I, and a family picture that we had professionally taken when my parents were about thirty years old.

It was neat to stop and think about and compare my life at thirty to what their life at thirty was like. I could see my mom’s hair starting to pepper, while I was coloring mine already. They had two cute kids ages 6 and 9, while I, at that time, was not even married yet. They went to a studio for portraits, I am now a photographer. Stuff like that.

It was also at that point I wished I could have copies of those images for my house too. As it is, I will have to wait until my dad is gone, or steal it off the wall. If my mom had ordered extra images and tucked them away in a safe place (an acid free place of course) for us as grown up kids, how cool that would have been. 

Advice from your photographer

So order them now or you will forget, they are available now, and technology changes faster than your kid’s looks.

So when I suggest you invest in another image for your child’s future spouse or scrapbook, I am not kidding or just trying to increase your bill.

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Did this article inspire you in any way? Leave a comment to tell me how. What have you done to record your legacy?

Life is unpredictable, be photographed often!

 The word “giclée” as derived from the French language word “le gicleur” meaning “nozzle”, or more specifically “gicler” meaning “to squirt, spurt, or spray.”  It is a fine art inkjet-based digital print using archival inks and a variety of papers.

There are so many surfaces to produce photographs on that I wanted to share my favorite styles with you that I offer at my studio. Although you must see and feel each of these products in person I did include photographs for interest’s sake. And since the photos can not due the products justice I do display all of them in my studio for you to see.

Gallery Wraps are a popular, modern style of displaying an image that allows for a frameless presentation.  The image is stretched and wrapped around the wooden stretcher bars. The sides of the image remain visible and are a continuation of the main image.

A well done wrap has neat folds that does not show any staples or nails.

Canvas images are a framed for a more traditional presentation. The texture, richness, and traditional feel of canvas makes this a good choice.

In the past, to make a canvas photograph the emulsion (the part with all the colors) was stripped from the paper backing and the emulsion was applied to canvas with adhesive. Now with today’s technology we can print directly on the canvas material producing a much finer product with better texture and vibrancy of colors.

Although the canvas may be stretched on traditional stretcher bars, it can also be mounted without loosing the texture. We are not limited then by the depth of the rabbit required by the frame, this gives us more frames to pick from. Another plus, glass is not required.

Fine Art Paper is a good choice for producing fine art images. These papers are a more delicate and framing with glass is recommended. Even though these images are sealed with a protective coating, scuffing and abrasions can happen more easily due to the nature of the paper.

Behind the scenes the making of custom Fine Art Print

The finest inks, papers, and canvas materials have been selected and designed to work together for a museum grade archival final product. Each file is checked for proper size and individually evaluated for color and contrast to produce the best image possible.

My images are custom printed in a non high speed single direction mode at a much higher resolution than most of the on-line suppliers and even professional color labs most photographers to use to produce their work.

A higher resolution and non high speed single direction printing produces finer details and tonal gradations.  This creates more shadow detail, smoother highlights, and better blacks.  My images can take up to an hour to print, where as a high speed, bidirectional,  lower resolution production print can be done in as little as ten minutes.  In a production environment, speed is the bottom line as time is money.  In most instances a human does not see the image until after it is printed or ready to ship to the customer.  My images are printed under a watchful eye in a custom environment and are monitored during the entire process.  Quality not Quantity is our goal.

What does this mean to you?

You can be sure you are investing in a museum grade, archival image that when cared for properly will last for generations. A Fine Art Image crafted with care from start to finish.

How to care of your Giclee Fine Art Images

As with all fine art prints do not expose them to direct sunlight or harsh environmental conditions.  Although each print has a protective coating applied that will help protect against scratches and abrasion and adds a certain level of moisture resistance, they should be treated with care.  The coating also adds UV protection and increases the archival life of the print.

Gallery Wrap

If necessary it can be lightly dusted using no pressure with a soft cloth or duster free of chemicals. Do not press on the canvas, it will stretch.

Canvas

No glass is required or desired on canvas images.  If necessary it can be lightly dusted using no pressure with a soft cloth or duster free of chemicals.  Even though my images are sealed with a protective coating, I would line the rabbit of the frame with a protective barrier as wood products have acid and lignin that can degrade the print.

Fine Art Paper

Due to the fact the papers are more delicate, glass is highly recommended. Do not touch the surface as scuffing or scratching could occur. Acid free matting and mount boards should be used and encapsulated from the wooden frame. Glass should not ever be cleaned by squirting cleaner on a hanging image as the cleaner may reach the bottom and migrate into the wood. When I encapsulate my work, that becomes even less likely to happen.

 Home is where the heart is and your family is your most treasured thing in life. Be photographed together and display your images proudly in appropriate sizes for your viewing conditions. I will assist you every step of the way starting with a consultation. We will meet to discuss your personality, family dynamic, wardrobe, color schemes, and other details. Don’t worry – we can still improvise during your session!

