How to have oldschool fun with your photos

I’ve been having some fun with my photos for the last year or so printing them up as postcards and sending them out at random times.

1) Pick a favorite photo and size it correctly for a post card, generally 1500 to 1800  pixels on the long side is plenty big enough.

2) Go to Overnight Prints and place your order. I’ve been using their digital 4×6 cards. Matte front and back. It runs about $20 after they “discount” the order and add shipping. Calling themselves Overnight is a bit of a marketing scheme. If you want them overnight it’s gonna cost you about $35 bucks to get your $15 worth of postcards! I use the cheap seats and wait 3 weeks to get mine in. If you want to have different cards, you have to place multiple orders, which is kind of a pain, but oh well.

3) While you’re waiting for the order to come in, go to Henry Gitner Philatelists  and order some stamps at a discount to face value. Email them and tell them you want post card stamps and they’ll set aside enough for you. The last time I did this the transaction  I got $99 worth of stamps for $88.50, delivered. Because of credit card fees, they only take checks and money orders. I did have to send a check to them. They shipped in a few days. You will have to lick the stamps. It might be worth $99 for the self stickies from the post office. Your call.

4) Send the post cards out. Think about people looking in their mail and going “What’s this? Cool!”

5) Soon, your friends will tell you how they treasure the cards, put them on their refrigerator, stick them on the wall or do something cool with them like Gretchen did below.

The cards I’ve been using, have been getting to their destinations a little scuffed and worse for the wear of the post office. I’m good with that though. I think it’s part of the whole analog, hand done, hand written, real people doing real things to communicate thing rather than just shooting some electrons through cyber space. Real is good. Effort is good. Fun is over the top!  If you want higher quality cards, I’m sure they’re available, and I’m sure it won’t be a whole lot more.  The stamps will still work… I figure I’m in for about fifty cents a person to share some fun.

I use my Gmail contact list to keep track of folks that want my cards. I have a post card category and just click on that list and I’m good. I ask on Facebook for folks to email me their mailing address to get on my list. About half follow instructions, the other half do it through FB messaging. I don’t bust them for that though, it’s supposed to be fun. If they use my email, I just copy their mailing address, click on their name, click on the contact info and drop the address in and save it.

 

Photo by Gretchen of the cards I've sent so far
Photo by Gretchen of the cards I’ve sent so far

 

11 thoughts on “How to have oldschool fun with your photos”

    1. I don’t know why I don’t have your address. I suspect it’s a victim of ADD or sloppiness. I prefer ADD because it’s not my fault if it’s that!

  1. Hey Dave – yes I just received your card and I do treasure it, and the others. They are always a welcome surprise in my mailbox, especially these days when snail-mail is a rarity.
    Although you thought the last card was a bit dark, I think it is just perfect. A million thanks and have a great Thanksgiving! – christian

  2. Dave they are always a welcome little surprise when I open the mailbox, usually filled with nothing but junk mail these days. Though technology is wonderful and having the ability to maintain in touch with anyone, anywhere, at anytime with the click of a mouse is rather spectacular, it doesn’t carry the same significance nor value of the personal touch it takes for someone to take a moment to stop and send you something tangible which you can treasure; such as these wonderful postcards of yours.

    Each makes me feel like they have their own little story in a sort of way, and I love getting lost in them for a moment sometimes even as if I am there at that minute… Thank you for sharing with me and I treasure each one!

    1. I try to shoot photos that make you go “I wonder what the story is” or that you can attach a story to. I sometimes like to think they’re stills from some movie, either real or imagined.
      I’m glad you enjoy them!

  3. I always enjoy receiving the cards. From the first one you sent me a few years ago of the double exposure of the ferris wheel at the fair to this latest one. I need to figure out some way to display them. I almost need to do something similar to this.

    1. There is no almost. There is either do or not do ~ Yoda

      Go for it, it’s a lot of fun! Well, except for choosing that one image

  4. This is so VERY VERY cool that you do this! I wish I was a photographer so I could do this as well.

  5. It’s a delightful surprise when I get one of your postcards, David! Please continue to send them to me. I found my way through four or five pages of your blog to the post about the postcards, and it’s fun reading too! your friend Maynard

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