Homemade Gift Idea - Photographic Greeting Cards

I was initially hesitant about this gift idea. Would people really want greeting cards as gifts? I have another hobby in nature photography. A friend of mine had seen some of my shots and told me that it would make a great homemade gift idea to use some of them in greeting cards. She said the recipients would be impressed and would use them, two qualities that I strive for in every homemade gift I make. I was hesitant, but I went ahead with it. They ended up being one of my most successful homemade gifts.

There are a few ways you can go about making these:

You could upload your photos to a site like cardsdirect.com. You can choose from many different of sizes, styles, backgrounds, and borders. The minimum purchase is 100 cards, but if you are making a several boxes of these as gifts, you'll easily make that many. The downside to them is that you can only choose one photo for every hundred cards. I am sure there are other online resources as well.

The other way requires more work, is more hands-on... but hey the title of this article is "Homemade Gift Idea: Photographic Greeting Cards", so you are probably here anticipating some amount of work, right?

You can print them out yourself. All of the materials you need can be found at redrivercatalog.com. I did a lot of research on the appropriate quality of stock, and they literally have paper stock down to a science. The quality is excellent for printing photos on, they have a great selection, and their customer service has always been helpful. They also have a detailed tutorial on how to go about printing them on their help center page.

What you need:

Paper stock...

I have used redrivercatalog.com's 53lb Premium Gloss. It comes pre-scored so all you have to do is print on it and fold it on the score line, and you're done. No cutting is necessary. If you are pressed for time you could always run down to the office supply store and pick up a few packs of Avery's Inkjet Half-Fold Greeting Cards with Envelopes. They generally cost two to three times as much per card than redrivercatalog.com's choices, and you won't be getting the quality.

Envelopes...

Redrivercatalog.com also carries a wide variety of envelopes. Just make sure you are getting the right size for the card.

Boxes...

To make this a more memorable gift, I'd very much recommend the clear-top boxes from redrivercatalog.com to place the greeting cards in. They really add a professional touch to the gift.

Tips on photo composition:

1. The rule of thirds. It is often most aesthetically pleasing to place your subject not in the center, but up, down, or to the side of center usually creates more energy and interest. Placing your subject in the center often creates a very static image. If you imagine your composition divided into equal thirds, place your subject on the division between two of the thirds. Here wikipedia's explanation of the rule of thirds. with the rule of thirds explained with examples. Horizon lines should not cross the center as well. That all being said, in photography rules like this are meant to be broken from time to time. If the composition is best suited to break these rules, then by all means break them,
2. Fill the frame with your subject. Don't be shy... get in there closer.
3. And along with tip 2, simplify the composition. Cut any extraneous elements out of the frame that really have no added impact to the final image.