DIY Digital Image Wrapping for Photographers

I’ve had a hard time deciding what my first (official) post should be, and how to deal with future posts. Do I go back and post all the crafts I’ve made over the years? Photoshoots from 6 months ago? The recipe for that quinoa salad I made for that party two weeks ago? Or do I only post things that I’ve created since the development of this blog?

I was over thinking it again. I've been so determined that this blog is not going to stress me out like the others. In the end I decided to go with the first thing I could think of – It’s photography and a craft project all in one. This is how I've started presenting digital images to my clients.

I got called in as an emergency photographer last weekend. I had previously sworn off weddings due to the amount of anxiety they give me, but the desperation in their voice and the amount of love I have for this particular family made me think twice.

I rocked that photoshoot.

I’m not typically this confident (vain?) about all my shoots, but I guess all that praying to “please don’t let me screw this up” really paid off. The cloud cover was perfect. The newlyweds were willing to do whatever I wanted, and they posed themselves (the benefits, I’ve discovered, of photographing a former model). The pictures turned out great and I didn’t have to edit any because I wasn’t being paid to do so for this shoot (though I might do some minor editing of a few to post on my photog).

The crafty part came when I packaged the disc with their digital images. It’s not fancy like the DVD cases you can buy from the photo labs, but I’m a low budget photographer so this is what my clients can expect instead. I like it because it’s personal and cute, but I still think it looks classy.

First I printed one of their photos with my business name/logo on the disc. There are two ways I do this:

(1)    You can either buy discs that have blank white paper on top, stick it in a printer like mine that has a disc printing slot, and print directly on the disc; or

(2)    Buy some Avery CD labels (like these from Wal-Mart) and print on the sticker sheets. I’ve found that using Avery’s Word template is not helpful for me when adding photos, so I’ve created my own template in Photoshop by taking measurements from the label sticker sheets.

Next I cut some craft wrapping paper just smaller than the DVD case and secured it with some cute camera washi tape. (Side note: ALL of my washi tape comes from one of two places: the scrapbooking expo or Consumercrafts.com.)

I put one of my business cards in a glassine bag, folded the top of the bag down and secured it with more washi tape, and punched a hole in the corner.

I wrapped some of the dark brown baker’s twine (from consumercrafts.com) around the disc, slid in a Photo Release Form that I shrunk to about 4”x4”, and then attached the business card bag.

For an added final touch, I lightly stamped these arrows on the glassine bag and the back of the craft paper. When I get around to revamping my photography logo, blog, and all my advertising media, these arrows will become a major part of my brand.

Mount Mediocre - An Introduction

I started a craft blog once.
I also started a food blog with a friend.
Then I started a photog (photography blog = photog).

There are numerous reasons I have a hard time posting on any blog I've created.

- I waste time trying to make my journaling sound less than mediocre.
- I waste time editing craft and food photos because somewhere I got this idea that every photo a photographer posts has to be perfect.
- I fuss over whether or not anyone will like my craft, or recipe,
- or whether or not I picked the best photos to represent the shoot.
- I like lists. Do you think I'm posting too many lists????!
- I have a hard time doing what I'm told. This creates issues with posting frequently and/or in a timely manner.
- There's too much mommy, craft, and mommy crafter bloggers that are so much better than me.
- Food bloggers have amazing photos. My photos and my food are probably just average.
- The majority of photographers are better than me.
Do I really need to continue?

So here I am - laying it all out for you. 

Here's what you can expect from this blog:

• Posts that are just average, and will probably have a few typos because I'm not going to spend time thinking about what I'm writing nor will I proofread afterwards.
• Crafts I've done. Typically one that I started that day or (most likely) I started 5 years ago. I obsess over fun projects for a couple days, but if I don't finish within the week, odds are it's going in the partially completed bins. Yes, as in plural - bins.
• Recipes. Vacation tips. Etc. Most likely with mediocre photos and journaling.
• Photos I've taken. I can take pictures. But then, so can everyone else these days. I worry that I'm just another one of those people who picked up a camera and proclaimed themselves a photographer but really has no talent. But I like to take pictures. People keep paying me to take pictures. That's got to mean something (I hope). That being said, I don't plan on editing the photos that go on this blog. My craft room is a nightmare for lighting, and I don't care enough to fix that.
• Random happenings. Emphasis on random. My life is pretty mediocre, so don't expect much.
• The things I'm obsessing over. Products. Websites. People.

And all of this with no schedule whatsoever. 

The purpose of this blog is to be a journal for me and a safe haven for those who aren't a professional anything. Everyone might be making the same craft, but it takes time and I want a record of the fact that I actually finished/accomplished something! I want to remember those vacation tips, classes I'm taking, and the number of vehicles my husband and I can go through in a year. And hey, if you want to follow a blog where an average girl with an average life does average things, this is the place for you.

Welcome to Mount Mediocre.