Lessons Every Parent Needs
June 22, 2009
Every mother needs a camera and at least some beginner’s photography lessons, even if it is just taking the time to read the camera’s handbook. Keep in mind, though, that many online photography courses are simpler than wading through that mire of technical jargon. In fact, if you are a parent then you know just how precious free time is. Finding a photography lesson that is simple will save you hours.
My best friend, Amy’s little sister had a baby just a few days after I’d given birth to my son. We were in the same hospital at the same time. Amy came to visit me and mentioned that between the five adults in the room with her sister’s two hour old infant there was only one camera and no one could figure out how to use it. Her nephew had yet to be photographed at all when I had so many pictures of my new son that my husband had to bring in his laptop twice so I could dump my rather large memory card. I was a bit shocked.
In fact, I had two cameras with me so I quickly made sure my friend knew how to operate one of them and sent her back to her sister’s room with it. I don’t think of myself as naïve, I know some people can’t afford cameras and some have no interest. But I knew she didn’t fall into the former category and being a new mother it blew my mind that she would fall into the latter.
When I finally dragged myself down the hall to visit her myself I was soon relieved. She wanted to know where she could send her husband to buy a camera like mine and maybe a guide book. I sent him out to buy the camera and told her that she would be better off downloading some beginner’s photography lessons from the internet.
The photo lessons available are so versatile. You can skim through quickly to find what you need in a pinch and you can pour over every detail when you have the time. Once you find one that works for you it is like the ultimate reference guide, all the information you need in one place without the unnecessary information that pops up when you use search engines.The bottom line is: if you want nice pictures of your children for yourself, to share, and for them to look back on then you can’t go wrong with an online photography course.
How To Photograph Babies
Christy
Photo Gifts for Everyone
June 19, 2009
Think photo gifts are played out? Not possible. You just need to put your own spin on things. I love photo gifts because it is like sharing an emotion or a memory, something truly personal and one of a kind. There really is something out there for everyone; you just have to shop outside the box.
With Father’s Day fast approaching I’ve run into the same dilemma I do every year; what should I get for my father? My husband is easy to shop for. I see him every day and I know what he likes and what he’s run out of. My ten month old son will be getting him a photo collage mousepad and maybe a bottle of scotch.
My father is a different story. He works in construction, so the traditional office supplies or tie would be a lost cause. He doesn’t even drink coffee so the wide variety of mugs available is off the list of possibilities as well. I browsed all the available photo products twice before I saw the perfect gift. My father has a hearing aid and when he isn’t wearing it he keeps it in a candy tin to protect it.
Within minutes my son’s smiling face was on the cover of a similar tin and on its way to my house for wrapping and other final touches. I am positive he will love it, and it will be even more useful to him than a new tool or a restaurant gift card. The process is so easy; any photo that you can get into your computer can be on just about anything in minutes.
If you have only skimmed through the product pages of photo websites you are missing out. When you take the time and have someone in mind, photo gifts will leap off of the page. Would you deny someone special in your life a gift that is precious and meaningful because you didn’t take five minutes to browse all the options that are available today?
Family Photographer With Child
Take Pride In What You Love
June 18, 2009
There is no question that art enriches your life, whether it is your child’s finger painting on the refrigerator or the watercolor in the den that reminds you of your honeymoon. When the art is photography it tends to be even more special; one unique moment in time, captured in exact detail, set aside just for you. Getting your photo to canvas from your camera is easier than you would believe.
After discovering that my pictures could be converted to beautiful canvases with just a few clicks I became addicted. I’ve recently reached that point in my life where I relegated posters to children’s bedrooms and maybe the game room. For decorating the rest of my home the decision was between art and photos. Once I found I could combine the two, very reasonably, my house started to look like a gallery.
Like any addiction, even though I had enough, I wanted more. The canvases came out so beautifully, they were my own artwork larger than life or at least the typical 4X6. I was just so proud of them, plus many of them were gorgeous shots of my little boy in wonderful poses. My living room is like an Anne Geddes show without the flower pots. To keep them from overlapping on my walls photo canvases soon became my gift of choice.
Like at home, most of the gift canvases were photos of my son. Though, sometimes, I was inspired to convert other photos to canvas. Both of my uncles are artists, although Robbie, the photographer passed away several years ago. My grandmother has several large oil paintings from my other uncle, but Robbie’s photos, while framed and displayed, are no larger than the 5X7s that he originally gave her. When she went out of town I borrowed one of the photos, scanned it into my computer, and had it back on the wall with her none the wiser. When the canvas was delivered, she recognized it immediately and was ecstatic. A moment recaptured with her lost son, and his work on full size display beside his brother’s.
Have you run across a photo to canvas website thinking that there was nothing there for you? You should spare it another thought. You may not have a family photo that you want to hang in your galleria, but how about something else that you are proud of. It is the things that build who you are that deserve to be on display; your children, your pet, even your garden. If it makes you smile while you are tending to it, no matter what it is, won’t it make you smile when the reminder is right there on your wall?
Mother With Child
Learning Photography
June 17, 2009
Learning photography is about more than taking pictures. It is learning how to take good pictures and what to do with them once you have them. In this day and age, just about everyone has access to a digital camera, but far fewer people know how to use them. One of the secrets is discovering when you can treat a digital camera like its film predecessor and when you can’t.
