Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Christmas Savings!

I'm offering a savings of 15% on any orders from my Nature's Footprints gallery on Smugmug totalling $50 or more (before shipping).  Now is the perfect time to shop for Christmas gifts - without even having to leave the comfort of your own home!  You can order your own set of prints that you can matte or frame yourself, or you can order canvas prints, thinwraps or metalprints.  In addition, there are loads of personalized, unique and special merchandise items - turn your favorite nature photo into a keepsake box, a puzzle, a tote bag, a keychain, or many other items.

PLUS, if you're ordering any prints, thin wraps or metalprints, all in sizes up to 11x14, you'll receive FREE gift packaging - so you don't even have to wrap your gifts!  How handy is that?  Your items will arrive directly to you before Christmas - but only if you get your order in soon!

There's not much time left - only about a week to take advantage of one or both of these special offers.

Remember to visit my Imagekind site if you want to custom order frames for photos - pick and choose from a variety of images and frames to suit your home.

And to order any of my coffee table books, simply click on the book's preview either below or to the right - an option to order will be available.  OR, select from the options at the bottom of this page, then click the Buy Now button.  In this way, the order comes directly to me and I process it for you.  These make excellent Christmas gifts!  A variety of 60+ images from my Nature's Footprints line, complete with famous quotes to go along with them.

Cheers!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Framed Prints Now Available!

I've found a great supplier for frames!  You can order directly from the website, and it's so easy to do!  You browse through the photos and you select your options, purchase, and voila!  Soon it will arrive on your doorstep.  There is now a banner on the right side of my blog, where you can scroll through the different images.  You can click right on it and it will take you directly to the page where you can choose your options and purchase your prints.  Or, click on this link and get to the same place.

Also available now are greeting cards!  Cards come in folded 5x7's with envelope, printed right onto high-quality cardstock.  These are available in ones, or packages of 10 or 25.  The other size is a 4x8, and these are flat cards.  They are great for things like Christmas mailers, other holidays, or invitations.  They are almost like a postcard, but they are longer.  These are printed on high-quality photo paper.  Just go to my SmugMug site, find a photo you want to turn into a card, and click the "Buy" button at the top of the photo.  You will see an option to "Create a card" - follow the instructions on the page, and there you have it!

As always, if you need help deciding on options, or you really don't know what to do or how to do it - you just know you want a framed image or a canvas print!  I'm always here to assist.  Send me an email and let me know what you are looking for - we'll build your order together.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Matted Prints

Matted prints are now available and can be purchased by selecting the options and pressing the Buy Now button at the bottom of my blog.  3 sizes available, 4 standard colour options, and custom orders are available!

You can also order by sending me an email and specifying the photo, size, and colour of your matte(s).  I will then send you an invoice via PayPal, which you can use to purchase your order.  Once that is done, the order will be processed and sent to you.  * This is a better option if you wish to purchase more than one matte.

Sizes available is the size of the actual matte.  The window will show the photo, which is attached to the back of the matte.  All are double mattes for a more impressive effect.

Approximate sizes of the windows: 5x7" mattes will show approximately a 4x6" photo; 8x10" mattes will show approximately a 5x7" photo; 11x14" matte will show approximately an 8x10" photo.

Photo options are available from the Nature's Footprints or the Random Shots galleries on my SmugMug site.  Click on http://www.murchiesphotography.smugmug.com/ and choose your photo.  In the options at the bottom of my Blog page, there is an area for you to specify what photo you would like to have matted; you can either tell me the name of the photo or copy and paste the link of the photo.  To do this, click on the website above, go to the gallery it's in, and click on the actual photo thumbnail on the left hand side.  When it appears larger on the right hand side, the link will specify that photo; copy the address (link) from the address bar in your web browser, and paste the link in the text field at the bottom of this Blog.  (It's way easier than it sounds!)

Matted photos are suitable for framing.  Custom framing orders are available through me as well, but this is a great option if you have some extra frames laying around that you want to fill with beautiful matted photos!

A wide selection of matted images will be available for purchase at the Reading Room Cafe during the month of November (and at other times!).  If you're in the Sooke area during that time, check out the canvas prints and thinwraps on the wall (also available for purchase) and the little wicker basket full (on the fireplace ledge) of matted photos, greeting cards, and a copy of my coffee table book (with ordering info on the inside cover).

