Little Hands, Little Feet – A Caregivers Love
September 19, 2009
Years ago, my husband and I took care of a little boy who was the son of a woman who worked for my husband. Troy came to be with us almost every week day from the age of 7 weeks from early in the morning until late in the evening. This went on for nearly ten years. I got to hold baby Troy in the hospital when he was just one day old.
During the summer our family would vacation at Suttons Bay in Northern Michigan. It is a very beautiful area of gorgeous lakes, sand dunes, and quaint little villages. After our first summer in Suttons Bay, I longed for Troy to come and enjoy it too. The second summer his mother brought Troy and his older brother to Suttons Bay to spend some vacation time with us. After that Troy spent many summer vacations there with us, enjoying the water and especially learning to swim with his Uncle John in the Suttons Bay Yacht Club pool. I took many delightful pictures of him thus documenting his life for him to see after he grew up.
A Babys Hand - Troy's Hand In Sleep
When Troy would nap in his crib at our home, I would always check on him after he fell asleep to see if he needed some covers. Sometimes I would be struck by the innocence of the sight of his little folded hand, or delighted by some little legs and feet sticking through the crib rails.
Baby' Feet - Troy Did This Just Before Falling Asleep
I would immediately have to get my Canon camera and take those beautiful and meaningful photographs of those little hands and feet!
When Troy was about two years old, my husband and I vacationed for three weeks in Europe. I missed Troy deeply those three weeks, and obviously he missed me too, because while I was gone, he had pulled out most of the hair in the back of his head by twirling it around his fingers very tightly. When I returned, I could never again just put him in his crib for a nap and tell him “Baby go night, night” and leave him to fall asleep by himself. I thought that he must think that I would leave him again if he fell asleep by himself, and so he would only now fall asleep in my arms. This lasted for as long as Troy needed naps.
When we went to Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, Troy, his Mother and his brother went with us too. Later, when we vacationed in Mexico, Troy also went with us many times. I think that he was only five years old the first time he came to Mexico. One time while we were in the Baja he came down with a fever of 104 degrees, and needed medical help which we found for him. The medicine helped, and Troy returned to normal health, and was his very lively, playful self once again.
Troy and "Nana" in Sutton's Bay
Today, Troy is 17 years old, soon to be 18 years. His Uncle John and I miss the little guy who used to shoot basketball hoops in our yard, play with his golden retriever “Shadow,” and spend many nights in our home. This last week, I have been going through all of the many pictures that we have of Troy. I have been dividing them in half to give to him to treasure, and to know something of how much he is loved. Our hope is that someday, he will choose to get to know us once again!
Betty Muscott, Child Photographer
About Betty Muscott
Betty A. Muscott is an experienced child photographer and online entrepreneur for tools to capture great photographs of children by parents and grandparents. Connect with Betty on Google+
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Share Your New Baby Photos With Personalized Baby Photo Gifts and Cards
September 17, 2009
Those first days with a new baby are so precious and so fleeting that the photographers among us tend to go wild taking photos of their new baby. I know when my first child was born I had a whole album worth of photos within his first week. The very first thing you can do with your baby photos is create a unique personalized birth announcement as a photo card, to share your baby’s first portraits with the world.
Photoworks has a great selection of birth announcement photo cards, where you can upload one or more photos, to create a special card with your own message, to let friends and family share your joy in your new baby.
As a photographer my favorite is the graphic filmstrip design, which has space for three photos within the strip of film pictured on the card and room for captions underneath. The simplicity and black and white graphic quality appeals to the photographer in me., but there are also plenty of softer, cuter designs in the traditional pink and blue baby shades.
You have to register with the site to create your card but registration is free, and once you are a member you can use the site for all your future photographic needs, from photo gifts to canvas prints, as well as online photo sharing. The great thing about this is that you save so much time, and time, when you have a young baby, is a scarce and precious commodity, as all parents know well. Once your photos are uploaded you can use them again and again, for personalized photo gifts, photo albums, photo books and more. With easy instructions and the ability to edit as you go, it sure beats messing around with glue and scissors when you have young children around!
Having a baby is not only a complete life-changing event, but it will also completely re-focus your photographic passion. Your lens will be on your new baby day by day as he or she grows, recording every change, every expression. You’ll discover how wonderful it is to capture the curl of a baby’s fingers as they grasp yours, or the delicacy of a tiny foot with its miniature shell-like nails. All these wonderful pictures will make such great images for photo cards, that you’ll want to send out more than just a birth announcement card, your baby photos are bound to feature on your Christmas cards and birthday cards too.
Good Canon Rebel Camera Flash At A Great Price
September 16, 2009
A good Canon Rebel Camera Flash is the Speedlite 270EX. The Speedlite 270EX is the newest for the Canon Rebel Flash line up. Introduced in 2009 the retailed suggested price is $160.00. This makes it one of the lowest price Canon Rebel flashes and a nice addition for your Canon Rebel EOS camera.
Characteristics
The first item you notice when looking at the Speedlite 270EX is its size. The flash is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. There are two main reasons to explain the smaller size. The first is that the flash needs to be controlled from the camera. This limits what functions you can use on the flash if you do not have a newer camera that supports this feature. If your camera does support the flash control system, you must go through the menus to set up the flash. This is time-consuming versus using a flip switch on the flash. The only switch on the flash on the Speedlite 270EX is the on/off switch. The second reason is that the flash is powered by two AA batteries instead of 4 which are used in most Speedlites. The foot of the horseshoe flash is metal, instead of plastic, with a slide-locking mechanism. A delightful feature on this compact flash is the ability to tilt the head at 60, 75 and 90 degrees. The tilt is accomplished by pulling the head forward. This also changes the coverage from a 28mm focal length to 50mm.