Being a life time user of film, I needed a course on digital photography to help me make the switch. It not only taught me what I needed to know, it showed me what I was missing. I had started my digital switch by buying a camera and taking pictures on auto mode. If I only took the occasional still life photo I probably would have been satisfied with that. But I’m a mom of a very active ten month old so I quickly realized that I was failing to capture quick movements and elusive smiles.
With my film camera I wouldn’t dream of photographing a moving child indoors with anything less than a 400 speed film. I started poking through the menu in the camera in an attempt to alter the shutter speed when I found two things that helped me immensely. The digital camera had a list of ISO speed options that carried over from film to denote the light sensitivity of the digital setting. I was back in familiar territory and it felt good.
The second feature I discovered was that my camera could be set to fire in bursts of three. The likelihood of missing something dropped dramatically. Catching a memory perfectly has always been very important to me. The lessons I’ve been learning in my photography course have shown me that a slightly imperfect picture is not the end of the world. In fact, it can be perfect or better with a few minutes manipulation in a Photoshop program.
Whether you are trying to find a camera, operate a camera, or work with the pictures you have already taken there is a photo course for you. Learning photography at any stage is essential to catching and preserving memories of those you love. Don’t miss one more shot of that lightening quick little one. Find the course that matches your needs today.
Amateur Child Photographer
Christy
Expressions
June 16, 2009
With the heat climbing as we dive headlong into summer, my husband and I decided to take our son, Aiden, swimming. Aiden’s favorite time every day is when the bath water starts running, so we thought that his first time in a pool would be even more exciting for him. We were very wrong.
After Aiden and I got suited up I handed him off to my husband so I could operate my video camera with my right hand and my still camera with my left. Anticipating happy splashes and excited squeals, I was poised and ready as they walked down into the water. So, I quickly had several shots, and video footage of apprehension that quickly funneled into tears.
I ditched the cameras and went into the water to console my little boy, but it didn’t help much. We got out, got back in, and switched between parents, but Aiden wanted nothing to do with the pool that we had just bought a summer membership to. Whether the pool was daunting in size or just too cool for Aiden’s taste, it wasn’t long before we decided to try again another day. After ten minutes or so, we were on our way back home.
I sighed and flipped through the pictures on the camera, expecting disappointment. Again, I was wrong. I got the most adorable photo of my son. His lip was pouted out and there was a tear creeping out the corner of his eye. It was so expressive and precious that I printed and framed it the next day. It is nestled snuggly amongst many others, the many faces of my little boy.
Like most people I tend to display the happy smiles that I capture. I hadn’t realized that I was missing out on the rest of the emotional spectrum. It’s hard to remember to grab your camera when you are trying to avert a tantrum or soothe a startled little one. Of course, those are the priorities, but if you happen to get some shots off that capture some of your children’s other emotions, consider them for display. A smile isn’t the only thing that makes a good picture, capturing the truth of the moment is also a photo worthy accomplishment.
Christy
The Real Fun
June 15, 2009
I absolutely love to bake. I have a collection of fun shaped cake pans that just thrill me when I can put them to use. My son is little too young to help me but my niece and nephew are just the right age to have a blast at it.
On their last visit Dylan and Madie joined me in baking a strawberry castle cake and subsequently destroying my kitchen. We all had grand fun. Every pot, pan, measuring cup and box of cereal I owned was on my kitchen floor. The three of us were covered in flour and sugar and it was picture perfect.
Granted the baking process goes a lot quicker when one isn’t trying to photograph it, but a little extra time is well worth it for the memories that are captured. The two looked like Keebler elves, standing on stools in shortened aprons and stirring like it was the only thing in the world.
When there was nothing else needed to finish the cake they started to play hide and seek in the cabinets. They pressed their noses against the oven window every minute or so to check if the cake was done. Then they pretended to bake some more with play doh and whatever kitchen utensils that hadn’t yet made it to the sink.
I ended up with dozens of fantastic pictures of my little chefs. I even had one printed on an apron for them to give their father for his birthday. A little mess can be a lot of fun. They are coming to visit again next week and Dylan has already called me three times with his plans to bake cakes. He wants another castle, a snake and a worm. Being a good big brother he also asked if Madie could make a strawberry shortcake flower.
Sometimes the photos are the lasting impressions, and sometimes it’s the actual memory. If a three year old can have enough fun that he remembers it six months later I am just happy to be a part of it.
Christy
Let The Games Begin
June 12, 2009
This weekend my husband had his friends over for a gaming sleepover. They are all just shy of thirty years old, but at least four times a year they get together and act as if they are barely teenagers. Our home happens to be in the middle of everyone else’s and my husband has the majority of the video games so they always come here. The junk food comes out, the games start up, and they stay up into the wee hours of the night without a care in the world.
I slipped in and took pictures every couple of hours, catching childish expressions of glee as one would win a game or score on another. My nine month old son even got in on the excitement, clapping and squealing wildly, especially when his father was happily winning. I took even more pictures of those precious father-son moments. My son has many of his father’s features so it was like he had his own mini self on his lap.
The whole weekend was filled with good times that deserve to be remembered long after these men can no longer find the time to get together. When the child inside takes over is when the best pictures are there for the taking. Childhood is only carefree for so long. Every moment of that time should be captured in memory, because that is what builds who you are when those times are gone.
If you can recapture that happiness for a day or two, squeeze every memory you can out of it. Whether you are catching happy childhood moments of a child or an adult, they are both to be seized and treasured. Make some time to recapture your youth, if only for a few moments. Your happiness matters, it affects everything around you and it is reenergizing, like a child on a summer day.
Christy H.
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