Review: Hello Canvas

I tried to make the most of my last months of relative freedom, before my work hours are increased and I'll have less time to spend on my hobbies. If you've been following my blog, you'll know that I signed up for two Capturing Childhood photography e-courses, which were great in so many ways. I now have an idea of what makes a good photo rather than leaving it to chance and hoping for the best. In the second course I took charge of my camera with the result that I'm now mostly shooting in full manual. Now I only need a course on how to get my 5 year old to let me take her photo...(this topic was covered, but my technique isn't refined enough yet).

Amongst other things, the Collect the Moments course inspired me to look into how to display my best shots, having played around with photo calendars and photo books already. Enter Hello Canvas with an offer to get me a photo onto canvas for review. There couldn't have been a better timing!

So off I sent my photo and within less than a week (the turnaround time is 3 working days), the canvas arrived in it's full glory. The colours came out exactly as I'd hoped for, and there's real sharpness in the image. Unlike another canvas I'd reviewed before, this one had the photo continue at the sides, which I prefer. We've found a perfect space for it and it was also easy to hang up because it's actually quite light and easy to handle in spite of the size.

I had a look at the prices for canvas print and they are very competitive and only beaten by other companies with special offers. The pricing structure is clear and there are optional extras and effects available too, shipping is free and there's a choice of full colour, black and white and sepia prints free of charge.

Here's a quick rundown of what I thought:
Quality: 10/10
Speed of delivery: 10/10
Communication: 10/10
Value for money: 8/10

I'm trying hard to find something that could be better, but I have to say I can't. It's a great way to display your favourite shots in a special way.

You can follow HelloCanvas on Facebook and Twitter.

Disclosure: I received a canvas print for this review.

Election Day!

Here in Scotland it's a big day tomorrow. We don't just have a referendum to respond to, but elections for the Scottish Parliament.

It's a bit odd that the referendum on AV is coupled with an electoral process for electing the Scottish Parliament which is much more "progressive" (a word that Mr Cartside used and which of course contains a value judgement).

Coming from a country where proportional representation is supported by everyone as a fairer system, I am biased towards proportional representation. Personally, I think AV is half baked, but a tad better than FPtP, so I'll vote yes.

However, I also see FPtP as a very British institution. The UK is maybe the oldest democracy in the Western World, and has a great tradition of governance. FPtP is part of this and I can understand that it's cherished and rightly so. It is maybe part of the British identity, national pride even. This is a country where democratic principles can live alongside a strong monarchy. I'm no monarchist, in fact, I absolutely loathe the principle, but I also admire Britain for the ability to pull it off and get the whole world to love and adore the newly wed couple. And of course, Britain does not have the same history as Germany; which is why the country as such is able to trust an electoral system and governmental design which could be abused (but never has been).

So I'm easy in relation to the referendum. To me, AV is a slightly fairer version of FPtP. It is no real departure, just a variation. The Scottish Parliament election, to me, are more of a compromise, by marrying FPtP and PR.

Some years ago, I taught undergraduates all about the German political system, and about the Scottish electoral system too - it was the time between Referendum for a Scottish Parliament its first election and the first term. Exciting times. However, none of the undergraduates knew that there was an element of PR in the Scottish Parliament elections.

Therein lies the problem. If the electorate doesn't know how to play the PR system, it's potential is wasted. I hope that tomorrow, people know that they have two votes, and two opportunities to create a parliament for Scotland. As for my constituency, Labour and SNP are the two constituency candidates that are head to head. So with my first vote, I'll be voting for the party I wish to see leading the country. With my second vote, however, I will take the opportunity to support a smaller party in the hope that they will get enough votes to maybe even form a coalition with the winner of the elections, thus making a real difference to Scottish politics.

Truth be told, I'm more excited about the Scottish elections than the referendum. Which actually, isn't that surprising at all. As ever, we'll be making a family event out of it, with all four of us walking to the polling station, and no doubt meeting our canvassing neighbour there. 

Review: Photobox

Photobox asked me if I'd be willing to review some of their products and as a long standing customer, I was more than happy to agree (I was given product credits for this sponsored post, however all views expressed are mine).

When I first started using Photobox, there were only a few competitors out there and it was definitely one of the online photo printing services with the largest range of products. I've since lost touch a bit so can no longer compare - I've simply been happy enough to stick with Photobox for all my non-digital photo needs.

For example, each year I create a photo calendar for both sets of grandparents. Photobox offers a fabulous A3 calendar option which I go back to again and again. The actual date section is kept to a minimum, giving maximum exposure to the photos, with a stunning black background option and a decent set of layouts for variety from month to month - not too many though so that it's still easy to use. The quality of the printed images is great, and as you create your photo product, there is helpful advise as to whether the quality of the chosen image is good enough. To create your photo product, you need to upload photos first and then add them to the online tool. This is easy enough - and the good thing is that your project couples as an online storage tool. So I can still go back and have a look at the calendars I created a few years back, and could print them again if I wanted to. As you work on your calendar, Photobox remembers what you were doing so it won't get lost if you get interrupted or you lose your connection to the internet. It's also very easy to edit and make changes to get it just right. I usually get a fabulous calendar done in just one evening, and then it's easy to customise them a bit for the relevant grandparents, i.e. making two similar but different calendars.

You can also share your photos with friends and families through Photobox which is useful.

Recently I also tried out Photobox' canvas prints. I ordered one in colour and one in black and white, and both look stunning in our home. The only suggestion for improvement I have is that the side of the canvas is white, and I'd probably prefer this to be printed (though this may mean losing part of the image which then wouldn't be so good - so maybe there's a point to having it so).

Photobox has a great introductory offer of 40 free prints if you sign up, so you can safely try and see for yourself. With normal prints, you have the option of adding a border, which I quite like, and I don't think many other online photo printing companies have this option. When you sign up to the Photobox updates by emails, you'll always be in the loop with special offers. The special offers really are great - usually at some point in November there's the 2 for the price of 1 offer for calendars, which means I get it done well in time for Christmas.

Delivery is reliable and thanks to the great communication, you always know where your order is.
Photobox offers a fabulous range of photo products, have a look for yourselves and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.