Getting Started & FAQ

Here’s the information how!
Please feel free to contact me if you can’t find the answers you’re looking for here.

How many pictures do I need?

What photos should I choose?

How can I make sure you include the pictures that I want?

Would you be able to take photos of places or other things I’d like to include in the collage?

Can you add words to the collage?

All my pictures are digital, should I email them to you?

I have some pictures that are prints and some that are digital, will that work?

Can I scan my prints myself?

How long does a collage take?

Will I get to see my collage before you send it to me? What if I want to make changes?

How do I pay you?

Can I pay in installments?

It depends on the size of the print and how deep and layered you’d like your collage to look. The more photos there are, the more layered the collage looks and the smaller some of the photos have to be to fit in the collage. For a 12 x 18 print, the average number of photos used is around 35-45 items. You can certainly choose to include more or fewer. If a lot of your photos have 3 or more people in them, consider fewer pictures. The collage tends to get crowded looking quite quickly if 10 or more of your photos contain more than 3 people.

If you can, DON’T LIMIT YOURSELF TO JUST PHOTOGRAPHS! A collage has much more interest if you’re able to include other memorabilia like buttons, tickets, newspaper clippings, certificates, invitations, etc. Anything that can be put on a flatbed scanner I can include in your collage. If you can’t decide on what to include, feel free to send me everything and I’ll help sort through and select what would look best.

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Think of your collage as a story or a timeline. How would you tell the story with photos? For example, for a 50th anniversary, you might want to start with photos of them when they were dating, then move on to photos of the wedding. Do you have the invitation? Maybe the program or the newspaper annoucement? After they got married, did they have kids? Maybe include a few family photos throughout the years and one or two photos of each child individually. Grandkids? Include one or two photos of them as well. Did they go on any big vacations? How about pictures from the anniversaries leading up to their 50th? Think about the story, then start telling that story with your photos and memorabilia.

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Notes definitely help me with the creation process. Feel free to include a list, post-it notes, a scribble on the back of a napkin, anything that lets me know which pictures you absolutely want me to include and which are okay for me to leave out if things start getting too crowded. Also, let me know which photo you’d like me to use as the focus of the collage. If you forget, don’t worry, I’ll send you an email asking you which photo you’d like to use when I receive your pictures.

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Absolutely! If you live in Minnesota and want to include something in the collage that you don’t have a picture of, I’d be happy to go out and photograph it for you. My rates for photography are $45/hr plus mileage. Because I have photographed a lot in the Twin Cities area for my other collage work there’s probably a chance that if it’s a building or sign I already have a photo of it, so please feel free to ask if there’s something you’d like to add!

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If you’d like to add a saying, bible verse, date, song lyrics, etc. to the collage, I can happily include it. Adding text is a great way to create more interest in your collage if you don’t have any other memorabilia.

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I use a file sharing website called DropBox that is much more reliable than email. I will email you a link to a folder where you can upload your pictures.

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Prints can be sent to the address listed on the contact page and I will email you a link to DropBox (a file sharing website) where you can upload your digital files. Upon completion of the collage, your prints will be returned to you in the condition that I received them in. If your digital images are already on a CD, you can certainly send that to me along with the prints.

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If you’d like to scan your pictures yourself, you’re more than welcome to. However I do have high standards for the images that I receive.

PLEASE NOTE: I require that the images be AT LEAST 300 DPI (dots per inch) with no color correction or cropping and be as dust free as possible.
High quality scans means a high quality collage! If I receive scans that are a low resolution or full of dust and scratches, I will use those pictures AS IS.
If you would like me to make corrections to the images you send, there is a fee of $35/hr for those corrections.

If you’re not sure how to scan, I can scan the prints for you. While there is a $2 scanning fee per image, you will receive a high quality scan and any color correction or photo restoration that might need to be done, such as repairing tears or damage to a photo. Also, I can provide you with a CD/DVD (format depends on the number of images) of your photos for NO ADDITIONAL COST. You will have all of your memories archived digitally forever! It will be sent to you with your pictures when they are returned with your collage.

Here’s an example of the type of correction that’s included with the scanning fee:

Some photos have a great charm to them with their discoloration or wear and tear and sometimes I choose to leave it. If it doesn’t add any interest to the collage, I will correct the image.

If you have any questions or concerns about scanning or the fees involved, please contact me.

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Collage creation takes about 2 weeks. While sometimes I’m able to complete a collage in under 2 weeks, my schedule varies and it’s not a guarantee. If you have to have your collage in your hands in less than 2 weeks, please refer to the pricing page for information regarding rush fees.

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Part of the collage creation time includes a proofing process. I’ll email you a proof of the collage and you can make changes at that time. If you’d like a printed proof sent to you, I will happily send you one (shipping fee will be added to final invoice).

We will continue with the proofing process until the collage meets your expectations. Should you require large changes to the collage that will require restructuring of the collage, such as replacing several pictures with others or shifting more than 5 pictures, there is a fee of $35/hr. Small changes such as lightening or darkening pictures or taking out/adding one or two pictures will not be billed. I will let you know if the changes you desire will constitute an additional fee before the changes are made.

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A down payment of half of the price of the collage is due with the submission of your photos. An invoice for the remainder, sales tax and shipping (if applicable) will be emailed to you upon completion of the collage. Payment can be made by check or credit card via PayPal.

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If you’d like to pay in installments, I’d be happy to work out an arrangement with you. Please let me know before the final invoice if this is something you’d like to do so we can arrange a timeline for payments.

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