The problem is that giving the same old gifts of flowers and chocolates doesn’t seem to capture the imagination of what being a mum means (especially when those flowers are half dead having just been picked up on offer from the local petrol station).

The great thing about giving photo gifts is that they represent both present and past memories through the medium of pictures.  Long after the flowers have been assigned to the great compost heap in the sky, photo gifts keep on living being used or shown around the house.

So these are my top 5 Mother’s Day digital photo gift ideas:

5) Personalised photo Mother’s Day card
This may seem obvious but receiving a personalised card in the post with a picture of their little cherubs (or grand-cherubs for that matter) will bring a smile to a mum within seconds.  The trick is not to go too complicated with the image you use as a group shot never looks as good sitting on the mantlepiece as a big smiling closeup of your mum or yourself.
More information on our digital Mother’s Day photo cards

4) Good old traditional digital prints
Ok, so a pile of prints won’t set the world on fire when plopped on the table.  If you are creative, however, with what the pictures are of and combine with a bottle of your favourite Blue Nun (or some non-alcoholic alternative if you so desire) and nibbles, going through a set of photographs can often lead to a really fun night.  For example, why don’t you scan old pictures in of your whole family and reprint them so the evening turns more into a journey down memory lane? Perhaps get all your relatives to email you funny pictures related to the mum in question.
New customers and also take advantage of our 40 free digital prints offer

3) Photo Fridge magnets
Random I know, but unless the mother in question uses a fridge made of wood with ice blocks in, fridge magnets can make a great memory which are always present every time that fridge door is opened (perhaps for that next cup of tea).  Why not take pictures of the grand-cherubs holding up letters to form the basis of your own fridge magnet spelling game?
More information on our digital photo fridge magnets

2) Photo Mugs
Mums like tea. Who doesn’t? (except for people who don’t like tea) So why not get one of her favourite photographs, put that to one side, and then pick one of her funniest photos and put it on a mug for her? It may not replace her treasured Royal Doulton but it will be great for a few giggles and handy for when guests come to visit!
More information on our digital photo mugs

1) Photo Books
Photo books have come a long way since they first came on the scene all those years ago. With exceptional quality of print, various sizes and different covers, you can bespoke a photo book to match your mum’s exact tastes.
Similar to the ‘pile of prints’, a photo book gives endless possibilities for journeys down memory lane which can be referred to time and time again. As an added bonus, if the first one goes down well, you have an easy recurring present for years to come. Click here to see more tips on creating a photo book.
More information on our range of digital photo books.

 I can’t promise these tips will solve all your problems, but they can offer a helpful point or two so your family comes off as creative, genuine, and fun. If you have any additional tips, please share with a comment below!

Getting Creative

1. Show your family’s personality. Where do you spend the most time? What are some of your favourite things to do individually and as a family? Things unique to your family will make your family just that.
2. Consider props or costumes. Sunglasses, goofy sweaters, family members switching roles, pop culture inspiration, funny commercials, etc can be really fun and give your family the extra “oomf” it’s looking for.
3. Collages of things encapsulating the entire year. You already have tons of great photos, use them! If you want to get really fancy, put a QR code to your Flickr page or blog on your holiday card
4. Stay away from: white shirts and jeans, barns, open fields, and beaches if it’s a staged portrait. Oh, and the all black with black background… Unless you find creative, funny ways to do these. I only say this because Google images showed these portraits frequently enough to be too common to call creative.
5. Plan Early. The ancient saying about failing to plan is planning to fail holds true. Researching on the internet and through old Christmas cards are great sources for inspiration.

Photographing Kids isn’t Easy: Tips for the Closest Picture to Perfect

Half of photography is working the camera, the other half is working with people i.e. your AWESOME family. So, the following are split accordingly.

1. Remember to keep your family the focus! Sometimes it’s easy to accidentally prioritise the setting if it’s something remarkable like a wedding, big sporting event, or amazing sunset.
2. Use Adobe Kuler or Design Seeds for colour coordination if you know your backdrop.
3. Natural lighting is authentic and makes the photo feel more genuine
4. Find some decent shading, but remember to avoid overpowering shadows
5. Think of interactions and pairings in groups of 2-3 that work together as a whole. Neatly organized positioning is orderly and will make your family feel that way. How fun is that?
6. The more people you have, the less you have to think about your background.
7. Use a fast shutter speed to capture your squirrelly ones
8. Try continuous shooting for bigger kids that move around a lot
9. Long lenses are better to hide undesired details… if you want them hidden, that is.
10. Take a LOT of photos. The more you have, the more you can choose from. You don’t want to organise a second photo shoot, do you?

