Continuing our series of New Year’s Resolutions from yesterday’s Get In Shape article, Take More Pictures is next. Most people enjoy looking at past photos through Picasa (or their preferred photo viewing/editing/sharing software) and reliving some great memories. As much as I enjoy doing this, I often wish I’d taken more pictures on a certain trip I took or event I attended, but mostly just more everyday pics. Here are some reasons I didn’t take more pictures throughout the year and the possible solutions.


Possible problem: Wrong camera
If you find yourself bummed about how your camera is too slow, too bulky, poor-quality pics, not enough features, low battery life, etc., you’d probably find that an easy to use camera makes life simpler. How do you know which camera is for you? Evaluate what your needs are and choose the best camera for you. Read the specifications and other people’s reviews and pay attention to their details (ie. did it capture good in low light? quick to boot up? easy to navigate menu? good documentation?, etc.) Also feel free to start asking your friends about what they do and don’t like about their digital camera, this is very useful info. The Amazon widget to the right can help you find a great camera.

Possible problem: Don’t get to enjoy digital photos
Not everyone is computer savvy and can manipulate digital photos into works of art, or simply print one out to frame. You can buy your own printer and photo paper and try it on your computer, or you can visit a web site, upload some pictures and have them delivered to you in many different forms. Some of my favorite ways to enjoy my digital photos are to have them printed out in different formats and displayed around the house to become a part of my everyday life.
- Wallhogs: They print onto canvas, poster, or removable vinyl wall stickers up to 7 feet. Think life size cutout!
- SmugMug (Easy, ad free, many options.), Snapfish (first 50 prints FREE!), and KodakGallery (save 30% on print enlargements.), are just a few of the many places that help your organize, share, and print photos to paper, bags, mousepads, mugs, and more. For free software (Picasa, and more) to help organize, share, and enjoy your photos check out the Google Pack.

Possible problem: Forgot the camera
Start setting a better habit of bringing your camera with you everytime. Try leaving the camera by the door, always carrying it in your travel bag, leave it in the car, ask a friend to bring theirs, or tie a string around a finger. Whatever it takes for you to remember, do it.

Possible problem: I’m not a good photographer
Yes you are! You just don’t know it yet. I promise, the more you take pictures and flip through them with your favorite software the more you’ll become aware of what looks good and what doesn’t. Besides the point of the photo is to capture a moment in time, not to see who can take the best picture. Trust me, getting a funkily cropped/slightly blurry photo, is still better than getting no photo. Maybe you can even try taking a photography class at your local college.

For more choices and unbeatable deals be sure to check out eBay once you’ve found the camera model you desire.

What about you? What stops you from taking more pictures while you are out and about?

Just last night I stood impatiently at the local Target Photo Center to get my digital photo prints and I asked myself “Why aren’t I at home in my comfortable pajamas doing this online? It’s probably cheaper too.” Guess what? It is cheaper, plus if this is your first time ordering, with the right timing, you can get your first 10-20 prints free.

If you’re like us you accumulate some good pictures from your handy digital camera throughout the year. Well now half the work of sending out photos, or creating some quick and easy gifts is already done. With just a handful of pictures you can create a 2008 calendar (the recipient would have to remember your birthday), photo books (great for long distance relatives), mugs, stationary, mouse pads, puzzles, and more. You know, the classic customizable products. All this can be done in a few minutes, resulting in quality gifts getting shipped directly to your gift recipient and you never had to leave the house. Double Gift Score!

Snapfish – Has some great gift options at low prices. They claim to be #1 and you get 20 free prints when you first sign up. FREE upgrade to Expedited Shipping at Snapfish! Select standard shipping upon checkout. (free upgrade valid 12/18 only)

SmugMug.com – More focused on photo sharing, and organizing, but has just as many options to print photos to gifts. This is a site for the photographer, amateur or pro, it’s a definite crowd pleaser.

