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Scrapping Portraits
Ramie Ahlstrom - Scrapping Deck Cruise DirectorMost people hang their children's portraits on the wall in nice wood frames. Some people file them in photo albums with their other photos from the year. Others, usually paper scrappers, keep an entire scrapbook just for portraits. And some, do all of the above! I am one of those "all of the above" types, and to add one more step, I've now started digitally scrapping them as well!
Ok, I know you're thinking that I'm nuts and probably a little overboard...and, you're right...but, I can't get enough of them!!! Now, mind you - I have not gone back and done any from before I started digitally scrapping. I'm only moving forward in this mission!
Because we are a military family, and live far from our family and close friends, we've adopted an unwritten policy that we only mail pictures and portraits home twice a year. Once is at the holidays, and once around my daughter's birthday. But, the mail often takes two to three weeks to get from us to our family and friends, and no one has the patience to wait! So, digital images (either from my camera or my scanner) are often sent via email to them long before they see a paper copy.
This year, when we had our daughter's second birthday portraits taken, I couldn't resist showing them off as soon as we got the printed copies in our hands. But, I didn't want to email just a portrait, so I spruced them up with some help from my digital scrapbooking supplies!
Here's one I did with some very basic embellishments: a photo mat, tag, ribbon and text.
Most photographers or portrait studios have the ability to add filters to your portraits to change the look of them. They charge an arm and leg for some of these options, and while they often produce fantastic results, they are sometimes unrealistically expensive. Our local photographer charges $22 per photo for filters added. In one portrait session, this can add up to hundreds of dollars very quickly.
But, with the help of some photo editing software, you can recreate this look at home for next to nothing (and you can reuse the software many times, and for many other things!). Here's a layout that I used the OptiKVerve Labs Virtual Photographer filter on.
To read more about the Virtual Photographer filters, see my November article.
Because all of these photos were taken the same day, there's no need to add the date to each one. On this one, I simply framed the enlarged photo, added a "chipboard" number 2 and the word "age".
To spruce up the next page, I added a metal frame from a digital scrapping kit. I think, coupled with a piece of ribbon, "stamped" letters and some fake flowers, it adds a timeless feel to this page.
For my last page, and personal favorite, I used another Virtual Photographer filter, as well as a grungy overlay to give my photo an aged feel. I used three different patterned backgrounds and layered them with shadows to create the background of the layout. To create the ribbon for the left side of the page, I copied a small portion of the striped background, lowered the opacity, and then added a black edge to it using the Edit > Stroke function.
Now, I know you're still thinking I'm nuts for using these portraits in so many ways. That's ok……being nuts isn't all that bad!!!!
I hope this month's edition of SS Reflections has warmed you up a bit! Be sure to keep your coats on---Antarctica is our coldest port yet!
Happy Holidays!
Ramie Ahlstrom
ramieahlstrom@ssreflections.com
Scrapping Deck Cruise Director
Reflections Publishing Group, LLC
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