Saturday, October 2, 2010

It's Official: See My Images at the Reading Room on November 1st!

The date has been set!  For the month of November (and likely future months), anyone in the area who goes to the Reading Room Cafe here in Sooke will be able to see some of my images posted on the walls!  These prints are for sale as well!  It saves you the waiting time of ordering them from the internet, and it also allows you to see what they look like in person before purchasing them.  Images will be on canvas and thinwrap styles.

There will also be a small wicker basket holding a bunch of matted prints that will be for sale.  Greeting cards will hopefully be available soon, also.  One of my coffee table books will also be in the basket, which will be available to view; it will have ordering information tucked on the inside, but please don't remove it from the store if you happen to be there and are looking through it!  It allows everyone to have a peek at it in person and provides something nice to look at whilst sipping your coffee or tea.  :)

If this all goes over well, I will select additional months to showcase my images.  Even though I've chosen to go with canvas and thinwraps this time around, I may think about hanging framed prints in the future if there are a lot of people who prefer frames.

November will probably be rainy, like any other November here on the island, so it's the perfect time to curl up in front of the fireplace in the Reading Room in one of the comfy leather chairs, have a cup of coffee or tea, and take a look at the photo book and matted prints available!

Enjoy!  And please feel free to give me your feedback at murchiesphotography@gmail.com!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Pricing of Photo Books

Hello All,

Check out the Buy Now button at the bottom of the page.  This is where you click to purchase coffee table books.  The pricing has been reduced!  I'm also running a promotion at the moment, but it is a limited time offer so get your purchase in today!  If you order one of my coffee table books via my Blog (the Buy Now PayPal button at the bottom), I'll receive the order and process it, and send you an email to confirm it.  You will then get to choose four 4x6 prints OR two 5x7 prints from my Nature's Footprints gallery on my SmugMug site, and I'll send them to you absolutely free!  All prints are in the metallic finish - I must say that this is my new favorite print finish!  It brings out so much colour and vibrance!  It's a really beautiful, high-gloss, metallic look to the prints.  Stunning!  You will not be disappointed!

Each order, the book and the prints, will arrive separately within 2-4 weeks.

Hurry - this offer is only valid from now until October 5th!!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

My First Published Copy of Nature's Footprints!

Hello all!  Today I received my first published copy of my Nature's Footprints coffee table book!  I must say, I am impressed!  The quality is fantastic, and it looks amazing!  Very pleased! :)  See a preview of it below!

There are 2 types of hard covers available.  One is the imagewrap, where images are wrapped right around the cover; they ARE the cover.  The other is the dust cover, which is the glossy paper-type of thing that loosely wraps the actual hard cover.  These can be nice, but they do tend to get worn out, ripped and tattered over time.  The only difference is that these covers have inside flaps on them, which are not available in the imagewrap covers.  Personally, I love the look and finish of the image wrap - it looks amazing!  The information is available right here on my blog anyway, so you wouldn't be missing anything by deciding on the imagewrap.  I think it looks better!


Remember that by purchasing your very own copy, you're helping to protect plants and animals that inhabit our Earth, and to preserve all the places we live in together.  10% of the proceeds of each and every book will be donated in one lump sum at the end of each calendar year to the Nature Conservancy to help this most worthy cause.  Have you already purchased one of my books?  Then thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of the conservation of all things nature!  :)

Please share this page with any friends and family who would like the images in my photo book and/or the galleries available on my Smugmug website (http://www.murchiesphotography.smugmug.com/).

An exciting day for Murchie's Photography!  :)  I have also received images from my Smugmug site in the metalprint and thinwrap format, just so I can inspect for quality.  They both look fantastic in their own way!  The metalprints are really unique - the image is printed right INTO the metal, if that makes sense, and has a high gloss protective finish on it.  The thinwrap is awesome - it has a slight metallic finish to the image and has a satin-like quality to it.  Marvelous!  I am now waiting for my wrapped canvas print to be delivered and will let you know how that turns out - my guess is that it will look super as well!  They are also likely the type I will be selling in the Reading Room Cafe here in Sooke.

