RemembeRED - Old Photos

Well, this isn't a favourite photo of mine, but my oh my, do I remember these times.... My mother loved this photo of me, she had it hanging in her photo gallery for years, I wonder why she liked it so much? I should ask her sometime.

Sitting in the bush on a hot Saturday afternoon was not something I really wanted to do. I wanted to be home where I could just watch television or listen to music in my room. I hated having to wear trainers and long socks, I worried about ticks and snakes and goannas and dirt in general. I did not like having to go without showers and I just wanted a clean place to sit. I do remember being thankful that there were no boys around, it was good to have a break from that angst.


We were taken on a drive on the back of a ute around the property we were camping on. There were old mines all over the property and we were encouraged to go in some of the shafts to look around. I didn't particularly like the feeling of being under earth in the middle of the bush, of course the younger girls screamed and cried and worried about Bunyips.


I was 16 at the time. I was not good at being 16. My skin was bad, my teeth were bad, I hated my body and I wished I had never cut my hair. I was neither smart nor dumb. I was neither pretty nor ugly. I was neither popular nor unpopular. I was in the middle, average, no ripples.


I wish I could reach into this photo and tell this self-conscious girl that she is going to be okay. That she will find her way in time, that life gets better. I would tell her that life is what you make it, that life is more than the sum of parts; bad skin, bad teeth, big bottom - they are not the sum of who that girl is. I would tell this girl to travel, to learn and to dream. I wish I could tell her those things. I wish someone had....

Everyone has a favorite photo of themself, whether it’s a childhood snapshot, a professional graduation or wedding photograph, or a close-up taken amongst friends.

Some say a photograph steals the soul. This week, show us yours: take us into the moment that photograph was taken. Show us who you were then and what the photograph means–in 300 words.

11:11:11:11 - What were YOU doing?

So... once in a hundred years, this happens... the 11:11:11:11. 

Set your alarm for 11:11 on 11.11.11 from ABC Open Southern Queensland on Vimeo.

What was B doing? BabyCool was asleep - so I was doing the ironing. Should have planned that a bit better B! But... it has to be done. 

iPPP - Displaying Photos - 1

I am linking up with Liz from, 'A Belle, A Bean & A Chicago Dog' today for some iPhone Photo Phun.....

I am not the best decorator. I want to be. I really do. I love looking at housey magazines and flicking through Pinterest boards, and I think I have really good taste. But, something happens to my brain between the looking and the doing. I have good ideas and sometimes even follow through with them.


A few years ago, I bought two boxes of black frames totalling twenty frames that I was going to make into a photo gallery in our hallway. But, then we were getting our bathroom renovated, so I didn't want the builders to knock the pictures off the walls, so I put it off. Then Mr Cool and I couldn't agree on the spaces between the frames and then I lost interest. So I boxed up the frames and banished them to the 'shed'. 


Mr Cool and I were looking through some photos the other day and commented on how beautiful our children are. Then came the questions, "Why don't we have more photos of the children on display?" and "What ever happened to those black frames?" and THEN "Remind me why we didn't ever get around to hanging those frames?". Sigh.


Mr Cool's mum often asks for photos of the kids, and I just never get around to printing them off for her {or us}. She mentioned just last week how I am not so good at the keeping up to date with photos in frames thing. She has a point, there is only one photo of our soon to be 4 year old on display, and Mr Cool's mum gave us that. Sigh.


We have lived in our house for nearly six years. We have two sliding doors that go between the front room and the kitchen or the hallway. Above the door is a white board that hides all the mechanics of the sliding door things. I thought it was just that, A board. But... would you believe it is a ledge? I know - I too was AMAZED! How could I not know that after living here for SIX years? Terrible. Terrible.


I then had an epiphany... Watch and learn.


Yesterday, Miss Z and I got the frames from the shed {I even used a ladder - eep}, cleaned the ledge {oh the dust, I am ashamed of myself!} and put the frames up there! I think it looks great! The room feels more alive already!

I figured I would put the frames where I wanted them and then order photos in the exact size and layout for the frames. That is next week's job - I had better strike while the iron is hot so they say.


When we had them all lined up, Miss Z and I stood back to admire our handiwork. I asked if Miss Z like the frames up on the ledge, she replied with big eyes and an excited smile, "Yes! And it is so lovely to have that other family's photos in them too!"


How cute! She did seem a bit disappointed that I am planning to put photographs of US in the frames, it is a very good looking family... 

When I have put the photos of us in the frames, I will do an 'After' shot. Our family is pretty good looking too!

Anna Says - How to Get Children To Smile At The Camera

Taking photos of children can either be a simple joy or a big fat pain in the big fat butt. Trying to co-erce a smile from a grumpy baby is near impossible. Crazy six year olds don't always want to pose and do a proper smile and don't get me started on three year olds! 

