Three Reasons Why You Should Make a Photo Slideshow

Posted on May 12, 2015 by pixologie

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.

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.)
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.
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?
BONUS Reason – other people enjoy watching your photo slideshows which can be shared in a whole number of places!

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

Three Fun Photo Ideas on a Family Road Trip

Posted on April 9, 2015 by pixologie

Pixologie is on the road this week . . . traveling down to Florida where the Association of Personal Photo Organizers is having their national conference. Ann flew while Rosie and I drove the 18+ hours down to Orlando. I love road trips . . . and will jump at the chance to hit the open road.

One of the road trips I went on was with my friend and our two 10 year old daughters . . . we drove for a week from Wisconsin all the way around the East Coast – with the goal of seeing twenty states and two provinces. Ask me to see the scrapbook sometime, 3300 miles in seven days . . . it was an unbelievable adventure (name the landmark, we most probably were there!)

There are three things that I love having photos of when I’ve been on a road trip.

ONE – Sleeping child – the stressors goes with taking children on a road trip are many (food, bathroom stops, “are we there yet,” and on). But there is something special about looking back at my kid sleeping that tugs at my heart strings and brings some peace. Definitely take a photo of that moment if possible – you’ll know what matters when you look back at the memories of the trip.

TWO – Unusual rest stops. . . You may not be lucky enough to find a rest stop that has something unique about it, so if another decidedly “different” stop catches your eye, snap a photo. You’ll better remember the story that goes along with it. I really wouldn’t have remembered this bathroom we stopped at in West Virginia – but the two toilets reminded me of the gas station. Not only could you stock up on snacks, bait, guns, ammo, camo and much more, there was a stuffed version of every type of animal that could be hunted mounted around the store. (Kind of like Cabela’s but in a rural, tiny town in the hills way.)

THREE – Take a photo where it looks like your son or daughter is holding the monument. Okay, it does take some manuevering to position your child’s hands right where they should be, but the fun of driving your kids nuts with something might be worth it. You can see I got better one year to the next, thank goodness, my daughter is a great sport!

Those are my thoughts about some photos to take on a road trip. I wonder what photos you might have from those vacations you took with your family on the road. If you haven’t looked in awhile, it is time to pull the photos out of boxes and off of memory cards and computers – and enjoy the memories!

Need help with sorting and saving your photos? Let us know!

www.pixologieinc.com

The Secret to Organizing Your Photos While Exercising!

Posted on March 13, 2015 by pixologie

Oh the joy of killing two birds with one stone!

I really hate that analogy because I have never willingly killed a bird (just accidentally with the car.) Okay – on with what has to be one of the first times ever someone has organized her digital photos while exercising!

Seriously, this is me this morning with my iPhone 5 and my trusty elliptical. (Sorry you aren’t getting a photo of me running on the elliptical organizing my photos – lol – I have some dignity!)

About a month ago we started testing a new photo organizing solution called Mylio.

Mylio is a photo management software system that works both on the desktop and as an app on phones and tablets. Mylio helps you gather, organize and access all of your photos across all your devices, anytime, anywhere. Mylio is available via annual subscription

I have Mylio installed on several of my devices including my laptop and my iPhone with an account dedicated to our Pixologie photos from our studio and our events. This means all my Pixologie photos are synced between my devices. When I make a change on one, it will update on my other devices. I needed to do some catch up sorting photos from the last month which I hadn’t gotten to yet.

While I was running on my elliptical this morning and playing my Bonnie Tyler Pandora station, I thought, how am I going to get through the next half hour of boring exercise? Then it it hit me, I could organize those photos waiting for me. I picked up the iPhone started up my Mylio app and sorted over 200 photos and deleted ones I didn’t need. The time flew by!

Then, when I went to my laptop sitting on my kitchen table, I could see that my updates from my phone had already synced to my laptop. See the screenshot below.

This is my Pixologie Mylio account with 1800 photos in it. My personal Mylio account has 17,000+ photos in it.