Flash Firing System
The Speedlite 270EX uses an intermittent flash firing system for the autofocus to work. If you are familiar with other Speedlites, you know that in other models they have a red light that is used to assist the autofocus when light levels are low. The red light either projects lines for autofocusing in low light or a single point coverage as on the small Speedlites. The flash firing system on the Speedlite 270EX covers all focus points when used with the EOS cameras. A drawback to this system is that it delivers bright flashes of light that your subject may find irritating.
The Speedlite 270EX works wonderfully with the newer EOS cameras that allow you to control the flash from the screen. A tremendous draw for the beginner or amateur photographer is the price and size. This flash delivers flexibility and a stronger flash then the standard built in flash. This flash is also helpful in low-light situations.
The Canon EOS Rebel 12.2 Megapixel XSi Digital SLR Camera
September 15, 2009
The Canon EOS Rebel 12.2 Megapixel XSi digital SLR camera delivers detailed pictures with point and shoot ease. The Canon Rebel XSi is an entry-level DSLR that has brought advance technology former found only in professional cameras to the general public. Canon has transitioned this technology into an easy to understand format.
XSi vs XTi
The Canon Rebel XSi has 12.2 megapixels as compared to the Canon Rebel XTi’s 10.1 megapixels. The Canon Rebel XSi is now offered in solid black and two-tone silver and black. You can purchase the Canon XSi either with the body-only or the single-lens kit with the EF-S 18-55mm Optical Image Stabilizer lens. Canon has over 60 EF and EF-S lenses that are compatible with the XSi. The LCD screen has been enlarged to 3 inches allowing for 170 degree wide viewing angle. When increasing the size of the LCD screen, Canon redesigned the layout of the control buttons. They are now placed under the right hand. Each button has a different feel, so you do not have to look to change them. A step forward for the casual photographer is the change from the compact flash used in the XTi to the compatibility of a SD and SDHC memory cards. The compact flash can easily be damaged by trying to place it in sideways or backward.
Live View Mode
Live view mode has two auto focusing modes, quick and live. In both modes, you can magnify parts of your image up to 10x. A grid overlay option can help line up you images. Quick mode uses the 9 point auto focus system. Quick mode is useful in action or low-light situations. Live mode uses an imaging sensor to capture the image. A small square appears then you can use the keys to move the square on the image.
Picture Style Settings
The Canon Rebel XSi has six preset Picture Style settings and Canon offers additional files that can be downloaded. Standard is the most widely used in photographs since it can be used in a number of conditions. The portrait setting keeps the person in sharp focus versus the background. Landscape is used when the desired outcome is to have the scene in focus whether the object is close or far. Neutral setting is ideal if you choose to edit on the computer. Faithful is the setting most true to color of the image. Monochrome produces black and white images. Using the Picture Style settings allows for the photographer to have a wide range of images without having to change 35mm film.
The Canon Rebel XSi is an excellent EOS digital SLR camera. The camera builds on the Canon Rebel XTi foundation and takes it a step further toward the professional side of cameras. The color rich and various styles of the pictures you can take will make you want to have this camera around at all times.
Make Personalized Photo Christmas Cards For An Affordable and Unique Gift
September 15, 2009
Sometimes the simplest ideas are best. When you’re looking for creative ways to use those gorgeous pictures of your kids, to make unique and personalized photo gifts, you can get carried away by all the brilliant ideas that are available online. It would be wonderful to order canvas prints for all the family, or have that picture printed onto photo blankets or pillows, but if you have a big family and a limited budget, sometimes it’s unrealistic. What you can do with that stunning photo of your kids, which is just crying out for special treatment, is make it into Christmas cards.
It’s very easy to make personalized Christmas cards out of your photos. Online you’ll find hundreds of options to order a pack of photo cards with envelopes included. Some of them incorporate your photos into a traditional Christmas card design, so that the photos of your children will be peeking out from Christmas tree baubles or be surrounded by a choir of angels. Others use a simple graphic design and allow you to print your own personalized message.
The advantage of these simpler photo cards is that your family is more likely to keep the photo on display all year round. Also if you have taken a great picture of your baby or kids, you often want to be able to show it off without the distraction of holly, mistletoe and robins draped all around it.
Perhaps September is a little early to start thinking about Christmas, but by ordering your Christmas photo cards now you’ll be ahead of the game and won’t have to worry about last minute delays with the holiday rush.
Don’t feel you have to dress your kids up in Santa Claus hats for a special photo shoot. Choose any gorgeous photo you’ve taken of them recently. Often a simple close-up portrait is most effective. The most important thing is that the photo is up to date, so that you give family and friends an idea of how your family looks now another year has passed.
If your kids love dressing up though, think of some different outfits they could wear to make an original picture especially for your Christmas card. Fairies, princesses and ballerinas would look great on a Christmas card and so would firemen and pirates! Get out some strands of tinsel and baubles and have your kids decorate a tree in the garden for a backdrop to your photo, or just snap away as they decorate and see what you get. You can have great fun taking photos of your kids getting festive in September in the spirit of Let’s Pretend and you’ll have all the satisfaction of being way ahead on the holiday season too!
