Photographs as wrapped canvas wall art

One way of using your photographs is to upload them to a Print On Demand website like Zazzle.

I've just opened a new store on Zazzle: Fran West Photography. 

It "specialises in unique wall art for home, corporate and commercial use. Wall art brings flair, elegance and style to your spaces. It provides an instant colour palette and creates a focal point. It brings a sense of texture and makes spaces appear finished. Make a statement or set the mood with original photographs from Australian pilot/adventurer, Fran West (Adventurer Fran)".

At the moment there are eight categories to search through, with some categories expanding even further. Click here to go to the website.

You can choose to have the wrapped canvas in colour, sepia or black & white.​

Various sizes, widths and styles of the actual canvas can also be customised to your taste and you can even add your own text to the wall art.

Please drop by and have a look. More products will be added during the coming months.

Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue Inc.

I love to photograph animals and birds in order to put their photos into my DVDs or on products in places like CafePress and Zazzle (http://www.cafepress.com.au/profile/franwest1 and http://www.zazzle.com/adventurerfran).

One of the animal programmes which I watch is Bondi Vet.

Last episode had the Twinnies and their Pelican & Seabird Rescue place, so I decided to make a donation to help them out. They're located in Queensland.

If you want to help out here's the site: http://twinnies.com.au/. Every little bit counts!

Greater Flamingo at the Adelaide Zoo, South Australia

Last year, "Greater", the Greater Flamingo at the Adelaide Zoo, South Australia, died at the ripe old age of 83 years.

I remember seeing the flamingo standing on one leg right from the time when I was a child many years ago.

The bird was beautiful with its stately plumage and not much went unnoticed as the bird watched people pass by its home.

I'm sure its photo has been taken countless times but here's the photo which I took and made into a series of interactive jigsaw puzzles.

I've had the pleasure of seeing flamingos in the wild when I was trekking in South America, but they were never that close that I could have touched them like "Greater" at the Adelaide Zoo.

Maybe you don't agree with animals and birds being kept in captivity, but many modern zoos these days love and respect the creatures they care for and provide them with food, a home, safety (free from predators) and their own free medical health plan.

And for the people who aren't able to travel to places from where the animals come, zoos provide a tiny glimpse of wildlife which lives on our planet.

Animal and bird photography can be a bit tricky at times, so patience is required. Standing or sitting quietly and not making any sudden movements is also essential.

In a walk-in bird aviary a telephoto lens isn't really necessary unless you want close ups of plumage etc. However, a telephoto or zoom lens can be of real benefit when photographing in the wild and you are unable to get really close to the subject.

The Birds Interactive Jigsaw Puzzle CD is available for purchase below. Here's the link for more information on my jigsaw puzzles on CD.

Birds Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

Here's the link to my beautiful local zoo - the Adelaide Zoo.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" using Photos and Making a Video

Here's part 2 of making a fun presentation which I created from my photos used in my own products.

First, I made a PowerPoint presentation, as detailed in the previous post.

Next, I clicked on the slide sorter icon towards the bottom right of the page.

I then clicked on Slide 1, held down the Shift Key and clicked on Slide 14 so that all the slides were highlighted.

Then it was click on File and Save As.

In the Save As box I kept the same File Name and file location in My Documents but instead of the Save as Type: PowerPoint Presentation, I clicked on the arrow and scrolled down till I found JPEG File Interchange Format and clicked the Save button.

A new box appeared on the screen and I clicked on the Every Slide button.

After that I clicked on the OK button so that each of the JPEGs could be saved in a separate folder.

I closed the PowerPoint file, went to My Documents and found the folder (not the PPt file) for "The 12 Days of Christmas" and opened it. There were all the slides from the presentation as JPEGs.

After that, I opened up my movie making program (you should have a free Windows Movie Maker program on your PC if you don't have access to a purchased program).

I inserted all the JPEGs, added the timings and did the basic fade in and fade out transition.

