My Latest Favorite Camera Setting

Most of us keep our "point and shoot" camera on the automatic setting as we take our photos.  I do the same because, after all, it is a "point and shoot" camera and the whole point is to keep photo taking easy.  I never read my camera's owner's manual, but every once in awhile, I discover a feature that makes it worth shifting from the automatic setting.  My latest favorite camera setting is the "macro" setting designated by a flower symbol.  It's great for close up photos.  Most of us think of close up settings for nature, but there are also great opportunities for close up settings in family photos.  Here are just a few photo opportunities that would be great for the "flower" setting: a birthday cake, the face painting artwork on a child, a child's masterpiece, a holiday ornament, your child's note to Santa, Thanksgiving turkey on a platter just before carving, and many more.  If you're taking a photo of a baby, try using the setting and take a photo of your baby's toes or fingers or the back of her neck.  Good luck and have fun!

It's All About the Photos

We all enjoy looking back at photos.  Who can resist looking at their grown child's baby photos and fondly remembering holding that precious little bundle?  My kids love looking at their own baby photos.  They love looking at photos of past birthday parties and holidays.  It truly is a gift to your children and to yourself to take photos.  You don't have to be a great photographer or have a professional style camera.  You just have to have a camera and be able to pull it out and click away.

I wholeheartedly recommend having a small point-and-shoot camera that you carry with you all the time.  We've all experienced the regret of not having a camera with us when we wished we had one.  If you're in the habit of carrying a small camera with you, you won't have to worry about remembering to bring the camera along.  I have a Canon Digital Elph camera that's small enough to fit in my purse or in my pocket.  A lot of people have camera cell phones, which could serve the same purpose (if the photos are high enough in quality to use in photo albums.)

Taking photos is a lot of fun, even if you're not a "photographer."  The more you click away, the more likely you are to find that jewel of a photo that just perfectly captures a child, a beautiful scene, or a wonderful experience.  When that happens, you'll be excited to take even more.

Great Idea for Christmas Gifts

Halloween just passed and it’s a good time to do something quick and easy that will take the stress out of Christmas. You know how Christmas creeps up on you (well, on me anyway) and you have the last minute dash for a small gift to give friends and family that you don’t give a big gift to? Here’s a solution to avoid that situation: create a small photo book that combines photos and recipes. It’s an easy project, even for a novice. You don’t need that many photos or recipes, but you can include as many as you want. You don’t need to have “Gourmet” magazine quality recipes - just use those that are sure-fire winners. Easy recipes are even better. Everyone has those tried-and-true dishes that have become family traditions, that they take to the potluck, that people keep asking for the recipe.

Now is a great time to make a recipe book at Shutterfly. Through Nov. 4th, they’re offering $5 off a purchase of $30+ or $10 off a purchase of $50 (use coupon code HOLIDAY at checkout, expires 11/10) and duplicate copies of photo books are discounted by 30% (through 11/5).

Click here to go to Shutterfly photo books and select “recipe book” from the list under "shop by occasion." After you choose the cover type, style, and font and you’ll have a template for a recipe book all ready to go. Then you can click, drag, and drop your own family photos into the spaces and type in your own recipes. Another option to make it REALLY easy, is to find a recipe book in Shutterfly Gallery, look under recipe books to see books that other members have made. When you find one you like you can select "Make One Like This" and use that template. You can click here, to see the recipe book I made on Shutterfly Gallery and use the same template. Go ahead and try it. It doesn’t cost anything to start creating a book. You don’t have to pay anything until you order it. Good luck and have fun!!!

How to Enjoy Your Digital Photos

Now that we all have digital cameras, it’s too easy to let our precious photos reside in our camera or on our computers where we don’t really get to enjoy them. Here are a few ideas for getting those photos to a place where the whole family can appreciate them.

1. Make Your Photos the Screensaver on Your Computer

   Most computers allow you to choose a photo screensaver so that your personal photos move across the screen after it’s been idle for a few minutes. Many photo management software programs (like Picasa from Google) also have options for setting up a photo screensaver. You’ll find that it can be mesmerizing to watch the smiling faces of your loved ones magically appear on the computer screen.

