In order to have My Pop Art create a wonderful Pop Art interpretation of your work, you must have work in the first place, right? Everyone is so busy nowadays, its often difficult to connect to something as seemingly needless as photography. For most people, it falls under the category of a hobby and who has time for a hobby?

Hobbies exist for a reason. They allow you to connect to that child side that resides in all of us; that quiet, playful child who focuses on one task and one task only. Time nearly stands still. When your done, you wonder what happened to the afternoon. You realize you feel calmer, more focused.

Interestingly, it’s never been a better time to have a hobby. Our stress levels continue to increase as many of our economic struggles heighten in today’s economy, our work hours increase and our ability to fully relax is challenged. Hobbies allow you to “zone out” in a healthy way. It’s almost akin to a nap, where your blood pressure drops and your breathing slows down and falls into a relaxing and natural pattern.

So blow the dust off that camera today and take a few shots. Maybe it will feel a little unnatural at first but pretty soon, you’ll feel genuinely excited to take photos again. Once you look at the results, you’ll remember the importance of a hobby. Of course, you’ll have a few duds, perhaps mainly duds…but those couple of nice shots you took make it all worth it.

It is said that “timing is everything.” This age old phrase applies to a myriad of life experiences. It also certainly holds true to photography. Before you send a photo off to My Pop Art, you want to make sure it’s the best photo possible. That’s when timing comes into play.

Let’s say you want to capture the perfect moment at a surprise party, like the look on the recipient’s face. That moment only happens once, right? Well not necessarily. There are all sorts of moments in that moment. Expressions are composed of milisecond changes. If you were to shoot a video of that same moment, you could slow it down and see all of the small facial changes that occur, all expressing surprise – or gratitude – or dismay (some people hate surprise parties!)

The most important lesson is to be prepared. Shoot a little beforehand to make sure the settings on your camera are correct for that particular space. And (back to our surprise party example) shoot alot. Continue to shoot, even when you feel it’s “after the fact.” People continue to show expression, right? Well, maybe the actual moment when he walked into the room wasn’t the best shot. Maybe its the expression on his face as the realization settles in.

Also, get up close and personal. Try to get a few shots as close to the subject as possible. During a happy moment, people are less likely to care that they have a camera in their face! You don’t want to make a habit of this because people get annoyed but there are times to take some “creative liberties.” Of course, if you have a zoom lens, you could sit across the room and still get amazing close-ups.

So take a lot of shots, check your shot beforehand and don’t be afraid to get a little close. You too will be surprised…at the results!

When my husband and I bought a house by the ocean, a dream had come true for me. It was something I had waited for my whole life. I wasn’t sure how we’d afford it but after years of research and watching the market, we suddenly “seized the day.” One of our favorite things to do is watch the sunset at the end of the street. I sent a photo off to My Pop Art and I put the artwork above the mantelpiece in our living room. It’s such a bright, vivid piece, I swear, it lights up the room!

Capturing a sunset photo is one of my easier creative tasks. I picked up photography a few years ago, while I was on vacation. There’s tons for me to learn but the sunset, well – it seems to do the work itself! I do wait until the final minutes of the sunset for a good shot. If you take it too early, the photograph can often be overexposed or it doesn’t have the subtle colorful nuances that happen right before the sun dips over the horizon.

Sometimes its nice just to observe the sunset. I take my camera out only occasionally. The sunset at the end of the street has become a time for my husband and I to reconnect after a busy day and that’s my first priority. But when I do bring my camera, I know nature itself will create the perfect photograph for me…I just have to click a button!

For my 40th birthday, I wanted to do something distinct, unique. Nothing stuffy. I was tired of the same old dinner party with the prerequisite cake afterwards. And the cake is never any good! This year, I chose skydiving with a friend. And my friend was kind enough to send our photo of this experience off to My Pop Art and have it made into a pop art masterpiece.