1. Lay babies down with a backdrop that sets the place and feel a little. They can’t exactly do a whole lot, but sometimes simple pictures are most powerful.
2. Kids should be happy! If you know a day or time they’ll already be in a good mood, there’s no convincing for you to do.
3. Create a fun situation to distract your child from the camera. Pictures capturing the moment usually turn out best.
4. Ask your child to tell a funny story or joke – they’re bound to laugh and smile, and it will be genuine too.
5. Base your photos around your kids’ interests. This way, they’ll be more willing to participate in the photo.
6. Let them take a picture for fun. This will get them even more interested in making a great picture.
7. Do NOT show frustration. This will only lead to a tense environment and will show in the finished product.
8. Have something afterwards to look forward to.  An incentive and even bribery is a great motivator for splendid behaviour.
9. Have a neighbour or family friend help out. Your family might be more inclined to show their colourful selves in front of someone they know.
10. Check out gumtree.com for local photographers for cheap, along with local colleges more advanced photography classes. Students are usually pretty good, work well with kids, and will work for cheap!

Get your gloss or matt photo prints, and have the first 40 absolutely free – completely on the house!

Gran Via/Calle Alcala
At the southern entrance to Madrid’s impressive Retiro Park (itself a tree-snapper’s paradise in Autumn) you’ll find Puerta de Alcala, the old city’s Eastern gate. From here, Madrid’s essential tableau: a dramatic, jumbled view of down town, regal yet quirky and gloriously asymmetrical, including the wedding-cake mayor’s office, the palatial Bank of Spain, an Army barracks with its impressive Acacias, the circular Metropoli building on the unlikely, and acute intersection of Gran Via and Calle Alcala. Gran Via, angles off (and upwards!) into the distance amid spires, statues and lots of noisy, fuming taxis. This may have been the Hemingway had when he called Madrid the capital of the world (staggering out of the nearby Café de Correos ?).

Templo de Debod Balcony
After perusing the Royal Palace, walk west along Calle Ferraz towards Parque del Oeste, Madrid’s western prospect. Here you’ll find the The Temple of Debod, a genuine Egyptian temple, gifted by Egypt to Spain for its engineering help with the Aswan Dam. Just beyond the temple, from a viewing balcony, an impressive 180º view back to the Royal Palace and La Latina to the left, Casa de Campo park and all the way up to the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains (snow capped except in summer) to the North West.

Casa de Campo, looking West to the City
Casa de Campo park was the playing field for some of Spain’s recent history. Here four columns of Franco’s troops camped, during the Civil War, preparing to smash the Spanish Republic and install a catholic dictatorship, waiting for signals from the “fifth column” of sympathisers within the city. It now plays a pacific, soothing role, as Madrid’s main lung, beloved of cyclists, joggers, meretrices and Sundayers. Take the 10-minute Metro ride from Tribunal or Plaza de España to “Lago” station. Walk down the hill, past trees inhabited by parakeets and you’ll come to the rowers’ lake. The view over the lake is one the most panoramic you’ll find anywhere: the city centre from the West including the Palace, Cathedral, the Opera House, and the tall buildings at Plaza de España and Gran Via.

Madrid’s River Project and Bridges
Who would have thought Madrid would vie with Stockholm for design ? A darling of the city-planning avant garde, Madrid’s river project has buried about 7 miles of a former mucky inner ring road (the M30 – known for taking you at speed under the stand at Atletico Madrid) in a vast tunnel and reclaimed the area as green space. Starring the rejuvenated (if still dehydrated) Manzanares River, its many scenic bridges, and an imported pine forest, nothing like this has been seen outside Guandong Province (or is likely to be for a good while). Let is never be said that for a few glorious years, before the crisis, Spain did not lead the world for bank-busting land projects! Take the underground to “Puerta del Angel” (also near the entrance to Casa de Campo) and walk down to the river.

The Cafe-Terrace at “El Corte Inglés”, Callao
Little do the bustling army of shoppers know…El Corte Ingles is not so much a department store as a civil institution in Spain. Everyone buys everything here (except DVD’s – that’s FNAC). A large percentage of the population works here. There have, in fact been moves to rename Spain “ECI”. But leave the droves of shoppers to buzz and peck at the gondola heads and bargain stalls down on Calle Preciados and take the elevator to the department store’s sixth floor cafeteria. From the cafe-terrace you’ll be rewarded with a rare view of Gran Via from rooftop level, looking South west towards Plaza de España. The roofs of the old buildings are red! You can also focus in on some of those weighty rooftop statues that they love in Madrid: chariots and horses, Angels, greek gods, they seem angry that they are so often missed by tourists who fail to look up…

Wide Support for Devices and File Formats
Make sure the application allows for image importing from a scanner or camera. Majority of free programs can do this, but not all do. At the same time, it should have support for various file formats.