Unbelievable! Two tasks that sometimes seem like a chore (exercising and photo sorting) – when combined was amazing, beautiful, wonderful!

If you have photos on multiple computers, tablets and/or iPhones, you might want to learn more about Mylio. We are excited to be offering it in person at our studio and online at our Pixologie Store. For clients who purchase it through us, we offer a complimentary Open Studio Time to get you up and running comfortably with it!

Want to learn more about Mylio? Check out their website at www.mylio.com.

Happy exercising & photo sorting!

Three Photo Tactics to Get Through Your Daughter’s Teen Years

Posted on February 27, 2015 by pixologie

Wow. . . my thirteen year old (going on 30) daughter really has mastered the art of the attitude. It has been a real surprise for us because she literally reached 10 before she ever talked back to us. But, now the attitude is with our family every day, maybe not 100% of the time, but every day.

PLEASE NOTE: I love my daughter who is a straight A student and fantastic girl when the attitude is hiding!

Last night, my husband asked her to help make spaghetti so she sporadically stirred the noodles with her headphones on. When he realized the spaghetti sauce was sizzling, he asked her to turn the heat down. Hannah replied, “How many things do you expect me to do at once?” He asked what she meant and she said, “I’m stirring the noodles, listening to my music and daydreaming.” When he laughed, she was offended in the way a teen can only be.

Hannah told me this morning I was disrespecting her when I asked her about it, perceiving me to be teasing her. Sigh.

Here’s what I know, in order to get through these tough teen years, I am going to have to rely on cherishing the good moments, celebrating memories and planting seeds for her future.

Here’s my mom advice on how to get through these teen years using your photos:

Pull out the photos of when your daughter was younger and oh so adorable . . . and didn’t know what sarcasm was. Even better, share those photos with your daughter to laugh together about some of the things she did when she was young.
Take a photo of your daughter or several – selfies do not count here. Really think about the background and enjoy a few moments with her. Then get that photo printed.
Organize old photos and digital photos with your daughter. The time spent together accomplishes several things – memories are saved and celebrated, special moments without teenage friction are shared and generations are connected.

Cute photo of Hannah on Thanksgiving Day – those years we fried a turkey in half an hour – so good. Maybe we’ll try that again this year!

And I am not alone in seeing the value of photos as a parenting tool. The Association of Personal Photo Organizers reports in their Insiders Guide to Photo Organizing:

Studies show that photos have a positive impact on families by connecting generations and reinforcing positive values. In fact, many experts agree that photos have a significant impact on the emotional wellbeing of children. Parenting and youth development expert, Doctor G (Deborah Gilboa, MD) says that “organizing and displaying photographs connects children to our families, our values and our life goals for them.”

Here’s some resources for you in this journey of watching our children grow up!

Doctor G – Parenting Expert – For parenting help!

Pixologie, Inc. – For help with photo organizing!

Growing Our Mission While Increasing Awareness for Someone Else’s

Posted on February 7, 2015 by pixologie

AKA: We’ve Joined the World of Crowdfunding!

Pixologie is officially a year and a half old! Wow – what a ride the last eighteen months has been. We’ve been able to help hundreds of people sort, save and share hundreds of thousands of moments. We are passionate about our mission to help people save and tell the stories found in their photos.

However, with that kind of growth comes increasing amounts of work and need for additional resources! We are taking our business to a whole new level with a loan request through the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC). Not only does WWBIC offer potential loans to small businesses, their team offers relevant advice, encouragement and guidance along with an extensive list of classes and workshops. Their team members have visited with us twice and are amazing business advisors and cheerleaders.

As part of our larger work with WWBIC, they have recommended we apply for a crowdfunding type loan through Kiva Zip who provides 0% interest loans to entrepreneurs doing good things. We applied for a $5,000 loan and so far have had over 30 individuals support us with as little as a $5 loan – which we will pay back. Click on our profile graphic below to check out our profile request to see how it works.

