Monday, December 17, 2007
STAFF WRITER
"I wanted something personalized," said Hornblass, who kept searching but found that "nothing really was up to my standards in terms of what I was looking for."
That's when the idea for PhotoCrazed.com was born. Hornblass now runs the company out of Teaneck that takes personal photographs, puts them in the hands of skilled graphic artists and turns them into pop art on canvas. Since it was founded in 2004, the company has been featured in In Style and Better Homes and Gardens magazines. It's even gotten commissions from the likes of HBO and Intel.
"Why have someone else's art on the wall, when you can have your own?" said Hornblass.
Why, indeed? Photography has become the most democratic of arts. With digital camera prices lower than they've ever been, most consumers can take decent quality images. What's more, you don't have to be particularly artistic to make something beautiful.
"It's a way of bringing creativity in your life, even if you don't think of yourself as creative," said Jill Enfeld, photographer and spokeswoman for photography tips the Web site TakeGreatPictures.com.
Web sites Can't find what you want at Shutterfly.com, PhotoWorks.com or even local company PhotoCrazed? Try some of these alternatives on for size:Personalization trend
• Kodakgallery.com: Kodak's photo services Web site.
• QOOP.com: Flickr users get 20 percent off the list price.
• Winkflash.com: Any takers for a minibasketball hoop with a photo on the backboard?
• Dotphoto.com: Lots of fun products -- including the Eye-fi card.
• Snapfish.com: Get a baby bib or a men's tie, whatever strikes your fancy.
• Ritzpix.com: Personalized stamps and sports photo gifts and even a doggy dish.
Mugs and T-shirts have been around for almost 10 years, as have personalized holiday cards. But never have they been so low-cost, and never have there been as many alternatives available. Christmas ornaments, jewelry boxes, playing cards and even baby onesies are all relatively new items that can be made in your image.
"If you look at the trends right now, it's all about personalization and self-expression," said Gretchen Sloan, spokeswoman for Shutterfly.com.
In the past two to three years, the pace of invention has picked up exponentially. In 2004, Shutterfly introduced aprons with photo print. Last year, it brought out a personalized keepsake box and a puzzle in time for Mother's Day, and trotted out photo books for children featuring licensed characters like Angelina Ballerina and Thomas the Tank Engine.
This year, armed with a face-recognition technology, Shutterfly is offering Sesame Street books that actually incorporate the child into the story. All the proud parents need to do is to upload a front-facing picture of the child and wait for a book to come in the mail.
"People are also getting more creative because they can," said Enfeld.
New lines keep coming
The release of new photo products has become so frequent that most large photo Web sites will reveal whole new series of products according to season. PhotoWorks.com, based in Seattle, trotted out a slew of back-to-school products at the end of this summer that included a messenger bag, locker-sized posters, notebooks, sticky note pads, clipboards, bookmarks and even stickers.
"Consumers have really started to understand and grasp what digital photography means for their lives," said Genesa Garbarino, PhotoWorks spokeswoman. "It's not just about taking a perfect picture, preserving that Kodak moment to frame for your wall."
Instead, it's about being able to work images into every aspect of your life. And that doesn't necessarily mean finding a photo service Web site, according to the pros at TakeGreatPictures.com.
Enfeld encourages home photographers to do photo projects at home as an alternative to ordering products online. "If you can follow directions, you can learn how to do these things," she said.
She gives the example of making T-shirts and pillowcases with a personalized image. It's as simple as purchasing transfer paper (available at most major stationery stores) and printing photographs onto it using your home printer. When it dries, iron the image onto cloth.
At-home projects
Similarly, creating a calendar by hand gives you the freedom to attach smaller photos to specific dates for birthdays and anniversaries. Making personalized building blocks or picture books may help a child learn to read with images he or she is familiar with in daily life.
But sometimes, it's just more convenient to let the pros do the work for you. You don't have to be Martha Stewart to get a Martha Stewart-designed photo book (from Shutterfly) for your coffee table. And you can get unified sets of photo products, like the PhotoWorks suites that imprint invitations, save-the-day, RSVP and thank-you cards all with the same graphic theme.
Even the humblest family trip photo book gets an upgrade: Most photo service companies provide myriad layout options and print your images on acid-free archival paper, preserving them for years to come.
Whether you go with the high-end graphic designs -- PhotoCrazed prices start at $130 -- do the work yourself, or pay to enlist the aid of photo service Web sites, there are plenty of options for making unique gifts.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
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Tips for holiday projects
We asked photographer Jill Enfeld of TakeGreatPictures.com and Maurice Hornblass, founder of Teaneck-based Pho toCrazed.com, for some picture-snapping pointers.
• Act natural. Instead of just posing everyone for a family photo, try snapping shots of everyone getting ready for a group portrait. If there are lots of kids, let them play, then shout "Everybody look up!" for a candid shot.
• Step away from the window. The window is not your friend when shooting indoor photos. It's easy to get shadowed faces with a bright background or bright faces with a glare in the window from a flash. Quick fix: Stand at an angle so that the natural light shines on the faces. • Steady as a rock. Get a camera with image stabilization. This will allow you to take pictures with slower shutter speed without getting a blur.
• We're all in this together. Got family members who can't make it to the annual holiday gathering? Just get them to send some photograph image files and stitch them together using a photo-editing program. Ensfeld recommends Photoshop Elements for its simple and easy-to-understand functions.
• Up close and personal. If you're planning on uploading photographs to make personalized items, try to shoot the subject from the front and as closely focused as you can without cutting off parts of his or her body. This is especially important if you are aiming to use a customized service such as PhotoCrazed or Shutterfly's children's adventure books.
• Step into the light. For the PhotoCrazed service, Hornblass suggests that customers try to get a picture with as little shadow as possible. This will create clean lines, making their artists' job easier.
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Unusual gift ideas
Not interested in the standard photo image T-shirt or key chain? Here are some gifts to consider.
• Eye-fi SD Card ($99): A normal SD card for digital cameras, the Eye-fi also sends your images directly to photo-sharing Web sites like Flickr, Webshots, Picasa and Facebook. Photographers will have fun doing live photo essays, and Aunt Millie in Florida can keep up with the family festivities in North Jersey without leaving home. Info: eye.fi. • Clinique Happy Custom Bottle ($52): Clinique's Happy fragrance comes in a clear spray bottle with your picture on it. It's a sweet-smelling frame for personal photographs. Info: clinique.com. • Light Affection Lamp or Night Light ($39.95 to $239): Based on your photograph, the whizzes at Light Affection will carve a translucent cover for a night light or lamp. The result is your favorite photo, framed and ready for display -- oh, yeah, and it glows. Info: lightaffec tion.com.
Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
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