This summer was marked by a series of "supermoons," three full moons that occurred during a period of closer-than-usual orbit.
Many photographers were out last night capturing lovely images. Here are my offerings...
Actually, I'm pulling your leg with these. In August, we stayed with friends at a house near the beach. Someone had brought in a tree branch as decor and I discovered while messing around with my tripod that the Chinese lantern in the corner became a lovely moon through my lens...
The picture below shows the same angle I used. You can just see the orb of lantern on the right side of the photo through the branches. Isn't photography amazing?! With my camera in my hand, I'm always capturing little things I might not have stopped to appreciate otherwise.
For Camp Rainbow's art week, we wanted to get the kids looking closer at and appreciating the world around them. I love Jane Brocket's series of children's nonfiction picture books that help kids explore art and design concepts through photographs, so we read aloud Brocket's book on patterns -- Spotty, Stripy, Swirly.
Thus on a trip to Atlanta to explore the Asian markets and go to Stone Mountain, we brought a point-and-shoot camera along that the kids could use to capture the patterns they saw. Here's what we found...
I've been blogging for almost six years now -- hard to believe. It started as a way to keep in touch with my network of family/friends as I moved (newlywed and pregnant) to distant California for four years. Now that I'm home again, it helps me keep in touch with dear friends there as well as in the other four cities where I've lived. For those who care to look at it, my blog helps them know what our family is doing and feel invested in our lives.
What else?
It helps preserve Eli's childhood and our family life. Did you know you can print out a blog, photos and all?! Instant scrapbook in as many copies as you need!
It is a platform for starting discussions and sharing information. I've had some wonderful chats that started with a friend saying, "Oh, I read your post the other day and I think...." Even if people disagree with what I post, I learn something! The blog is handy for sharing (and remembering) kiddo craft project directions, recipes, venues for family fun, vacation pictures, etc. etc. etc.
It gives me an outlet for creativity -- both writing and photos. It helps me practice my craft and develop discipline.
Especially since I became a stay-at-home writer and a mom, it gives me a voice. Situations that would have been terribly frustrating felt less so because I shared them with readers. And when I think about writing as something shared and for posterity, it encourages me strive for balance and perspective.
It helps me savor and appreciate life. My blog is both process and product. I enjoy mulling things over to write about, seeing the beauty of life while I pare down the world through my camera's viewfinder, and clarifying my thoughts as I blog, but I also love easily strolling down memory lane with a few mouse clicks, reading from post to post.
Over the years I've had a handful of friends ask if I have any advice for starting a blog. Hmmm. Well...
1.Picking a blog host may be the hardest part. An online search will reveal dozens of companies! Blogger is a Google product and may be the most popular. It is free, which is nice. I started off with a free account on WordPress and liked it, yet I was frustrated by how small the images looked on it. Many of my favorite blogs were on TypePad, so I switched to it even though I pay around $14 per month for service and upgrades. Blogging is the intersection of all my interests and hobbies, so it is worth it to me. If you want to make a small blog for friends and family, I'd pick a host that other friends are using so you have buddies to turn to for advice. That will speed up the learning curve considerably. But if you want to hit the blogging big time, my advice is to see which platforms are hosting your favorite blogs (that look nice and function well) and then look over their product websites. Also check user reviews. As for me, I have another small theme blog on Blogger and it works fine, but I still prefer TypePad.
2. Decide your audience. If you're just writing for your friends and family, you can proceed however you'd like. If you want your blog to get big, however, spend some time looking at other blogs and getting to know the ins and outs of your blogging platform. You'll want your blog to look and feel substantial, so stay away from the easy templates and find your own groove. Once your blog looks good and has a body of posts (at least a dozen entries so readers can get a feel for your writing if they want to), then think about how to promote it. Looking at blogs similar to yours will give you ideas. There are web rings, Mr. Linky shares on various blogs, social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), and subscription possibilities, to name a few.
3. If you want a lot of readers, your blog should be focused. You'll have more dedicated readers if folks know they can depend on you for certain types of blog entries and topics. Will your blog mainly be about family life, adventures dining out, spiritual essays, your antique store finds, or craft projects? A consistent tone helps too, keeping most of your posts pithy or humorous or light with occasional changes to keep things fresh. My blog isn't focused and I decided that was fine with me. I have a range of favorite topics that probably won't interest every reader, but I did create categories to help visitors find what suits them. A few months before my book comes out, I'll probably split my blog, preserving JourneyLeaf as a personal blog and then creating a professional blog focused on history, folklore, foodways, genealogy, and telling our own stories.
4. Remember that it is the world wide web. Think about safety. Anything you put on the web may become permanent and may go astray (even if you hide it from search engines and password protect it). From the get-go, I made sure to never use surnames on my blog. I never show photos of the front of our house, car license plates, or other distinctive images that could help identify us or locate us. (Yup...I use Photoshop sometime to blot out name tags, street signs, etc.) I don't describe in detail where anyone in our family lives, works, or goes to school even though it means skipping blogging about certain topics. I turned off all GPS functions on my cameras so viewers can't track my photos. I also never post photos of my child's bare tooshy no matter now cute it is because you just never know. Finally, I also abstain from posting about topics that I think could possibly embarrass my family now or in the future -- no potty training stories, personal slams, or true confessions here. I always assume a past nemesis or a future employer could find what I write. (Lots of bloggers don't take these steps and that's simply a subjective choice. Just wanted to share what I do.)
