Posted by TJ Dinsmoor on Wed, Dec 30, 2009 @ 11:20 AM
Mounting
One of the primary reasons photographers go to professional photo labs is for ready-to-go, mounted prints. The Lab by Apollo has a variety of mounting options that are available.
Cardstock
A lightweight, economical material and when longterm durability is not a concern, cardstock mounting is a perfect alternative. Available in 1/8" thickness.
| 5x7 | 8x10 | 10x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 20x24 |
| $4.05 | $4.05 | $4.70 | $5.30 | $7.50 | $11.50 |
Masonite
A heavier option that is a tempered and pressed hard board. Available in 1/8" thickness.
| 5x7 | 8x10 | 10x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 20x24 | 20x30 | 24x30 | 30x40 |
| $6.25 | $6.25 | $8.00 | $8.75 | $11.75 | $17.50 | $24.15 | $25.50 | $39.00 |
Sintra
Made of rigid PVC foam in 3mm thickness. Lightweight and very durable.
| 5x7 | 8x10 | 10x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 20x24 | 20x30 | 24x30 | 30x40 |
| $6.75 | $6.75 | $6.75 | $10.00 | $13.50 | $19.50 | $24.75 | $28.50 | $44.00 |
Gatorfoam
One of our most popular mounting options. Gatorfoam is lightweight and long-lasting. Available in 3/16" and 1/2" thicknesses.
3/16" Gatorfoam | 5x7 | 8x10 | 10x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 20x24 | 20x30 | 24x30 | 30x40 |
| $7.00 | $7.00 | $10.25 | $11.00 | $15.00 | $23.00 | $30.00 | $33.00 | $53.00 |
1/2" Gatorfoam
| 5x7 | 8x10 | 10x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 20x24 | 20x30 | 24x30 | 30x40 |
| $11.95 | $11.95 | $14.25 | $6.50 | $21.50 | $27.50 | $34.00 | $38.00 | $64.00 |
2" Box Mount
Same type of mount as our EchoMounts. Box mounts are a stylish, glassless alternative to regular framing. The deep sides make your photo stand out from the wall. Box mount has a brushed-silver frame edge and are constructed by our local cabinet maker.
| 12x12 | 20x20 |
| $70.00 | $95.00 |
Print to Canvas
Artist canvas is used as the mounting surface to give a print the texture of a fine oil painting. High-pressure lamination bonds the print to canvas. Once the print is bonded to canvas, you have the option to mount the canvas on a stretcher frame, Masonite or Gatorfoam. *Keep in mind that we cannot apply a coating to canvas-mounted prints after they have been put on a stretcher frame.
The Lab by Apollo can also mount prints on customer-furnished materials that are subject to approval of the materials upon submission. The Lab cannot guarantee proper adhesion to materials not supplied by us nor accept responsibility for damage to any material supplied to us.
| 8x10 | 10x10 | 11x14 | 16x20 | 20x24 | 20x30 | 24x30 | 30x40 |
| $23.25 | $24.00 | $24.00 | $27.00 | $31.00 | $35.00 | $38.00 | $53.00 |
Posted by TJ Dinsmoor on Tue, Dec 22, 2009 @ 11:32 AM
Have an old photo that just needs some artwork to make it look new
again? Apollo's artists are experts in photo retouching and
restoration. Do not let a blemish or a lens flare destroy a beautiful
photo. Our artists will work with you exclusively to accommodate any
special requests such as:
- Basic and extensive facial retouching
- Removal of facial shine, glare from eyeglasses, light flares and background flaws
- Removal of braces, teeth discoloration, double chins and stray hairs
- Eye enhancement
- Spot coloration
- Background substitution and extension
- Swapping of eyes or heads
- Addition or removal of a person
- Photo restoration
Photo retouching is a cost-effective way to create a nearly perfect
image and is available for all print sizes. As many as 20 retouched or restored photographs can be
burned to a CD for $5 to ensure it will last a lifetime. Retouching and restoration services will generally be completed within four business days unless otherwise indicated. We understand just how important a simple photograph can mean to you, that is why our artists are here to help make your photo look the way you want.
Posted by TJ Dinsmoor on Wed, Dec 16, 2009 @ 10:23 AM
During the PDN Photographers' Virtual Tradeshow a few questions had surfaced regarding what the best fisheye lens is for a Canon 40D and up. We will take a look at three different lenses and give insight into them.
Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5
Tokina AT-X lenses are built for quality. The lense is made of medal which reduces the lense bobble once attached to the camera body. Focus and zoom operate very smoothly and the lens extends a few millimeters at 10mm and 17mm. It is impossible to mount any filters despite the extreme field-of-view. A new WP (Water Proof) coating has been applied to the front element making it easier to resist water and smudge marks.
The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive screw operated by the camera. As a result, it will generate a moderate degree of noise. The AF speed is quite fast, but being a fisheye lens it is quite meaningless.
Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG
This lens is the only 8mm lens with a full autofocus capability. The lens' only controls feature the manual focus ring with a distance scale and the standard AF/MF switch. There is no filter thread, or, for that matter, a hood bayonet as the
coverage of the lens, being a full 180°, stops any accouterments
forward of the front element being permissible. The lens cap/hood consists of a stopped sleeve and a fairly normal lens
cap that fits onto it.
