Monthly Archives: September 2017

6 of the Best Fall Photography Tips to Use this Season

Posted on September 24, 2017 by

Best Fall Photography TipsBest Fall Photography Tips Revealed 


Happy autumn! As the beginning of fall marks the autumnal equinox, and with it brings some of our favorite things like cool nights, clear days, gorgeous foliage, and pumpkin-flavored everything!

 

This is also our favorite time of year for photography. You can’t beat autumn backdrops for photos, whether you’re taking pics of the family for holiday cards or trying to capture nature’s beautiful color displays.


6 of the Best Fall Photography Tips to Use this Season. What’s yours?

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As you set off with your camera in hand, here are a few tips on to get the best fall photos.

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Google Photos, The Ultimate Users Primer

Posted on September 20, 2017 by

We are often asked how best to preserve and safeguard pictures once everything is digitized. The two-word simple answer is the free storage site, Google Photos, where all your photos are safely backed up and organized so you can find them fast, and share those decades past memories.


PC Magazine’s feature’s editor, Eric Griffith published a primer on “Tricks to Master Google Photos, and we’re sharing some of Eric’s best tips for you.


The Power of Google Photos To Organize Your Pictures [excerpt]


  • Play With Search: You should definitely search in Google Photos, using terms common and obscure. Google’s auto-tagging of images is pretty amazing.
  • Pinch to Change Your View: Pinching or expanding your two fingers on a single image to zoom in or out is standard. Google Photos lets you change the look of the entire mobile app by pinching, so you can zoom from “comfortable view” all the way out to the by-year view, with stops at days and months in between.
  • Quick Select Pics: Hold your finger on a picture to select, then just start dragging your finger and all the pictures you touch will be selected.
  • Apply the Same Edits to Multiple Shots: If you’ve perfected the edits on one image, you can apply it to a bunch of them.
  • Back Up With Wi-Fi Only: In the mobile apps, you can turn off “Photos (or Videos) back up using cellular data” in the settings under Back up & sync. It’s a good idea for those with a limited data plan.


  • OUR FAVORITE TIP: Recover Items for 60 Days: Deleted an image you want back? Go to the menu (on mobile or web), and select Trash. Your deleted images hang out here for a couple of months before they’re truly gone.

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 7 Pro Tips on How to Take Sunset Pictures

Posted on September 20, 2017 by

how to take sunset picturesThere is little more awe-inspiring than a dazzling sunset. It’s only natural to want to snap up the brilliant colors, fluffy clouds, and blazing-red sun. But how do you take sunset pictures so that they inspire as much awe as the sunset itself?

 

Here are a few of our pro tips:

 

Underexpose

 

The key trick to capturing beautiful sunsets is actually the opposite of astrophotography. Instead of setting a long exposure time, you’ll want to opt for a shorter one. The result will be brighter and richer colors and hues.

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Top Tips For Creating A Beautiful Photo Book

Posted on September 15, 2017 by

Family looking at a photo bookThinking of setting aside some time to create a beautiful photo book of last summer’s vacation, or maybe long ago family events that are now preserved on an archival photo CD?


Here are our top tips on creating a beautiful photo book that your family will enjoy for years to come:


Think like an author

 

Use your photos to tell a story in a somewhat linear fashion rather than organizing them haphazardly. You can, of course, group photos together by theme – all of the meals you ate on a trip, or pelicans you saw, or views of the ocean from various points.

tips for creating beautiful photo books that your family will enjoy forever

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Uplifting Stories from Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma

Posted on September 13, 2017 by

hurricane irmaThe 2017 hurricane season has been disastrous for the U.S. and Caribbean. Entire islands were decimated and miles of Houston saw flooding that reached as high as traffic signals in some areas. As more tales of tragedy emerge, we’re all looking for a silver lining. In fact, during times like these we are reminded of this infamous Mr. Rogers quote:


“My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”


Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. – Mr. Rogers

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And that’s what we’re going to do. Check out the following uplifting stories from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.


Human chains are among viral stories inspiring us out of Hurricane Harvey


Hand-in-hand these incredible people worked together to lead those in need through the flood waters and into safety.


“No beloved pictures… all gone,” was a description of the devastating loss from the hurricanes, shared by Justin Timberlake during the #HandInHand Hurricane Benefit Concert telethon.



Saving Priceless Family Photos from Hurricane Harvey Floodwaters


An entire community that included “family members, friends, coworkers and waves of perfect strangers,” flocked to an elderly woman’s home to repair Hurricane Harvey damage. This included trying to save nearly 2,500+ vintage family print photos.


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Tales From The Pictures We Saved – Bonus Episode: Must-Hear Tips from Professional Organizer Andrew Mellen

Posted on September 11, 2017 by

andrew mellenWelcome to this week’s bonus episode of Tales From the Pictures We Saved! 


We’ve spent the past 26 years helping our customers preserve tens of millions of happy memories, milestones, achievements, and events—all of which have incredible stories behind each and every photo.


Hear smart photo organizing tips from professional organizer Andrew Mellen

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And now we’re eager to share these stories with you.


In this week’s very special episode we got a golden opportunity to chat with professional organizer Andrew Mellen.


Andrew’s prowess in the organization field has landed him on NPR, Real Simple, Oprah, Martha Stewart and many more high-profile media channels. He’s a larger-than-life organizational expert, speaker and best-selling author of the book Unstuff Your Life—and he’s on a mission to help everyone he meets to get back in touch with their core values.  Follow Andrew on Twitter


Take a listen to the must-hear tips Andrew provided during our interview.


 


Tune into prior Tales From The Pictures We Saved


EPISODE 1: In this week’s episode ScanMyPhotos, as Melissa went through the photo scanning process, she found that a simple mistake leads to a beautiful and touching moment in her life.

EPISODE 2:  In this week’s episode one ScanMyPhotos customer assists a family in the creation of a very special gift.

EPISODE 3: In this week’s episode, we explore a ScanMyPhotos customer whose passion for photography documented a once-in-a-lifetime experience with her family as they traveled to Africa as volunteers.

EPISODE 4: In this week’s episode we explore a ScanMyPhotos customer whose book, The New Grandparents Guide to Technology, helps grandparents create stronger connections and relationships with their grandkids through technology.

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The Surprise Anniversary Gift that Garnered Happy Tears

Posted on September 7, 2017 by

anniversary gift

We all know that classic love story where two kids grow up next door to each other and eventually fall in love, get married, and live a happily ever after tale. Well, one ScanMyPhotos customer shared a similar story with us–but with a twist.


Brian Jorgensen and his wife didn’t grow up together in the same sleepy home town. They didn’t share a similar childhood, background, or even culture. But despite their different upbringings, they got together in high school and just recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary where Brian pulled together a very special and touching gift for his wife.


“I was looking to scan the print photos I had of my wife and I so I could surprise her with them for our 20th wedding anniversary party. That’s how I found out about ScanMyPhotos—through a Google search.”


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How to Ensure the Protection of Your Valuables in a Disaster

Posted on September 6, 2017 by

SMP Diaster 300x214 - How to Ensure the Protection of Your Valuables in a DisasterWe’re in the midst of hurricane season and this year is proving to be a disastrous one. After seeing the photos of the damage Hurricane Harvey left in its wake, we want to take this time to ensure our customers are protected against any potential loss—particularly when it comes to your precious print photos and memories.

 

So, in honor of National Preparedness Month and in the event of such a catastrophic hurricane season, we pulled together the following list of ways to ensure the protection of your valuables in a disaster. Take a look.

 

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