   
2. Watch Your Photos on the TV Screen

   When you got your camera, there was a cord in the box that attaches at one end to your camera and at the other end to your TV (there’s usually 2 prongs, one yellow and one black, at the TV end). Using this cord, you can turn your TV to the appropriate channel (it’s the Game channel on my TV), plug in the cord at each end, turn on the camera, and play back all the photos. I often bring the cord on vacations so we can watch the photos together as a family at the end of the day. I’ll also use it at the end of a child’s birthday party so all the kids can watch all the fun they just had.

3. Make a Photo Book

   I have found this to be the perfect solution for enjoying my photos now and in years to come. It’s fast and easy to make a book of photos even for beginners - just point, click, and drag. You don’t need to buy any supplies. Your only cost is the cost of the book when you order it. You can change anything until the time you order your book. With a photo book, there’s no need to order prints and have them pile up in stacks around the house waiting for you to organize them. A book is always accessible no matter what technology changes come and go. If you keep all your photos on your computer or even on a DVD or CD, you might not be able to easily see them 10 or 20 years from now (remember home movie film reels?) You can even order multiple copies to share with other members of your family. On top of all of these advantages, it’s great fun to create a digital photo book and see the finished product. Do one book and you’ll get hooked!

Click here to view this photo book.

More Ideas for Autumn Photo Books

I love the Idea Center or Book Ideas tab on the Picaboo website.  Under Autumn books, there's an idea to make a Pumpkin Patch Story Book. 

"Transform the pictures of your pumpkin hunting adventure into a book you can re-read each Autumn. Start by gathering the pictures of your trip to the pumpkin patch. If you haven't yet found the perfect pumpkin, be sure to bring along your camera to capture each special moment from the search for the perfectly shaped squash to the lighting of the jack 'o lantern candle. Things that make excellent backgrounds for your Picaboo Pumpkin Patch Book include the pumpkin patch itself, the orange skin of your pumpkin, the pumpkin vines, the inside of the pumpkin once you have opened it up."

Another idea from Picaboo is the Favorite Costumes Memory Book.  

"Begin by gathering Halloween pictures from as many years of your life as possible. If you have prints that you would like to include, you can scan them and save them as high resolution .jpg images or take them to your local photo center and ask them to create a digital copy of the prints. Many photo centers will be willing to do this for you at a very reasonable price.

Once you have collected your Halloween pictures, add them to a new book in Picaboo. Try using the Photo Journal theme which will allow you to add pictures and text to each page. Be sure to record the date from each picture somewhere on the page and, if you would like, include comments or a brief memory about that year's costume."

On Picaboo, you can use your own photos as the backgrounds of your pages, which is a look I love.  They also have an extensive selection of photos that you can use on your background pages.   Check it out at Picaboo.

Tips for Great Halloween Photos

Halloween photo ops are some of my favorites of the whole year. I can’t resist taking my children to a pumpkin patch and snapping away. I love the bold orange colors, especially if you can catch the late afternoon lighting.
Here are some more ideas for your Halloween photos:
1. Take before and after photos of your child. Have them pose in the same location with their regular clothes on and then with their costume on.
2. Turn off your camera’s flash and set your camera on a nighttime setting to capture a spooky mood.
3. Alternately, turn on the flash and cover it with a colored sticky note (green or blue work best) and take the photo. Add to the spooky effect by having a light source, like a flashlight or candle glowing in their face.  Photo on left has regular flash while photo on right has blue sticky note on flash.
4. Be sure to take a photo of your children pouring out their loot of candy after trick or treating.

Halloween photos are a must in any year in review family photo book. Happy snapping!

Creating Your First Photo Book

If you're contemplating making your first photo book, start with a project that's recent, manageable, and exciting for you.  This is a great time to start a holiday gift for a loved one. Believe me, it's very motivating to have a deadline (i.e. a holiday) to keep you going.  

Both Picaboo and Shutterfly have tools that make photo books easier to make than ever.  All you need to do is arrange your photos into groups for each page.  Press "go" and the program figures out what layouts work best.  You can go back and adjust each page if you want to make any changes.  You'll be surprised how quickly you can make a beautiful photo book.  Go ahead and try it!