Randall and Rochelle- June's Giveaway Winners

Posted on July 13, 2020 by April Lahti | 0 comments

Thank you so much for a wonderful anniversary gift to my husband! I received it at the end of May...just in time for our 6 year anniversary. I decided not to open it before him so we saw it for the first time together. My husband and I met back in 2006 and we were both with someone. We remained friends until we were single and from there it blossomed. He had 4 kids and I was never able to have kiddos. I have been very blessed to be able to have them in my life and call them my own. We have moved to Indiana where my husband is from and when I saw your items, I fell in love with the barn scene. It will hang in our living room with our wedding pictures and family memories. Thanks again. Rochelle Birk

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The Story of Brandi and Todd

Posted on May 01, 2020 by April Lahti | 0 comments

Congrats to Brandi and Todd-  the first couple to win our new monthly giveaway for a free personalized print!  Brandi describes their story:

"Todd and I met over two years ago. He is an emergency services instructor. I took his CPR class and signed up for his EMT class. After the class was over we kept in touch and after meeting up a few times with others from the class, we both knew their was something between us so he ask me out in a way that made me unsure if it was actually a date. Things progressed from there and now I am engaged to the most amazing man and paramedic in this world. He has devoted his life to caring for people and has a true passion for teaching. We are celebrating our 1 year anniversary on the 25th and it has been the most amazing year for both of us. My fiancé chose the barn photo as a gift for me. He said he liked it best with what he was wanting to do. It looks awesome on my wall!"

We'd love to hear your story.  All you have to do is message us on Facebook or Instagram with a picture of your personalized art and a brief description of your story.  The winner will be notified and posted to Facebook and Instagram at the end of the month!

Posted in giveaway

It's Almost Beach Time

Posted on April 11, 2018 by April Lahti | 0 comments

Spring is finally here and it’s time to start thinking ahead to warmer days and all the things we love about summer, including the beach.  I’d like to introduce my newest beach pictures that can be personalized just for you. These photographs feature Sanibel Island, Florida- one of my favorite photography spots for nature and birds. I’ll be adding more soon so please check back from time to time!

I am always on the hunt for a good sunset pic, and was really pleased with the soft colors in this one:

 

The pair of palm trees in the following picture reminded me of a couple in love.  I added this picture to my website in the fall of 2017, right around the time of the Hurricanes that devastated parts of the Caribbean. More than six months after the disaster, 100,000 people are still without power, thousands are homeless, and there are still food and water shortages. Since I added this picture to my website, all profits from it have gone to Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico.  Puerto Ricans still need our help!  There are many charities accepting donations for this cause.

 

Sanibel Island is known for its seashells. I thought for this picture it would be fun to include the word “love” in shells. You can add your own names, date or short message in the beach sand for a unique print:

 

Coming soon- this shot of a dead tree still standing on the seashore was taken at Lovers Key State Park in Florida. I saw a perfect opportunity to combine a tree that can be "carved" in, and a beach into one beautiful scene:

I hope you have a wonderful summer and get a chance to feel the sand in your toes!

Posted in beach art, personalized beach picture

Simple Tip for Better Pics

Posted on March 30, 2017 by April Lahti | 0 comments

Have you ever taken a picture of something beautiful- a scene, person or moment- and then looked at the result and thought “that doesn’t capture it at all!”? This simple tip will lead to dramatic results for your pictures:

Turn off your flash and use natural light whenever possible

Lighting is a huge part of what makes a good photo, but it's often overlooked because people are so focused on capturing the subject. As a result, they end up surrendering creative control of lighting to their camera. I definitely recommend avoiding use of your on-camera flash. The internal flash of cameras and phones tends to create unwanted shadows and dull-looking photos that have a flat quality. When photographing your subject indoors, try to pick a room that’s brightly lit by a window.

These two photos were taken in the same room. In the first one the subject was on the couch on the opposite side of the room from the window. The second photo was taken in the same room only a couple of moments later. All I did was move myself and my subject closer to the window and no flash was necessary. You can see how the quality of the image is better in the second photo. It captures the contours of her face better and makes the photo come alive. It has a much more natural quality. You can always try moving yourself or your subject to get a better lighting angle. You generally want the light to be shining on your subject (from an angle is nice to get those contours). The only exception to this would be when you want to get a silhouette. Then you simply place your subject in front of the light source. Try experimenting with lighting and angles of lighting to get different effects.

        

This same rule can apply for artificially lit situations. In the following example the camera recommended flash. There wasn’t much natural light coming into this huge building, but it was still decently lit by indoor lighting. The flash was completely inadequate in this large space.  The subjects were somewhat lit, but the background faded into darkness. For the second picture I turned off the flash, which made all the difference. The key was to take advantage of the artificial light in the building.

If there isn’t enough light to get a sharp picture, try increasing the ISO number. This makes your camera more sensitive to available light. If the photo still looks too dark, you can use your exposure compensation to brighten everything up.  I’ll be talking about ISO and exposure compensation in future blog posts.

