Christian's Beach Is Now Closed

Please visit The Seashore of Remembrance if you would like to place an order for an artwork.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I make a name request?

A. Click here to make a name request. More often than not when I am experiencing a large number of requests I will close the request page just temporarily until I catch up. If you are wanting to have your childs name placed on our wait list and it is closed you can make an up front order for a sunset name at The Seashore of Remembrance . It is there that you can find all of my other art work.

Q. Can you write my Child's name on their special date?

A. Unfortunately we are no longer able to do this due to our work schedules and unpredictable weather..

Q. Do you write names for adults that have died too?
 

A.This memorial site is just for children. We are happy to write names from conception up until 21 years of age. We can write the names of adults at The Seashore of Remembrance.


Q. Can I choose the colour of the sunset in my child's photo?

A. I receive this question on a regular basis. I understand that people like different coloured sunsets. You may like the pink and orange ones more than the gold ones. Or you may prefer a clear sky with no clouds at all.

Unfortunately I have no control over the colours or clouds in the sunsets. I can't even predict what colours will appear until I am down at the beach witnessing them. As much as I would love to give everyone their perfect coloured sunset it is just impossible.

Try not to picture what your child/rens sunset will look like as we can almost guarantee that it will be different. I like to believe that the children themselves choose the time and the sunset that their names are written unde. Enjoy the surprise.

Q. Can I have a drawing of a butterfly or something else with my child's name. 

A. Christian's Beach is just names only. We offer other drawings with names at The Seashore of Remembrance.

Q. How much does it cost to have my childs name written in the sand?

A. Having your childs name written in the sand does not cost anything. I will write their name, photograph it at sunset and then create a memorial post for them in the gallery. Having this memorial post is a gift from us to you in memory of our son Christian. If you like the photograph and would like to purchase the high resolution jpeg you can do so on the left hand side bar of the memorial site. The Sunset photos are $25. We do not offer low resolution images. All our photos are of high quality and will enlarge to poster size beautifully. There is no obligation to purchase your sunset photo.

Q. Do you accept any other form of payment other than paypal.

A. Paypal is our only option for payment as it is the safest for us and for you.

Q. I paid for my photo over 4 days ago and have not received it yet. Who should I contact?
A. If you have not received your image please check the email that your provided us in paypal as it may be different from your normal account. Please also check your junk mail. If you have still not received it, it may mean that your internet will not allow the large download. Please contact us at carlymariedudley@gmail.com.

Q. You are not taking requests at the moment and I need a picture photo urgently for a friend, do you have anything else available?

A. Please visit The Seashore of Remembrance.


Q. Do you re write children's names if they have already been requested previously or do you put up the same one that has been written before?

A. We write each name as they are requested. We want everyone to have their very own photo. It does not matter if your child has the same name as someone else'schild. Each person is unique in their own way and so is each photo.

Q. How long will it take to have my child's name written?

A. Usually we will have it written for you within a couple of months but if we are experiencing some bad weather it may take longer.

Q. Do you live next to the beach?
A. We live about a 20 minute drive away.

Q. Do you photoshop the photographs?
A. I treat every photograph using photoshop. Because when I photograph the name in the sand I focus the lens on the name which makes the sunset blow out. I add a darker tint to the sky to bring the colour back. I lighten the sand in each photograph by 100% so that when people go to the print the image the name in the sand comes out perfectly clear. If I did not do this you would not be able to read the name as the glare of the sun makes the sand come out almost a charcoal colour even though the sand is bright white! I also remove any blobs of pink light that reflect off the lens from the sun as they take away from the picture. I do enhance the colour of each photograph by adding a small percentage of saturation at the end so that they print beautifully.

Myths about our photos is that I photoshop the footprints out of the sand. This is not true. I have worked out a way to photograph the names so my footprints are avoided. And yes, the sand is that clean and smooth. Another myth is that we just add a pretty sunset to the photo. Not true. Someone once said that the names are written with a photo editing program on a computer - DEFINITELY NOT TRUE! I drive to the beach around 6 nights a week to physically write names.