The day of the event was perfect – crystal clear fall skies and both of us were really psyched. I felt fine up until we walked on the plane. Then the nerves began. I thought, “Hmm…maybe that dinner party wasn’t such a bad idea afterall!” My friend was very silent, which was a bad sign. I knew he was nervous too. Our instructor assured us that this was all very normal and we’d be fine.

When we finally made the jump, I swear, I saw my life flash before me! It was frightening, yes, but the exhilaration kicked in I had an ear to ear smile plastered on my face. They take a photo of you and it’s one of my favorite photographs. I haven’t seen me looking so happy in years. Now I have the  My Pop Art version of it hanging up over my bed, as a reminder of the chances I want to take and the happiness I want to experience.

I’m really glad my friend had the artwork done because it really celebrates that wonderful experience in a whole different way.

Pop Art is a creative experiment. It has a rich history of artists extending themselves in a bold, new direction. Many were shocked at first. What was this crazy art form? Who would want a piece of artwork depicting Campbell soup cans? Has the world gone mad?

Of course, now we embrace pop art. It’s become part of our cultural history and landscape. My Pop Art is composed of artists with that same “out of the box” thinking. Send them an interesting photo and they’ll add to it, in a creative and distinctive way.
How can you have fun with your photography and take chances you wouldn’t normally?

One of the most important elements is bringing your camera with you everywhere. The world is chockful of opportunities to shoot. When we get out of that “birthday and anniversary” mindset, we start seeing the world through different eyes. We see the wonder on a street corner or in a laundromat or even in a trashcan.

We often take the visuals around us for granted. We are immune to them after a while; almost numb. Your camera allows you to think and play in a different way, just like the originators of Pop Art. Don’t judge yourself. Don’t say to yourself, “Well, that would be a ridiculous shot. I shouldn’t take it. Who would want to look at that?” Take the chance and don’t give a damn. An real innovator thinks that way. Where is the innovator within you? What scene is unfolding before you right this very second that you haven’t paid much attention to? You have nothing to lose except perhaps some inhibitions.

My Pop Art is a creative and unique service where your photographs are turned into a bold, vivid work of pop art for you to showcase to the world…or at least your friends and family! They are a small company working out of California and are very socially conscious as well. In this day and age, it’s nice to know that when you use a company’s service, that they’re giving back to the community as well.

Take PetSmart for example:

PetSmart Charities is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the lives of homeless pets. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities has donated more than $42 million to animal welfare organizations throughout North America and has saved more than 2.6 million homeless pets’ lives through PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers located in every PetSmart store.

PetSmart Charities chose My Pop Art to do their bold and endearing artwork for their “Just a Buck, Change Their Luck” campaign and did so happily. And what a natural pairing. Not only does My Pop Art specialize in creating artwork from their client’s pet photos, they really believe in the cause that PetSmart supports – helping animals in need find a happy and loving home.

In a day of Costco and Target and every other uberstore out there, it feels good to use the services of a smaller company that cares about the community in which they live. Keeping small business thriving feels good, especially when they’re work is so distinctive and the company itself is so socially conscious.

Before sending a photo off to My Pop Art, you want to make sure it’s the best photo possible. We all know the basics; such as centering your subject properly, good lighting, clarity, etc. Working with shadows can add another level of depth to your photography and it’s really easy to integrate. Often we avoid shadows, thinking somehow they are a “photography faux pas” but actually they have a rich history:

All too often, in the modern scheme of things, we as photographers are fearful of shadows. We bend over backwards (sometimes) to avoid shadows on the wall. And so we flood our scenes with fill light and background light and make a frantic effort to “kill the shadow”.

But is this always necessary? We think not. Often the background shadow can be a major element of the composition, adding boldness and high drama to an otherwise banal photograph.

Wall shadows in photography were not always taboo. In the first four decades of the 20th century the uses of shadows were important compositional elements, especially in portraiture and theater and dance photography. One need only to examine the exciting work of Edward Steichen, Lotte Jacobi, Arnold Genthe, Barbara Morgan, Gertrude Kasebier, Horst, George Hoyningen-Huerne, Berenice Abbott, et al. Look at the pages of the (old) Vanity Fair, Vogue, Hound & Horn, etc. You will see a regular use of strong wall shadow in portraiture, fashion, glamour and theater photography.

