Pictures To Canvas: Easy Canvas Prints

A while back, I was contacted by the folks at Easy Canvas Prints and asked if I would be interested in receiving a canvas of one of my photos in exchange for reviewing the canvas. I took a look at their website just to assure myself it wasn't some sham deal. Once I was satisfied the company was legit, I agreed to their offer. If you know me at all, you know I call things the way I seem them. Yes, Easy Canvas Prints sent me a free canvas for review purposes. No, they did not see my review ahead of time. Just because something is free doesn't mean I will recommend it. Free crap is still crap, it's just free.


Fortunately, the canvas I received from Easy Canvas Prints was about as far from being crap as something can get! I was very impressed and pleased with the canvas and everyone I have shown it to has also been impressed. My initial thought was to use one of my hunting or fishing photos. At the last minute, I changed my mind and decided to use a picture of my brothers and I with our late grandfather. This was a fun picture to take and there was a lot of laughing going on between shots.

Getting a canvas made from one of your photos is very easy. You simply go to Easy Canvas Prints and upload your picture. It will even let you know if the photo is of sufficient resolution. Once the picture is uploaded, you can size it to fit within the frame size you have chosen and then pick from a variety of options. You can choose from a 0.75" or 1.5" border wrap. Border options include image wrap, mirror wrap, or a colored border. I chose the mirror wrap option on mine. As you can see from this next photo, the border mirrors everything adjacent to it.

Other options include color effects and retouching. Sizes range from 8x8 up to 30x40. You can see a complete list of sizes, prices, and options on the Pricing and Options page.


The canvas is well made and securely attached to the frame. The frame has no play in it whatsoever. The canvas itself has no wrinkles or loose spots. I've never had a canvas print before and I like the fact you can see the texture of the canvas up close, but when you step back, it looks just like a regular photo.

Overall, I am very happy with this product! I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but the folks at Easy Canvas Prints did a wonderful job! I'm glad I chose this particular photo because now I have another great reminder of my grandfather.


Despite the fact I received this canvas for free, if it had been substandard, I would not recommend it. I won't associate my name with garbage, free or not. However, I have no problem recommending this company if you are looking to have something like this done with your photos. I am very satisfied with their work.

4 Simple Tips For Great Outdoor Photos

How many of you have ever been disappointed with the photos of some exciting outdoor moment? I know I have. Whether it's a buck or other game animal you've tagged out on or a nice fish you just landed, you want some great photos to capture the moment. Too often the pictures we take as outdoorsmen and women end up being mediocre at best. And even if you are personally proficient with a camera, you've probably had someone else take photos of you that didn't turn out as well as you'd like.


I've had an interest in photography my entire life. I am by no means a pro, though. I might be a rank amateur on a good day. The upside to that is I've made many amateur mistakes and have used the lessons to improve my photos. I'm going to share four very simple tips that can make a dramatic difference in your pictures. They aren't secret and they aren't new. They are guaranteed to work.


1. Fill. The. Flippin'. Frame.
If there's one pet peeve I have with photos, this is it. It's disappointing to see a picture of a hunter or angler with their trophy and it looks like the photographer stood twenty feet away. Adding to the problem is the fact that most point and shoot cameras come standard with a wide angle lens. What you end up with is a lot of unnecessary background that takes away from your subject. Get up close and personal and fill the frame! 


Here's an example of not filling the frame with the subject. There's a lot of wasted space and the background is not the least bit interesting which just makes it worse. The subject is too far away to see any detail. When looking at game photos, people want to see nice close-up shots. This is a bad photo all the way around.

Here's a photo where the subject takes up most of the frame. The unnecessary background is eliminated and the subject is close enough to see details.

Filling the frame is very simple. The easiest way is to physically get close to your subject. The other way is to use the zoom. Don't make the mistake, though, of standing far away and then zooming way in. Point and shoot cameras typically rely on digital zoom past a certain point and then you start to lose sharpness. You can zoom a little bit to get the lens out of wide angle mode and then adjust your physical position until the subject is filling the frame. Before you snap the shutter, look in the viewfinder or at the display screen and really SEE how the photo is composed. If there's still unwanted space around your subject, tighten up some more until the frame is filled. And don't be afraid to turn the camera and take vertical photos. That will often fill the frame better. 


Here's another example of a bad shot. The subject is too far away and the photo is so dark you almost can't tell there's a fish in the picture. I'll talk about that in a bit. The background is nice, but that's not supposed to be the focal point of the photo. This picture would have been better if it was just a shot of the dam.

This is a properly filled frame. The subject is front and center getting all of the attention. There's no wasted space or distracting background. And you can see the details.

You say, but Brian, I want some of the nice looking scenery in my photos. There's nothing wrong with that. Just be sure to get the close-up shots as well. Filling the frame will greatly increase the interest factor of your pictures.


2. Your Focus Needs More Focus
This has been the bane of photographs since cameras were first invented. I don't care if you've shot the biggest buck on planet Earth, if the picture is out of focus you've got an unappealing photo. 


With the exception of professionals and avid amateurs, most folks rely strictly on auto-focus cameras. And, for the most part, auto-focus works pretty well, but it's not perfect. Many cameras focus and then lock when you push the shutter button halfway. Pushing it the rest of the way snaps your photo. If you push the shutter button too quickly it can prevent the camera from focusing properly. It's also possible for the camera's sensors to focus on something other than your subject. Take your time and make sure the camera is focused where you want it. Don't press the shutter button too hard because that often results in the camera moving and you getting a blurry shot. Image stabilization is not foolproof.


