foto contest closes
August 31, 2009

Taking Great Back-to-School Portraits

It’s that time of year again when the kids are getting ready to go back to school. This is an exciting and anxious period for both children and parents. There are school supplies and new clothes to purchase, and a new routine around the corner. For many parents, this is a moment they would like to capture. Here are a few tips that will help:

Plan Ahead – Ensure that your child has picked the perfect outfit and is aware that they will be having their picture taken so hopefully there is no fuss. Ensure that they start their day a little earlier and that your camera is ready to go. You can also take your child’s photograph after school if that makes it easier on them emotionally. Plan a couple of scenarios just in case.

Choose a background – Many parents use the front door as a background. Consider a spot in your flower garden, your front lawn or in the school playground. Perhaps an uncluttered wall in your home would do the trick or a photo in front of the school bus. Outdoor scenes using natural light typically produce the best photos.

Use Different Poses – Be careful not to have your child just stand against the door looking straight ahead. This doesn’t make for the best photograph. Consider turning the subject and having them look at you. Take several different poses, such as a head shot, a torso crop and a full length shot. They could be sitting on the front steps or in the car if you’re driving them to school. Include their siblings or their best friend.

Alter your Perspective – Consider taking photographs from different perspectives. Move close enough to the subject and take the photograph from their level. You can also take the photo at an angle or from down below looking up. Play around a little and it’s amazing what the results will be.

Add a Prop – Consider using props that suggest that this is a back to school photo. It could be a backpack in the background, a book or part of the school bus.

Whether your child is excited or shedding tears ensure that you capture those moments as they head back to school. Making this an annual tradition is the perfect way to record your child’s life journey. As the year goes by, remember to keep shooting those photos at other school-related activities to create even more memories. In the future, these photo memories can be used to create a foto book for your son or daughter. What a perfect gift!

Enjoy one of the Music Festivals this August in the 1000 Islands!

Travel to Gananoque, Ontario this August and enjoy one of Ontario's largest music festivals – The 1000 Islands Music Festival. This event is taking place from August 13 – 15, 2009 and features music from groups such as Simple Plan, Akon, Official Blues Brothers Revue, Graham Greer, Hello Beautiful and many more. Genres include Alternative, Americana, Blues, Celtic, Classic Rock, Electronic/Dance/DJ, Funk, Hip-Hop/Rap, Metal, Pop, Punk, Rock, and Urban/R&B. There is something for everyone! See the festival website for a list of performers, pictures, biographies and a weekend schedule. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.ticketbreak.com/event_details/2938.

While you’re in Gananoque, enjoy the natural beauty of the islands in the St. Lawrence River or the majestic view of the surrounding countryside. For the outdoor enthusiast, try kayaking, swimming, scuba diving or bicycling the 37 km 1000 Islands bike path. You can also take advantage of fishing, golfing, canoeing, nature walks, beaches and other outdoor activities. If live theatre is your passion, visit the 1000 Islands Playhouse on the waterfront or visit the1000 Islands Charity Casino if you prefer an evening of gambling.

The neighbouring City of Kingston is strategically located at the point where Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River meet. It was also the first capital of Canada. This city features many beautiful limestone buildings and Kingston’s landmark, City Hall.

Some of the best blues and jazz music around can be heard at more than 15 venues in downtown Kingston at the Limestone City Blues Festival being held August 27 – 30, 2009. Hear from Robert Cray, Mavis Staples, Delta Highway and more. See complete details and event schedule at http://www.kingstonblues.com/schedule.html.

When visiting this area, you don’t want to miss taking a spectacular cruise along the 1000 Islands. Cruise boats depart from Kingston, Gananoque and Rockport. Click here for more information on the Gananoque Boat Line. Take in the beauty of the St. Lawrence River by booking your trip today!

foto source in Kingston, Ontario

If you visit the Kingston area, be sure visit one of our foto source stores:

Camera Kingston foto source, 114 Princess Street, Kingston, 613-549-3747. Open Mon. – Fri. 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., Sat.9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Kingston Frameworks West foto source, 741 Bayridge Dr., Bayridge Loeb Centre, Kingston, 613-389-1700. Open Mon. – Wed. 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Thurs. & Fri. 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Sat. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Closed Sundays.

Click here to find a store near you!

Free Reusable Bag

Visit any foto source store in August and receive a free reusable bag with any purchase of $10.00 or more! Click here for your coupon.

Getting creative with foto book layouts

When arranging photos in your next foto book, try thinking "outside the box." You can achieve an interesting effect by showing different parts of the same photo in more than one frame. Here's how to create the split-plane look shown in the example on the left:

1. Click the Layouts tab and drag a three-frame layout to your page
2. Drag the same photo from the well into each of the three frames
3. Use the zoom slider to zoom each photo by the same amount
4. Drag each photo inside its frame to show a different part. You can try to line them up as in the example, or deliberately mix things up a bit with different positions and sizes.

Here's another idea. You don't need to put a photo into every frame -- you can essentially create your own layouts by leaving some frames empty. For example, take a nine-photo layout but put just three photos into it, like
this:

The possibilities are virtually endless, so use your imagination and have fun!

Birthday Promotion

At foto source, we would like to start recognizing your special day – your birthday that is! Help us do this by logging into your profile and adding your birthday. Now we can celebrate with you!

Spot the differences

Congratulations to Joclyn Colley of Orangeville, ON who has won a $25 foto depot gift certificate for correctly identifying the 5 differences in July’s foto fun images. The differences were:

• different photo frame
• number of pineapples
• missing dish rag
• missing coffee pot
• missing house plant

Visit fotosource.com and click on newsletters to view the images from the July issue.

Red Eye

Red eye occurs when the bright light from the flash passes through the eye, reflects off the back of the eyeball and back out through the pupil. The camera records this reflected light. Lighter eyes allow more light to pass through resulting in a stronger red-eye effect than brown eyes.

To help reduce red eye, use your camera’s red-eye reduction, have the person look slightly away from the camera, increase illumination so you do not need the flash, or edit your photographs before printing.