But having photographs of your children at different stages is important {here is where I could share that there are very few photos of me as a child, as I am the youngest of four etc etc, but I won't...}. I did a bit of surfing and came up with some great tips on how to take nice photos of your kids. Oh, and you will get a peak at how the 'Cool Kids' are shaping up.

Photopoly is a great website for all sorts of photography things. I gleaned these 6 tips from their site, they made a lot of sense to me....

1) Make the camera an everyday device

I have to say that I have noticed our children are much happier to have photos taken since my camera has been out and used more and more. We also take photos on our iPhones and with my compact Fuji all the time, so it is something that is just a natural part of our family life.

2) Bend Down, Stoop, Crouch, Kneel

Get down on their level. It just makes sense to make the experience as natural and organic as you can make it. You want relaxed happy faces, not fake, threatened ones. Clearly, I need to get better at this - no photographic evidence! Ha ha!

3) Take Advantage of Good Light

We have taken some stunning photos in the late afternoon/early evening when the light comes in at a low angle. It makes for photos full of halycon moments. The light at the beach is amazing too!

4) Tweak Your Composition

Instead of thinking that you need to have a head and shoulder shot against a white wall - try to fill the frame with your child - close ups and super close ups can be truly cute! Also, take note of what is in the background, if it is too busy, you lose your child in it. Photopoly suggest grass or trees as a background. If you can use a wide aperture and get a blurry background, you will also get the same effect.

5) Don't Make Them Pose For You

Keep it natural. I like to think of taking photos of my kids like a trip to the zoo - I take photos of them in their natural environment and doing their own thing.

6) Take Age Into Consideration

Taking photos of crawling babies is hard. You have to take lots of photos to get that one decent picture. We have lots of photos like the one below, BabyCool doesn't always smile nicely for the camera! But, he was enjoying his first birthday cake! With digital technology, we can afford to take twenty photos to get one good one. 

More Ideas....

Some other great ideas could be to get your kids to act out emotions. I got this idea from the fabulous blog - Be A Fun Mum.... Try - happy, sad, scared, thoughtful, princess etc... There are some more great photography tips on this blog. Click HERE to read more....

I then used the program 'Picasa' to make them into these collages. Picasa is a free download and allows you to edit and do cool things with your photos.

And finally, to wrap up... 

Here are some more B style tips...

1) Take your photos OUTSIDE - get some colour and life into those backgrounds! Try photos in the rain, on a windy day, with leaves etc etc.

2) Don't always take photos of your kids when they are looking at you. Photos of your children looking at something or enjoying life are wonderful. This is one of my very favourite shots of BabyCool - it is his first experience of sand {this was taken seconds before his first TASTE of sand ;0) }

3) Use your phone to take photos and then get some good apps.... I love Instagram, Bokeh Booth and Diptic. There are hundreds of them. Such a great way to add filters and fun to your pictures. The photo below is of Miss Z at a wedding, filtered through Bokeh Booth for iPhone.

Go out today and take some photos of your little cherubs. There will never be another today and....

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.

Eudora Welty

Challenge is Cool - Photo Wrap Up

So what have you learnt about B in June?

1. I have brown hair.... or do I?
2. I got some new spotty socks
3. I learnt to use Instagram!
4. I really don't know what I want
5. I don't open my mail
6. My husband was willing to climb on our roof to take a photo
7. There is dust and a champagne cork under my fridge
8. Oranges remind me of Holland
9. I kissed Mr Cool on the London Eye
10. I am sentimental
11. I like BIG cups of tea
12. I need to stop and enjoy the scenery once in a while
13. I lose socks in the wash
14. Miss Z is adorable 
15. I was tired and had sick kids so couldn't do a silhouette properly
16. I had blonde hair once upon a time
17. I am an Apple girl
18. I love shoes
19. I love to cook
20. I have stunningly beautiful children
21. I prefer to be faceless
22. I get emotional when I look at my children's hands
23. I really love the town I live in
24. I won a competition
25. I have a very lovely a six year old
26. Sometimes I look at things too closely
27. I need to be reminded to look at the big picture
28. I don't have flowers in my garden
29. Black and White are possibly my favourite colours of all time
30. I have learnt so much this month!


Thanks for sharing the journey! What a blast!
Here are all the photos in one {long} line... Enjoy


Note: Blogger was not my friend tonight - the photos had all reformatted and then something wacky happened and then there was a HUGE gap just before the London Eye that I couldn't get rid of, then.... I just had to do a big fat sigh and give up.... I hope you will still get the full effect of the photos... Blog happens....