Why Canvas For Art and Photography?

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Today Canvas is the often the First Choice for Portrait and Scenic Art and Photography

  • Canvas Provides an Appealing Texture of Art/Painting
  • Canvas is Light and requires no Glass Protection
  • Inkjet Inks used to Print on Canvas are Far Longer Lasting than most Photo Processes
  • Canvas offers many Choices of Finishes, Mat, Semi-Gloss and Glossy
  • Canvas can be pulled around Stretcher Bars Like a Painting
  • Canvas Printed around Stretcher Bars is called a Gallery Wrap and Can be hung as is!
  • Canvas can be framed for your personal decor.
  • High Resolution InkJet Printing on Canvas is Called a “Giclee” Print
  • Most Canvas Prints are sprayed with a Special Varnish to add Protection and Contrast to the Print.

All of us have Cherished Photographs of Family Members, Special Friends or Special Times. Just imagine showing Canvas Prints of your Favorite Photographs.

At Bluebonnet Memories we can transform your Photography into a Work of Art.

  • We use Epson and Canon Printers – Our largest can print up to 44″ on the short side
  • We capture images via Professional Scanning or High Resolution Photography
  • We Spray your Masterpiece with Glamor II Coating with HVLP Spray Guns
  • We Stretch your Canvas on Stretcher Bars or Mount on a Variety of Surfaces

Cooking with a Big Green Egg

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If you haven’t cooked on a Big Green Egg well then I suggest you just have not cooked.

The Big Green Egg is actually a version of a Japanese Komado Pot. It is indeed shaped like an egg and is made of thick ceramic.

Since it holds heat so well it takes very little fuel. The Big Green Egg uses Organic Charcoal that has on toxic substances like briquets.

You can smoke meats all day at low temperatures or Grill an amazing steak at 600 degrees in just a few minutes.

We can bake bread or a cake by handing a can from the top. Pizza are great on a Pizza stone.

You can learn more by going to their website at http://biggreenegg.com

 

I bought my first one on the Island of Guam in the mid 1960′s.

 

 

 

Two Filters You Must Carry

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Today many filters can be recreated in Post Processing Software such as Adobe Photoshop and others. The cost factor of better filters may be a determining factor. Having to carry extra gear may be another.

However two filters should always always be in your possession.

  • UV filter. Safety is the issue! It’s a lot cheaper to replace a UV Filter than a lens if you should drop one.
  • Circular Polorizer – This Filter can ofter darken and add contrast to sky shots. It also works to reduce glare when shooting thru water.

That said, some professionals refuse to use any filters for the reasons.

  • All filters reduce light. So you will have to adjust exposure accordingly.
  • All Filters a affect to quality of an image is some respect.

Why I use one or the other, never both!

  • UV Filter – It affects my image my little. I appreciate the safety it offers in protecting my lens.
  • Circular Polarizer – I use this filter especially shooting in bright sun. It makes clouds and sky look great. It is essential when shooting water shots. In essence it shoots thru the water to give you great visibility of fish, plants or reflection without glare. It’s also almost impossible to replicate in software.

I suggest you pack each filter for every size lens you intend to carry.

Wildflowers in Front of ColorDynamics in Allen TX

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ColorDynamics doesn’t only print dynamic colors, they “grow” dynamic colors.

Just a short drive North of Dallas in Allen Texas you can find a lovely display of Texas Wildflowers of magnificent colors.

If you love taking pics of Wildflowers you will enjoy this colorful display.

Just exit Hwy 75 (Central Expsy) and go East on Bethany in Allen, TX. about a half mile on the Right. If you get hungry go back West, cross 75, and find Waters Creek on you left. Enjoy yourself at The Cheesecake Factory, The Brio, Grimalidi’s Pizza, The Blue Fish, the Londoner and more great places. Waters Creek is a great venue for shopping a leisurely stroll.

Oh Yes! If you are taking pics try early morning or late in the day near sunset. Don’t forget your tripod. It will help you stop motion. North Texas usually has gusting winds in the Spring and a good tripod and cable release will help you to not add to the problem. Get down and shoot across the flowers. It will make them look much fuller.

Capturing Memories that Last

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Anyone can take a normal snap shot and many do just that. We all have photos that we find in the attic and have faded much as our memories. Some become important milestones in someones life. But most capture little that excites our interest.

How much better to hone the skill of capturing emotion, candid glances into a persons soul. Maybe the picture tells of a day in time that captures both the beauty of the moment as well as the heart of our subject. Maybe the composition catches the special event in a special way, an interesting angle or a unique use of light. The awareness of the world in which the image was taken if often forgot. Our memories may need a connection to a meaning event or experience.

