It's Not Too Late for Christmas Photo Gifts

Most of the digital photo printing websites say you have until tonight, Dec. 17th, to order photo gifts and have them delivered by Dec. 24th with standard shipping.  A couple services even help you out with the cost of speedier shipping if you don't get your order in by tonight.  Snapfish offers a free shipping upgrade with any photo calendar order (no coupon necessary, ends 12/20). Snapfish also offers the ability to order online and pick up your order at a local store, like Walgreens, Meijer, or Staples.  Often, you can pick up your order the same day!

Kodak Gallery offers $10 off of any purchase of $50 or more to help with the cost of expedited shipping (use coupon code FASTSHIP at checkout.)  Also at Kodak Gallery, you can save 20% off of any purchase of $30 or more with the code HOLIDAYGREEN.

A Great Time for Shutterfly Photo Books

I've made lots of photo books and my favorite service is Shutterfly, because of their quality and the coupons and discounts they offer. Right now, Shutterfly is offering free shipping on orders $50+ (use code SHIP50) until 12/14. In addition, you can get 50% off any additional photo books you order. You can even get one more offer: Buy one 8x8 book and get 30 free prints.

My favorite Christmas gift I've given was an 8x8 photo recipe book made with Shutterfly. It was easy and fast to make. Friends and family loved the photos and the recipes. Right now, it costs $30 for the first 20 page book and $15 for all duplicates. If your order is $50+, there's no shipping cost. It's not too late to make one for a Christmas gift if you do it before midnight 12/14. Good luck!

A Special Photo Book Gift

Click here to see all Shutterfly coupons , Click here to see Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, Picaboo coupons ,  Click here to see Holiday Photo Card coupons

Photo Book Tip of the Day: When creating a photo book, keep it simple.

I put together a book for my mother on her 70th birthday. I scanned a few old black and white photos from her childhood. I also devoted quite a few pages to her grandkids, because I knew she couldn't have too many photos of them. I scanned their school photos and made them black and white and then included a photo of each of them with their grandmother.

I chose to do very simple layouts and backgrounds. The cover and all the pages are classic black. Sometimes, it seems like a simple, classic approach works best.

The longest part of putting the book together was getting all the photos. Once I had the photos and a vision for what I wanted the book to look like, it was very fast to put together.

My mom loves her book and she has looked at it too many times to count. A photo book is a special gift to give someone for Christmas or a birthday!

Click here to view this photo book.

To see what deals are currently being offered by Shutterfly, click here
Click here for all photo coupons

Easy Photo Tip for the Holiday Season

Click here to see all Shutterfly coupons
Click here to see Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, Picaboo coupons
Click here to see Holiday Photo Card coupons

Tip of the Day:  Turn off the flash!

You can get some wonderful holiday photos both during the day and night if you turn off the flash.  To turn it off, select the button that shows a lightning bolt with a line through it.  Now you can take a photo of your lit up Christmas tree or your fireplace with stockings hanging above (tell your kids that this is what Santa sees!)  Using the macro setting (flower symbol), you can take a close-up of an ornament on a tree.  Turn off the flash during the daytime and use natural light to get a more interesting contrast.

Here are some photos I took with my simple "point and shoot" camera when I turned off the flash.  I hope they give you some ideas for your holiday season photos.

Christmas Gift Ideas

Click here to see all Shutterfly coupons

Click here to see Kodak Gallery, Snapfish, Picaboo coupons

Click here to see Holiday Photo Card coupons

This Christmas a lot of us are looking for personal gifts that don't cost too much and photo gifts could be the perfect answer. Here are a few ideas and deals that are out there:

1. Photo Calendars (always a hit with grandparents). Snapfish: 33% off all calendars. Use HOLIDAY4, expires midnight 12/8 Shutterfly is offering buy 1 calendar for $19.99 and get 30% off additional calendars.
2. Photo ornaments Shutterfly - Save 20% on mugs (excl. Starbucks), ornaments, address labels, note cards! See site for details.Snapfish: 20% off photo ornaments.
3. Photo stocking stuffers and photo gifts. Snapfish: 20% off all stocking stuffers including flipbooks, frame ornaments, stickers, notepads, and many more items. Use HOLIDAY2, expires midnight 12/4. Free 11x14 Poster calendar with some purchases, use code CHEER08
4. Other Photo Gifts: Save 33% on Photo Gifts at Kodak Gallery!
5. Photo books -- create a photo book with the best photos from the past year or make a book of favorite family recipes. Save up to 20% on photo books at Kodak Gallery. Picaboo photo books - buy one get one free with code 1PB1GF-CB. Shutterfly: 50% off additional photo books, Buy an 8x8 photo book, get 30 free 4x6 prints. Use promotion code: AF73-SAVE. Expires 1.6.09, Free Shipping for orders $50+
6. Make a traditional photo album -- Kodak Gallery is offering 75 free 4x6 photos for new members.

Click here to see all current coupons

Click here to see recipe book/cookbook ideas

My Latest Favorite Camera Setting

Most of us keep our "point and shoot" camera on the automatic setting as we take our photos.  I do the same because, after all, it is a "point and shoot" camera and the whole point is to keep photo taking easy.  I never read my camera's owner's manual, but every once in awhile, I discover a feature that makes it worth shifting from the automatic setting.  My latest favorite camera setting is the "macro" setting designated by a flower symbol.  It's great for close up photos.  Most of us think of close up settings for nature, but there are also great opportunities for close up settings in family photos.  Here are just a few photo opportunities that would be great for the "flower" setting: a birthday cake, the face painting artwork on a child, a child's masterpiece, a holiday ornament, your child's note to Santa, Thanksgiving turkey on a platter just before carving, and many more.  If you're taking a photo of a baby, try using the setting and take a photo of your baby's toes or fingers or the back of her neck.  Good luck and have fun!

It's All About the Photos

We all enjoy looking back at photos.  Who can resist looking at their grown child's baby photos and fondly remembering holding that precious little bundle?  My kids love looking at their own baby photos.  They love looking at photos of past birthday parties and holidays.  It truly is a gift to your children and to yourself to take photos.  You don't have to be a great photographer or have a professional style camera.  You just have to have a camera and be able to pull it out and click away.

I wholeheartedly recommend having a small point-and-shoot camera that you carry with you all the time.  We've all experienced the regret of not having a camera with us when we wished we had one.  If you're in the habit of carrying a small camera with you, you won't have to worry about remembering to bring the camera along.  I have a Canon Digital Elph camera that's small enough to fit in my purse or in my pocket.  A lot of people have camera cell phones, which could serve the same purpose (if the photos are high enough in quality to use in photo albums.)

Taking photos is a lot of fun, even if you're not a "photographer."  The more you click away, the more likely you are to find that jewel of a photo that just perfectly captures a child, a beautiful scene, or a wonderful experience.  When that happens, you'll be excited to take even more.