Pittsburgh Newborn Family Photographer | Artsy Couture Canvas Deconstruction & Review

There are a lot of choices when it comes to products for my clients.  I generally sell canvas or framed fine art wall portraits, as well as archival custom photo albums, and have shopped a number of products to find the very best in quality for my clients. In a canvas printer I am looking for, above all, extremely high image quality--sharp image and accurate color tones.  I am very actively involved in assuring my colors and tones are accurate by using the X-rite "Passport" color checker when I am shooting and editing and a Spyder to calibrate my monitor.  I double-check compatibility with each of the vendors that I work with to make sure I will get consistent, accurate color in my products. For those of you unfamiliar with how this works, what I am talking about is making sure that the color and brightness settings on my monitor are set to look like what I will get from my print labs so that I don't get skin tones that are too orange, green, dark, bright, etc. Secondly I am looking for solid, archival construction.  I want my canvas wrapped around wood with quality hanging hardware and bumpers.  NO CARDBOARD.  Just no. I was using a canvas printer that I liked very much for a few years when I suddenly started having color issues back in October 2013.  I had been hearing so much about Artsy Couture, and their prices were less than my printer at the time, so I tried them out.  What I received from them was what appeared to be a well constructed, solid canvas, but the colors were way off--super orange.  Their customer service was amazing--friendly & prompt--and they sent out a new canvas that was better but still not the color & sharpness I am seeing from the pro labs I usually work with. I ended up taking a loss on that order and paying to have my client's order printed at another lab (the one I am currently using). I went to the Artsy booth at Imaging USA earlier this week and was very impressed with the quality of their products, their cute booth, and their friendly staff.  I was told that they were having short-lived color issues at the time of my order and that I should try again.  I was also told that the canvases are stretched around wood, which really surprised me because I figured it was some sort of super rigid cardboard given they cost a small fraction of the pro lab canvas wraps. Upon returning home I decided to dig up that old canvas--the one I received with color issues, and deconstruct it!  Here is what I found...                       My overall recommendation is that Artsy "Couture Canvas" is a good option for budget photographers or for consumers who are not willing to pay literally 3x the price at a pro lab.  I do intend to give them another…

Curns Family | Holiday Card Designs | Portland Family Photographer

I did this fall portrait shoot with the Curns family from Portland, Oregon last weekend.  Baby Bodhi is 10 months old and has been walking already for a month!  He's keeping all the other babies on their toes... so to speak. I love the way their portraits came out and I did a nice clean edit on them for a crisp, clean, fresh quality to the session.  I loved doing these pictures in Laurelhurst Park and will definitely use that location again and again--it is so versatile and beautiful!  I put some of the photos from their session on these holiday cards... which is your favorite design?    

Could this be the Timko 2011 holiday card design??

I love this holiday card, but I have several other favorites as well! I have been spending a lot of time getting adorable designs together for you all : ) My last mini session date for 2011 holiday photo cards is October 23, call me soon if you want to book a time slot for that date.  If you would like cards printed by early December, you will need to have your family or baby portrait done by mid-November, and I only have a handful of sessions open before then.  Call or email me asap... don't end up sending out a Valentine's day family portrait card because you never got around to it!  I can also make your card if you have had a portrait session with me in the last few months--please place design orders by Thanksgiving.  missy@powderbluephoto.com