Hey all,

I shoot portraits exclusively on location and present them in clients' homes on an LCD monitor. I'd like to move to projection, and saw from someone else the idea of projecting into a framed canvas. That person was projecting in a sales room, which (not having a studio or an office) I don't have.

Do you have any ideas of how I can do this in a client's home? I think the framed canvas idea is awesome (especially since I sell canvas), but I can't see hammering a wall hook into a client's wall just to be able to sell them images! Does anyone have any suggestions for me? How could I hold that framed canvas up in the air? The idea of projecting on the wall on which the portrait will ultimately hang is really cool, but I just can't figure out how to make it work.

Also, for anyone who has done this before, do you have any suggestions of how to select a projector (lumens, etc.)?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Hi Aaron
Try using an artists easel. Not only will it hold up your canvas at the correct height it will look good.

Hi..
if you want to go into beamer projection there are two things recomend to you.

1. www.cjlewis.com
This website looks very unusual but i had the luck to get some of the educational material on ebay a while ago. THIS MAN IS AMAZING. He has all the awnsers to projection. He tells you what complains your clients will bring up and how to handle them. He is into projection via slides, but you can use it 1:1 for a beamer.

2. http://www2.timeexposure.com/portraitstudiosoftware.php
I have not bought this software yet, but i tried the 30 day demo and it works like a charm.
You can project the image exactly the size the final image would be by your fingertip.
This way your clients can see how the differenz sizes will look like.

Greetings
Juergen

Pete - That's an awesome idea! Now why couldn't I think of that???!!!! It seems so obvious now!

Juergen - Thanks for the link! I'll check it out tonight. I'm planning on buying ProSelect - even if I don't do projection. I haven't tried it out yet, but from what I've heard it'll be worth it's weight in gold. I've been very annoyed with my presentation system lately, and that software seems to be the solution. Thanks for plugging it again!

Does anyone have any advice on choosing a projector?

Aaron
Best bet is to have a look at the AV forums.
http://www.avforums.com/
http://avforum.com/
http://www.avsforum.com/
The main things to look at are color reproduction contrast ratio and Lamp power. Check the throw of the projector and the connection types available. Also you may want to buy one with a built in speaker. I'm assuming you will probably buy hi def. My personal preference are for In Focus Theme Scene and Benq .

Happy hunting

I use a Canon Xeed SX50.
This baby is not cheap but one of the best projectors for photos you can buy.
But if your room is to small it is to strong.
From time to time i project in a club 5x7.5 meters. This was the main reason for me to buy it.