We just think the whole concept is outstanding and its a fun way to raise awareness about what we are doing on a global basis! Importantly to us, we are raising awareness for the missions of both WWBIC and Kiva Zip by telling our stories of working with both of these organizations.

For more information:

Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation

Kiva Zip

Pixologie

Three Reasons Why You Need to Bring Your Family Photos to RootsTech 2015

Posted on January 28, 2015 by pixologie

Roots and Tech, two words that are so completely different in nature tell so much about what is going to happen in Salt Lake City next month. Thousands of people who have a passion for their family ancestry will come together for three days to learn the latest in technological innovations that will help them tell their family’s story.

Last year, RootsTech reports that nearly 4,000 youth ages 12-18 attended their conference classes and activities. I love that statistic because I believe that, in addition to documenting our family ancestry, we need to teach our youth about where they have come from, what values mattered to their family and how hard work builds character.

When completing a family history, we have found that photos are integral to telling a family’s story. Photos add impact to family lineages by visually connecting generations. There is a reason children, teenagers and even adults enjoy looking at photos of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents from “back in the day.”

Our friends at E-Z Photo Scan have been passionate about helping people digitize photos for over twenty years. They along with Kodak Alaris and FamilySearch are bringing over a dozen Scannx Photo ScanCenters to the RootsTech 2015 Conference. All attendees are invited to bring their photos to RootsTech for scanning at no charge.

Their goal is to scan 100,000 photos and treasured documents during the conference and you need to be a part of it!

Here’s three reasons why you should bring your photos with you to RootsTech 2015:

This kind of scanning is easy and super fast! At a speed of up to 85 photos per minute, the scanners make quick work of digitizing your photos. (And did we mention free? Scanning photos can cost anywhere from 17 to 99 cents a photo depending upon where you go.)

It’s such a relief to get it done! Many people delay scanning photos because it seems so overwhelming to start and, thereby, risk losing those photos to time, damage and other types of loss. Just get it done!

Your photos have the power to strengthen your family’s story, traditions and values. We are a visual society and photos tell stories – bringing people and personality to life. We can see in our family photos how our ancestors lived, what values mattered and what life was like long before technological advances became an everyday happening. And. . . you will delight other family members when you can share the images with them as well.

We are thrilled to hear about our colleagues’ goal to preserve 100,000 photos through the Scannnx Photo ScanCenters at RootsTech 2015. And, we are “rooting” for attendees to step up to the challenge of making their photos a priority, bringing them along for the ride to Salt Lake City and heading to Booth #1343 where family history will be saved!

For more information:

RootsTech 100,000 Photos Scanned Goal by E-Z Photo Scan

RootsTech 2015

At Pixologie, we help people get their photos out of chaos and back into life to be celebrated and shared. To learn more, visit us at www.pixologieinc.com.

Three Reasons to Save Your Kid’s Kindergarten Pictures Now!

Posted on January 23, 2015 by pixologie

Your Photos Can Be A Powerful Parenting Tool

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Okay, you have piles of your children’s photos in boxes, envelopes, tucked in bins in the closet – or on your computer, different camera cards, smart phones and on Facebook! We know . . . you’ll get to sorting the photos out someday. Well, we have some reasons why you might not want to wait.

If you are wanting to raise happy, well adjusted children, your photos can be one of the BEST parenting tools you have. Nationally recognized parenting expert, Deborah Gilboa, MD, (aka Doctor G), recently presented a webinar to the Association of Personal Photo Organizers on how this could be.

Gilboa believes that photos impact the three R’s of parenting. In her experience, photos:

Teach Respect
Show Responsibility
Build Resiliency

Here’s a quick example of how we see some kindergarten photos touching upon Doctor G’s three R’s.

1. Teaching Respect– In this photo, we see a teacher with her student. Looking back at the photo, we can help remind our children that our family does respect adults and that respect matters in life.