How many photos are left with out notations of who is in the photograph, the date and location of the event.

Good photographs tell stories and are created by the mind of the creative photographer. Good photographs seldom just happen. They are a developed skill and carefully planned. Anyone can be lucky but a good photographer succeeds often. “Awareness” is a great tool. Be on the lookout true emotion! Be thinking of a pleasant and unique way of capture a great image.

Go to galleries, read books, check out photographs in magazines and journals. All in all, think and plan and be looking for says to capture the heart! It makes a difference.

Photographs on Canvas

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Canvas has an amazing texture the spells “Painting”. A Photograph on Canvas offers a special contrast to everyday photo papers.

A Gallery Wrap Giclee’ Print wraps around stretcher bars and can be hung as is or placed into a frame that enhances any decor.

We all have favorite photographs that Canvas will bring instant attention and enjoyment to. Bluebonnet Memories can turn your favorite photos into a work of art that you, friends and family can cherish for a lifetime!

We can print as small as 8″X8″ to 40″x 80″ or even longer. So let us know how we can bring Memories to Life with Canvas.

Flower Photography

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The beauty around me is always amazing when  I take the time to notice and enjoy it. Flowers are always a joy and one if our favorite subjects. Colors, Contrasts and Textures are always present. Springtime always brings a special time for new colorful growth. The lovely Tulip is provides a wonderful c0ntrast to the stark Winter colors.

There are so many ways to photograph flowers. What awesome ways we can capture the beauty of plants and flowers. A short trip to a local botanical garden can yield great opportunities for close up and landscape images.

Often there are great opportunities to include sculpture, rustic buildings, hills, paths and other delights that can enhance our photographic experience.

On close up shots we can open our lens with a small stop say f4 or so. This will blur our background and highlight our subject. Shots covering a large area or landscape will require a smaller lens opening using a large fstop number like f12 or f14. Remember the the fStop number is inverse to the opening of the lens. Point and Shoot cameras will have a flower icon for flowers and a landscape icon for far pictures covering a wide area.

Getting an unusual angle will often enhance the photo. Often I will shoot close ups near eye level. Large areas of flowers may seem fuller and richer if taken across the area near the ground.

I cannot emphasize how important a good tripod is in getting sharp flower pictures. Look for one that does NOT tie the legs together. Legs need to go nearly flat for ground level shooting.

We could write a book on flower shooting but this little bit might get you thinking a bit outside the box. So go out and take some super flower photos!

 

River City Grille – Marble Falls, TX

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The River City Grill is one of our favorite places to eat and relax. We can eat outside in one of their patios over looking beautiful Lake Marble Falls. Inside, the River City Grille’s rustic atmosphere brings back pleasant memories of yesteryear.

After a dinner of steak, seafood or amazing burgers, you must try their signature warm carrot cake! You will go back for more!

For Photographers there are many scenic areas around such as view of Lake Buchanan and under the bridge in Hwy 121 so don’t forget your camera.

Find additional attractions on the Mable Falls Chamber site at http://marblefalls.org/attractions.

Bluebonnet Sightings in Texas

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So far we have not seen a great expanse of bluebonnets here in North Texas. Even in the Hill Country the sightings are small patches. We are not likely to see the bluebonnets as we did last year thanks to our climate

The climate was not as encouraging for the growth of bluebonnets as last year. However, there will be wonderful patches of bluebonnets in artsy and scenic settings. We just have to look a bit harder but the search will be more than worth our efforts.

The season is beginning so lets enjoy our State Wildflower, the Amazing Bluebonnet. Along the way we will enjoy the other wildflowers that our State is also know for! Lets contemplate  the beauty of Indian PaintBrushes, Indian Blankets, Butter Cups, Flowering Cactus, Phlox and many other wildflowers that our State is known for.

Happy Hunting!

 

Gardening and Photography – A Wonderful Compliment

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Being outdoor and scenic photographers we love beauty. And that beauty can be as close as our garden. Flowers both domestic and wild plants are our subjects and objects of great enjoyment for us. I’ve included a couple photographs around our place.

Of Course we love to travel all over our great United States and across the oceans. Our major focus is the beauty of nature.  Since flowers are a passion for us, I have included a few of these for your enjoyment.

Our desire is two fold. If you aren’t already taken with the “photobug” we would like to encourage you to enjoy this very complimentary hobby. Second, we are always ready to capture the beauty of gardens. If you have a beautiful garden please let us know if you would let us capture your garden in our lenses. We would be happy to share those wonderful images with you. Our free service is to provide electronic images for you. At a modest cost we can print on photo paper, canvas or even in personal books for your coffee table.

Simply let know us of your desires.