Magees One Hour Photo Lab Ltd

It’s the beginning of the year, a new start…make it a fresh one. A new, positive hobby, can be a great way to start the year. It can be a pleasurable experience and a great release of any stresses that we may feel. We believe that of the many new hobbies out there, photography is a great one that can be both enriching and fulfilling. Here's why:


Photographs offer a window into the past

Photographs allow people to be immortalised in time. Growing up, you will surely have seen many old pictures of your family. Pictures of them laughing and smiling give us a reference point to what life was like in the past. Old photos can be fascinating as they allow us to view the differences and similarities between life then and now. Changes in technology, fashion and architecture can all be seen through the medium of photography. Life can be documented and preserved and we can capture moments that would otherwise be lost forever. This year, why not give yourself a project of collating old family photographs into albums. If, like my family, old photos tend to be kept in multiple albums that have no set timeline or structure, organising this into something more meaningful that the whole family can enjoy is a hugely worthwhile and rewarding task.


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Photography can be wonderfully uplifting

Focusing on the natural beauty of life can be both energising and stress relieving. Photography is a great way to do this and can be a welcome distraction from the pressures of life. Why not make a resolution to start photographing nature this year. Turning your focus to the wonders of nature can be incredibly inspiring and motivating. It will help to motivate you to be outdoors. No matter where you live, we are lucky that Ireland is a country with such gorgeous landscapes and scenery right on our doorstep.


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Photography reminds us how easy it is to forget

Photography is a great way of collecting little mementos and holding on to memories. Photos can remind us of precious everyday moments and can act as reminders of the good times. As we get older these photos have more meaning and allow us to reflect on some of the wonderful times that occurred in our life. Memory’s may get hazy over time and may be lost, however through photography we can hold onto these memories. Through photography we can capture the special moments in our life, such as a wedding or family get together.


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I hope this article inspires you to take up photography as a hobby. If you need any photography ideas please visit our website, we would love to help.


Although we may not live in a place that gets a lot of snowfall, we are still lucky to live in a country that has its own uniquely stunning scenery and landscape that provides us with some amazing opportunities to take photographs. If you are looking for some inspiration to get some wonderful shots this year, here are a selection of our winter photographs from around the country.


1. Nollaig Shona Duit
What a wonderful image. With its striking use of light and colour, this iconic view of Dublin’s O’Connell Street immediately reminds us of the excitement surrounding Christmas. Last minute shopping and winter catch ups are just some of the things that make Christmas in Dublin special. Christmas in the country's capital is always special, and with different events on throughout the city centre, there is always something to do.

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Picture Credit: William Murphy


2. Snowfall on Errigal
This is a stunning shot of Mount Errigal, situated in our own hometown of Donegal. It is the tallest peak of the Derryveagh Mountains and many hikers travel to the small village of Dunlewy every year to climb this magnificent landscape. You can’t get better than this image with a hint of sun and blue skies, but yet with a stunningly crisp and frosty outlook.

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Picture Credit: Liam Moloney


3. Animals in the Snow
Taken during the snowfall of 2010, this happy image shows a dog playfully experiencing snow for the first time! Christmas is a great time to get some once-off pictures of your pets. Whether it is enjoying snow, getting their paws on some wrapping paper, or enjoying some new pet toy from Santa, there are always loads of opportunities!

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4. No matter the Weather
This adventurer is not deterred by the weather. The heroic thrill seeker seems excited to be getting into the freezing water. Surfing in Ireland has grown massively in recent years. The west of Ireland boost some of the best surf spots in the world. Indeed, many professional surfers from around the world visit the west of Ireland for its beautiful beaches and massive waves.

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Picture Credit: SurfAroundIreland.com


5. The Last of the Forty Footers
The Forty Foot is a Dublin Institute. Every Christmas many fundraisers find themselves taking the plunge. Jumping into the Forty Foot at Dublin’s Sandycove has become a tradition for many people, taking time out of their very special day to raise awareness or funds for very charitable causes.

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Picture Credit: Broadsheet.ie


These pictures from around Ireland remind us just how beautiful the winter can be. If you are an avid photographer, why not transfer your photos into a keepsake. At OnlinePhotoPrinting.ie we have a range of products that will capture and display your photographs perfectly. Whether it is a Photobook, a personalised Photo Gift, or simply great prices in developing prints, there are lots of options to treasure your Christmas memories.


