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Nixplay has partnered with the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO) for the Save Your Photos initiative, a public service outreach campaign that teaches individuals how they can preserve life’s irreplaceable photos, videos, and documents in case of an unforeseen accident or disaster. Visit the Save Your Photos website for more information.

You can’t put a price on your family’s old photos, postcards, documents, and other mementos. These irreplaceable relics of a bygone era can never be replaced, and as such, should be handled and stored with utmost care.

This was truly the case with Homer Speer Jr., who lovingly kept the pictures and slides of his late father, Homer Sr., who lived at the turn of the 20th century. To better preserve his family’s legacy, Homer Jr. got in touch with professional photo organizer Zoe Morrison of My Beautiful Life Story.

“I’ve scanned hundreds of Homer’s collection of vintage photos and postcards, learning the stories behind most of the family treasures he had collected. I’ve learned a lot of local history along the way while preserving important mementos and photos.”

Historic adventures, revisited

Through the photos, Zoe and Homer Jr. were able to retrace Homer Sr.’s footsteps around the world. One trip that stood out was Homer Sr.’s visit to Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he studied the effects of the venom of various deadly snakes.

“Turns out, anti-venom research has been conducted in San Paulo for over a century, making it a world-renowned center for sera and other pharmaceutical development,” says Zoe. “The elder Homer was educating himself about serum development and the medical advances that would come around the globe from research being done in Brazil.”

Homer Speer Sr. inspects a cadaver in a photo from 1905.

To preserve his family’s legacy, Zoe taught Homer Jr. how to label, rotate, and order images on his computer. She also helped Homer Jr. create a video montage of his family’s photos.

“Dr. Speer lived a colorful life and left a deep lasting visual legacy for his son,” says Zoe. “While Homer and I scanned we talked about the photos and share memories. I can imagine I am traveling this junket too, set in the early 20th century.”

Keeping family memories alive through photographs

Shortly after this project was completed, the Speers left their home of 40 years, downsizing to a much smaller house.

With a Nixplay digital photo frame, the Speers can view their family photos anytime they want, and their visitors will be delighted by the stories hidden in the pictures. It’s a great way to always have your family history close by.

“You know how sometimes life has a way of working in funny little vignettes; when you are doing something you really love with another person who has a passion for sharing their stories and inviting you on their journey?” asks Zoe. “I’ve gotten to walk into the past with Homer and have learned some wonderful things.”

Friends with giant pretzels in Bavarian beer tent for nixplay oktoberfest promo

6 Oktoberfest Celebrations Around The World

By Mars Salazar

On September 21, 2018

In Holidays

No doubt about it: Oktoberfest is one of the world’s most enjoyable festivals. Several days of games, dancing, live performances, and an unending supply of good food and beer—what more could a mere mortal wish for?

That said, here’s a list of some of the biggest Oktoberfest celebrations around the world. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures to capture the Oktoberfest spirit! Display them on your Nixplay Seed 8” so you can always look back at the fun times you had. Get up to 25% off on your Nixplay Seed 8”, only from September 24 to October 9!

1. Munich, Germany

Date: September 22 to October 7, 2018
The Germans don’t joke around when it comes to beer. This is especially evident in the city of Munich, which is known for throwing the grandest Oktoberfest celebration in the world. Munich will be celebrating their 185th Oktoberfest this 2018, and you can expect the festivities to be grander than ever.

2. Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada

Date: October 5 to 13, 2018
The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest is one of the largest Bavarian events in the world, drawing around 700,000 visitors annually. The 2018 celebration promises to be especially grand as it marks the festival’s 50th anniversary. Fun fact: The city of Kitchener was formerly named Berlin!

3. Cincinnati, US

Date: September 21 to 23, 2018
Oktoberfest festivities start early in Ohio, with some cities celebrating as early as August. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is the grandest party in the state, attracting over 500,000 visitors. Don’t forget to take photos of the Running of the Wieners, where 100 dachshunds will race while wearing hot dog bun costumes.

4. Qingdao, China

Date: July 20 to August 26, 2018
Unlike the other places on this list, Qingdao celebrates Oktoberfest a bit early—two months before October, to be exact. This is the largest annual beer festival in Asia, with over 200 beer brands participating. While you’re there, don’t miss the chance to visit the Tsingtao Brewery Museum, China’s first beer museum named after its namesake lager.

