Photo Background Images

I have an older, inexpensive Espon ink jet printer at home.
I am more likely to use it for periodic worksheets or parent letters

at home than as a primary way to create photo images.

I do use it occasionally to create backgrounds for my doll photos.

I had been using photo matte paper, and later, plain card stock paper

for backgrounds. But, yesterday, I decided to purchase glossy photo paper

at my local Staples office supply store. 

I found packages of Epson's Ultra Premium Glossy Photo Paper.
It was $21 for a packages of 25 sheets of paper, but there was a sign

next to it saying "Hot Deal" for a "buy one get one free" purchase.

It had expired two weeks ago. I told the clerk with an intention that they

could remove the expired signs, but he told me that they would honor the deal.
I was thrilled to get 50 sheets of the high quality photo paper for the price of 25!

Amaya, at 4 1/2 inches, is a good photo candidate for the full sheet prints

that are 8 1/2 inches wide on the side. The first image I printed out

reminded me of a trail near the Taos Ski Valley I once visited in late September.

The image below was the second image. It is of the inside courtyard at

El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, which is a living history museum in Santa Fe

 that I enjoy visiting during their open season (late May to early October).

NOTE:
The beehive shaped adobe structures with the fire in them are

the horno ovens. Horno ovens are traditional baking ovens that were heated

with fire. When the fire died down into ashes, the ashes were removed.
Bread products could then be baked in the hot ovens.

The adobe room behind the hornos is a Spanish colonial era kitchen.

The chile ristras in my printed background photo 

are not normally in rows over the roof line.
My guess is that they were made fresh for the October Harvest Festival

and were stored there until sold.

 The third image that I printed as a background was the front

of the rancho. This is an early 19th century architecture

with a gate that enters into a courtyard. The rooms are lined

up around the courtyard.

What is special about this photo is that the larger trees

would not have turned fall colors before the beginning of
November. As a living history museum, it closes its normal

business hours for the season the first weekend in October.

This photo would have been taken by a property care taker

or someone at a special event. 

I also printed out fall at the historic water powered mill

at El Rancho de las Golondrinas but have not used it

for a background yet.

This is an earlier video of mine of the water wheel
at the mill during a summer visit.

I am really enjoying having the high quality paper

that I can use to print backgrounds for doll photos.
But, I also consider that I am going to have to buy more ink

if I keep printing, and to save my photo paper and ink for images

that I really want to keep for a long time.

As another suggestion, I frequently use the images from old

calendars and from scrap book papers. While Amaya and Autumn

fit within an 8 1/2 inch wide image, Ella at 10 inches fits

better with 12 to 14 inch calendar images or scrap book paper.

As an example, this is Ella with a full page printed

sheet of a painting by artist Don Brackett.
Even on her knees, she is either too big for the image,

or the image is quite small!

This size image did seem to work for close ups

and when she was seated.

In this context, she looks like she is squashed in a box!

or she suddenly has very long legs!

She was still happy for the attention.

I am happy that as the weather gets colder and less

ideal for outdoor photos that I have another option

for background images for inside photos.
I am finding it to be another fun aspect to play with.