Remember that besides the printed images, the coffee table books make excellent gifts!  I almost hate to say it, but Christmas is just around the corner!  Both the prints and the books can be ordered right online, with fast, easy and secure payment, and they are shipped to your doorstep.  Now that's what I call efficient Christmas shopping! ;)

Until next time!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Changes to Coffee Table Books

UPDATE:  September 13th - I now have 8"x10" landscape Coffee Table Books available!  Please scroll down to my "Coffee Table Books" post for more information, and also look to the right!  There is a preview there where you can see the first 15 pages of my book, plus a button you can press to buy it right from there!  So easy.

EARLIER:  September 12th - I don't have time to fully update you all on the changes being made to the Coffee Table Books, but know that they are still available and now have lower prices!  I have decided to go with an alternate supplier who makes photo books of the same high quality, but they offer lower prices!  That's great news!  I will still have the same layout and text, I just have to re-make them in the new software.

More about this later!

Janette

Saturday, September 11, 2010

10% OFF!

Bloggers: if you're following my blog, and you're placing an order for prints and/or merchandise on my Smugmug website, enter the following code upon checkout and receive 10% off your order of $50 or more!

Code: BLOG0910

Offer expires October 31st.  Order your prints and gifts today!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Coffee Table Books

Ok - so now you're all wondering, what exactly IS a coffee table book, and how do I get the right one for me?

Coffee table books are just that - books that you set out on your coffee table (or shelf or mantle, etc.) that contain something that gets people talking.  There are a total of 61 of my most favorite nature images from my collection in my book, so there's bound to be some discussions that start flowing when your guests start looking through it!

"What do they look like?" you might ask.  There are two types of covers that I offer - hard cover with a dust jacket, and imagewrap.  The dust jacket is a slip with flaps that goes over the hard cover, and it has images on the front and back.  Imagewrap is also a hard cover, but the images are right on the hard cover, wrapped around it.  It's pretty eye catching and with the right photo displayed, it can really entice a person to pick it up and start looking through it.

Inside, the reader will find famous quotes that match up splendidly with each photo or group of photos.  Examples of photos are sunrises, ocean landscapes, trees, macro flowers, animals, mountains, waterfalls, and many others.

"Cool!" you say, "How do I get one?"  It's so easy!  There are two ways to do it.  One: Scroll to the bottom of my blog, and on the left-hand side, you'll see a Buy Now button.  Above it is a drop-down menu - click on it to select the type of cover you want.  Prices are listed beside each selection.  Click on the Buy Now button, and voila - it will open a new window outside of my blog in which you will be asked for shipping, billing, and payment information.  You can pay by credit card or if you have a balance in your PayPal account, you can use that.  Using PayPal is easy and secure.  Once you put the order through, I receive it and get cracking on your order!  Note that taxes and shipping are extra.  Please allow about 2-4 weeks for delivery - it will likely be less than that, but I like to allot extra time just in case.  Two: Go to http://www.blurb.com/ and search for Murchie's Photography in the upper-right-hand corner of the website.  My coffee table book will come up.  You can preview it (same as above) and purchase it right from that website!

"How about those prices... they seem a bit high." you may now say.  Well, not if you consider all the work that goes into preparing them.  Also consider that, instead of purchasing these same photos at a simple 4x6" size for roughly $300, you're getting them all in one wonderful package that's bound in a beautiful, protective hard cover.  Add to that the quotes that go with them, and you have a great conversation piece to put in your living room that was put together with a lot of thought and care.  There's a lot of time spent on the photographs, as well.  I spend the time and effort taking the photographs, and then I spend a lot more time putting the finishing touches on them so that you get only the best in quality.  On top of that, I spend even more time organizing the images, laying them out in the correct order, finding all the quotes that will match up with them, etc.  Not to mention the cost of the supplier!  There's a lot more behind-the-scenes work than is probably realized!

"Sold!" you now say.  Great!  I truly look forward to bringing a piece of nature through my eyes into your home.  Don't forget that they make great gifts, too!

One more thing I'd like to mention is that a portion of the proceeds of each of my Coffee Table Books goes toward a variety of charities that deal with the protection of nature and wildlife.  These collective proceeds will be donated to a different charity at each year end.  For example, at the end of this year, and probably next year also since this year is quickly coming to an end and I've only just begun to offer these photo books, I will be donating to the Nature Conservancy.  They are a worldwide organization, and their motto is "Protecting Nature.  Preserving Life."  If it weren't for organizations like this, there wouldn't necessarily be all the natural, picturesque landscapes and magnificent, graceful animals for people like me to photograph and be able to offer people like you.

