A Merry (& Sandy) Christmas Photo
Growing up Christmas cards was always a thing. For as long as I can remember every year we sent one, and every year we received them. Whether it was from family, friends or my parent’s coworkers- the mailbox in December was bursting with holiday cheer. I highly anticipated the Penn State themed photo from my Dad’s best friend from college, the page-long annual synopsis from my mom’s cousin about their accident prone twin boys, and sorting through till I picked my favorite card of the year. I remember one time my mom hung a white sheet in our living room, forced my brother and me to dress up, and snapped the pictures herself. Then there was the year we went to a mall and had pictures taken with an oversized ornament. Christmas card season became a tradition in our house and felt only natural to continue when I had my only little family. I just didn’t realize that family would happen so soon.
I overcommit. No matter how many times I say I won’t, I will. Even when I try talking myself out of plans and ideas I somehow find one reason to talk myself back into it. I have a serious problem, and often wonder why I don’t craft and DIY 24/7. Our 2017 Christmas card was one of those times. In my head, it seemed simple, painless and fun. In reality it was stressful, tiring and close to a disaster. But in the end, the outcome was more than I could have hoped for.
The Outfits
Coordinating outfits in our house isn’t that big of a deal. Christian and I have closets filled with neutral colors and we tend not to invest in bright, bold or patterned clothing. Sticking with the holiday theme, I decided on small amounts of red and green with solid colors because my intention was to bring most of the focus on us. I went with a tan romper from TJ Maxx, red shorts and a button up for Christian, and Aliyah had on jean shorts and a foam green sweater. Disclaimer: Christian insisted on wearing his Santa socks and as much as I wanted to say no, I was also forcing him onto a public beach to take Christmas photos in August. Pick your battles ladies and gentleman. The only thing I would change about the outfit situation would be Aliyah’s pink shoes. I am picky picky picky. But on this day she did not want her feet touching the sand and I didn’t pack other shoes to go down to the beach. So the shoes stayed on and although most people wouldn’t even notice (or care), it has bothered me for the last 10 months.
The Props
I brought options. I wasn’t sure what was going to work and what wasn’t when we actually started taking pictures. I didn’t have someone to take our photo unless we asked a stranger, so I packed a tripod. If you really enjoy taking photos and do not own a tripod I would highly recommend investing in one. I have used it with my camera, my phone and my iPad. I found one on Amazon and it came with a remote, attachment pieces for various devices and a bag to carry it in. I tend to feel anxious when I ask other people to take a picture (Did I mention I’m picky?), so I felt more comfortable picking the camera settings myself, with the zoom where I wanted, and using the 10 second camera timer. I already had the tree and the Santa hats. The only thing I had to purchase was the starfish at the top of the tree. In my head I envisioned Aliyah putting the star on the top but she was absolutely not interested. I wanted to try out our other props but we were running out of sugary resources to bribe her with and she was getting hot and hungry. My best advice: go with the flow here. Options provide more opportunity. If one thing is going in the complete wrong direction, move on to plan b or c. Toddlers are unpredictable and family photos, regardless of age, almost never go smoothly. Most of the time the photos you least expect to work, turn out to be the winners anyway.
The Outcome
I was so disappointed when we walked off the beach. Aliyah did not want to do anything we asked her to do. She didn’t want to smile, sit down or wear the hat. Everything felt like it was going south and on top of all of that, my camera died after about 15 minutes. Packing up our stuff, I was certain I wasn’t going to have any good options. In my head, I immediately started making mental lists with other options. The only thing that kept me relaxed was me telling myself that it was only August. And yes I know. Why would anyone panic, freak out, get anxiety over a picture. Welcome to my world. Again I overcommit. I think with the right side of my brain and it is layered with OCD. When things don’t go right, everything around me feels wrong.
When I finally got home and had time to sit down on my computer, I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the pictures didn’t turn out half as bad as I originally thought. But anyone who has been a part of group shot knows that there’s usually one person that isn’t paying attention, opening their eyes, or making a funny face. That was the result here. In one picture I was looking and Christian wasn’t. In the next Aliyah was blinking and I wasn’t ready. If it wasn’t them it was me. If it wasn’t me, it was them. I don’t mind candid. In fact I prefer candid 24/7, 365. And I don’t mind a small amount of dysfunction. But I had a vision and I was determined to make it work.
Our Christmas Photo Miracle
We blended two photos together. Yeah, sorry if that ruins it for anyone. I had two photos that I really liked, but I kept telling myself it would be better if they could just merge together. At first, I didn’t think it would work. How was I possibly going to line up the tree, the fence, and the sky without having a line or an obvious misalignment? Somehow I worked out a miracle. No Photoshop, just Preview on my Mac. Editing photos can sound cheesy, pointless, daunting, fake and over the top but it is a huge part of photography. I don’t edit photos so I or anyone else can look unflawed, I edit photos to portray a feeling, tell a story and create art. It takes practice, time and energy.. a lot of which most of us don’t have enough of to begin with. But for someone like myself, who truly loves photography- it matters. If you aren’t familiar with editing apps and want beginner recommendations I would start with Afterlight and VSCO. They are free and easy to use. Most laptops come with basic photo editing software as well.
I know there’s still six months til Christmas but if you struggle year after year picking a Christmas card then thinking ahead isn’t a bad idea. I recommend Pinterest and Instagram if you’re having a hard time deciding. A lot of my inspiration comes from browsing the internet. When choosing a theme or looking for a solid place to start reflect on your year or consider what’s ahead. Use your own life and allow it to inspire you.
XX RR