Halloween photo booths are ideal when hosting Halloween parties for your friends or even your littles ones. At Magees, we are big fans of dressing up and throwing a party. So this year up your game and create your very own Halloween photo booth. It is very simple to do, and it keeps your guests entertained.
You can go for the spooky one or the classic family friendly one! So pick a corner or a wall and start creating a spooktacular Halloween Photo Booth.

Halloween

How to make the Halloween photo booth:

Main supplies:

  • Plastic or paper table covers, thin curtains or white sheets.
  • Paint (red mainly)
  • Fairy lights
  • Coloured card
  • Scissors
  • Small nails
  • Halloween decorations
  • Heavy duty tape

A few Halloween Photo Booth ideas:

  1. Blood Bath Photo Booth
  2. blood splatter halloween photo booth Use some old white sheets for the sides and top of your photo booth, then put loads of red paint on your hands and wipe your hands all over them, also add hand prints. Then splatter some paint all over. You will have so much fun doing this.
    I did this Halloween photo booth in the past. I loved creating it and was very happy with the result. Very simple as well as quick to do. Although you will need to have a long shower to clean off afterwards.
    Our tip: write some words like ‘Help me’, ‘help’, ‘hell’ to make it even scarier.

    blood prints halloween photo booth


  3. Classic Family friendly Photo Booth
  4. Just pick black paper or curtains, and attach little Halloween themed cut-outs. That can be a fun activity to do with your children! Pumpkins and bats are very common and so easy to do. If you feel you need to be challenged go for the skeletons.
    Hang a few on your photo booth wall to decorate it.

    Halloween photo booth props


  5. Scary Photo Booth
  6. You have many options here, just leave your creativity take over! My personal favourite is making a coffin out of cardboard boxes, painting it in black and adding extra details, then use cotton to create spider webs.
    And maybe add a vintage chair (dark red maybe) in the middle. Add some accessories like candles, skulls, black gates, crosses, skeletons, and fairy lights etc. Anything you find that’s spooky.


    Halloween photo booth coffin Halloween coffin photo booth

Halloween photo booth props:

Do not forget to add a basket with some photo booth props if you want to go for the fun Halloween one rather than the spooky one. You can buy ready made ones or simply download some Party props. You can also make them yourself if you’re feeling creative!

halloween photo booth props

Printing out your photos:

Why not create nice keepsakes of your Halloween party with our photobooks or photo collages. You could also print them out on several items to create nice personalised gifts for your friends to remember your amazing party!

halloween photo booth coasters

With those Halloween Photo Booth ideas there is no ghost of a chance your guests won’t like your party.


Nowadays everyone has their smartphone to capture memories. You can share them online and send them to your friends, but then you forget about them as they are just sleeping somewhere amongst a pile of snaps on your phone. Photographs remind us of the best, the cutest & even the worst moments.
Why not transfer these snaps into nice memorable keepsakes? Here are a few ideas to turn these photos into nice keepsakes.


1. Poster Prints

Maybe the most common & old school keepsake idea, but here it is...The Poster Print! They bring something special to your room, & your home. Personalised posters are so ‘in’, you get the feeling you’re a star, hanging on the wall.

Our posters can be printed in many sizes:
Wall Poster


2. Canvas

You have the feeling your place is missing something, and you’re looking for a print to hang on those empty walls? Transform your home into a Gallery with personalised canvases. Why not print out some of your best summer holiday snaps onto a canvas, to make you feel better when you’re all snuggled up in winter. You snap, we print! We have really amazing prices too, as our canvases start at €39.99. So get creative, and customise your home!

Tips for canvases as well as Poster Prints:
1. Before ordering, think about where you would put your poster/canvas. Be aware of the colour in the room and the space you have.
2. Make sure the resolution is picture perfect. Avoid blurry or pixelated canvases by picking the best quality. Ideally a resolution should be between 180 DPI and 240 DPI. Anyway we will let you know if your picture has a ‘poor quality’ when you upload it.
3. Edit your photo to suit your tastes. Add filters, change colours, brightness, etc. Why not make your snap look vintage after all; you design it the way you want! This is a piece of art not just a photo!


custom wall canvas

3. Make a Photo Collage

Capture emotions by displaying not just one picture, but a collage of several pictures to create your own work of art! A bit like the old school collage we used to do on our walls as teens, or even like the Instagram collage, except for these are printed out! Sometimes you like a few pictures but can’t seem to put your finger on your absolute favourite, well collage gives you the possibility to pick a selection rather than just one. Go for the simple or the scattered collage, depending on your mood. Capture those special moments with a Photo Collage today as little as €3.99.