So there is no need to fear the use of shadows especially when we use them emphatically to outline and reinforce our subject matter.

- NY Institute of Photography

So be adventurous. Playing around with shadows on a hot summer’s day. Certain angles allow you to shoot nothing but shadow. Or place your subject in a way where shadows outline or extend an action, giving the shadow a life of it’s own. Shadows don’t need to be avoided. They are dramatic and create an added level to a good shot!

Capturing the magical moments of your wedding day is one of the priorities of most couples. They want to be able to look back at the event and remember the high points. They want to choose just the right photographer, who’ll capture every little nuance. They want to be able to share the memories with loved ones. They want to remember.

Often, a couple will get a thousand pictures taken, pick several hundred and make a photo album of the event. And as we know, photo albums are becoming less and less useful in this digital age. They tend to gather dust on our bookshelves and closets, rarely seeing the light of day. And when we do present them to someone, there is an “auto-pilot” that most people switch on, turning pages at rapid speed, appreciating the images but looking forward to getting to that last page.

My Pop Art allows you to showcase or memorialize a special moment like your wedding day in a way that’s both active and fun. Once you choose your favorite moment – maybe its during your vows or a stolen kiss after the long day – send it into My Pop Art and let them make that magical photo that much more special. You can choose the colors you wish to utilize to showcase that perfect moment or let them decide. Whatever you choose, the end result will be a bright, bold, vivid reminder of that special day…not a picture stuck in the depths of a photo album.

When I found out my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary was a week away, I panicked. My sister mentioned it casually when we were on the phone with one another. What could I do quickly that didn’t scream “I threw this present together because I found out about your anniversary a week ago!” My sister mentioned using My Pop Art in the past and I really liked the results. She had ordered a Pop Art version of a family portrait, which I loved. I knew I didn’t have time to find a photograph and send it to them, but I went online anyway.

I looked at their Limited Edition artwork and really loved the pieces of artwork; bright, distinctive and fun. I picked one I knew would go well with their living room and hoped for the best.

Well, I was quite lucky. I had it sent directly to my parent’s house and it arrived on the day of their anniversary, as if I had planned it all along. My mother was the first to call me, raving about how beautiful it was. And she’s a picky person. If she doesn’t like it, she’ll say something…polite. She certainly won’t “rave.” I think my father liked it as well. When I went over to their house that day, it was already up on their wall, looking wonderful. I think my sister was even a little jealous, since she had put much more time into her present and she had suggested it (I didn’t allow her to say a thing!)

So My Pop Art really saved me from an awkward family incident. I’m really glad my sister suggested it. It’s perfect for last minute gifts.

When I began shooting years ago, I took very little head to the light in a room or outside. I was a “shoot and point” kinda gal. I never really got why my photos were less than fantastic. With a little reading and research, I came to realize the importance of light – and experimentation. My photos quickly improved and one of my best, I sent off to My Pop Art and it now hangs on my wall, as the room’s centerpiece.

So what are some of the rules surrounding light and photography? Well, midday sun can be a killer for just about any shot. That doesn’t mean you can’t shoot then, it just means you’ll have to make adjustments on your camera so that hazy bright light doesn’t “wash out” your photo.

Another important rule to note is the light source in relation to the subject of your shot. Sunsets are pretty but if you put your friends in front of one, expecting a great shot, you’ll be dissapointed. Ideally a light source should be behind you and shining on the subject. You can take some decent photos with a flash, using that “sunset shot” example.

Again, when you learn more about your camera, you’ll realize you can make all sorts of adjustments to compensate for lack of light or misplaced light. It takes some time with your camera’s manual (which can be your best friend).

Sometimes overexposed shots are just what you want. They create an angelic or heavenly feel to a shot, surrounding your subject in white light. Sometimes overexposing can bring out a particular element in a shot, such as a white face with bright blue eyes blasting through. But it needs to be a conscious choice, not an accident!