 Whatever the occasion, let’s take the time to make your portraits special.

 Life is unpredictable, be photographed often!

About Barb

Barb Gordon, of www.GordonPhotography.Biz is a Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman, and Certified Professional Photographer with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) to which she has belonged since 1984.  She is a nationally published and award winning photographer, entrepreneur, speaker, and author including being published in the prestigious PPA Loan Collection 2006, PPA Showcase 2003, twice named Iowa’s Top Ten Photographer of the Year, and 2010 Master Photographer of the Year.

Barb owns Gordon Photography & Gallery in Marion, Iowa specializing in customized portrait art.  Learn more about her studio at www.GordonPhotography.Biz

She has been locally honored by YWCA Tribute to Women of Achievement 2001 and Advanced Entrepreneur of the Year 2003. 

As a recent breast cancer survivor, Barb started www.PortraitsAndStories.com as a photo essay project to encourage survivors, their families, and their friends through images and blog posts by the survivors on a wide variety of topics.

When not working, she enjoys life on a new farm raising organic chickens, gardening, and playing with the horses, cats, and dogs.

Thoughts and considerations for preserving family memories and stories.

My favorite age of children is about three years old. I love their cartoon like voices. I enjoy the innocent questions they have. The topics, stories, and concerns they have are so unique. The subjects they talk about are whimsical and their imaginations are in full bloom.

Photograph them!

I know parents are busy, but you can not go back in time. Get those portraits made often as children change more than you are aware of because you see them everyday. You will even start to forget details that only a portrait can capture and bring back into focus of your memory.

I also understand that a lot of effort goes into preparing for a professional portrait session. My client friends work particularly hard because I educate you on what will photograph best. However, I have never heard a person say they thought they did too many photo sessions or invested in too many images! The time is well invested in preserving your family memories.

It is interesting to compare features of siblings at similar ages. Try comparing them to your own baby photos too. Your children may resemble you or your spouse’s siblings as well.

“These photographs not only remind me of how things felt, but there are memories that I can pass along to people who didn’t share that time with me. The children will not have their own memories of this time, but they will have a photograph to make it real for them.” AF

The power of a photograph can take you back in time. One of my client friends commented that a portrait is such a powerful memory jogger that she can even hear her son’s voice.

Video tape them!

I have a three year old client that delights me so much that even though he is not my own child, I think I would enjoy video of him for myself! I feel so close to many of my client friends that I feel like an aunt to all of them.

How much better to preserve the antics of children (and pets too) than video. I know how much I enjoy the footage of my Labrador puppy learning to catch a Frisbee with a dog friend and chasing the cat.

Imagine sharing video memories with your children. The laughter and family history you can relive together, well, there is nothing better. It could become a special holiday event.

With today’s software available you can make movies with voiceovers, music, and text. I know I have been having fun creating video for business websites like my own. You can see them on my website at www.GordonPhotography.Biz and my YouTube channel LoveYourPortrait at http://www.youtube.com/user/LoveYourPortrait.

Do an audio recording!

One of my favorite presents my dad made for my brother and I were CD copies of old recordings he made on reel to reel tapes when we were little. He taped us quite often singing, doing the news reports, and talking with each other or our friends. It is super awesome that I still know and hang out with one friend who is on one of those thirty-five year old recordings. No one else in the world thinks these recordings are as funny or endearing than we do, but it is priceless to us. It was the best present ever.

With today’s technology there are simple ways to make recordings right onto your computer with an inexpensive external microphone. Find easy voice recording software, I like www.WavePad.com. Be sure to back up your files and make some CDs!

If you have old reel to reels, cassette tapes, or video tapes that you need help getting into another format, there are services that can archive them for you. Check with a local videographer or recording studio.

Life is unpredictable be photographed often.

Did this article inspire you in any way? Leave a specific comment to tell me how. What have you done lately to record preserve memories for your family?

About Barb

Barb Gordon, of www.BarbGordonPhotoCoach.com, is a Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman, and Certified Professional Photographer with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) to which she has belonged since 1984.  She is a nationally published and award winning photographer, entrepreneur, speaker, and author including being published in the prestigious PPA Loan Collection 2006, PPA Showcase 2003, and twice named Iowa’s Top Ten Photographer of the Year.

She has been locally honored by YWCA Tribute to Women of Achievement 2001 and Advanced Entrepreneur of the Year 2003.  Barb owns Gordon Photography & Gallery in Marion, Iowa specializing in customized portrait art.  Learn more about her studio at www.GordonPhotography.Biz

As a recent breast cancer survivor, Barb started www.PortraitsAndStories.com as a photo essay project to encourage survivors, their families, and their friends through images and blog posts by the survivors on a wide variety of topics.

When not working, she enjoys life on a new farm raising organic chickens, gardening, and playing with the horses, cats, and dogs.

Connect with me online:

Follow me! www.Twitter.com/BarbGordonIA

Friend me! www.Facebook.com/BarbGordonIA