Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Behind the Camera: Jayne Salentiny Photography

So... it's been a while since we've given a shout-out to a great photographer. Since photography is sort of the life blood of what we do (you can't print too many pictures without pictures), I think it's time we get back into the swing of things with another Behind the Camera feature! 

But first, flashback. Remember these? 


If you missed them, these were some Grad Boards we made a while back for the Kruger family from Tyler, MN. They were celebrating their daughter Hannah's graduation and had some BIG ideas for how they wanted things to look. (We're continually blown by some of the ideas our customer's bring us). 

Anyway, the boards are great, but check out the pictures. Credit for those beauts (that's "beauties" in English) goes to Jayne Salentiny out in Tyler, MN.


It's obvious that Jayne loves what she does, and we loved bumping into her stuff, so let's take a look... 

...Behind the Camera w/ Jayne Salentiny 
How long have you been into photography (both professionally and personally)?
I did 2 years of schooling for photography, 1 year of photographing under another photographer, and 5 years now photographing on my own. It's kind of hard to believe its been that long.

Why did you first get into photography? Could you tell us what led you into it?
I loved painting and drawing and was always a "right" brain person. I knew I wasn't Picasso, or even close...so I decided I'd try this whole photography thing out and ended up loving it. It allowed me to capture lighting, subjects, and emotions without spending hours on a subject only to spill a big glob of paint in the wrong spot!

What are you favorite subjects to photograph (people, nature, etc.)?
I love photographing babies and children. Every session can be so different. Emotions just come natural with kids, which always gives me so much to work with. There's nothing better then to capture the wonder in a child.

If you had to choose your all-time favorite photograph (not necessarily taken by you), what would it be? 
Hmm...I'm not sure I have an all-time favorite, but my favorite photographer is Mandy Lynne Photography. (www.mandylynne.com)
Her work is always an inspiration.

Canon or Nikon?
Canon

Aside from photographing, what do you love doing? 
I love spending time with the hubby, doing home improvements (it's a love hate thing), chilln' with my basset hound, LeRoy and visiting my hilarious niece and nephew.

Favorite breakfast food? 
Homemade egg and cheese on a toasted sour dough muffin.

Name your favorite kitchen utensil or appliance. 
Though I love to cook, I would say the microwave. I have no idea how people survived without them!

What drives you as a photographer?
I would say the constant need to always keep improving and learning. Without that, I think photography would become stagnant for me. 


That's an extremely brief overview of Jayne. Did you catch her favorite things to photograph? Babies & children? If I were a photographer, I'd probably pick the same - I love babies & youngsters. Get a better taste of her style below:






It's awesome to get to know some great photographers that are right around the corner, and we can't wait to see some more of her work come our way. Jayne's work very well captures some heart-melting emotions, unforgettable moments, and valuable people - exactly the kind of pictures we love to print. Click around to see some more of her work and to learn more about Jayne's services!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jayne-Salentiny-Photography/122306577850435
Website: http://www.jaynesalentiny.com/

That's that! If you liked what you saw/read, shoot Jayne a comment under this post!

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Friday, July 12, 2013

New Life to Old Memories: Some of our Favorite Photo Restoration Projects

Maybe it's the nerd in me, but I'm so excited about this post. Over the past few months, we've had the privilege of putting lives on the wall in a really cool way: by bringing new life to photos that tell some valuable stories.

I'm not talking about 'old' vacation pics on your computer from 5 years ago, and I'm not talking about printing on the same material at the same size. I'm talking about scanning, fixing up, enhancing, and reproducing aged, damaged photos in a BIG way.

How old and how big? Glad you asked, because I'd love to show you just a little bit of what we've done.

Lyon County Historical Society

If you haven't been to the new Lyon County Museum, do yourself a favor and check it out. Not just because our work is there, but because there's some incredible history ready to be rediscovered. Right now, the early healthcare in the county is being highlighted, with the help of several 6-foot-tall panels designed, printed, and installed by us. (Content of the panels was provided by Jennifer Andries.)

The first panel you'll see when entering the exhibit. 

For just about all of the panels, we scanned, enhanced, and enlarged a series of photographs several decades old. They included doctor notes, staff portraits, building pictures, and much more. By scanning them at a high DPI, we were able to preserve the detail of the images incredibly well, allowing us to blow up even an 8"x10" (approx.) photo to 12 FEET wide.

An 8"x10" photo before we edited & enhanced it. Note the scratches & creasing. 

The print-ready digital file, removed of major flaws. 

The 12-foot-wide finished product, on display! 

WWII Submarine Print 

This one was brought to us by Tom Geske of Marshall, and initially, we didn't have much hope for it. It's an old print of a submarine he purchased a while back. It had been folded up and stored for quite some time, so it had significant creases in it. To make it harder, we didn't have a flatbed scanner capable of scanning it. 

But, with a digital camera and some quality time with Photoshop, we managed to not only enhance the image, but remove nearly all the creases and fix it up quite a bit. In the end, it was reproduced into a 48"x36" stretched canvas print, ready to be displayed & enjoyed. 

The print in its original state, creased and faded. 

 The print-ready image, edited & enhanced.

The finished canvas print.

Family Memory Lifewall Canvas

C.J. Molitor has a great family with some great memories, and we had a great time putting together a canvas collage (Lifewall Canvas) featuring just a handful of those memories. This finished print wasn't that large itself, but it did entail enhancing quite a few photos. Here are just a couple of them. 



KirPatrick's Pub & Grill

Aside from all of these, we've had a few other projects involving reproducing old photos. KirtPatrick's Pub & Grill in Balaton, MN ordered this series of canvas prints, plus a few more not pictured. All offer a taste of Balaton history.

Here are just a few of the prints we reproduced for KirPatrick's.

....More to Come!


We're already in talks with multiple business interested in bringing their stories to life. Stay tuned for more to come! 

If you're interested in getting a print restored & reproduced, stop by, give us a call, email us, or submit a form online. We absolutely love helping people and places tell the stories of how they came to be, and reminding them of the history they have yet to make.