If you will post the images on the Web, it must support the jpg format. It should also support the tiff format. This isn’t used on the Web, but it is a good choice for those who want high resolution, high detailed pictures. Other popular graphics formats are gif and bmp.

Basic Editing Features
The free photo editing software should have cropping and resizing capabilities. It must be able to flip and rotate an image. You should be able to do this with the mouse or enter precise figures in a dialog box. Cropping is another important feature. An image correction feature is also necessary.

Colour Adjustments
The photo editing program must allow you to adjust the saturation levels. Almost all these programs will let you adjust the contrast, brightness and intensity.

Other important color adjustment features are sharpness, changing a color and picking a color with an eyedropper tool. You must also be able to convert a colored picture to grayscale or black and white.

Artistic Tools
Even the most basic photo editing apps will have a few paint tools. The more advanced software will have paintbrushes that simulate acrylic paint, oil and other panting techniques. You should also look for features like a cloning tool, smear, smudge, brighten or tint. Some apps will also have drawing tools.

Masks
Masks allow you to isolate a part of the image. Any changes you make will not affect areas outside the mask. Look for editing software with masks of different shapes (square, rectangle, circle, etc). A freehand and paint mask will also come in handy.

Other Features to Look for in Photo Editing Apps
Does the program allow you to insert text? Can you insert graphics? Does it have templates and sample images? Does it have any special effects included? A preview feature will also be nice. Does it support plug ins?

Would you want the program to have some desktop publishing ability? Some programs have the ability to print several images on a single page. Ask yourself if such a feature is necessary.

These are some of the most important elements to consider before you download free photo editing software. Read the product description guide so you will know exactly what you’ll be getting. Do not forget to check the system requirements too.

Unfortunately, no matter what you measure success by, one thing cannot be so subjective: the cost. Photography can be expensive, whether it is a hobby or a career. Equipment, development, tools or the trade, models…it can all add up really quickly. Which is why some people are reluctant to really give themselves over to their passion.

There are ways you can save money while doing what you love. Try these tips to help you keep your costs low but your quality of work high.

1. Go Digital

While an old fashioned camera has its charms, a digital camera has greater capabilities. Not only are you able immediately see your shots as you go, but you don’t have to worry about film.

The cost of the camera itself will be higher, especially if you go with a model specifically for photography buffs or professionals. But you will end up saving over time.

2. Go Rechargeable

There are some digital cameras that come with rechargeable batteries, just as traditional video recorders do. For those that don’t, you can find any model of universal rechargeables, saving money either way.

3. Go Used

If you don’t have what you need and have to buy, you can always find used equipment for a fraction of the cost. Most photographers are very careful with their equipment, and regularly upgrade. Which gives you the chance to buy like-new products that have been well cared for by people in the business.

4. Go With GIMP

If you have never heard of GIMP, you are in for a treat. It is an open source software that has been created to mimic expensive programs like Photoshop. You can find plenty of add-ons that have been created by users to go along with it, giving you all the features of those applications you would usually spend hundreds of pounds on.

5. Go Free

Paying to film at a location is a painful experience, simply because of the steep fee many ask for. They assume it is being used commercially, and so charge everyone the same rate. Some will really milk it, too. Instead of going with these high-traffic locations, try going somewhere free.

You can get amazing shots without having to spend a penny. The same goes for using models who are more interested in trading services for portfolio shots than getting cash for their time.

You don’t have to spend a lot to pursue your dream of being a photographer. Whether you are doing it for fun or for profit, there are ways to limit costs and keep money in your pocket.

It’s a great way to indulge a passion for both music and photography and can be a potentially lucrative sideline if you can secure paid work. But money aside, take good photos and get them to the right publications and in the right places and your pictures could be admired by fans across the globe. Here are 4 tips to increase your profile as a music photographer.

1. Send to music magazines and websites

While many magazines are part of multi-million pound publishing empires, the ones that will pay for contributions from new photographers are few and far between. The reality is, if you aren’t willing to shoot a gig for free, there will be hundreds of budding snappers behind you in the queue who are. Many national music magazines have active websites which need regular fresh content and they’ll happily assign gig photography to approved photographers and the best pics could end up in the print magazines too. Clash Magazine, virtualfestivals.com, Mixmag and tillate.com are just a few examples of online and print publications which are often on the lookout for new contributors.

