For today’s blog post, I wanted to give you all some sources of inspiration for wall decor ideas.  Now even though I am a male, I still like to flex my decorative muscles now and then.  However I admittedly don’t scour the net for ideas to beautify my walls, so I decided to reach [...]]]>  

For today’s blog post, I wanted to give you all some sources of inspiration for wall decor ideas.  Now even though I am a male, I still like to flex my decorative muscles now and then.  However I admittedly don’t scour the net for ideas to beautify my walls, so I decided to reach out and enlist the help of one of our more creative and decorative Fracture fans to help me out (shout out to our friends at Lauren McKinsey), and we came up with a few websites that have some great wall decor ideas.  Enjoy

Pinterest
Pinterest in general is a great place to find inspiration of all sorts.  For anyone that does not know, Pinterest is an online pinboard that let’s you share all of the cool stuff you find online.  From recipes, to fashion, to great photography and inspiration of all sorts, the growing Pinterest community provides no shortage of interesting material.  I’ve found Pinterest particularly useful for following the latest trends in photo and wall decor.  Simply typing in “wall decor” to the search bar yields tons of results, all with something interesting to offer.  Here’s one board in particular that I frequent to see wall art templates and designs.  Use these to come up with arrangements that suit your home, and then pick up some Fractures to fill it out (I’m just sayin).

Apartment Therapy
We’ve always been fans of what the folks over at Apartment Therapy are up to, as they always have pieces of decor inspiration for all types of styles and preferences.  Browse their site to see great examples of decorating in small spaces, green decorating, decorating on a budget, and a host of other things.  Here are two posts in particular that have some great wall decor ideas:
Best of Wall Decoration: Framing & Arrangement Ideas
10 DIY Wall Art Ideas That Anyone Can Do

The Inspired Room

I was just introduced to The Inspired Room, and I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen.  The creator of the site, Melissa, admits to being DIY challenged, so her projects are all simple and within the realm of possibility for people who don’t consider themselves DIY superstars.  She posts tons of photos and helps walk you through projects.  You can check out her website here.

So what blogs, boards, forums, magazines, etc do you check out for design inspiration?  Feel free to leave a comment with a link, and help spread the love.

This week was a big one for the digital camera industry.  I’m not talking about DSLRs or smart phone cameras, but those point and shoots that we used to all carry around but are rarely used or talked about these days.  Seems like companies are realizing that it’s not enough for cameras to just [...]]]>  

This week was a big one for the digital camera industry.  I’m not talking about DSLRs or smart phone cameras, but those point and shoots that we used to all carry around but are rarely used or talked about these days.  Seems like companies are realizing that it’s not enough for cameras to just take photos anymore, they need to join the party and get connected.

Polaroid announced that they have created a “smart camera” that allows you to instantly share images you snap on the device.  The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera lets you upload, tag, and share your photos directly from the camera to your favorite social networks.  The camera is powered by android and has built in wireless capabilities to make social sharing a reality.

Similarly, Kodak recently announced that they were releasing two cameras that were integrated with Facebook to allow for instant sharing.  The Kodak Easyshare M750 and the Kodak Playful Dual Camera do all the fancy things you expect out of your digital camera, but then have the added bonus of instant Facebook sharing, emailing, and posting to Youtube.

What you’re seeing is a move from these major camera developers to create equipment with similar specs and functionality to the smart phones that have moved in on their turf.  With the iPhone 4s being the second most popular camera used on Flickr (second only to the iPhone 4), it’s no surprise that point and shoot manufacturers are pushing to create cameras that do all some of the things our phones are now easily capable of.

I’m curious though, are integration and share features going to make you look to a point and shoot again?  Or have smart phone developers set the bar so high with their devices seemingly endless capabilities and frequent enhancements, that Kodak, Polaroid, and others in the game will have to come with some serious innovations to get you loving them again?

Me, I’m still using an LG Rumor 2 circa 2009…..but I’m accepting old iPhone 4 donations!  (please send to 110 SW 6th St., Gainesville Fl, 32601 )

Sources for feature image:

1,2,3

The concept of aspect ratio is something that some people are familiar with, but many don’t fully understand.  We think aspect ratio is super important (especially since our sizing system has everything to do with aspect ratio), and we’d like to shed some light on the topic.  In the next few paragraphs we’ll attempt [...]]]>  

The concept of aspect ratio is something that some people are familiar with, but many don’t fully understand.  We think aspect ratio is super important (especially since our sizing system has everything to do with aspect ratio), and we’d like to shed some light on the topic.  In the next few paragraphs we’ll attempt to explain aspect ratio and make it a not so foreign concept.

The term “aspect ratio” basically refers to the relationship of two sides of a rectangle.  All digital cameras create rectangle images (a square can be considered a rectangle), therefore all digital cameras have aspect ratios.  The term does not refer to the exact measurements of the rectangle sides, but rather how the sides compare to one another.  The two most common aspect ratios for digital photography are 4:3 (used by most point and shoot cameras) and 3:2 (used by most DSLR cameras).

Here’s an example of an image in 4:3 aspect ratio (four units wide and three units tall, could also be portrait orientation).