5. Blumenau, Brazil

Date: October 3 to 21, 2018
Did you know that the biggest Oktoberfest celebration outside Munich is held in Brazil? You read that right: Brazil’s surprisingly large German population marks Oktoberfest with 17 days of ale-fueled revelry. The highlight of each night: Chope em Metro, where contestants chug beer from a meter-long glass.

6. Brisbane, Australia

Date: October 5 to 7 and 12 to 14, 2018
Celebrate Oktoberfest in Australia at Oktoberfest Brisbane, the largest German Festival down under! For two weekends, you can enjoy traditional German treats like schnitzels while enjoying live entertainment and fun competitions, all while enjoying authentic German beer.

peter bennett fotoflow solutions photo mess

Meet A Photo Organizer: Peter Bennett Of FotoFlow Solutions

By Peter Bennett

On September 20, 2018

In Customer Testimonials

Here at Nixplay, we believe in the importance of digitizing and preserving your photos. Think of it as insurance for your memories: You might consider it irrelevant at present, but you’ll wish you did it sooner when an accident or a disaster strikes.

The reason a lot of people put off this task is not that they lack the skills necessary for the job. With technology advancing at such a rapid pace, organizing your photos has become easier than ever. The main hurdle is lack of time–with our fast-paced lives, carving out the time to dig out, scan, and arrange your photos can be nearly impossible.

Luckily, you don’t have to do all these. Professional photo organizers, like Los Angeles-based Peter Bennett of FotoFlow Solutions, can accomplish this task for you so you can better preserve your family’s legacy. Read on to learn how he became a photo organizer, his processes, and the pros and cons of the job.

1. What led you to become a photo organizer?

I’ve been a professional photographer for most of my career. I started my own digital photo agency in the late ‘90s, and it was there where I learned to manage and work with large collections of digital photos.

My family has always taken a lot of photos. My maternal grandfather owned a photo studio on the Brighton Beach Boardwalk in Brooklyn, and my father was an amateur photographer and professional filmmaker. Between everyone, there is a huge collection of prints, slides, and negatives going back over 100 years.

A small part of Peter’s family photo collection.

One day I looked at the family photo collection I had inherited. [I realized that] while my professional collection and my agency’s photos were all meticulously organized, my own family photos were a complete disaster. I was the guy who is supposed to know how to do this stuff, and I realized that if I was having problems, everybody else was probably having them too. That’s when I decided to become a professional photo organizer.

2. How do you go about organizing your clients’ photos?

Every client’s situation and needs are different, so every job starts off with a conversation. This is the time to find out why they called me and what they would like done. It’s also an opportunity for me to give them suggestions and explain certain things.

Essentially what I do is collect all the digital images, remove the duplicates, and then sort them into a chronological folder structure that can be viewed by a cataloging software. Once that is set up, we discuss a workflow, a backup system, and some best practices moving forward.

3. What’s the most challenging thing about your job?

Changing people’s attitudes about their photo collections, and teaching them better ways to interact with their images so that they don’t have to call me again in the future.

When people call me, they are stressed and anxious about their photo collections, which is such a shame as pictures should be enjoyable. My role is to alleviate some of their concern, simplify things for them, and impart them with some confidence going forward.

With all the benefits of the digital age, there are also some downsides, namely the sheer number [of photos] that we are dealing with. We can’t keep going at this rate of accumulation, lest we start losing the emotional connections to our photos and to our histories.

Nixplay frames can help you establish a better connection with your memories.

You can’t exactly curl up with 30 or 40,000 photos like we did with old family albums. Nixplay Frames are an excellent and innovative way to have our photos present in our daily lives and connect them to our memories. They really bridge the gap between how we traditionally viewed photos and what’s possible with technology today.

4. Can you tell us about the most fulfilling project you’ve managed?

Honestly, any time I see a client smile. Like when I’ve scanned some of their old prints or negatives and they can finally share them with other family members, or when they’re able to sit down with their photo archive without worry or concern. It feels pretty fulfilling.

The 5 Most Beautiful Campuses In The USA

By Mars Salazar

On September 18, 2018

In Lifestyle

The United States has a wide range of university campuses, a lot of which are described as prestigious and regal. But which among these beautiful campuses take the crown when it comes to being picture-perfect?

Although views and aesthetics shouldn’t play a role in deciding where you earn your degree, wouldn’t it be a nice bonus to know you’re going to one of the prettiest campuses in the USA? Read on for our top 5, and share with us your thoughts!

