Saturday, December 11
by Karen Robert
A lot of people are using the “American Gothic” painting as inspiration for all sorts of things; holiday cards, wedding portraits, ads, and just for fun. There were so many images to choose from ,this is just a smattering of what’s out there. but I chose these to show you because they seemed a good cross section of different styes and ideas of how to mimic this historic painting.
This is the original American Gothic Painting By Grant Woods
Classic black and white image by Gordon Parks of Ella Watson is a parodying the American Gothic Painting.
The Beverley Hillbilly’s pose like the American Gothic Painting. This was perhaps a precursor to the whole fad?
American Gothic Christmas Card done by Brian Bowker, in the book “Merry Christmas From…150 cards you wish you’d received”.
See it at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bowkerhouse/2088605125/
This photo is taken by photographer, Tristan Spinski of his parents in an American Gothic pose for their Christmas card
This is a very well done photoshop job. Found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mjameshall/371493809
A fun couple photoshopped themselves as the American Gothic Painting
Found here: http://oddguyart.wordpress.com/
Fun photoshopped portrait of kids posing American Gothic style
Created by Theresa Thompson at http://www.flickr.com/photos/theresasthompson/2210407036
Dog’s even get into the action in this American Gothic parody.
Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katydaly/311448055/
Great picture of a couple posing American Gothic style.
Shot by Jackie Good at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakig/2651077624
Posted by jessica toney photography at
http://www.hallmarkhipsters.net/hallmark/hipsters/archive/2008_01_01_archive.html
This card is strangely similar to the Brain Bowker one above.
Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15318056@N07/4457002279/
Beautiful bLack and white photo of a couple posing in American Gothic Style
http://www.flickr.com/photos/godkinphoto/4097491878/
Or you can use the American Gothic theme for a wedding portrait as shown at Utah Bride.
Also at Utah Bride : http://www.utahbrideblog.com/?p=2323
This bride also used the American Gothic pose for her wedding Portrait.
Shot by Dave Robbins http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-my-american-gothic-wedding-4288/
If you don’t have the photoshopping skills to make a photo like htis yourslef, you can cheat and get a costume with a frame, get it at :
http://www.costumecraze.com/HUMR153.html
Or you can have an image made for you with yor faces like this at findgift.com. What a fun present that would make to give your loved one for Christmas.
Go to: http://www.findgift.com/gift-ideas/pid-64670/
Saturday, December 4
by Karen Robert
Wearing ugly Christmas sweaters on Christmas cards is all the rage. Yes, you heard me, bad Christmas Sweaters are trendy. These cards are so corny , cheesy and just plain awkward that they are hysterically funny. People are having bad sweater Christmas parties, people are writing articles about them, and yes, people are wearing them in their Christmas cards. But this time, with irony. Here are my top picks for awkward, cheesy, corny, Christmas cards of people wearing ugly, bad Christmas sweaters.
I’ve posted this card before, it ‘s by Theresa Thompson, for me it’s the quintessential bad sweater Christmas card. She gets lots of points , in my eyes, for getting her teenage kids to wear the plaid vests. To see more of her cards on this site go here.
And here is another one of my favorite Bad seater Christmas cards. It’s by Trevor Navarra, he had a few pictures in my book. So many , that we actually edited this one out. I don’t know why actually since it’s so great. I love the sparkle of the tooth. Brilliant.
Yikes, this one was taken at a Sears portrait studio..I love the pose. It’s very “40 Year Old Virgin”.
By photographer John Keatley for his company card this year. He’s the one in the wheelchair.
Ever wondered what the disembodied heads of Yamaha factory riders Valentino Rossi, Ben Spies and James Stewart would look like on ghastly Christmas sweaters? Oh, I love the irony of tough motorcycle guys in bad Christmas sweaters.
These aren’t actually the worst Christmas sweaters I’ve ever seen…but the awkward spirit is there.
By Scot at scott.sphotographs.com.
Corny , Cheesy Christmas sweater Christmas card again by John Keatley again. He is available to do a corny shoot like this for you, or for your company. Both of his cards are in fact for companies. You can find him at keatleyphoto.com
Lovely couple with a lovely sense of humor…I hope. found here on picasa.
Oh, Scott…you’re so awkward.
Sony Music released this Christmas card of the cast of Glee wearing bad Christmas cards. The photo was released to promote their Glee Christmas Album which came out this month.
Even the dogs got into the action at http://littlemayra.blogspot.com
The legs are more scary than the bad sweaters on this Christmas card photo
I love the closed eyes on this card…this card sooo bad, it’s fabulous. I found it on Flickr.
Aaaaawkward
Thanks Chris and Jana Schaeffer here on Flickr.
This one was on Awkward Family Photos, but I am sure it is staged. The dog was added later on the sweater, you can tell it was photoshopped in. I love the fact that it is hard to tell if it was faked though, it makes it even more funny. …hmmmm.
Pippa’s google eyes take this card from bad to fab.
And here is an invitation to a bad Christmas sweater party found here. I love the fact that these sweaters are different, no red and green here, but snowflake inspired….niiiiice touch.
If you want to buy a bad Christmas sweater go to here, on this site you can also get some great party planning tips for throwing a bad Christmas sweater party. Parties like this are all the rage I hear.
Now that was a fun blog posting, probably the favorite one I’ve done yet this season. Remember, please send me your fun cards so I can post them for all to appreciate and admire. I have many more postings like this coming up every day. Submit your card here, or if you are a photographer with lots of fun cards to show, I would love to do an interview with you. Contact me.
Thursday, June 17
by Karen Robert
I am on a wedding kick right now since I have been designing Save-the-Date-Cards. Since I’ve been poking around so many wedding sites, I started coming across lots of funny and off-beat wedding portraits. I know wedding portraits don’t necessarily have much to do with cards. Funny portraits have more to do with my love of wacky and wonderful pictures. My thought is that maybe somebody would do take portrait like one of these below and make them into thank you notes for all of those amazing wedding presents people sent them. I love when people take a traditional concept and turn it around into something clever and fun. Everyone responds to people who take the initiative to be clever and fun. Right?
A deadpan wedding couple taken by Whitney Lee Photography
A bride and groom letting loose, taken by Whitney Lee Photography
Also by Whitney Lee Photography
Another fun wedding portrait by Whitney Lee Photography
This one is a bit odd. I guess I like odd.
This one is by White Rabbit Studios I think, I love it.
I belive this one I found at White Rabbit Studios, but I am not 100% sure, I can’t figure out where I found it. Sorry to the photographer!
White Rabbit Studios? Sorry, I can’t remember where it came from.
This one is a bit much, but funny.
This was taken by Superpirate who can be found on Flickr. They were imitating their wedding topper.
A bride and a groom take a break on their wedidng. Picture taken by CarbonSilver (gbenz) on Flickr
PIcture of a bride secretly wearing tennis shoes taken by Talking Tree on Flickr.
Fun couple acting goofy on their wedding day taken by Superpirate on Flickr.
A bride pretends to have put her groom in jail. Taken by Katherine (KAS photography) on Flickr.
If you have a fun portrait you took on your wedding day, please send it to me, I would be happy to include it on another posting.