Posted in lighting tips, photo tips, photography tips, portrait photography

The Roots of Tree Carving

Posted on March 15, 2017 by April Lahti | 0 comments

For hundreds of years, people have been carving names, dates, and even pictures into trees. Not many records of ancient tree carvings have been found because the carvings usually only last as long as the life span of that particular tree.

Carvings like these are known as arborglyphs, and many were created on the bark of aspen trees, which was ideal because it could be scratched even with just a fingernail. Most aspens live to around 100 years, so relics older than that are quite rare.


Many tree carvings were romantic gestures of love, usually with initials or names, dates, and sometimes hearts. Many people would carve a message into a tree as a symbol of everlasting love, and visit it in years to come. Carving sweet messages into trees for loved ones is still common to do today.

 

Not every arborglyph was a message of love. Some, like this one carved in 1964, were made by lonely immigrant Basque shepherds in the western United States. These sheep herders had a lonesome job that didn’t give them any chances to make contact with people; so they carved names, phrases, and pictures into trees to pass the time and make a record of themselves.  The Basque people carved many messages into trees when they were feeling miserable and lonely, such as “Hurrah for the sheepherders and those who have the guts to stay here.”

Photo taken in Idaho by Greg Harness.

Tree carvings can even tell the stories of soldiers. Messages from WWII soldiers, for example, have been found carved into trees from the places they traveled to. The soldiers wanted to leave something permanent behind, in case they did not come back from the war. The messages on the trees were often of religious script, their own names, dates, or the names of their loved ones. The carvings done by soldiers can reveal a lot about what they were thinking and feeling during the war. Chantel Summerfield studied the effects of WWII on the soldiers, and how they communicated their feelings through tree carvings. Read more about her research here.

 

The tradition of tree carving is one that has stuck around, and will probably continue to do so. However, cutting into trees can lead to disturbing of the tree’s flow of nutrients that it needs to survive. Below the layer of bark there are cells in the tree that help the tree grow and stay healthy, and destruction of those cells could harm the tree. At Picture It Personal, we preserve your thoughtful sentiments without damaging the trees; every letter and number is digitally created by hand.  If you’re thinking of carving a tree as a romantic gesture, please visit our tree collection for a great alternative- a realistic digital “carving” which you can enjoy throughout the year. We hope to see you soon at Picture It Personal!

Posted in arboglyph, tree carving history

8 Ways to Use Leaves as Portrait Props

Posted on October 02, 2016 by April Lahti | 0 comments

In my part of the world the autumn season brings with it an explosion of color and many photo opportunities. Not only is it a great time to capture nature’s beauty, but it’s also a perfect time to get some very unique portraits. I’m focusing specifically on leaves in this post and I’ve gathered some fun and creative ideas from around the web on how to use these natural beauties in your photography this fall.

1. Even the youngest of subjects seem to be fascinated by the colors and textures of fall leaves.  Try laying your babies down in the leaves and watch their eyes light up:

2. The belly pose is always a cute shot for kids.  Try getting several kids in a leaf pile together- it will surely bring out those smiles (OK my son's smile is a little fake- he didn't like being sandwiched between his sister and cousin)!

3. Here’s another great angle for littles in the leaves (photo by Dan Zen):

4. Another no fail plan for a great natural shot is to have kids throw  leaves into the air- no forced smiles here (photo by Seth Lemmons)!

5. Once you make sure there isn’t anything nasty or sharp in your freshly raked leaf pile, get some shots of the kids jumping in (photo by Patrick):

6. Use leaves in a portrait to replace the traditional bouquet (photo by Vladimir Pustovit):

7.  Autumn is a great time for family portraits too.  The leaves can provide a stunning backdrop for any family photo:

8. And don't forget to use the colorful boughs to frame your family shots:

If you have other ideas for how to use the autumn leaves as portrait props, please share in the comments below. Enjoy your fall!

Posted in autumn photography, fall photography, portrait photography

Spring Flower Discoveries at Wonder Lake

Posted on June 04, 2016 by April Lahti | 0 comments

One of my favorite places to hike on earth happens to be very close to where I live.  It's a magical little spot called Wonder Lake State Park in Putnam County, New York. 

There are 1133 acres and 9 miles of trails to explore (and of course hunt for new pictures I can personalize for you!). There are many things I love about this place; including the grass-covered understory, the mystery of climbing up in elevation and then discovering a lake (is this why it's called Wonder Lake?), the bird life (we saw the Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush, American Redstart, Rufous-Sided Towhee, Pileated Woodpecker and many more), and the  diversity of plant life.  Not only are there many different species of coniferous and deciduous trees, but there were beautiful little spring wildflowers everywhere.  Here are some of the gems you can expect to see here if you visit in late May.

 

Wild Geranium (this was lining the trail in many places):

 

Jack-in-the-pulpit:

 

Star-of-Bethlehem (lily flowers that open in sun only):

 

Celandine (in the poppy family):

 

Starflower (a member of the primrose family:

 

And my favorite of the day, Wild Columbine:

 

If you are ever in this area of the world I would highly recommend a visit to Wonder Lake State Park!

 

Posted in hiking in NY, Spring wildflowers, wildflowers