After that, I saved it as a Windows Media Audio/Video file (WMAV file) in the smaller format to be posted on the internet.

I uploaded to YouTube and was able to select a free soundtrack which approximately matched the length of the movie.

From below the uploaded file I clicked on Share, then on Embed and copied the Embed Code and inserted that in this blog post for you to enjoy. (You can also select the size of the video to suit the width of the blog post)

So now you can go off and use your photos to produce your very own Christmas spectacular!

You can check out my full length videos by clicking on the links to the left of this post (Alzheimer's Products and Digital's Great!).

If you found this post entertaining and/or educational please feel free to share it with others.

Animal Photography at Alma Park Zoo near Brisbane

A few weeks ago I was in Brisbane, Queensland, and visited one of the city's prime attractions, Alma Park Zoo. The aim was of course to photograph the animals for further dvds and interactive jigsaw puzzles.

I didn't bother renting a car, so I took the train to the outer suburbs and then proceded to walk for half an hour to arrive at the Alma Park Zoo before opening time. As usual, I kept stopping to photograph whatever caught my eye.

The entrance to the zoo is eye catching and the landscaping is stunning. A beautiful environment for both humans and animals.

It's worth arriving early and leaving late to catch the animals at different times of the day, attend the keeper talks and see the animals at feeding times.

As an Australian, I'm partial to koalas (which are not bears by the way) but I also love the Madagascan ringtail lemurs.

I love talking to the animals when I take photographs.

I'm sure they relate to the tone of my voice and appreciate when I thank them for their patience!

One of the features of this smallish zoo is the obvious bond between the keepers and the animals.

It goes beyond just the provision of food.

Here's my take on animals talking back.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"This fresh fruit and veg is yummy, isn't it?"

"It certainly is and the silver service isn't too bad either."

"Being hand fed is my personal favourite though."

"And all on our own island Paradise."


There'll be a few more blog posts with animal comments later on so stay tuned.

Here's the link to a great day's outing at Alma Park Zoo.

Sometimes it's easier to talk to the animals than photograph them

Animal photography is something I'm still learning. Photographing Australia's coast (it's the 13th anniversary of my flight today) seemed to be a lot simpler. Even though the plane was moving, the landscape wasn't.

With animals there can be a bit of a problem. They move. Just as I go to take the perfect shot, the animal decides to move, to eat, to play. And particularly with photographing animals at a zoo or wildlife park, there's the added bonus of glass or fence or bars as the case may be.

I've been attending a lot of conferences lately and with my Adelaide Zoo pass I've been able to gain free entry to the Melbourne Zoo and Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo. They're great places to practice animal and bird photography.

My success has been due to taking a lot of photos, using the camera's original lens and then changing over to the telephoto lens. I also walk around the zoo several times during the day to get the different light and to see the animals engaging in their normal behaviour.

If possible, I return to the zoo on another day when the weather can be different and I'm in time for keeper talks about the animals, animal feeding times and the variety of shows where the animals (e.g. the seals) perform.

You can see the results of the successful photos at http://www.digitalsgreat.blogspot.com.au/ with DVDs like "A day at the Zoo" and "A day at the Show" and interactive jigsaw puzzles like "African Animals" and "Birds".

However, Animal Photography: A Practical Guide, by Robert Maier, is something that would be handy to study before I venture out again.



Animal Photography: A Practical Guide

Check it out (as I will be doing) by clicking on the photo for more information and to buy.

Have a Go: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

"Have a go" is the August issue of the "Pilot Your Life" newsletter. Just email me at fran@franwest.com if you'd like to subscribe to the free monthly email newsletter (or use the "Subscribe by email" link at the bottom of this post). The newsletters usually have photos to illustrate the point and often a free destop wallpaper is offered when emailing a comment back to me. My own desktop wallpaper for this month has been of course the horse and rider "flying" over the jump.