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2. Showing Responsibility – this photo of the student giving her baby brother a bite of desert is great. A moment was caught where she was helping her grandmother. Anytime you can point out in a photo when your child is doing something helpful or responsible, you are subconsciously helping to build their character.

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3. Building Resiliency – The kindergarten students each had to speak in front of the large group of parents and relatives who attended their graduation. Many adults get anxious when having to do presentations. Taking time with your child to look at accomplishments like this is a great opportunity to talk about the importance of overcoming difficulties and fears.

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Imagine all of the memories throughout your photo collection that can be teachable moments for your kids. It’s time to get your photos sorted and back into life to celebrate, share and help grow strong children.

We are thrilled that Doctor G has weighed in on the importance of photos in a family’s life. Watch for future blogs about why your photos matter in raising your children.

Our website: www.pixologieinc.com

Ask Doctor G’s Website: www.askdoctorg.com

Yep, We Wanted a Photo Shoot!

Posted on January 16, 2015 by pixologie

One week ago, co-founders Mollie Bartelt and Ann Matuszak enjoyed some time at the Pixologie Studio in Oak Creek to have a photo shoot with Rosie Hartmann. Below is her blog from our morning together! And great tips if you ever want to schedule a photographer to do your own photo shoot!

So You Want a Photo Shoot?

By Rosie Hartmann

Friday I had one of my most successful shoots ever. My sister was the “client”. She wanted a professional looking shoot for business purposes. She came prepared, there are many things that mean prepared for a shoot.

In this case she was willing, had a clear idea in her head that we discussed beforehand and she came dressed for success. She had a clear set of ideas. Last but not least she worked it.

On my part, I knew with the look she wanted I would have to shoot technically in a way I do not normally shoot. We both adapted to her needs.

I have always looked at being a photographer as it is my job to deliver what the client wants. That has always meant I needed to figure out what they want. Most clients do not have the mindset my sister did. I have never really had that before. It was magical. So if you ever want a really amazing shoot this is what I recommend.

Like your photographer. If you do not like the photographer they are not right for you. Have a clear idea of what you are looking for i.e. portrait, business, casual, candid etc. Dress the part. If you look good you will feel good. If you feel good you will look good. That translates so well to the camera. Not all photographers are going to take instruction well. They think they are the expert. I am no expert on you, so please speak up! That one point right there is an important thing to discuss with a photographer before you use them!

Lastly, I think everyone should do a shoot. I am no different. I set the camera and had my sister do some shots of me. One is below. I also scheduled my own professional shoot. It is March 7th. I am sure that will be a blog down the line as well.

Rosie’s Website: www.rosiehartmann.com

Three Reasons to Haul Out Your Slides Today!

Posted on January 12, 2015 by pixologie

Back in 2004, my in-laws pulled out the slide projector and carousels of slides to go through. We had all the family over – twenty of us watching memories from the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. It was the one of the last times we were all together before my father-in-law passed away from cancer, and one of my favorite family gatherings.

Here’s my three reasons to haul out your slides today!

It is the winter and a great time for family get togethers. How much fun is it to look at photos of you or your parents growing up?
Reconnect with and celebrate your family traditions and memories. Today’s world operates by a different set of values, morality and norms. It does us all good to reflect on how family life has changed since the 1950s and 1960s. (See the Christmas group photo below – the whole family dressed up for the holiday, bow-ties and all!)
Life flies by and before we know it, we can lose a loved one. Celebrate those memories together now when you can hear the stories aloud, instead of when it is too late. I know that Sunday afternoon, ten years ago, with my father-in-law will stand out in mind as long is I live – and I was blessed to have a photo of the event.

Lastly, don’t just haul out the projector to watch the slides, have your slides converted to a digital file so the whole family can have a copy of these special memories to pass down to their children and grandchildren.

At Pixologie, we have scanned anywhere from five slides to thousands of slides for our clients. Let us know if we can help!

http://www.pixologieinc.com

email: contact@pixologieinc.com

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