Photo Tip #65: Tell Your Love Story this Valentine's Day with a Photo Book!

Greetings Fellow Photographers!

I hope 2009 is off to a great start. Today I'd like to talk about one of the coolest and most popular photo products I've ever seen: the photo book! Photo books allow you to create a custom book using your photos and words. You design every element of the book: the size, cover color and material, page layout, background, theme, and more. Place your photos anywhere on the page and add text or other fun graphics. There is nothing more personal than a custom photo book!

So, why am I telling you this now? Because I want to give you plenty of time to create the perfect Valentine's Day gift for your special someone: Your Love Story, written and designed by you, in a custom photo book!

The possibilities are endless...tell the story of your wedding day, the story of how you met and fell in love, the story of your children and grandchildren, the story of your favorite vacation together, or even just use your favorite photos of the two of you and tell him or her how in love you are. After all, nothing reminds us of those we love more than our memories, and nothing captures our memories better than our photos!

First, watch the Demo about creating a photo book (it takes a minute to load, so please be patient). Then, to get started, log into your account and upload the photos you want to use. Click the blue "Photo Books" tab, choose to start a new book, and choose your size and cover options. Next, select the photos for the book from your albums and press "Accept." Choose the theme or page design for your book, which you can always change later. The site will build the book for you. Click "Customize" to edit and rearrange photos in your book, add text, and design each page of the book one by one. When you are finished, simply order your book directly from the site, and give it to your Valentine on February 14th!

Here are a few more helpful hints: write out all your text beforehand and be sure to spell check everything before you place the order. Old love notes or favorite romantic quotes are fantastic additions to your love story book. Also, order the book as soon as you can to ensure it is finished in plenty of time for Valentine's Day. And finally, be creative!

This is a truly unique, one-of-a-kind gift that can never be replaced -- just like your sweetheart! So get started now -- I promise you'll thank me later!

Love stories come in all shapes and sizes, from the heart-shaped card you made in third grade to the portrait of the couple celebrating their 50th anniversary. Every couple is unique in their own way, so think about the details that make your relationship special and be sure to incorporate those details into your love story photo book. Whatever it is that you share, you share it together, and this is the perfect way to show your significant other just how special they are to you. Happy Valentine's Day!

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Photo Tip #64: Organize Your 2008 Photos and Get Ready for 2009!

Greetings and Happy New Year!

I can't believe 2008 is already over! What a year it has been. I hope your year was filled with many opportunities to take great pictures and share them with friends and family!

Have you organized your photos in your online account from this past year? No? That's ok, I'm here to help! This is the perfect time to transfer and organize all of your photos from the past year, as well as get ready for 2009. Transferring photos to your online photo account frees up space on your computer and memory cards. More importantly, you get the peace of mind that all of your precious photos are safe and secure in your online photo account, no matter what happens to your computer.

To transfer and organize your 2008 photos, follow these two simple steps:

Create and Organize Your Albums
Log into your online photo account and click the "My Albums" link on the right side of the page. Click the "Folder Options" drop down list and click "Create New Folder." Name the album (such as "January 2008" or any other naming scheme you come up with) and press "Create New Album." This creates an empty album for you to save pictures in. Repeat this process for as many new albums as you want. I suggest creating a new album for each month from 2008, or for each memorable event, like a birthday party or vacation.

Transfer your Photos into the New Albums
Once the albums are created, press the "Add Photos" button on the right to transfer photos into the empty albums from your computer or memory cards. Press the "click here" button in step 2 of the transfer process to choose the specific album where you are transferring the photos. You can also easily move pictures from one album to another once they are transferred using the "Copy/Move" feature on the "My Albums" page. Select the photos at the bottom of the page and press "Send." Repeat this process until all of your 2008 photos have been transferred and organized into albums!

Now, doesn't that feel better? All of your photos are safely stored and organized online, and are easily accessible to share and print anytime! You can even take this process to the next level and create photo book of all your favorite 2008 photos!

You may also want to consider setting up all of your albums for 2009 in advance. Then, set periodic reminders throughout the upcoming year to transfer your photos into those albums. A year from now, your photo organizing will already be finished!

It has been such a pleasure sharing photo tips and interacting with you this year. Here's to many more great photo tips and stories in 2009. Cheers and Happy New Year!