How to Make Instant Postcards From Your Own Travel Photos, While Still On Vacation

How often have you stood in front of the postcard rack while on vacation, and said to yourself, "I can do better than that!" Now, with a little effort and a few dollars, you can make instant postcards from your own travel photos while you are still on vacation. Read on to find out how...

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A good camera - film or digital.
• Immediate access to a one hour photo lab, or a self-service print making station like you find in the photo departments of Walmart, Walgreens etc.
• One or more packs of self-adhesive postcards in three convenient sizes - 3.5"x5", 4"x6" and 5"x7".
• Add a pinch of creativity and a dash of visual genius, and ignite that inner travel photographer.

1. 
    

   Before you go on vacation, buy a few packs of Self-Adhesive Post Cards, like those from PICTURE-IT and PhotoPostos. You can choose sizes from 3.5"x5", 4"x6" and 5"x7".

2. 
    
   Swans at Kinsake, Ireland

   Put in a little more effort than normal when you take your travel pictures, so they will have some real impact for your postcards. Color, action, local characters, fishing boats in a small port, brightly colored buildings in the square, the old fruit vendor at the market. There is always a multitude of photo opportunities no matter where you are.

3. 
    
   The Blacksmith at Gretna Green, Scotland

   Take your film or memory card to the local photo lab or self-service photo print station and load up your digital pics, or process and scan your photos.
   
   Here is where you make either OK postcards, or really nice, tight, cropped and edited postcard images, that will amaze your friends and family. Don't be afraid to crop, enlarge, reduce or whatever else produces a photo that is the same as what was in your mind when you took it. If you can add text to the photo, enter the location, the name of the building, port or whatever the photo shows, in decent sized contrasting print. Print as many photos as you want to send postcards.

4. 
    
   As easy as 1,2,3 and 4

   Find a place where you can sit down for a while and put the finishing touches to your postcards. It needs to be clean and dry, and have a good flat surface on which you can work. It is a very simple process of peeling the back off the self-adhesive postcards and sticking the postcards to the back of your photos.
   
   Step 1 - Place your picture back to back with the postcard.
   
   Step 2 - Remove one panel on the back of the card and adhere it to the picture to hold the picture straight.
   
   Step 3 - Remove the rest of the panels & adhere the card to your picture.
   
   Step 4 - Trim any excess card or photo hanging over the edges before you mail them.

5. 
    
   Letter box at the top of Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

   Well, there you have it. You have an instant postcard, a unique and personal creation as seen thru your eyes. Then all you have to do is write your message (don't press too hard because you may damage the photo), put a stamp on it, and stick it in the mailbox...and your first batch of custom made postcards will be on their way before you know it.

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Tips & Warnings

• If the picture is to be split horizontally by the horizon or any other obvious line, have either 2/3rds background, or 2/3rds foreground, never 50/50
• Close up is better than far away, especially if there is something in the middle of the photo with detail you want your postcard to show
• Solid and bright colors always make great postcards
• If your camera has a nighttime lights setting, use it
• If you have a digital camera it costs you nothing to experiment while you are taking your photos, be bold, take chances, it will all pay-off in the end
• If you have a film camera, unless you have an unlimited film budget, you can take some chances but generally stick with what you know works so you won't burn thru too much film to get just a few good shots
• If you like the postcards you sent, try having them made into a calendar for next year

Resources

• Photpostos - Self-Adhesive Postcards
• Picture-It - Self-Adhesive Postcards
• See Here - Custom Calendars
• Vista Print - Custom Calendars
• How to Take Much Better Travel Photos
• How to Determine the Best Way to Digitize Your Old 35mm Slides and Negatives
• How to Decide the Fate of Your Old 35mm and Medium Format Film Cameras
• How to Complete an Obsolete Camera System for the Least Amount of Ca$h Possible
• How to Inspect a Used 35mm or Medium Format Camera Lens
• All eHow Articles by This Author - Brian Lewis

[missforty]

on 7/23/2009 This is great! can't wait to try it