Photo Rivals
July 1, 2009
My husband, Joshua, and I maintain a friendly rivalry when it comes to photography. He insists that he is the better photographer even though I bought him his first camera. I don’t take it personally though; he also thinks that he is a better cook even though his best efforts almost always include frozen pizza. When we do debate it, the contention point is usually equipment versus skill. Joshua has always been fond of the shiniest new gadget; he even beat me to digital cameras, thinking that it would give him an instant advantage. Of course, that was back when the best camera was five mega pixels and photographers everywhere were swearing that digital would never replace film.
I’ve seen a disposable camera catch phenomenal moments and I’ve seen a photographer with ten thousand dollars worth of equipment on location rely on an auto focus feature that resulted in crystal clear pictures of the insects buzzing between him and the bride and not one decent shot of the wedding party. That is to say that while a good camera is great it will only take you so far, especially if you don’t know what you are aiming at.
Josh only photographs on special occasions, it’s nice when we come home from vacations and have more than double the pictures to choose from. His photos do come out really well, but he does not share my daily passion to capture life moment by moment. Luckily for me, he affords me at least a little patience as I pop my camera out of my back pocket and snap twenty photographs of my son excitedly riding in a shopping cart while we grocery shop.
I know that my ever present camera drives him a little crazy, but I’m his wife, that’s my job. He may tire of the flash firing, but he really appreciates it when I can email him pictures at work of our son’s sweet smile that he is missing. He used to joke that our son would be the first to be flash blinded before he even left the hospital and that the other mothers would think that there were paparazzi in the nursery. Now he doesn’t even bat an eye that I had to get another hard drive to hold all the photos of our ten month old little boy. Like me he realizes that every moment is precious and if at least one of us manages to capture it to savor and share then we are very lucky parents.
Share Your Photos
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
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
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