In 1994 when I started doing cross stitch, most of the available starter patterns were basic letters and numbers.  Cute teddy bears or adorable pigs with  back stitch and half stitches were typical patterns.  After doing a couple of cross stitch projects, I already got bored doing the available patterns so I decided to make my own custom patterns. My first cross ...

Going through some old travel photographs, I discovered a couple of photographs that you might enjoy of Hubberholm chapel in England. On the second to the last day of a summer trip we got a lot more sunlight but England's days were still cold. My trusty Canon automatic 135 mm film camera took these photos because digital cameras weren't that common ...

Michael Jackson popularized the moonwalk, the white glove, amazing dance moves and fashion.  However, many people don't realize Michael Jackson popularized video graphics innovations to the photographic world. I'm not really fond of watching music videos but his great productions made me sit up and take notice. What makes Michael Jackson's music videos unusual is his use of digital enhancement.  Graphics techniques ...

Before building a custom home, drive around communities with the particular home style that you love and shoot digital photos. Always have a camera available even if you only have a camera phone.  You never know when you will see a feature that you want to include in your design. We recently built a craftsman style home.  The above photo ...

Selling your home in a difficult market can be a challenge.  Most savvy home buyers browse online so your home's virtual tour will either help attract buyers or drive buyers away.  In many cases, your house will be pre-sold if a buyer falls in love with your virtual tour. Realtors usually hire a professional photographer for their ...

Being a night owl, you will only catch me taking sunset photos.  One time a friend dragged me to workout at 5 a.m. Came home and slept the rest of the day ruined my day.  Have never made that mistake again. Sunset is one of the best times to capture vibrant photos with warm hues in ...

SnagIt is great for capturing any image on your screen and pasting it in Word, Outlook or FrontPage.  You can even save your snagged images for uploading to a blog. Below are 4 simple steps to make the Florida vacation postcard in this article. Step 1 Display your image.  In this case, a picture of my golden retriever from his Florida vacation a ...

Online pictures are worth a thousand words when collaborating with graphic artists, programmers and business associates. Sure there is print screen but SnagIt is infinitely better.  For years, I have been a fan of this program.  SnagIt is always the first program loaded on any new computer of mine.  SnagIt Constantly Improves Just when you think this program can't get better, Techsmith releases ...

Planning a photo trip can be as much fun as taking your trip.  Your dream vacation will include sites and experiences that are personalized to capture memories that will last a lifetime. Here are a few tips to help you plan your next photo vacation: 1. Map Your Route Like in the Amazing Race Series . your destinations can be found in your map.  ...

In the old days, professional photographers used both color and black and white film. Having your photos printed from colored film to black and white photos meant a special trip to a professional printer. Now with software advancements, changing a photo from color to black and white can be done in the comfort of your own home.  ...