Tips:
1. Pick a theme, or a specific period in time.
2. Try and make the colours work together avoiding too many different colours.
3. Add cool filters to your pics, and maybe some comments (date, where, whom).


photo collage dogs

4. Mobile and tablet covers

How cool would it be to have your own picture on your phone cover? You will stand out with and all your friends will want the same! Also, you get to keep your favourite picture with you all the time, cause we all know we never leave the house without our beloved phone. Why not create our own Mobile & Tablet cover now?

Tips:
1. Make sure to pick a picture you really love because you will have to see it every single day. On the other hand, if you get bored with it you can always create another one.
2. A portrait picture is better that in landscape mode, as you hold your phone upwards and not sideways usually.


phone custom cover

5. Placemats & Coasters

Custom print your gorgeous memories on coasters & placemats. Place them all around your house, on your tables. Revive your morning with a cuppa, and a personalised coaster. We promise on a bad day it will cheer you up! Nothing Tea and a custom coaster can’t fix!


tea cup on coaster

Magees Photo Printing makes it easy for you to create unique custom keepsakes. Sync your phone, tablet, memory card as well as your social media with our simple system and get printing today!

What is YOUR favourite photo keepsake?


1) Prisma

Prisma is one of the hottest photography apps on the market at the moment….and it’s free to download!! With Prisma, all of your photos can be turned into works of art and it is quick and simple to use. Each filter is based on the style of world famous artists or patterns. That, combined with the apps’ Artificial Intelligence programme, allows you to create stunningly unique and creative images.

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Image source: Prisma-ai.com
Download Prisma for Android
Download Prisma for iOS


2) Snapseed

Snapseed is a must-have for the more serious of photographers. Free to download and easy to use, you can’t go wrong with this handy app. It features all of the basic tools that you would expect from a photo editing app, such as exposure, colour sharpening and cropping. However it also has some advanced tools and a great selection of filters that will help you create the perfect professional photographs.

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Image source: iPhone.appstorm.net
Download Snapseed for Android
Download Snapseed for iOS


3) VSCO

A free-to-download app with in-app purchases, VSCO is becoming very popular…not just for photo-editing, but also as a camera and photo-sharing app. You can join the VSCO community and explore content from like-minded photography enthusiasts. For photo-editing, VSCO stands out with its subtle and soft filters which are a refreshing change from the strong and bold filters that have become so common these days.

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Download Vsco for Android
Download Vsco for iOS


4) AirBrush

This app is for the selfie lovers (admit who you are!) out there. The great thing about this app is that the look it creates is completely natural and gives no sign that the image has been edited. Remove blemishes, smoothen your complexion, brighten your eyes….this app does it all and more! Create perfect selfies for uploading to Facebook, Instagram or even for your online dating apps.

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Download Airbrush for Android
Download Airbrush for iOS


5) Photoblend

This is one for those who like to be more “artsy” with their photographs. More of a fun app than a serious photography tool, this is easy to use and allows you to let your imagination run wild! With Photoblend you can morph, mix and blend 2 images together to create a double exposure affect! With easy sharing options for social media, the possibilities are truly endless with this app!

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Download Photoblend for Android
Download Photoblend for iOS


You should never underestimate the impact of personalised photo gifts. A memorable gift has always some kind of personalisation. It shows you know the person very well to be able to find a gift unique enough to convey your feelings and your care for the person. That’s why personalised photo gifts are a simple and popular option but with extraordinary surprises. It is also perfectly suitable for all occasions.

With today’s technology, we are easily able to customise gifts using the photos we have in our cameras, mobiles, tablets or on social media channels. So why not use these photos to create something that will have a lasting importance for our loved ones. We gathered 3 creative and unique photo gift ideas for you to personalise your next gift.


Personalised Photo Calendar

photo calendar


Calendars are everywhere: on our desks, in our computers, on our fridges, on our house walls. We look at them every day and do not realise their importance in our lives. A personalised photo calendar fits every home and is our first suggestion for a unique photo gift. Customise your photo calendar with style and memorable photos. It doesn’t matter what the occasion is or who the recipient is, a photo calendar gift adds a personal touch and memories to someone’s day-to-day.