If you have any other questions about these books, the photos in them, or about my donations, please feel free to email me.

I hope you enjoy the Coffee Table Book as much as I enjoyed making it!

Cheers!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Custom Orders

Hi Folks!


A couple of new things to tell you about, but first thing's first:  custom orders are available!  This can cover things like:


  • print sizes that you don't see available
  • merchandise items that you don't see listed
  • Coffee Table Books (These are great conversation pieces when you have company over!  More info coming shortly; otherwise email me for more info and photos of examples.  When you have decided which design you would like to purchase, please scroll down to the bottom of this page, make your selection, and click the Buy Now button - it's so easy!  Payments are through PayPal and are secure.  Use your credit card or PayPal account.)
  • a unique experience I call "photo journaling".  This is where you have a life experience - be it happy or rather tragic - and you want to create a photo book that details your journey through the experience.  These photos can be chosen from those in my galleries, or you can request a certain type of image to be captured.  These are completely and utterly unique to each person, because everyone's experiences and how they deal with the emotions of them are different.  It's essentially a way for your emotions to tell a story through photographs. What a fantastic way to showcase your personal journey of strength, perseverance, or pure happiness!
Please visit http://www.murchiesphotography.smugmug.com/ to view photos and available purchasing options.  Then, if you have something in mind that you don't see available there, just send me an email at murchiesphotography@gmail.com to request your idea, and I'll do everything in my power to make that idea become a reality for you!


I'd also like to make sure that everyone out there is aware that any of these photos can be enhanced with certain techniques, like faux bokeh (blurry background, very clear subject in the foreground).  Another option is called "lomo" (probably my favorite technique to use - based on a type of Russian camera and developing film in chemicals other than what it was meant to be developed in), it creates a stunning result, emphasizing otherwise casual photographs.  It can be a blend of over- (or under-) saturated colours, over- (or under-) exposure, blurriness, vignetting, etc.  It's great for candid shots of people, a very popular effect in wedding and engagement photos, and can also be a neat touch on certain landscape photos.  For example, here are two photos; one is the original, and one has the lomo effect added to it:


Other options include colour accenting (chosing one colour or object in a photo, removing most of the colour in the rest of the photo, and leaving that one colour or object as it's original, vibrant colour), sepia, black and white, etc.  The possibilities are really endless - and adding a technique to your purchase, whether it be a subtle one or to the extreme - can make your purchase truly unique!  Email me for quotes on custom orders.

Next item up: showcasing my work in a local business!  I live in beautiful Sooke, BC - currently the source of many of my landscape photos in  my Nature's Footprints line.  If you live or work in the area, or if you happen to be coming through to visit someone or just to tour around, please stop by the Reading Room Cafe.  They have delicious coffees, specialty coffees and teas, and all kinds of healthy, yummy eats!  Watch for some of my photos hanging on the walls - to be showcased and up for sale in the coming weeks/months!

Stay tuned for more updates!

Janette

Thursday, September 2, 2010

More New Photos??

Since  my last post, I have uploaded even more photos to my SmugMug website for your viewing and purchasing pleasure.  All images are touched up so that you receive the best in quality in your prints.  You'll get the most out of the colours and overall tone and clarity.  Some photos I've added are smaller in size; they were taken in Brazil with a camera of much less quality.  However, there are still some great shots so I'm still offering them in smaller print sizes (otherwise they get too grainy when they're printed larger).  They are now in a separate gallery in SmugMug called Smaller Shots.

I hope everyone is enjoying the photos!  I'm going to be doing some photography work coming up pretty quick, and getting the experience I need to expand my business.  I'm really looking forward to it!  It's going to be fun doing these shoots and exciting to see this idea grow into a successful venture!

Ta ta for now...

Janette Murchie

Sunday, August 29, 2010

New Pricing!

Original pricing structure was not created properly.  I have just updated all the prices in our online gallery.  In other words, prices are now LOWER than what they originally were!  If you had a photo in mind before, but thought the pricing was too high, please view the new pricing structure. http://www.murchiesphotography.smugmug.com/.