2. Use social networks

This might sound an obvious one, but setting yourself up on Flickr and Facebook are essential, while Twitter and Linkedin can help you connect with the right people too. If you have snapped a band with a good following online, then tag them in the photos or post the links on their profile walls with links back to your own online portfolio and your website hits could soon be spiking with admiring clicks from fans across the globe.

3. Offer free photoshoots

Offering a free photoshoot to a new band is a great way to get your services out there. You don’t even have to make it that obvious, you could send out a ‘competition’ through your Twitter or Facebook page. Nobody is more enthusiastic about circulating their own publicity photos than young musicians and if you offer your snaps to a talented band with a decent following, they are sure to fire them out to all their followers and then if they make it big you’ve got some great additions to your portfolio.

4. Set up a personal blog

You will be surprised how many PR companies will grant you a photopass and free access to gigs even for a low traffic personal blog. Obviously you might struggle to get into big name arena tours, but for hotly-tipped new bands, or acts which need a PR push, there will often be surplus spaces on the guestlists. Try and make contact with a few regional music PR agencies or record label PR departments for gigs you’re interested in – you can often find contact details on a band’s website, Myspace or Facebook page. You could even find that publications or agencies interested in using the photos themselves afterwards.

1. Brooklyn Promenade
Perhaps one of the most romantic spots in New York, the Brooklyn Promenade offers a serene view of both the Manhattan Skyline and the awe-inspiring Brooklyn Bridge. If ever there was a place for couples to take pictures of their romantic get-away, it would be here!

2. High Line
Found on the west side of Manhattan, the High Line is an elevated rail which hasn’t been in use for a number of years and is now overgrown with luscious green flowers and tall grass. It is from here that you can capture an incredible view of the Hudson River that words simply can’t describe! To make the picture more magical you should definitely wait until the sun is setting and snap yourself a shot of the shimmering gold river as the day draws to an end.

3. Empire State Building
You simply won’t get the absolute best view of New York City until you have climbed the Empire State Building and gained a bird’s eye view of the vast amount of skyscrapers and beautiful tall buildings that dominate this wonderful city that never sleeps.

4. Central Park
Tall green trees with even taller buildings as a backdrop; lakes, reservoirs… it was obvious that Central Park would make it onto this list. There are so many beautiful picturesque areas inside the park that you’ll be spoilt! A good idea is to come here in the winter when the snow hangs on the trees and the water is frozen, it definitely makes for a picture that will speak a thousand words.

5. Staten Island Ferry
This is perhaps the best way to take the perfect snapshot of the fantastic Statue of Liberty and of course catch picturesque views of waterside Manhattan. The ferry is absolutely free to board so there really is nothing to lose!

6. Prospect Park
It may not be as big as Central Park but it’s just as pretty. Blossoming trees, long stretches of grass and water areas make it a beautiful place for a picture. I definitely recommend taking a picture by the terrace bridge to capture the Lullwater in the background.

Of course just spending a day in New York will easily fill up your memory card full of fantastic photos. From the rustic pier54 to pretty much every tall building in sight, it’s all beautiful! So when your trip is over, your memories will still live on within your fabulous photos.

Photos on mugs are a great way to show off your new improved photography skills…every time you have a cup of tea!

Here are five useful tips to help you get started on your digital scrapbook:

1. Format your Photos
If you are good with computers, and you have some experience with photo editing, you can make your photos into digital scrapbook pages. Basically all you have to do is create your images and format them into an image type that your frame can display. One of the most common formats in JPEG, but you will want to check your digital picture frame’s instructions to see exactly what image types it can display.

2. Create your Scrapbook Cover
With your computer, you can create a scrapbook cover as well as scrapbook pages. You need a background, and you can add in multiple photos as well as clipart. With some frames, you can even add music to your scrapbook, and you can choose a few songs to play while your pages are being displayed.

3. Compress your Images
In order to display your scrapbook, you will need to compress your images. Many digital picture frames do have some internal memory, but you will want to display a number of scrapbook pages not just two or three. This means that you need to make sure to reduce the size as much as possible before you transfer the images to the frame.

4. Display your Photos Correctly
Many times you can transfer images with a USB or flash drive, and if your frame does not have internal memory, you will need to leave the USB drive plugged in at all times. When you are setting the frame up to display your scrapbook, you will want to make sure that the shuffle feature has been turned off. Otherwise all of your pages will start playing out of order. The best way to display this type of image is with a slideshow setting where each page is displayed for a few seconds or minutes before going onto the next page.