Tips:

  • Choose the calendar’s size accordingly. A small landscape photo calendar is great for work due their size and format whilst large portrait is better for home.
  • Select at least 12 photos and put them in order that can evoke a story because stories take us into the memories.
  • Pick photos that show emotions and feelings because they activate the right side of the brain which is responsible for visualisation and creativity.


Personalised Photo Books photo book


We all have our favourite photos which we keep in drawers or computers. We collect many photographs as we gather our experiences. Personalised photo books are a great option to organise these photos and an easy way to relive past moments. A personalised photo book is a book where you arrange your photographs in a specific order. Creativity can be added by using montages, collages, written messages, information or any content of your choice.


Tips:

  • Organise your photo albums by themes. You also can organise by broad themes such as wedding, family history, baby, travels, or by using narrower themes like pets, hobbies and school days.
  • Intercalate your photographs in size, style and colour, but organising them by occasions gives a sense of time linearity.
  • Create as many albums as you want, but group photographs in such a way that tells a short or a long story.
  • The quality of your photographs makes a difference, so choose them wisely.
  • Choose an album size according to your number of photos.
  • Pets are also part of family, don’t leave them out of your photo book! You can even dedicate a personalised photo book to them!

wedding photos


Personalised Photo Mugs Our next suggestion is very affordable and fun: personalised photo mugs. Regardless of whether the recipient is a child, teenager or an adult, they are a guaranteed way of showing your personal touch. Create your mug using that special photo. They are very handy for family, friends, or work colleagues.


Tips:

  • Due to an ample area, you need to check how your photograph fits in. On the other hand, be creative and make the area to work for you.
  • Use the 360 degree area to create your personal touch.
  • Create a group of mugs with and for each member of the family.

personalised mugs


The Magees Photo Printing Lab allows for easy creation of these unique personalised photo gifts. You can create stunning gifts online by synching your phone, tablet, memory card or even social media channels with our easy-to-use system.


Now that the Summer is (finally) upon us, the budding photographer in all of us will soon be making an appearance! Although, in today’s world of Instagram, Snapchat and Hashtags, we hardly need much of an excuse to take a sneaky pic! At Online Photo Printing we consider ourselves extremely lucky to be situated in one of the most scenic locations in Ireland (and dare we say the world)! Donegal has loads of accolades to prove just this! Here just a selection that we think are worth mentioning:

(That last one is just something we like to mention!)

In store at Online Photo Printing we have been discussing our favourite local spots to take the perfect picture. It can be easy to take the place you live in for granted, but we strongly believe that Donegal should always be appreciated for its natural beauty. So whether you are a local resident or just passing through for a visit, here are some of our favourite photographic locations:

1) Fanad Head

Fanad Head is the most northerly point of the stunning Fanad Peninsula. It is famous for its beautiful beaches, incredible scenery and the iconic lighthouse. While you’re there, look out for the amazing sea arch at Pollaid.
Fanad Head

2) Slieve League (Sliabh Liag) Cliffs

Mentioned earlier, the Slieve League Cliffs are something we are particularly proud of, as they are the highest accessible sea cliffs in Europe, reaching a staggering 1,972 feet. Aside from offering panoramic views of Donegal Bay and beyond, there are many other beautiful sights you can enjoy such as The Giant’s Desk and Chair, the Napoleonic Tower as well as a number of loughs and waterfalls.
Slieve League

3) Poison Glen

Lying at the foot of Errigal, Donegal’s highest mountain, the views of the Poison Glen can be enjoyed from both above and below. Legends and ghost stories surround the Poison Glen, with its origins said to have come from when the one-eyed ancient king of Tory Balor was killed by his grandson, and upon dying the poison from his eye split the rock and poisoned the glen.
Poison Glen

4) Tory Island (Oileán Thoraí)

The Gaeltacht area of Tory Island is one of our favourite places for a photograph if you are a bird lover, as it is one of the only parts of Ireland that you can catch a glimpse of the endangered corncrake. Aside from this, Tory Island is also steeped in history and myth, and also boasts spectacular cliff scenery.
Tory Island

So there you have our favourite places in this gorgeous county for you to take some memorable snaps this summer! Ireland may not always get the weather, but we sure know how to do natural beauty! Sure even the Star Wars gang agree!!

Don’t forget that Online Photo Printing is also your one-stop-shop for printing your favourite pictures. You can upload and order your prints online quickly and easily, or synch with your social media channels!

If you have any questions on how to get the most from your snaps, feel free to give us a call on 074 912 1409 and we will be happy to help!