Remember Geoff Miller, who won the recent Photowalks backpack giveaway with Nomatic?
Geoff told me about a postcard photo project he was working on, and sent an example. “Thank you for your work with PhotowalksTV,” he writes. “You motivate and inspire me to get out there and shoot.”
In turn Geoff, your fantastic looking postcards inspire me and hopefully all of us to get a whole bunch made. What an incredible idea. Showing your images on the printed page, not on a screen. Showcasing your work in a way that really stands out. They sure do pop this way.
Postcarding “is a great way to share your favorite photos from a trip or give new life to an old photo, one that is collecting dust on your computer hard drive!” Geoff notes.
I love sharing great ideas from readers with the rest of the Photowalks community. Because who wouldn’t like seeing something arrive in the mail that’s not a bill or mass-produced sales flyer? Just like chocolate bars and ice cream cones, everybody loves getting a postcard of a photo. Wish you were here, right?
Here’s how Geoff does it.
There are several companies out there who offer such services, most notably Moo, a company that makes custom business cards and postcards. I tried it out, but the creation tools were a bear—I had to download a Photoshop template and make the card in Photoshop, a software program I live on, but many of you may not want to pay $10 to $20 a month to subscribe to it. Plus, who wants to take that extra step? Not me.
The usual suspects, including Shutterfly, VistaPrint and even the local Walgreen’s also offer the services.
Geoff uses Zazzle, a firm that has been around for quite some time for custom made posters, shirts, hats and even postcards.
The cost is all of $1.20 or so to get one custom postcard from your photo. That’s crazy cheap! (Walgreen’s is twice the cost, Mypostcard.com is three times more than Zazzle) You create them, they send them to you, and you personalize the back of the card and send them out from home.
I picked up a bunch, using the “Create Your Own Single Photo Gallery White Border” design (single photo, no frills, thank you) and ordered 11 cards for about $25.
To make them, I had to fish through templates, found the one that allowed me to custom add my own image without anything distracting on the page, uploaded the photo, inserted it, and did the order. It was that easy. And no Photoshop template needed either!
But the dollars did add up quickly when taxes and shipping was added.
Geoff subscribes to the Zazzle Plus subscription program, which offers free shipping for $19.99 yearly. “Just want to print one postcard? Go ahead, the shipping will be free!” he says.
I’ll be back to report to you on how the postcards look when they arrive. Geoff’s are fantastic, with bright, bold colors and stylish enough to be on a rack at the local card shop.
Thanks again Geoff for filling us in!
Readers: are you Postcarders? Where do you get them made? Please tell.
We discount the importance of Selfies
I think we often don’t realize just how insanely popular the selfie shot is.
This week I was in Santa Barbara, atop the County Courthouse 4th story tower that could also be called “Selfie Heaven.” I watched three women struggling to position themselves into the frame and get their selfie made, so I walked over and offered to take the shot for them.
One of the women balked, and stormed out of the shot. “I don’t want a photo, I want a selfie,” she said.
OK, point taken. I handed the phone back, and walked away.
That’s the look! The world has changed.
This week Snap, which makes the Snapchat app, announced that 1 trillion selfies had been made with the Snapchat app in the last year. It’s “a testament to how our global community of over 930 million use our camera to communicate, play, and feel closer together.” the company said.
Apple recently cited a figure of 500 billion selfies snapped on the iPhone in a year’s time. The numbers for both sound awfully high, but there’s no doubt that more people than not are snapping away with their arms extended.
Of all the cool new features that Apple is citing in trying to convince the public to ditch their perfectly usable iPhone in place of a shiny new one, I think it’s the Selfie feature that will resonate the most with consumers.
The cameras on the new iPhones (17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air) all have higher resolution front cameras, at 18 megapixel, up from 12, and a new square sensor that will automatically expand the frame when it senses a larger crowd in the shot. How many times have you taken a selfie and wished you could have a wider view? I’m in that camp.
I’ll have more on the Selfie cam with real world results in Sunday’s newsletter.
My Beverly Hills Palm Tree Shot
A few years ago I wanted to get a great shot of the iconic Beverly Hills palm trees, and to do it right, I laid down on the sidewalk of Beverly Blvd. and looked up while my wife Ruth patiently got a shot of me in action.
Now, apparently, the trend has really taken off, except this time, photographers are laying in the middle of the street instead. You know, the one Ferraris, Mercedes and Rolls-Royces drive up and down. You’ve got to see this video of the crazies in Beverly Hills. Anything for the `gram!
The Most Dangerous Place for Selfie Shots
Meanwhile, if you thought Beverly Blvd. wasn’t a safe place to be perfecting your Selfie, our friends at PetaPixel have the latest on the locales with the most selfie accidents. No. 1 is India, followed by the United States, Russia, Pakistan and Australia.
PetaPixel links to a report from TimeOut, which showed 42% of selfie-related incidents from 2014 to 2025, 214 total deaths and 57 injuries. The U.S. had 45 total casualties (37 deaths, 8 injuries) with 19 in Russia, 16 in Pakistan and 13 in Australia.
“While far below India’s tally, these numbers highlight a global trend: tourists and thrill-seekers alike putting themselves in harm’s way for likes,” notes TimeOut, which notes that falls are the biggest issue, making up nearly half of all selfie-related fatalities.
“From rooftops to cliff edges, one wrong step has proven fatal time and again….It’s a sobering reminder that the perfect shot isn’t worth your life.”
Agreed. But I’ll still lay down on Beverly (Blvd.) for the shot—as long as it’s the sidewalk. Middle of the street? Only in the desert thanks.
Thanks as always for taking the time to watch, read and listen. Be careful out there! And thanks again Geoff for the tip. Readers: have photo hints to share with everyone? Let’s hear about them please!
Jeff