1. The University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado

University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado

This campus owes its picturesque beauty to its location, which is right at the foot of the famous Rocky Mountains. Colorado Boulder marries a fine educational institution with a plethora of national parks and forests, which attract weary city dwellers from all over the world.

2. Berry College, Georgia

Berry College, Georgia

Berry College is located in the midst of a vast 27,000-acre empire of lakes, fields, fountains, forests, and gothic-style architecture. This makes it a favorite of adventurous students, as well as Hollywood film studios that want to shoot at one of the most beautiful campuses in the USA.

3. Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania

Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania

This private liberal arts college was historically a women-only school, with its gothic architecture serving as the inspiration for later Ivy League institutions to come, such as Princeton. Both sexes can now enjoy the 135-acre campus, which is regarded as one of the country’s most influential.

4. The University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Hawaii

University of Hawaii-Mānoa Campus

Due to the weather in the Pacific, the Mānoa campus of the University of Hawaii is often depicted with a rainbow framing it across the sky. This campus is certainly unique compared to others on this list, being situated amidst lush flowers and palm trees while remaining a stone’s throw away from some of the world’s most famous beaches.

5. Stanford University, California

Stanford University, California

Although Stanford is mostly known for its academic excellence, it is also renowned for being one of the most beautiful campuses in the USA. The Stanford Memorial Church acts as the university’s “architectural crown jewel”, while the university buildings are located within vast acres of gardens, avenues, and flowers.

Although you should ideally be looking for the best and most reputable campuses in the USA, wouldn’t it be nice to visit one which is a little more Instagram-ready than its competitors? Don’t forget to take lots of photos during your campus visit, and display them on your Nixplay Frame! If you missed our Back To School sale, don’t worry: We’ve got a Secret Sale, just for you. Get your Nixplay Frame now!

cute pet corgi dog animal photography on nixplay

4 Animal Photography Tips You Should Try With Your Pet

By Beatrice Bisais

On September 14, 2018

In Photography

It’s said that you should never work with children or animals, and this certainly rings true when trying to conduct a photo session with one of your pets. You may know them and their behavior like the back of your hand, but when it’s time to look good in front of the lens, pets can be rather difficult to work with.

Here, we have compiled four animal photography tips that you should try with your pet. Let us know if they work!

1. Use treats

Although your dog or cat may have an idea as to what’s going on when you try to get them to do certain things, they definitely don’t understand the notion of “posing”, let alone animal photography. Because of this, the easiest way to get them to look in a certain direction is by luring them with treats or toys. They’ll be camera-ready in no time!

2. Play the waiting game

If you want to take a certain picture of your pet but they’re just not playing ball, consider simply waiting around nearby with a camera in your hands. You cannot communicate what you want your pet to do, and it may be a good idea to wait for them to “naturally” pose before taking that elusive picture.

If you’re taking part in a professional animal photography shoot, then the pet is likely to be excited or nervous at first, so be sure to remain patient and allow them to get the nerves out of their system.

The nicest animal photography shots are usually taken at the most unexpected moments.

3. Use natural light

If you’re new to animal photography or just photography in general, you’ll quickly learn that natural light is one of the easiest and best light sources to work with. It’s especially nice when the daylight is naturally soft and diffused on a cloudy day, making for a pleasing picture. Windows and windowsills are also great for this purpose, as the glass tends to soften the daylight even further, making for a flattering photo.

4. Take notes from sports photography

When photographers are taking pictures of sporting events, they tend to use fast shutter speeds, burst mode, and continuous autofocus. Despite the fact that we’re talking about animal photography here, the ethos is very much the same.

A fast shutter speed (preferably at least 1/250) allows you to capture still-looking pictures of a pet that won’t sit still, while activating the burst mode means that you’ll take a flurry of pictures, at least one of which will hopefully be perfect. The continuous autofocus mode is designed to prevent your images from lacking sharpness, making your animal photography as hassle-free as possible.

Animal photography is no walk in the park, but with these top tips, you should be able to get that perfect snap in no time! Besides, taking photos of your cute companion will never be a waste of time. They love you unconditionally, and it’s nice to always be reminded of your furry best friend. Don’t forget to display your pet photos on your Nixplay Digital Photo Frame! Take advantage of our back-to-school sale and buy the Nixplay Seed 8-Inch Wi-Fi Cloud Frame to get up to 30% off!

Recounting One Family’s Past Through Pictures