Take Your Pic! — Why MyPhoto.com Makes Gift Giving A Breeze This Mother’s Day
Lately, I’ve been looking at my walls, shelves, and accent tables and noticing that all the framed photos I have date to 2004 or 2005 — basically, back to the time when film cameras were still the norm, when we dropped off rolls of Kodak film at one-hour photo shops and waited in anticipation to see which photos came out nicely. Ever since digital cameras made their analog counterparts obsolete — and moreover, since phones started coming equipped with top-notch cameras — I’ve been less diligent about printing photos. In part, I’ve just reasoned that I can log onto my computer and browse through my photos at any time, but I’ve also dragged my feet because printing these photos out always seems like a hassle. And truth be told, every time I print out a photo, it basically uses up an entire cartridge of printer ink, so it’s not exactly cost efficient. And while services like Shutterfly are meant to simplify the process, I find them tedious and time-consuming. I can never seem to muster up enough spare time to create an account, upload photos, then go through an assortment of knickknacks and art prints so I can imagine how they might look in that format, place and order, and wait for the items to arrive. Also, I’m not keen on paying for shipping — seriously, I can’t even.
Recently, a friend told me about MyPhoto.com, raving about how easy they make it to take your favorite photos and have them printed in an imaginative way so that you can proudly display them and remember the special moments immortalized in those pics. And since my walls are just embarrassingly bare, I decided to give it a whirl. Now, he said it was easy, but my word! I literally selected a pic among the thousands of photos I have on my phone and then emailed that pic to 123@myphoto.com — no email title or instructions necessary. In less than 30 seconds, I received an email that allowed me to click through to MyPhoto.com and preview my selected photo as it would appear when printed on a variety of mediums: on a wooden frame, on a wood coaster, on an acrylic tray, in a minimalist glass frame, and so on.
I chose a photo of my dad, my husband and my son all together atop Mount Bonnell here in Austin. Since my father lives in Puerto Rico, there are few opportunities for us all to be together in one place, so the photo has a special significance to me since it shows all my favorite boys in one place (well, except for my brother, but hopefully he can join the next group shot!). The photo was taken last October, shortly after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and left most of the island without power — my dad among them. Cell phone towers were down and communication was extremely difficult, so it was a stressful time for all of with family members and friends in the island as we tried to get word on how they were, whether they were safe and had access to food and water. As the ultimate daddy’s girl, I was frantically calling my dad after the hurricane — and, even after I heard his voice and he confirmed he was fine, I worried about him in his apartment, in the blistering heat with no fan or air conditioning, unable to cook, all refrigerated food quickly going to waste, the elevators not working, communication practically non-existent, and so on. At the time, all hospitals were in a state of utter chaos and I worried about him needing medical care and being unable to get it. Basically, every scenario that ran through my head made my anxiety soar. And so, as soon as the airport was up and running, we got a ticket for him to come to Texas for a visit. The moment I saw my dad at the airport, I gave him the biggest hug ever! He wound up staying with us until after Thanksgiving (side note: he didn’t have power restored until the first week of December!). And while my dad knew he’d go back to the island once conditions returned to some semblance of normalcy, it was reassuring to have him here during those first few months when things were particularly dicey. And even though his visit was prompted by a terrible disaster, there was something so special about knowing we can always count on one another during hard times. During his time here, my dad and I had tons of quality time together, and he really got to interact with my husband and son and solidify his relationship with each of them. There was a lot of beauty in those moments that quite literally happened after the darkest of storms. When I look at that photo of my three fellas together, my heart swells with emotion and so I knew I wanted to have that photo on display in my home. Here’s a larger view of the photo itself:
Now, back to my experience with MyPhoto.com!
So, at exactly 12:35 p.m. on April 20th, I emailed this photo over, and I received a response at — wait for it— 12:35 p.m.! It didn’t even take a minute to receive the e-mail (screenshot of it below):
By clicking on the red button in the e-mail, I was immediately directed to MyPhoto.com, where I was able to see the photo on a plethora of items — all I had to do was scroll down a page and check out the options available. And it’s not like I was looking at frames and coasters with other people’s photos on them — they already had my selected photo superimposed on them so I could get a feel for how the final product would look.
Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I went with the Mother’s Day Metalux frame in Oak ($49 at MyPhoto.com), which features a 4″ x 4″ metal image floating atop a 9.25″ square oak wood frame. The words “Happy Mother’s Day — You Are The Best” are printed below the image. And yes, it’s hilarious that I bestowed all that praise upon myself, but I truly do feel that I’m the best (kidding, of course).
I placed my order on a Friday and, by the following Tuesday, it had arrived! And get this: shipping was free!
The frame is sturdy and it’s really high quality, so I couldn’t be happier with it. And I can display it on a shelf (as I’m doing for the moment) thanks to the easel stand included or hang it up on the wall (which my hubby will be doing since I’m not to be trusted with any endeavors that involve being handy). Check out another pic:
Now, if you haven’t bought your mom, grandma, sister, wife, or best friend a Mother’s Day gift just yet, I strongly encourage you to check out MyPhoto.com. You can have a special photo transformed into the ultimate keepsake — and, as long as you place your order by May 8th, it will get there in plenty of time.
Trust me: I couldn’t even believe how easy and convenient this service was! I’m already scrolling through all the photos on my phone and figuring out which ones I want printed next. I’m thinking my son will appreciate a Bag Tag featuring a photo of him with the dog!