WEDDING WORLD WEDNESDAY: STOCK PHOTOS

Advertising agencies, Web designers, graphic designers, and lots of other entities frequently take advantage of stock photography – images that aren't taken for a specific client or purpose but are used and reused for multiple assignments.

For weddings, take some stock images of flowers, champagne glasses, couples' hands, rings, wedding cake brides and grooms, etc., that you can then use to create themed stationery ensembles: invitations, response cards, reception cards, and guest books.

Taking stock shots is fun; you have complete control and can get really creative, and you can also transform them into image transfers or manipulate them in Photoshop. I'm constantly repurposing my images. (Just between you and me, the old suitcase you see in the latest of the "Flight" series posted yesterday is something I shot about ten years ago; I knocked out the background and added it as a layer with a drop shadow.)

For baby-themed stationery – shower invitations, thank you notes, and photo albums – I took some stock shots of baby shoes ("painting" boy and girl versions in pink and blue in Photoshop), a teddy bear (again, "painting" a boy version with a blue ribbon around its neck, a girl version with pink), and a rubber ducky (unisex!).

These projects and more are detailed in my books, "The Art and Craft of Keepsake Photography: Engagements & Weddings" and "Baby Face: Celebrating Your Pregnancy & Baby with Beautiful Photo Crafts," available in My Shop and at amazon.com and other online booksellers.