Visiting Paris is a dream come true for many, and this is the time when the weather is perfect, and there is romance in the air. Gayathri decided to go there with her husband, to celebrate the beauty and start a new journey. She had been married for about 2months, and the opportunity to travel was exactly what they needed… Here are a few photographs from her trip to the land of love.

And while there, they decided to have some fun, and the place they headed to was the Disney land…. Riding roller coasters, watching Disney movie characters come to live was just perfect…

Most people who are in a high pressure job look forward to their yearly vacation. They take off for a few weeks, sometimes only a few days, but it is an escape nevertheless. Archana who was on a break from a job, decided it was time to explore new terrains and flew away to Dubai for a well deserved break. She spent the time with friends and family, enjoying the sights and sounds of the foreign land. Here are a few photographs she shares from her vacation.

Bags are packed, tickets have been booked and a sense of excitement lingers in the air. This is exactly what parents go through when exams end and school lets out. With the changes in school systems, these days schools work till end April, and holidays run all of May spilling into June.

Prakash was all set to explore the Eastern part of the world with his wife and 4yr old daughter along with few other friends. They were headed to Cambodia, a land of history, where temples and Buddha ruled the streets, and a destination much sought after.

It was their daughter’s first trip abroad, and more than them she was jumping with joy. The thought of flying in an aeroplane, going to a different country was entirely new. We hoped she managed without too much fuss or trouble, especially since food was an issue, he said. But, know what, she was a charm, such an angel, played with other kids at the venues we visited, was such a happy child through the journey, not a minute of pain or trouble… *touch wood*

Even though it was a short trip, we had a blast. This was a country i had not been to earlier, and so it was magical, and quite surprising to see the amount of resemblance their culture, art and temples had to ours.To make sure it wasnt entirely about temples, we visited the beach, the ocean, that had once faced the wrath of the tsunami but today welcomes guests with open arms.

As we left the town towards the airport, our hearts were heavy, and we felt a strong connection had been forged with this foreign yet familiar country. We hoped that one day we would return to explore it further.

There are very few who get an opportunity to escape the blazing summers across the country. But there are many who look forward to summers to escape to the cooler hill stations, or explore the unexplored with their families or friends. Gayathri, who got an opportunity to travel with her husband to the beautiful land called Europe managed to visit a car show and shares a few photographs taken at the event. Time to feast your eyes on the beauties,

“Though am not a car person, just walking around the show, watching the cars, the designs had me hooked. By the time we were done, i was more eager to check out the cars, the interiors much to my husband’s amusement” …

March is a month that many look forward to, especially those with children. It is the start of exams and tension, but also is when people look forward to the holidays that come following close on heels. Vish talks about how he and his wife decided to take a break and explore the land of romance before their little girl came home from her trip with friends. They went to Paris, spending a few precious days and moments in each others’ company, soaking it all in and unwinding, rejuvenating almost.

The majestic clock at Musee D’orsay

No visit to Paris is complete without a trip down to the Eiffel Tower.. yes, it was as magical as we hopped it would be!

And last but not least, the majestic Place De la Concorde in broad daylight.

The same Place De la Concorde  at night, the lights brought the place to life, something that cannot be put in words…

Just as February is synonymous with Spring, in many places across the world March symbolises Summer. There are places which are alive with colours, while some others are gearing up to blossom.  And in countries like India, Summer means only one thing- no, not blossoming flowers or colours, it means Heat and blazing sun. But it is also the season where families look forward to escaping the heat to hill stations or cooler regions.

Gautham, who decided to  not wait for peak summers and take a break, went off to explore the mountains in Dharamsala and McLeodganj. He shares a few photographs showing off the beauty in those destinations, which are up above, as if a part of the blue skies..

The beautiful snow capped mountains in Dharamsala

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala

The view of the snow capped mountains beyond the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala

In a year, we all try to accomplish as much as possible.. but, alas, the days are numbered and the year draws to an end and our list remains half done! Wouldnt it be wonderful if we all just took a moment, recollected the days that have gone by, made a plan for the remaining few days and went out to live it up? Well, that is exactly what Dinesh Kumar has done. Taking a break from routine, he took off a few days, travelling to the backwaters of Kerala to soak in nature and press the Refresh button on his life…

Enjoying a lazy stroll around the garden in the resort we were staying at, i noticed a butterfly fluttering about, as if looking for that one perfect flower. I followed it silently, making sure not to give myself away till it found the flower, and gently enjoyed the sweet delight….