It's not always possible to tell by looking at a photo on the display screen if it's out of focus. It might look okay on your camera, but when you download it and view it actual size it becomes obvious. The easiest remedy is just to take several photos in case you do get one that isn't properly focused. Some cameras have settings that allow you to blur the background while keeping the subject in sharp focus. That really makes your pictures pop!


3. Flash. Flash. Flash. 
An often overlooked tool is the flash. Unless it's a low light situation, many people don't think to use it. A flash can do wonders for your photos even in broad daylight. Using the flash will eliminate pesky shadows and help brighten details. One common area that is often dark is the subject's face. This is especially true when the person is wearing a hat which is a common thing with outdoorsmen. The flash will banish the shadow caused by the hat brim and make the face stand out. 


This photo was taken without a flash. It's not so dark that you can't see, but the various shadows obscure some of the details and make for an overall darker photo. You can see the hat creates a shadow across the face.

This is the same scene, but taken with the flash. Notice how it brightens the overall photo and brings out more detail. You really notice it when looking at the turkey feathers.

The flash can sometimes create a wash-out effect so you may have to experiment with distance and angle to get the look you want. A dark photo isn't much better than a blurry one so don't forget this handy little tool even in broad daylight. 


4. Change It Up! 
They say variety is the spice of life. It applies to your pictures, too. Break the habit of taking half a dozen photos of the same pose from the same angle and calling it a day. If you mix it up a bit, you'll be amazed at some of the great shots you'll get. 


A common scene is the hunter posing next to his or her animal either sitting or kneeling behind it. The person taking the photos usually stands and snaps all the pictures from that one position. Learn to move. Kneel down and get on the same plane as the subject. Move to one side or the other and take some photos. Get shots of the subject holding the gun or bow and shots without it. Have the subject kneel or sit on both sides of the animal. Move the animal itself. Just use your imagination. Try to get a variety of poses and angles. This greatly reduces the chance of being disappointed because you took all the photos from the same spot and when viewed later at full size they weren't as good as you thought. 


Here's a typical game photo. It was shot straight on. It's a good close-up photo, but if you took all your pictures from this one angle you might be missing out.

Here's the same scene, but with one big difference - the buck's head is turned to offer a different angle. Notice how the tine length is more apparent in this picture than the first. You're getting a slightly different perspective and it works. As a side note, the buck's tongue is hanging out in the first picture as is often the case. For the second photo, it was put back in the mouth and I think that makes for a better shot. Hunters sometimes debate this among themselves and I'm not getting into it here. I pointed it out for the purpose of illustrating how minor changes can make a difference in your photos. Overall, this picture is better than the first, but you wouldn't know unless you changed it up.

The great thing about digital cameras is you can take numerous pictures, see the results instantly, and delete the ones you don't like. There's really no reason not to take lots of photos. One common exception would be in a fishing situation where you are releasing the fish. Obviously, you don't want to spend ten minutes shooting photos while the fish is suffocating. Even in a case like that you can still get great shots - you just have to be quicker. 


I applied these tips primarily to game photos for this post, but they will work in any situation - even at your next family reunion with cheek-squeezing Aunt Bertha and crass Uncle Bart. So to recap....


Fill. The. Flippin'. Frame.
Your Focus Needs More Focus
Flash. Flash. Flash.
Change It Up!

If you will pay attention to these four simple tips, I promise you will see great results. 

Seeing Is Believing: Photos

They say a photograph is worth 1,000 words. That's true with the photos I'm sharing here, but I'm going to add a few words just for good measure.

I took this first picture several years ago when my friend, Marc, and I were in the mountains of southeastern West Virginia. We were driving around in no man's land looking for access to a river we wanted to fish. While driving along a dirt road we came upon this sign posted on a tree next to a driveway.

Backwoods Warning

Needless to say, this sign gave us a bit of pause. No hunting and no trespassing signs are very common. No agent signs...not so much. What kind of agents were they referring to? Who knows. The fact that the sign was hand painted gave it a kind of "down home" feel. The little picture of the house or torture chamber in the corner gave it a nice touch. It appears there were some other warnings on the sign that had been painted over in white. Seeing this in the middle of nowhere filled us with visions of Deliverance. Despite the fact that we were not agents, we decided to snap a photo and look for river access elsewhere.

This next photo was taken by a friend of mine on his way to work one day. He saw this car in the lane next to him and happened to have his camera. I'm not sure how desperate you have to be to put an ATV on top of a sedan, but these people obviously decided they didn't need a truck or trailer.

We don't need no stinking trailer

Do you get 3 or 4 beefy guys to lift the four-wheeler onto the car? Do you use ramps? Or do you just drive it onto the car and hope for the best? The real genius here is securing the ATV in such a way that it won't slide off. At least at the point this photo was taken, it seemed to be working out. The car had out of state tags so it's hard to say if they had driven a long way like this or picked it up locally. I'll give credit for ingenuity if not for smarts.


This last photo was taken by me. This car was parked on the side of the road and I just couldn't help but take a picture. It's not everyday you see a sedan being used as a U-haul quite like this.

Moving Day

The car was covered from front to back with blankets, one of which you can see hanging over the bumper. That is indeed a washing machine practically falling off the trunk. On top was a queen size bed complete with mattress, box springs, and bed frame. On top of that near the front was a dryer. What you can't see is the dishwasher strapped to the front of the car. I'm not sure if they were trying to save on rental fees for a U-haul or simply decided this was a better method. I suppose there are times when you just gotta do what you gotta do. I don't think I can give credit for ingenuity or smarts on this one. It's not safe for other drivers or the stuff being moved.