Three Reasons Why You Should Make a Photo Slideshow

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Here’s mine from Mother’s Day . . .Okay, now if you’ve watched the simple two minute video above, you have seen me, my sister, my dad and my mom in all our glory in our younger years! Well, we’ve had some rather dramatic changes in the thirty years since our childhood photos. (Let’s just say, I’m so not that thin anymore, and my sister who was thin, gained weight and now is thin again!)

Every family celebrates their moments in their own way. For my mom, just watching the video was all she could do, commenting upon the photos that played.

Photo slideshows are relatively easy today, especially if you simply use the digital photos you already have. Here’s three reasons why you should make a photo slideshow.

  1. You CAN do it yourself with a computer or smartphone – and the simple software is either free or inexpensive. (PC – Photo Gallery, Windows MovieMaker; Mac – Photos, iPhoto; Smartphones – search the App Store – there are lots of choices.)
  2. You ARE taking time to reminisce about the good times with your family and friends. We are so busy in the moment these days, sometimes we forget to celebrate days gone by . . . and those who are no longer with us. Yes, for some of us, kleenix is definitely recommended. When you add some music to the photo flow, its easy to become emotional.
  3. You DO see the world runs differently today than it did years ago. If we don’t reflect back on the years we grew up, where we experienced our family’s traditions and a society that seemed to get along better – it’s going to fade away. Who knows what our children’s children will have to look back at?
  4. BONUS Reason – other people enjoy watching your photo slideshows which can be shared in a whole number of places!

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Using Photos amazing slideshow feature, the video I made above, took me about fifteen minutes. (Yes, I waited til the last minute to put it together before going to my parent’s on Sunday!) Here’s our Challenge because we know you can do it too. Make a photo slideshow and post it to our Facebook update for this blog. We may use it in a future post!

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Find us at www.pixologieinc.com

Email: contact@pixologieinc.com

Phone: 414-731-1881

WSO Athlete Surprised to See Himself in a Slideshow

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Recently, we had a booth at the Wisconsin Senior Olympics – Annual Senior Celebration and Wellness Fair. What fun to talk to athletes who, in some cases, were twice as old as me, but still running marathons!

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As a board member and donor to the WSO, I love their mission of helping seniors keep active in a social atmosphere with some competition! See below for a quick slideshow of photos I put together for them – memories and moments from an organization that is over 35 years old!

While we were at the Fair, a couple stopped by our table and watched the video for a bit. And then, the gentleman said, “Hey that’s me!” He was wearing his medals in the photo. We had fun talking with him about what the Senior Olympics has meant to him.

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And it was great to see that he was touched by seeing a photo of himself.

What photo do you have that would delight someone to see the memory again?

Fun with the Videos Teenagers Make! (Also: Holiday Gift Idea #7)

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This video made us smile a LOT and laugh – the boys were so charming in making a music video in Spanish and funny with their antics. Do you know any kids who made videos with camcorders back in the day (not so very long ago?) Of course, today anyone can make and share a video.

But what about ten, fifteen, twenty years ago and more? There are millions and millions of fun family moments caught and trapped on film and videotape.

These clips are off a MiniDV tape we converted to a digital file for one of our clients who graciously agreed to let us share the video with our followers. She has brought us over 40 of her family VHS, MiniDV, and 8mm tapes to convert to digital files so she can view them, edit them and share the memories. They have just loved reliving those memories that really were long ago and forgotten.

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So . . . this is Holiday Gift Idea #7 – (Don’t worry, I am going out of order, if you want a full list of our gift ideas at Pixologie, just email us at contact@pixologieinc.com! : )  Here’s how movie conversions can be a great gift idea:

  1. Convert a few movies to DVDs; share as Christmas gifts to watch on the big television or computer
  2. Convert some of your VHS tapes to digital files that you can edit, clip and pull together a movie of family memories to share at your holiday gift gatherings.
  3. Purchase gift certificates from Pixologie to give to family members who you know have movies they need to get digitized.

Videos are so much more powerful than photos – we can see our family and friends (some of whom may not even be with us anymore) living, having fun, talking and making memories. Let us know how we can help!

Find us at http://www.pixologieinc.com or call 414-731-1881

When Did You Last Look at Your Photos from 2013?

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family album with DVD

Remember 2013? Hmm. . . if someone asked me straight out what was great about last year, I truly don’t know what I would say. Life is so busy, I can’t remember last week much less over a year ago.

This is a shame, because my family has amazingly fun memories to share and celebrate together. So I tried out something new – making a digital photo album with just my 2013 photos in it. See the photo above.

