Family time is photo time…
We are at the end of week 5 of the 6 week plan to create the perfect holiday season. If you haven’t already downloaded the plan and Christmas 2014 Organizer Notebook I hope you will do so now. One of the suggestions in your week 5 plan is to take a family photo to insert into or use as your Christmas 2014 cards.
Casual vs. Studio photos…
Have you noticed that family photos are becoming more casual these days? I much prefer casual photos over studio photos. Even many of the studio photos are becoming more casual in setting and clothing choices.
We’ve come a looooooong way…
Did you ever stop to wonder where the traditional studio photos came from? Until this post I hadn’t give in much thought either but it got me to thinking and doing a bit of research. When photography was first introduced it was expensive and mostly reserved for the elite. Also, the process was much longer, as in it took several seconds for the image to be captured, as opposed to the instant capture we have today. People had to remain extremely still during the process….so much so, that there were even special headrests set-up behind them to help them remain still!!!! The somber faces is a mystery and has only theories about it. All I can say is I’m glad that we have gotten way past that and lightened things up.
Out with the old and in with the new…
There’s a cute joke about a newlywed wife whose husband asked her why she cut the ends off the ham before putting it into the pan. She replied that she did it because her mother did it that way. She then asked her mother why she did it that way and she said……”because that is the way my mother did it.” They then ask the grandma why she cut the ends off the ham before putting it into the pan and she replied….”because my pan wasn’t big enough.” I just wonder how many things we do that we’ve always done because that’s the way it has always been done. So what does this have to do with family photographs?
Life is to meant to be fun…..
Gone is the day of somber faces and stiff posed bodies. It is time to let loose and have fun! I’m not saying never to have a studio photo again…..all I’m saying is that you can make taking family photos fun and interesting and can bring some life to your family gathering. I have found that people are more themselves and have fun when they are “hiding behind” or playing with props. It is like the child in them comes out and the results are outstanding. I’ve seen people sing better at Karaoke when wearing silly sunglasses as if somehow the glasses were magic. I suppose in some zany way they were magic. Why not make your own magic? What I am suggesting is that you go to the dollar store and buy some props like Santa hats or paper mustaches or you fill in the blank. Get the family together and have fun!!!! Use one of the photos or even a collage of them to make into or insert into your holiday cards! Life is about the fun we have, the memories we make and the stories we live to tell. Let’s all commit to making some new fun memories and stories!
Wishing you much fun this Thanksgiving holiday!
Happy snapping and memory making….
Suzi