Diane Jarvis-Schuller

Two quick things today. First, a simple reminder that I do sell some my own photographic art if you’re looking for something beautiful for your home or office. Photographic prints can be purchased as mounted prints ready for framing; already matted & framed; or for a real classic look they can be ordered as a canvas gallery wrap. The fine art photo above would be ideal for printing on canvas. In a range of subject matter, these also make great gifts for anything from: corporate gifts, employee reward program, farewell gifts for employees, Christmas or birthdays, or as a housewarming. A gift certificate for a custom lifestyle photo session also makes an excellent gift whether as a corporate gift or for a family member.

The second reminder is a show-and-tell of my press printed portrait books. If there are several photos from your photo session that you really need to have and you don’t have room on the walls for all of them, the portrait books are an excellent and cost-effective option. Besides, they look beautiful for showing off on your coffee- or end-tables. And the bonus, they last for years so you can look back on them with pride enjoying those great memories. Here is a sample of one of the many cover options (photo covers also available). This is one of the gorgeous floral covers that gleams something like a hologram, depending upon how the light hits it. A variety of leathers are also available for the covers. Of course, inside are your beautiful photos. I can design a lovely set of page formats especially for you — and you can include some of your favourite quotes as well, if you like. These also make great gifts for grandparents or parents — far more tangible and beautiful than a fleeting image on a computer screen.

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Photographs Never Forget! Keeping memories alive with custom albums and portraits

If you’re new to visiting my photo journal or website, welcome! If you are not familiar with custom on-location photography, I welcome you to click on the “Client Info” tab above to learn more. One of the other bonuses with a custom photographer is the level of quality of your finished boutique products. I’m including the condensed version below of what you can expect from me when you order beautiful boutique products from your custom photo session.

All prints, portraits, canvas gallery wraps, and custom albums are colour corrected, appropriately edited, and are then finished at a Professional lab specifically for professional photographers. All wall portraits are mounted on 2 mm styrene, as they should be, to protect your valuable portrait from creases, folds, or damage and is also intended for long life. I will not compromise quality for a cheaper and inferior final product. My Portrait Collections (in 2010) start from $300, Weddings from $1600 (with a mini-option for small weddings at $500), and an average Portrait Session investment is usually $550 (2010 pricing). Please visit my website for more information on the creative sessions.

{Caveat Emptor: Beware of amateurs masquerading as professional photographers — frequently found advertising on Kijiji or Craigslist.}

“Photographs never forget!”

In my last post, I talked about why I love albums so much. In that post, I focused more on albums in general and not specifically on the albums I offer my clients. I love for people to have their photos in an album, whether it’s personal snapshots taken with your own camera or those taken by a professional photographer.

I’ve featured some of the other custom designed press printed books and albums that I create for my clients in previous posts. Realizing that not everyone is ready to have a uniquely designed custom album, I want to share one of the options I can provide that comes with a much more reasonable price tag. As of today, I don’t yet have a sample of this particular album but I plan to buy one during the summer to have on hand. These albums are what a lot of people are familiar with as a traditional professional photography album.

Just as with the custom designed albums I create, these are available in a range of sizes. Adhesive mount albums are available in 5×5, 8×8 and 10×10, and provide a beautiful and affordable alternative to the more expensive flush mount albums. They’re perfect for parents, grandparents, brag books, guest books, or coffee table books of your favourite photos from your session!

Adhesive mount albums are finished in a lovely black leatherette, each holding 30 individual images. Imagine having this on your coffee table for guests to enjoy, or giving it as a gift to parents/grandparents? Better yet, imagine browsing through this album years, even decades, from now enjoying the photos and the memories. So much better than firing up the computer and looking at a computer screen. Pass it on to your children or other family members as a family heirloom.

Contact Diane (use the contact tab above or at her website) to find out more about these affordable, yet classy albums.

Note about the photos in this post: These are not Diane’s photos. They are borrowed with permission from Diane’s album supplier.

We live in a digital world but that doesn’t mean there is less value in having albums. In the past couple months I have conducted a poll and also have been asking the question to people about whether or not they get their digital images printed. I was shocked at how many people not only didn’t put their photos in self-albums anymore but that most of those people didn’t even get their images printed. Their images remain on hard drives and some are on discs.

I knew there would be some people who don’t get their images printed but had no idea that so few people bother to get their images printed out.

As my business has evolved, I have begun to realize the importance of offering my clients the opportunity to have the images I take of them put into books or albums. When you can bring a tear to someone’s eyes when they see their family in a beautiful album, it doesn’t take too many times to realize how much people do value albums – even in this digital era.

I’m now promoting the use of albums as much as possible. I’m making it easier than ever in my business for people to have a lovely custom created book or album from their photo session. On my Facebook business page I’m also trying to encourage people to get the images they take on their own cameras printed and either placed into an album, or a photo box.

I realize there are armies of amateur photographers ‘out there’ who are doing so-called photo shoots, passing themselves off as pro photographers, and then giving a disk of (usually terribly un-edited) images for people to do with as they please. That’s a shame because they are bastardizing true and quality professional photography. I definitely love that most people have their own camera and take all kinds of photos. That’s excellent! I hope that all the favourite photos on people’s memory cards and hard drives would end up being printed out. Going back to those amateur photographers. Rather than pay an amateur the small amounts they charge (while undercutting true photographers), I would rather people take their own photos or get a friend to take their photos and use their money to get all their images printed out and purchase an album to put them in.

I still love pulling out my parent’s wedding album, my mom’s photo albums, even my own wedding album and flipping through the pages and memories. If we don’t get our pictures printed and put into albums (or photo boxes), what will happen if the hard drive crashes? What will happen if the disks are corrupted or damaged? What will our children and grandchildren have to look through and enjoy? Sure we can still watch the images on slideshows and computer screens but nothing beats having those images in a physical album.

So yes, I do love albums.

In my business, I don’t just give away a disk of images. I do make it possible to purchase some of the digital images but that’s definitely not my priority. I also love creating the custom made albums and books my clients order. It’s a beautiful feeling to hand over a lovely work of art that I know the family will cherish and hand down as a family heirloom.

I hope you will reconsider all those images that are sitting on your hard drive or on disks. Little by little, why not start getting them printed out and placed into albums. It even feels good to hold an album in your hands. Give it a try!

“While many baby photographers do offer the files for sale, many custom photographers don’t. It’s a matter of quality control from start to finish. They realize cutting corners on that is a disservice to their clients.” ~ Lauri Baker, professional photographer.

“Photographs never forget!”