I’m holding the photobook open to our 2013 Hartmann Family Reunion pictures. Look at Alex holding that basketball – he’d won it in our famous brown bag auction and wasn’t going to let anyone take it away from him!

Check out a few more pages . . . I really have to say, my eyes tear up when I think about all the blessings my family has had. Below are photos from New Year’s Eve at my dear friend Tammy’s house – was so much fun. My husband was a nurse at the time and had to work the night shift – so my kids and I had an absolute blast with Tammy, friends, neighbors and a whole houseful of kids.

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Oh my goodness, 2013 was the year we drove to Yellowstone National Park – oh the sites we saw. My book has four pages and 24 photos that capture the best of the best moments from that trip. And my kids had such an adventure. We highly recommend Yellowstone for your next summer vacation!

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Then there’s the holidays. . . I have about four pages of holiday photos, just enough to capture the essence of celebrating Christmas with the family. This is the first page of December memories with me and the kids making Christmas cookies and photos of snow – and our crazy dog Tillie jumping to catch snow flung at her!

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I love that my family has a physical book to look through and see how much fun and adventure we have together.

How would you feel showing a book like this to show your children, family and friends with your best moments of 2013?

You can experience it yourself – with the Pixologie Digital Family Photo Album with DVD. After showing this concept to people, overwhelmingly, the consensus was that we should continue making these books for others who want to celebrate and share the best stories of their lives!

Click here to learn more – http://www.pixologieinc.com.

To order a Digital Family Photo Album with DVD  – http://www.shop.pixologieinc.com

Who Goes to Thailand Alone?

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Pixologie Co-Founder Mollie Bartelt’s sister does!

Accomplished photographer and artist, Rosie Hartmann traveled to Thailand in February 2013 to experience a thrilling solo adventure where there was no turning back (to safe Bay View, Wisconsin!)

Rosie is my sister. As she shared beautiful photos of Thailand on Facebook during that trip, she delighted us all with the mysteriousness of that far land; foreign lifestyle and sampling of beautiful color the Thai culture offers the senses. 

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So, we saw maybe 100 photos that she posted during her week. And then, all 2200 photos that she took stayed hidden on a hard drive for the next 18 months. Then, Rosie gave Pixologie her hard drive and we designed a book – no words necessary for this one.

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Last night, she picked up her book – and as she turned pages, the stories just flowed out of her. Flowers, food, expensive Coca Cola, panda bears, buddhas and so much more. She was thrilled and couldn’t wait to show everyone the final product – since most people had stopped asking when they’d get to see all of her Thailand pictures.

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Please go to our Facebook page and enjoy the pages and experiences of Thailand that Rosie brought back for us all. And. . . come into our studio to see a copy. The images bring out many emotions in all of us who look through Rosie’s work.

Thank you for sharing your trip Rosie!

Thailand by Rosie Hartmann – View on Facebook!

Rosie Hartmann, Artist & Photographer Website: www.rosiehartmann.com

And. . . if you have photos from an amazing vacation – don’t let them sit on your computer! Call us: 414-690-0791 or email: contact@pixologieinc.com.

http://www.pixologieinc.com

 

Is it Time For The Concept Of “Photo Albums” To Die?

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We think photo albums are needed now more than ever!

We think photo albums are needed now more than ever!

Horror of horrors . . . this is a headline that hit the internet over the summer and we are really saddened by what the words might show about the direction society is taken. The author gleefully talks about all of the wonders of an updated app that can do lots of amazing things with photos taken on a smartphone.  Indeed, there is a HUGE industry out there looking to help people have instant ability to publish photos online and through social media connections.

At Pixologie, we welcome technology and believe the ability to capture moments is so much easier now. However, there are drawbacks to the instant gratification we get to posting a photo to the world, ten seconds after it was taken. (And believe me, I have posted lots of photos this way, don’t get me wrong!)

Let me ask you . . . what happens to that photo after you shared it? For sure, some apps have abilities to go back and review the photos – but what will happen in ten years when that technology is obsolete? Consider what the Association of Personal Photo Organizers lists as current consumer photo challenges:

  • A computer full of digital photos & videos
  • Multiple memory cards
  • No backup plan in place
  • A phone full of images
  • A limited understanding of computers
  • Little time to manage their photos
  • Boxes and bags of unorganized printed photos
  • A lifetime of children’s art work, letters, report cards, etc
  • Boxes of inherited photos, slides & home movies from aging parent

How will the newest coolest app help with all of this?

Okay – time for a poll!

If you need help with any of these challenges, check out http://www.pixologieinc.com!

Reference:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/27/its-time-for-the-concept-of-photo-albums-to-die-everpix-debuts-what-comes-next/