And here’s an example of an image in 3:2 aspect ratio (three units wide and two units tall, could also be portrait orientation).

An example of photo print sizes that are 4:3 aspect ratio are: 6×8 inches, 9×12, 12×16.  Notice that these are not your standard photo print sizes (think about the last time you went to find frames for a picture, did you see those sizes?).  Examples of photo sizes that are in 3:2 aspect ratio would be: 4×6, 6×9, and 10×15.  Again, with the exception of 4×6, these are not your typical photo print sizes.

Math time!  To demonstrate that all of the sizes within a certain aspect ratio have the same relationship, lets do some quick division with 4:3 sizes.

3÷4 = .75….so the shorter side is 75% the size of the larger side

Now let’s do the same division to our examples of 4:3 sizes…

6÷8 = .75

9÷12= .75

12÷16 = .75

…you can see that all sizes that are 4:3 aspect ratio have the same size relationship!  Pretty cool huh

Head to a print lab, and you’ll probably see these photo size options displayed: 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 11×14, 16×20 and so on.  Most people are familiar with these sizes, and it’s pretty easy find frames to fit them.  The only problem is that your typical digital camera does not produce images in these aspect ratios, and therefore you will need to crop (cut off) part of your image to make them fit.  That can be particularly time consuming if you want a single image in multiple sizes, and I’ll explain why below.

Here’s what the above sizes translate to in aspect ratio:

4×6 … 3:2
5×7 … 7:5
8×10 … 5:4
11×14 … 1:1.3
16×20 … 5:4

And here’s an illustration that shows how different aspect ratios relate to one another.

Here lies the issue: if you’re shooting with a standard point and shoot camera that has a 4:3 aspect ratio, you would have to crop your photo for each separate frame size.  Shooting with a 3:2 DSLR presents the same dilemma.  Why these photo frame sizes are considered industry standard, I do not know (though I’m sure there’s an explanation for it), but at Fracture we thought this did not make much sense.

If you have ever purchased a Fracture, I’m sure there was one thing in particular that stood out….all of our sizes are measured by the diagonal.  Similar to tv’s or computer screens, we measure the size of a Fracture by the length from corner to corner instead of length by width.  So you can purchase an 8″ Fracture, 10″, 12″, and so on, as opposed to a 4×6, 5×7, etc.

We did this precisely for the reasons demonstrated above, the aspect ratio of your typical point and shoot digital camera does not match those of traditional frame sizes.  We wanted to make the ordering process as simple and pain free as possible, so we devised a sizing system that meant that the majority of digital camera owners never had to crop their images to have them fractured.  That was important to us because we want to make the transition from your camera to your wall as seamless as possible.

Each Fracture size, whether it’s our 8″ or 18″,  is in 4:3 ratio.  Go ahead, do the math (8″ Fracture has a print dimension of 4.8×6.4 inches…..4.8÷6.4 = .75…..the magical 4:3 relationship!).  So that means that no matter what standard Fracture size you’re ordering, you will never have to crop your image to make it fit.  We did that to make the fracturing process as simple as possible.  Some of you DSLR users may be getting a bit annoyed that our sizes only reflect 4:3 aspect ratio, but have no fear because we’re developing a sizing system for your photos as well.  We want to be able to cater to photographers of all types, using all sorts of equipment, and we’re working towards that goal.

So I hope that this article helped shed some light on the mystery of aspect ratios.  When it comes down to it, it’s not all that tough: aspect ratio describes a size relationship, each camera shoots in a particular aspect ratio, and each aspect ratio can have photo print size that matches it.  So next time you go camera shopping, take a second to think about whether you will be wanting to print your digital images (and at what size), it might effect the camera you decide to bring home.

Happy shooting

Having creative control over your digital photos begins with an understanding of how your camera interacts with light.  Exposure has to do with how bright or dark your photo is, and is controlled by three main settings on your camera: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

ISO – measures the cameras sensitivity to light.

Aperture [...]]]>  

Having creative control over your digital photos begins with an understanding of how your camera interacts with light.  Exposure has to do with how bright or dark your photo is, and is controlled by three main settings on your camera: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

ISO – measures the cameras sensitivity to light.

Aperture – the size of the opening in the camera’s lens.

Shutter Speed – the length of time the camera’s shutter is open.

This trifecta is also known as “the exposure triangle”, and understanding how the elements work by themselves and together will allow you to better predict the outcome of a photo.  Using the manual settings on your camera gives you control over these settings, and becoming familiar with them is the first step to better photographs.  Let’s break each element down further.

ISO

Refers to how sensitive the camera’s image sensors are to light.  Generally speaking, the lower the cameras ISO setting the less sensitive it is to light; the higher the ISO setting the more sensitive it is to light.  You will want to use a lower ISO setting for shots in brightly lit places, such as sunny days outdoors.  And conversely, you’ll use a higher ISO setting for shots in dimly lit places, like a restaurant or concert.  One thing to remember is that shooting with a high ISO setting increases the noise in the photo (tiny, grainy specs that appear throughout the picture).  Depending on the photo, you can compensate for a higher ISO by increasing aperture and shutter speed (does not apply to all scenarios though, such as shooting without a tripod).