Towards the afternoon, we decided to go for a drive, and like a sudden flash of lightening, i saw a few men almost walking on water. Drawing the vehicle to a stop, i hopped out to get a better glimpse of these men.. There was nothing bey0nd, but water and the small mountains afar… Nearly half an hour i stood there, trying to make sense of their actions, but with no luck. Decided to see if they were still there when we made our return journey!

The most amazing aspect in Kerala are the backwaters, and you can see people using these as we use our roads. They commute on them to get to office, children all dressed up in school uniforms ride the small boats to get across and make their way to school, and then there were the fishermen who travelled along these waters multiple times during the day. They made it look so easy, but for us visitors, these backwaters are a maze…

What a way to end the year….

Holiday, celebrate

If we took a holiday yeah
Took some time to celebrate
Just one day out of life
It would be
It would be so nice
Everybody spread the word
We’re gonna have a celebration
All across the world

To add to this excitment, wouldnt it be amazing if you could have your entire family right here next to you during these special days? Alas, if only that were possible. People are scattered across the globe, some within a few miles while others are across and beyond the oceans. If only there was a way to send them a piece of you, to share your love and joy, make them feel like you are there with them…. Well, Snapfish has made this possible. Yes, you better believe it!

“Distance does not matter”..You can now create personalised gifts and send them to your loved ones within a short period of time… There are offers and codes that you can use when creating these photo books and note books or maybe a calendar which will give you discounts on the final cost. How cool is that?

You can create a calendar for the upcoming 2012 year with photographs of your family, children, and include a few surprises -photographs of your friends and family as well. Imagine waking up every morning to see an image of those who matter to you as you start your day?

Or order a Photo book with photographs of events and special occasions that happened over the last year, sharing the joy with those who couldnt make it or giving them something to look forward to…

Happy Holidays! Spread the holiday spirit around….

Holidays are here

Christmas is a few weeks away

New years comes following on its heels

The Holidays are here….

Your friends have invited you over for Navratri Golu on a day when they are also celebrating their daughter’s birthday.  Normally, you would have been happy with a basket of fruits but since it is a 6yr old girl’s birthday, you decide to buy a lovely gift.

Since you have time, you decide to shop and keep the gift ready in case you forget it last minute. But instead of looking for putting one of those boring plain old gift tag, you look for something fun and unique.

Here is what you can do, head over to Snapfish and create your own Gift tag.. you can put your picture on it, name, address, or any other message, information you wish on the card. You will get a set of 20 personalized gifts tags that come with golden string to tie on the gift wrapper or box.

Time to Say Good bye to plain and boring gift tags!

And then , once you have placed your order, simply sit back, wait for the tags to reach your home. Put it on your gift and watch people ask you where you got them done and how cool they are…

Have fun! Let your creativity flow… Share this with your friends and others you know..

You have just returned from a holiday to an exotic location and have all your photographs with you. Now you have several options on how to preserve these memories. You can upload them onto some online photo account or make a photo book out of it.

Photo books are very different from photo albums. Unlike the latter, photo books are bound with pictures normally printed directly unto the paper.  There are several options where you can make a photo book. But if you have a copy of Photoshop at your desktop, you can make a photo book of your holiday memories all by yourself.

First open the Photoshop picture editor and edit the photos you want to include in your photo book. Make sure that the photographs look the way you want them to. If needed add captions which you want to accompany the photograph

Next save all the photographs in a single folder. Now choose this folder and drag and drop the photographs as per the order you want them on the book. After the photos are selected, click on the Album button and create an album.

Once you finish selecting the pictures, click on the ‘Create’ tab and choose the ‘Photo Book’ option. Using the dialogue boxes available, choose the layout and number of pages for your book.

Next choose a theme for your photo book pages. Add background and frames to each page.

You can resize, replace and move the pictures around the book as per your wish. You can also play around with the layout and theme of the book. These options can be found in the Content panel on the left.

Save your photo book.

Now you can use this file to print it at your local photo printing shop or you can upload it to an online photo printing website and order as many photo books as you want. Now you will have a beautiful photo book holding the memories of your holiday.