5. Choose the Right Digital Frame for You
When it comes to choosing the right frame for this kind of project, you will probably want a larger frame than most. While you can do this with a seven inch frame, it will not look as good. You should consider purchasing a frame that is at least ten or twelve inches in size. You can find that size of frame for around £75 to £125.

This is a great gift idea for any friend or family member, and they will love receiving a very personalized frame from you. Even though the frames will be more expensive than the more basic models, you will actually save money on scrapbooking supplies, which can get very expensive. When it comes to creativity and digital picture frames, you cannot go wrong with making a digital scrapbook.

If you have created a digital scrapbook, it would be great to hear how you got on – please feel free to post in the comments below.

To really make the most of your memories and make them sing, I have found the following tips will significantly increase the quality of your digital photo e-book:

1. Consider your audience
If you are producing the book for family and friends, keep the photographs interesting and varied. As much as that bottle of wine was enjoyed at the end of the day, including a picture of ‘me drinking it’ won’t instill the same memories in the viewer.

2. Tell a story with each picture
Closeups are great but it is important to ‘set the scene’ so when looking back in years to come, the viewer will know where it was taken and what else was happening.

3. Vary the pictures
A good album will include people, objects and landscapes with hopefully a combination of them together.

4. Include everyone
Too many holiday snaps involve many pictures of the same few individuals.  Get used to passing the camera around so that all members are included.

5. Include candid shots
Taking photos when people are not posing can often add a new dimension to the story a picture is telling you.

6. Be choosy with your photos
Simply uploading all your digital photographs into the photo book will make it less entertaining.

7. Keep the images in date order
It is an obvious one but many people forget when populating their album.

8. Don’t put too many photos on a single page
They will look small and won’t look as good.  Pages with more than three pictures on should only be used where you are creating a montage or demonstrating a single event e.g. someone jumping in the air.

9. Don’t rush
This photo book will be with you forever so make sure you spend time laying out the pages nicely and giving pictures relevant captions.  The online photo book software is easy to use so there is no excuse!

10. Don’t compress your pictures
Ensure that you don’t use ‘fast upload’ when uploading your pictures to the online system.

These cover the main areas where you can quickly improve your digital e-photo book. There are many more but covering these basics can really help.

If you want to improve your photography, here are four simple composition guidelines you can follow. Make a conscious decision to practise these each time you press the shutter, and you should start to see your photography improve.

1. Rule of Third

This is possibly the most widely known rule of composition amongst photographers. Imagine your photo is divided into nine equal segments by two horizontal and two vertical lines. You may find that there is a setting on your camera which overlays such a grid in your viewfinder.

Now try placing the main focus of your image along any of the four lines, or at the point where they intersect. For example, when photographing landscape, try placing the horizon along the lower horizontal line, rather than straight in the middle. When photographing people or architectural structures, line up the subjects of interest with either of the two vertical lines.

In the following example, notice the placement of the child’s body along the left vertical line. The child’s head is at the top left intersection.

In the image below, the insect is placed at the top right intersection.

In general, avoid putting the main focus of your photo in the centre as this tends to make the resulting image rather dull and uninteresting.

2. Rule of Odds

It is more aesthetically pleasing to the human eye to include an odd number of subjects in a photo. An even number of subjects tends to create symmetry in an image, making it more static and less dynamic. This applies to groups of people too.

3. Include Some Space

Often, the temptation is to fill your photograph with the subject. There is nothing wrong with that. However, the inclusion of space around your subject can dramatically change a photograph. Compare the two images below.

The first photo is fine as it is. However, by simply including some space on the left, the image is greatly improved. We can see much more of what’s going on. The viewer naturally follows the direction of the child’s gaze, and feels his anticipation of the waves coming in. Now the delight on the child’s face makes much more sense.

4. Viewpoint

Next time you take a photograph, think about where you want to take it from. Don’t automatically shoot from eye level. Try shooting from above or below, at ground level, or from the sides. The image of the daffodil below is taken from a very low angle in order to show more of its surroundings; whilst the image of the baby playing the guitar is taken from above.

Conclusion

Improving your photography takes a little time and effort. As with many things in life, practice makes perfect. So, the next time you press the shutter, take a few moments to visualise the final image. If necessary move your body to the side a little, or move closer to / further away from your subject. Try to stay away from the habit of photographing your subjects face on in the middle. Think about the Rule of Third. In time, this will become second nature and your photographs will go from being snapshots to more meaningful, better-composed images.

It goes without saying that rules are meant to be broken. So don’t blindly follow these rules if you don’t think your photo will benefit from them.

There’s a lot more to creating great images than the few simple rules outlined above. I will be exploring colours in my next article. So watch this space.