Here is an example of a photograph shot in low light with a high ISO setting (1600).

From the folks at Digital Photography School, here is a comparison shot of two images taken at different ISO settings.  The flower on the left was shot at an ISO of 100, and the flower on the right was shot at an ISO of 3200.  Notice that the high ISO shot is both brighter and more colorful, but it also has more noise (graininess) than the low ISO shot.

Aperture

Refers to the size of the lens opening, which controls how much light is allowed to enter the lens.  The larger the opening the more light is let in, the smaller the opening the less light.  Now for something a little less straightforward, aperture is measured in f-stops (f/number) where the smaller the f-stop the larger the aperture, and vice versa.  So f/4 (large aperture) lets in more light than f/22 (small aperture).  Personally, this caused me a good deal of confusion, but practicing and playing with the settings helps you get used to this.

Aperture also helps to control depth of field (DOF), which is the area in a photo that is sharp and in focus.  You’ve seen photos like this, where one element will be in sharp and crisp (such as a bug on a leaf), and the rest of the photo is blurry.  This is an example of DOF.  Generally a higher f/stop (smaller aperture) means a larger depth of field, in which more elements of the image will be in focus.  A lower f/stop (higher aperture) means a more shallow depth of field, with some areas in sharp focus and others not.  Here’s something that helped me remember: big number equals larger DOF; small number equals smaller DOF.

 Notice how the elements in both the foreground and background are in sharp focus.  This is an example of a large depth of field.

 In this shot, notice how only the elements in the foreground are in focus while the background is blurred.  This is an example of narrow depth of field.

Shutter Speed

Shutter speed refers to the amount of time the camera’s sensor is exposed to the scene you’re shooting.  Shutter speed is measured in seconds (1, 2, 3, etc) and fractions of a second (1/10, 1/30, 1/60, etc).  Bringing it back to elementary school math, remember that 1/10 is slower than 1/100!

Faster shutter speeds are great for capturing scenes in fast motion, such as a sprinter or a car race.  Slower shutter speeds are used in low light situations (need to allow more light to hit the sensor), used to capture motion blur (such as the flow of water down a waterfall), and for other cool effects such as light painting.  When shooting in lower shutter speeds (generally anything less than 1/60) it’s a good idea to use a tripod to prevent camera shake.

Here is an example of a photo taken with a faster shutter speed.  This allows for the shooter to capture scenes moving in fast motion, in sharp detail with no blur.

Here is an example of a photo taken at a slower shutter speed.  Notice how the lights on the ferris wheel have blurred together because of the increased time the shutter was open.  This photo was most likely taken with a tripod as well, to prevent the effects of camera shake.

The trick to the exposure triangle is realizing that none of the three elements act independently – changing one normally means an adjustment of another.  It might seem like a lot at first, but I promise it’s gets easier to control the more you practice.  So grab your gear, take your camera off of auto mode, and go have some fun!

Follow up: from our friend Jesse Lash, I found this great poster that pretty much sums up all of the above.  Enjoy : )

Sources for feature image:

1, 2, 3

To round out our list, we wanted to give you some inspiration:

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A Fracture has tons of uses for businesses big and small.  Here are a few:

Fracture has your graduation covered!  We can fracture your graduation photos, your graduation invitations and announcements, and even your diploma.  Don’t spend hundreds putting your diploma in a out dated frame, Fracture a copy and keep the original for yourself.  Now everyone can enjoy your accomplishment!  Give us a call and let [...]]]>

Fracture has your graduation covered!  We can fracture your graduation photos, your graduation invitations and announcements, and even your diploma.  Don’t spend hundreds putting your diploma in a out dated frame, Fracture a copy and keep the original for yourself.  Now everyone can enjoy your accomplishment!  Give us a call and let us help you hold onto your graduation memories.

FractureMe.com

Custom prints from Fracture are the perfect way to add a personal touch to a bar or bat mitzvah celebration.  From personal signing boards, to event announcements, to invitations, and of course professional photos, Fractures can be used for a number of things in your bar or bat mitzvah.  Let us take care of [...]]]>  

Custom prints from Fracture are the perfect way to add a personal touch to a bar or bat mitzvah celebration.  From personal signing boards, to event announcements, to invitations, and of course professional photos, Fractures can be used for a number of things in your bar or bat mitzvah.  Let us take care of the hard work while you get back to the party : )

FractureMe.com

Wedding stationary from Fracture is a great way to add a contemporary elegance to your special day, without breaking the bank.  From wedding announcements and save the date prints, to wedding invitations and name placeholders, even signing boards that let the guests leave their well wishes, Fracture covers all of that.  Let [...]]]>

Wedding stationary from Fracture is a great way to add a contemporary elegance to your special day, without breaking the bank.  From wedding announcements and save the date prints, to wedding invitations and name placeholders, even signing boards that let the guests leave their well wishes, Fracture covers all of that.  Let us help you create unique and personalized stationary for your wedding and reception.

Fracture + wedding = match made in heaven : )

FractureMe.com