Wallhogs – These guys are for your bigger wall covering posters, canvas prints, and vinyl. I’m talking up to 7 feet long removable vinyl wall decorations from one of your awesome photos! That’s a gift!

It’s only natural to be curious about the things around us, especially the little things we can’t see so well. Remember back in science class when we got to look at leaves, bugs, and bacteria up close? Me too, and the only thing holding me back from putting anything I can under a microscope these days is actually having a microscope to use.

This USB Digital Microscope looks like it will satisfy my curiosity quite well. With a zoom capability of up to 200X you can get pretty up close and personal with just about anything you can fit under the lens. You can even capture video straight to your PC at up to 30fps with the included software. The digital microscope comes with its own stand and can be removed for ease of viewing larger objects.

For a little teaser and to see its capabilities check out the images of this digital microscope in use on some US currency. This microscope would make a great learning tool for kids and inspire some good experiences with science.

$179.99

OK, so who’s going to be the first one to be brave enough to zoom in on their own skin? I want to know what my skin looks like at 200x zoom, but I’m afraid to look. If you’ve got one of these bad boys, or are going to purchase one, I’d like to see some more pictures, so please feel free to leave a comment with a link to where we can all find them.

Photos make great gifts, photo albums are even better, but neither are as portable as this Digital Photo Keychain. As a gift, I would load it up with all my favorite family photos and send it off to a family member who doesn’t get to visit often.

The Digital Photo Keychain holds over 50 digital photos, displays them on a 1.4″ LCD screen, fits on a keychain and provides 2.5 hours of viewing time on a single charge. Everything you need to transfer your favorite digital photos is included with this special product from Brookstone.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’m thinking this would make a great gift for that special someone if it was loaded with lots of loving memories you’ve shared together in the past. If it’s a newer relationship, why not take suggestive photos of memories you’d like to create in the future. *wink wink*

$50.00

Imagine if you could upload your favorite digital images to one place online and easily share them with your friends and family. Sure there are a lot of services out there that do this, but SmugMug stands out from the rest; as affirmed in glowing reviews from real users. If you are like us a good chunk of your digital photos are considered priceless and your only copies are on your PC. It’s frightening to even think of what would happen to your images if your hard drive was to crash or your computer was to catch fire. That’s why SmugMug allows unlimited storage and saves 4 copies of your high-res photos in 3 different states. Once uploaded to SmugMug you can sleep well knowing your memories are safe.

Pictures of your family are some of the best gifts long distance family members will get this year. SmugMug also makes it easy to purchase prints of any photo you or your family might choose. When purchasing prints there are options to get the printed on photo paper, mugs, shirts, postcards and more.

Visit SmugMug today for your free trial and see for yourself how easy it really is.

As usual, my day started by perusing a mile long list of blogs and feeds to see what was new and awesome on the interweb. Never one to disappoint, MAKE blog linked an article that explains how to make your own photo studio for less than $100. Although the finished product is impressive, my first reaction was $100? Surely there must be a cheaper way to take professional looking digital pictures for selling items online. OK, I was also trying to picture myself locating the seemingly long list of items necessary at Home Depot & Joann, and getting prematurely bored with the whole idea.

After a little more searching I found the Tabletop Photo Studio from Hammacher Schlemmer for $79.95. I almost always advocate the DIY method, but when the store-bought alternative is cheaper and easier, I’m sometimes forced to whip out the Paypal card. C’est la vie.

From my barely PC-literate relatives to my dot-com e-commerce buddies, I almost can’t think of anyone in my life who doesn’t sell items online at least every now and then. And since better pictures always equal better sales (and/or higher auction end prices), I’m thinking home photo studio products like this are going to become popular, and would make a very useful gift. Making a more proper photo studio for Mable’s headquarters is on our to-do list this year, but I’m still undecided as to which route we should go. If you have a solution that works well for you, please share in the comments!

UPDATE: MAKE does it again with the $10 DIY Photo Studio!