The Bluest Blue Bird, Faux Canvas, and Facebook Photo Shoots

I just returned from a visit to the ATM this morning.  Deposits on a chilly Thursday a.m.  As I started on my way to Wild Iris for some decaf a little bird dropped down on the sidewalk in front of me.  It was the most hyper blue bird I’ve ever seen!  Of course, I only had the IPhone on me.  By the time I got the IPhone out the bird had flown away…..  🙁  Just imagine the deepest blue you’ve ever seen and realize that this bird was richer than that!

Faux Canvas from Walmart?

A few days ago, right before Valentine’s Day, I received an e-mail from Walmart (how did I get on their list).  They were advertising their latest product.  Faux Canvas.  They’re offering little gallery wraps of your images on the cheap.  The extreme cheap!

With Walmart’s latest offering all I can do is shrug my shoulders.  Can’t compete with them on price or turn around time at all.  But I think I can compete with them on quality.  So I’ll stick to making quality canvases and Walmart can capitalize on everyone not looking for the best, but instead just looking for something.  There is one thing from their own website that makes me wonder greatly about the durability of their canvas product.

Your photo print is wrapped around a lightweight 1.5 in. deep cardboard frame to create a unique “gallery-wrapped” look.

Cardboard?  Eh hmmm.  Cardboard, yeah that’ll work.  The stretcher bars that always go into pieces that come out of here are wood.  More often than not, Richeson.  I can’t speak to the bars used by clients that stretch themselves.  But I really wonder how “archival” a canvas wrap will be on cardboard bars.

Well, somehow I don’t think Walmart will cut too far into my business.  Wait and see.

Facebook Photo Shoot

Next week I’ll be doing a shoot for a gentleman that has a primary goal of updating his Facebook profile.  We’ll be doing our standard one hour session next week.  And he’ll be getting more images out of the shoot than just one FB profile shot.

His request and reasoning got me thinking.  Both family and friends have been asking him to update his profile image.  Apparently it’s not great.  And you know, I’ve seen a lot of “not great” profile photos over the years on Facebook.  Maybe there’s a market there?

After talking to him about the shoot I got to thinking about profile images on Facebook.  And I went looking through a few.  I have a few notes after looking at people’s profile images and made a small list of things you should avoid doing on your profile shots just to be helpful:

• The camera phone self portrait in the car with the camera held high above you (usually near your visor) is over done.
• When doing a self portrait with the camera phone a low angle is also not recommended.  The flash going up your nostrils?  Yeah, ever heard the term “bats in the cave?”
• Low resolution camera phone photos don’t blow up well.  I don’t remember you looking so pixelated back in high school.
• You can’t make drunk look pretty.  Those images of you and your buds from the bar might seem like a good idea for an upload at the time….but remember, your mom is your Facebook friend too.
• The self shot middle finger bar photo is so passe’.
• It should go without saying, but on camera flash from your camera phone can usually guarantee red eye (so can the night at the bar).
• Profile photos using known celebrities fool nobody!
• Side view silhouette shots still show your gut.  Try straight on if you’re looking to hide the aging process (this is one I keep in mind for myself often).
• With respect to my friends from way back……  We graduated in 89.  Putting your senior portrait up from back then fools no one.
• For the guys…….Pasty white guy with the beer gut and no shirt on does nothing for any of us.  I promise, the ladies are not saying Mmmmm Hmmmm……They’re actually rather embarrassed at the fact that they thought you were cute back in the day.

What can you do to avoid all these common mistakes (there are more but I kept the list down)?  Hire a pro like my client next week.  I’ll have him looking good enough to make his ex-wife do a double take!

Of course you know I’m joking.  Sort of……..