The sleeve sports a 72mm filter thread and cap.
And 72mm filters can be used in this thread, albeit at the expensed of
further vignetting. Under manual focusing, the ring requires a quarter
turn to go through the full range and the ring does turn during
autofocus, which is fairly quiet during operation and quick enough for
any purpose this lens could be put to.
A spring loaded holder is fitted to the rear element of the lens to
accept gelatin filters and the lens comes with a metal template to
assist in the cutting of these from gelatin sheet.
The lens is
not the kind of thing you would want to carry on the camera all day,
but it is light enough and compact enough to fit in the camera bag with
hardly any penalty.
Peleng 8mm f/3.5
The Peleng lens is a T-mount lens. It can be used on both T-mount to MAF adapter or with T-mount to M42 adapter, even M42 to MAF adapter. One of the biggest problems photographers face when using DSLRs is the ability to focus properly. Small viewfinders are not really optimized for manual focusing. However, in the case of this 8mm lens, you can set the aperture at f/8 and you will have everything in focus.
Besides the all metal build, there is an additional ring for opening or closing aperture blades which is used for stop down metering process.
Even though images are sharp at f/8, the lens really rocks at f/11 and f/16. Image quality is best at center of the frame, with the sharpness and contrast decreasing in the corners.
Another strength of the lens is the color quality. The lens is multi-coate, which means that it should be resitant to flare but we are talking when used at wide focal lenghts.
Posted by TJ Dinsmoor on Mon, Dec 07, 2009 @ 11:05 AM
Just the thought of winter makes people cringe. Who would ever want to go out in the snow and cold to take photos? Winter is a wonderful time for photography and here are some tips to make photography in the cold more successful.
1. Keep your batteries warm. Your camera will work perfectly fine as long as you have functioning batteries. If you are taking photos at night and using long exposure times it would be a good idea to stock up on hand warmers and rubber bands. What you do is take two hand warmers and a rubber band and wrap the hand warmers around where the batteries go. You can also rotate your batteries. Put some batteries in your coat pocket along with a hand warmer and rotate.
2. Keep your camera cold. Sounds crazy, but when continually bring your camera into warm conditions and cool conditions your camera will build up condensation. It is easier to blow snow off of a cold camera than a warm camera as it will just melt.
3. Warm your camera back up slowly. If anyone has glasses and has come into a warm house after being out in the cold knows condensation can build up super easy. Some photographers will just keep their camera gear in their bags. To keep from opening your camera gear up prematurely take your film or memory cards out after shooting photos.
4. Watch your breath. I'm not talking about bad breath, but you should watch that too ;). If you continually exhale on your display under extremely cold conditions it can easily be susceptible to being iced over. This is something that is not really thought of because it just sort of comes natural when you are looking through your viewfinder and are breathing warm air on your display. Best advice is to bring your coat collar up over your mouth to avoid this.
5. Wrap your tripod legs up in insulation. It will make it easy on your hands in the cold conditions and your shoulder if you are walking around a lot during photographing.
Tips For Winter Weddings
6. Use color! Bright and vibrant colors will really stand out in winter because they contrast with the snow.
7. Photographers should advice clients to wear warm winter boots. If the wedding is in the winter you need to have photos taken in the snow. Boots will hide underneath the wedding dress and it will be a great way to celebrate being a winter bride!
8. Your clients should already be prepared to embrace the conditions of a winter wedding. It is OK to wear a coat in some of the pictures or a warm hat. They don't have to wear them in all of the pictures. However, remind them that its all a part of their story, and those elements make it unique and a fun story to tell about what happened on wedding day.
Posted by TJ Dinsmoor on Wed, Dec 02, 2009 @ 02:32 PM
If you have not seen The Lab by Apollo's newsletter yet, this is the
featured Apollo Cares organization for December. Help-Portrait
is an inspiring and heartfelt movement of photographers joining forces
in every major city to use their skills to give back to the community.
Photographers involved with Help-Portrait partner with organizations
that support displaced families, woman of abuse, foster kids and
families, recovery, and less fortunate families.
“I love seeing a 53-year old man dance in front of the camera because
he’s never had his photo taken. Ever,” says photographer and the
movement’s inspirational leader Jeremy Cowart.
While the portraits are being taken, all the worries and troubles for
families disappear. The time spent in front of the camera gives them
the opportunity to feel loved, beautiful, and worthy of attention.
Nothing matters but joy that they are experiencing in that moment.
A handful of The Lab staff members will be spreading holiday joy on
December 12th as they will be volunteering in the Milwaukee area.
To
make a difference this winter, visit the Help-Portrait’s online community to connect with photographers in your area.
Posted by TJ Dinsmoor on Tue, Dec 01, 2009 @ 11:09 AM
Don't wait! Check out The Lab's monthly deal with stocking stuffers in mind. The featured photographer for December resides in Sioux Falls, SD and has an eye for capturing great portraits.
Also, don't forget to register for the FREE PDN Photographers' Virtual Trade Show that starts December 2. The Lab will be unveiling Photo Boutique - an online ecommerce solution for photographers.
View the entire Lab by Apollo's newsletter.
