Photo Opportunity

I first got my hands on a 35-millimeter camera in high school. I was taking part in a competition that was held outside the school, and the yearbook advisor asked me to take some photographs of the team members. From that time on, I was hooked. Suddenly my little Kodak Instamatic couldn't cut it. When I received a real camera for graduation, I had a great time taking pictures of my family, the dog next door, and even a fire in a local factory.

About sixteen years ago I heard about a photography course that was being offered by a local Camera Club. It was a very low-cost way for me to learn to use the features on my camera and even to experiment with developing my own pictures. There is nothing like the experience of watching your own photographs appear on the paper during the developing process. All the students in that class agreed that this lesson was the best one we had.

This class was offered before digital cameras became widely available, so we were all encouraged to get our film developed and share our photos with the group. Sometimes we had contests, and we even hosted a photography exhibit at the county library. I was prompt about developing my photos and even framing the best ones.

Then I got a digital camera. Suddenly I could take as many pictures as I wanted, and only print the very best ones. But I found that I don't often print my digital pictures. They just sit there on my computer hard drive, and eventually I make a CD with all the photo files. But most of my photo memories from the last seven years or so are not in frames or albums, but instead sitting on my hard drive. That makes it especially challenging when my first-grader comes home from school with a note from his teacher asking for a recent picture of him!

COUPON TIME

One of these days I'll get my act together and sort out all those file folders of digital images so they can be printed, saved and displayed. There are plenty of good processing deals to get me started. And if you're in the market for a camera, accessories or a photo printer, there are deals on those as well!

$10 off a purchase of $25 or more at Snapfish
At checkout use coupon code ULTCOUPDEC.
Valid through: January 5, 2009
Plus, new Snapfish customers get 50 Free Prints.

20% off select Photo Gifts at Snapfish.com
Valid on Mugs, Ornaments, Jewelry, Collage Posters, Frames, Photo Books, Photo Cards, Note Cards, Calendars, Mugs, Coasters, Bracelets, Mini Books, Key Rings, Magnets, Photo Skins, Teddy Bears, Stickers, Picture Me Books, Tote Bags, Candy Tins, Keepsake Boxes, Neckties, Mousepads, Playing Cards, Desk Organizers, and Puzzles. At checkout use coupon code WINTER08.
Valid through:December 31, 2008

Free shipping on orders over $50 at KodakGallery.com
Use coupon code HOLIDAYSHIP at checkout.
Valid through: December 12, 2008
Free Standard 3-10 business day delivery shipping.

20% off orders of $30 or more at KodakGallery.com
Use coupon code HOLIDAYGREEN at checkout.
Valid through: December 25, 2008

Free shipping and 5-20% off Digital Cameras at Best Buy

Free Photo Printer with Digital Camera purchase at RitzCamera

Multiple deals available.
Valid through: December 30, 2008
Offers cannot be combined. Valid only while supplies last.

$50 off the Canon PowerShot 8.0MP SD1100 Digital Camera
Use this link to activate the discount.
Valid through: Unknown
While supplies last.

Buy an 8x8 Photo Book and get 30 Free Prints
Enter promotion code or special offer code AF73-SAVE.
Coupon will not work until you add 30 8x10 prints to your order.
Valid through: January 6, 2009