The First Few Days

Hi everyone,

Well - the last few days have been keeping me busy!  I was happy to find an email in my inbox the day after I started running my photos on SmugMug, from someone who not only loved my photos, but was also wondering if I do wedding photography.  Unfortunately I had to say no because I'm not quite there yet - I don't want to do something as important as a wedding without all the proper equipment.  Landscape photography is very different than portraiture and shooting events like weddings.  You need to have more equipment to do the job properly and professionally.  Although I need the experience, I'm not quite ready and I don't want to say yes and disappoint someone.  I will get there someday soon though!  I've also been asked to do some family photos, maternity and newborn shots, and some couple shots on a beach - all that I would love to do for the experience!  It's great that I have had some people interested in my work so that I can start to build a more diverse portfolio and be able to offer more services after getting some more experience.

Yesterday morning, my two young daughters were up very early, and had no plans of going back to sleep.  Reluctantly, I got up and started to play with them in their play room, cup of coffee in hand.  They started to get a little bored and wanted to go watch cartoons, so I decided we'd go for a drive instead.  It was only 7am at that time, and the sun had started to rise.  I thought, "I wonder what nice shots I might be able to capture today?".  And so off we went - blankets, coffee and juice to go, and of course, the camera.  I did get a few nice ones, and so today I'll be working on preparing them for uploading onto my SmugMug site.  Please check them out later on today or tomorrow!  There might just be something there that catches your eye, makes you a little nostalgic, or that reminds you of someone who might love to enjoy a picture hanging on their wall.  Visit at http://www.murchiesphotography.smugmug.com/ often and watch for new photos, packages and coupons!

If you wish to be on my mailing list, please email me at murchiesphotography@gmail.com so that I can add you.  I'll keep you aprised of new images ready to purchase on the website, anything new or interesting that's going on, packages that I'm currently offering, new services I'm offering, etc.

Thanks everyone, and enjoy!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Day One

Welcome, again, to my blog, and thank you for visiting.  This is a personal journey for me; taking my passion for photography and turning it into something that can benefit others.  I have long been taking photographs of nature - breathtaking ocean views, rocky coastlines, rugged mountain peaks, soft and sandy beaches, trees, streams, driftwood.  You name it, I photograph it.  I've often thought about making these images available for purchase, with suggestions and encouragement from many friends.  Now, I'm taking that leap!

I've started offering my best and most-liked landscape images, and I've put them into a collection I call Nature's Footprints.  I believe that Mother Nature leaves her own set of footprints for us, telling us of her presence, and this comes in the form of natural beauty.  It's everywhere; you just have to look outside your window and there it is.  I try to compose unique shots wherever possible, but in this particular line, I only use what I see.  I make no additions.  I also never leave home without my camera - even if it's just to go into town to run some errands.  You just never know what you'll see along the way, or where you'll end up going - and you never want to miss an opportunity for a great shot!

Short-term, I'll continue with my Nature's Footprints line of images.  You can view it and purchase prints and many gift items by going here: http://www.murchiesphotography.smugmug.com/.  Please share this link with family and friends whom you think would appreciate and treasure these photos.

Long-term, I hope to gain more skills and experience and offer a wider array of services, including wedding photography, other special occasions, newborn photo sessions, family photo sessions, etc.

One project I will be beginning soon is something I like to call a personal photo journal.  This is a unique, customizable journal of images with short captions that describe a specific time in a person's life, be it a happy, special time or more of a trying and troublesome point.  My goal is to bring forth the emotional aspect that photographic images can inspire; something that holds deep personal meaning to each particular client.  It involves getting to know a client on a personal level in order to understand his or her unique circumstances, and ultimately becoming a small part of his or her personal journey through that time.  In doing so, I will be able to create a completely unique piece of photographic art, hopefully capturing and pinpointing the exact emotions that befall the client when sometimes there just are no words.  It can bring release, closure, reflection, laughs, even tears.  This project could very well send me on a different photographic journey of my own with each client's goals for his or her personal experience because their private story can be told with existing images in my collections, and/or requests for new images and in new locations.  I want to work with each client one-on-one to create exactly what it is that he or she is looking for.  Thus, no two pieces will ever be the same.

This is a very exciting time for me, getting this company up and running.  I hope that it takes me further than I ever imagined.

You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/janettemurchie, on Facebook at Murchie's Photography, on SmugMug, where my photos can be printed and gift items can be ordered, and on this blog.  I will also have a website up and running in the not-too-distant future, which will list my services and pricing structure.

Please come back often for updates and information, and let your friends know, too.  I look forward to bringing a piece of my passion for photography into your home or office, or to someone special!

Cheers!