Pilot your life newsletter no. 26

View more documents from Fran West

Outback Adventure DVD Nearing Completion

"Outback Adventure" DVD highlighting photos from "Off the Beaten Track", earlier in September, is nearing completion. It will be released in both PAL format (for Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom) and also NTSC format (for the USA, Canada, Europe and South America).

There will be at least 260 photos (without captions) featuring South Australia's Outback, Gammon Ranges and Flinders Ranges. Wildlife, windmills and wildflowers all make an appearance. Mini adventures like the Pichi Richi Railway journey and the Ridge Top Tour at Arkaroola are there too.

Visits to Alligator Gorge, the Ochre Pits and Leigh Creek Coal Field are included as well. Signs, buildings, vehicles and people make an appearance alongside trees, creeks and beautiful scenery.

Did I mention there are planes in it too?

What more could you want as a snapshot of the Australian Bush?

A video snippet will be posted as soon as the DVD's completed (probably after Christmas or in early January).

If you'd like to reserve a copy at AUD$25.00 contact me at fran@franwest.com.

P.S. the wildflowers on the DVD label are South Australia's floral emblem, the Sturt Desert Pea, (absolutely stunning in the Wearing Gorge).

Sheep grazing near Rawnsley Bluff, Flinders Ranges Video Clip

There's always something happening when you travel in Australia's Outback. Like here in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

Coming back from the Chace Range lookout we came across sheep grazing with the magnificent backdrop of Rawnsley Bluff.



Though not a brilliant day for photos, you can still capture magic moments if you keep your eyes peeled.

Cattle Head for the Hills Video Clip

There's something idyllic about cattle wandering through paddocks and climbing hills.

These cattle are roaming on a property in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Spring is a beautiful time to visit Adelaide, and the surrounding hills, when it's generally greener and the wildflowers and blossoms are out.

Horsing around in the Outback Video Clip

There was plenty of wildlife around on Off the Beaten Track, in South Australia's Outback. Horses were also grazing in various places too, like here in the northern Flinders Ranges.

When travelling in the Bush you have to be careful of stock on the road because in some places there are no fences. Fortunately these horses were more interested in the grass than cars on the road.

Baa Baa Black Sheep Video Clip

These are the black sheep I stopped to film before I saw the car being washed in the creek. They were in a paddock in the Southern Flinders Ranges, South Australia.



It pays to look on both sides of the road when travelling. Also, once you're out the car then listen to hear what else is going on.

Travel tips Australia Click Here!

Your guide to travelling Australia Click Here!

Kangaroo Capers - "Mum, I'm itchy!" Video Clip

Kangaroos, especially joeys, are very cute. These two were filmed at Wilpena, in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, during Off the Beaten Track.

It's the same joey that winked at me when I was taking its photo.



Travel tips Australia Click Here!

Your guide to travelling Australia Click Here!

Cows Down Pat - No Bull! Video Clip

You can find out more about a country by going to a show (agricultural and horticultural, that is) or a state fair.

There you will see domestic animals and birds, flowers and plants, crafts, machinery, fashion shows, show jumping, wood chopping and so on.

My DVD, "A day at the Show", highlights most of these. In particular, I liked the cattle, so here is a random selection taken from the DVD (not the actual music though).

This is just for a bit of fun.



Travel tips Australia Click Here!

Your guide to travelling Australia Click Here!

When is a Euro not European Currency? Video Clip

When it's a type of kangaroo. This euro is in the Gammon Ranges, in Outback South Australia, and was spotted on the Ridge Top Tour at Arkaroola.



All sorts of wildlife was encountered during Off the Beaten Track, in early September.

Travel tips Australia Click Here!

Your guide to travelling Australia Click Here!

Dog Racing Pichi Richi Train for last 9 Years

This dog has been racing the Pichi Richi Train in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, for the last nine years.



Every weekend that the train runs, the dog runs too.

Much better than taking a dog for a walk on a lead.

Travel tips Australia Click Here!

Your guide to travelling Australia Click Here!