5. Keep On Keepin' On. Sticking with blogging is the hard part for many people. My first few months were when I was lonely, a career woman turned stay-at-home-writer thousands of miles from my roots. Thus I craved reaching out and then the habit stuck! The sad truth is that most people will stop reading if you go too long between entries. Before you post your first blog entry, consider writing several "stock" blog entries to keep in a queue. Then if you feel that it has been too long since your last post but you're temporarily out of time or ideas, you can launch one of those stock entries. I also find "seed" blog entries helpful. Whenever the mood or an idea strikes, I start a new blog entry even if I leave it as a draft nobody sees. At any given time, I have dozens of these "seeds" with just smatterings of ideas or an outline. Some I eventually delete, but if I'm feeling the blogging itch yet aren't sure what to write about, these "seeds" are a big help.
6. Blog for you. It is pretty rare that readers take the time to post a comment or send me a message. (Thank you so much if you have!) Sometimes I spend a big chunk of free time carefully crafting a blog post that I love only to see my stats still in the doldrums after I launch it. Since starting my blog, the world has not beat a path to my door nor have any of my posts gone viral. Sometimes it feels thankless -- putting yourself out there and sharing without much return...and sometimes criticism. But if you love blogging and know your reasons for doing it, then it will be its own reward.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained! If it interests you, give it a try.
After a few weeks of intense editing and rewriting, my manuscript went off to the new editor and I turned to a housekeeping backlog. To my shame, I found Christmas gifts in need of thank you notes, an overflowing email box, and piles of items on my office floor waiting to be put away. One task was to erase the image files from Eli's old Fisher-Price camera so we could give it away to the toddler next door. I didn't think there was much on there, yet I found over a hundred images. Most looked like this...
But I discovered Eli has a favorite subject -- me. I don't remember him snapping away that much around me, but he obviously did. So funny to see yourself through your child's eyes...
I'm always behind the camera rather than in front of it. I'm bemused and amused.
The night before the Big Freeze (polar vortex), a friend sent me a link to pictures of frozen soap bubbles. They were gorgeous and soon the idea spread across Facebook. Eli and I were eager to try it! Yesterday morning it was a mere 9 degrees, yet we had no luck. The bubbles behaved pretty much as normal. Rats.
At dawn this morning there were twice as many numbers on the thermometer -- which sounds balmy until you realize that means 16 degrees. We were awake anyway and I'd collected additional information about freezing bubbles, so we bundled up and trooped outside. At first we floundered. Then...success! If you want to try it too, tips follow the photographs.
Sometimes the bubbles popped or deflated after partially freezing, but that was interesting too.
This big bubble (around two inches in diameter) partially tore and partially shattered. Fascinating! Instead of turning into a wet spot as on a warm day, it became a ring of debris.
The frozen bubbles were usually cloudy, having a matte texture rather than the usual gloss. "They're soft!" Eli exclaimed upon poking one. Some of ours felt a little leathery, so they must not have been fully frozen.
Making Frozen Bubbles
What Temperature? We were able to make frozen bubbles at sixteen degrees. The Weather Channel, however, suggested the temperature should be below ten before trying to freeze bubbles.
What Type of Bubble Solution? The online article that I started with said they used a homemade bubble recipe containing corn syrup. (Click HERE for a recipe.Click HERE for the article.) We tried that recipe and also one with glycerin without luck. (Click HERE for the latter.) A friend had luck using store-bought bubbles and that's what worked for us too. We stopped by CVS for cheapo Miracle Bubbles from Imperial Toy LLC. Gymboree's Bubble Ooodles worked too. We didn't find bubbles at our grocery store, but pharmacies and dollar stores usually carry them. (Update: My friend Sarah said that she heard the bubble solution works better if it is warm.)
Create a Frozen Landing Pad -- When I scrolled through photos of frozen bubbles, I noticed they were all resting on ice. The best case scenario would be freezing bubbles after an ice storm or snowfall has coated your yard, but we were out of luck. Thus last night I filled two plastic serving trays with water and left them out to freeze solid. This morning we got some dome-shaped or collapsed frozen bubbles on our deck boards, but the complete and lovely bubbles we captured were all on the sheets of ice on our trays. (Update: My friend Katie said that her bubbles didn't freeze until several seconds after landing, so she suggested soaking a blanket/towel in water and leaving it out overnight to make a frozen landing pad.)
Try for Small Bubbles -- We got some frozen bubbles bigger than a ping pong ball, but the best ones were the size of marbles or peas. Gymboree's Bubbles Ooodles trumpet-shaped pipe with tiny holes worked the best for making lots of small bubbles. (For a picture, click HERE.) Blowing through a bundle of soda straws gathered with a couple of rubber bands would probably work too.
Make Lots of Bubbles -- Most of your bubbles will pop, so blow lots and lots. A bubble machine would have been awesome, but Gymboree's Bubbles Ooodles pipe worked great for us.
Maximize Hang Time -- The bubbles that froze best were the ones that floated for a little while. I put our frozen trays at my feet and blew the bubbles upwards so that there was a good five feet for them to fall. (A completely still day, of course, will make it easier to know where they will land.) On the other hand, slight drafts of air may help them stay aloft longer. If you have help (besides an over-eager five year-old who left their gloves at school), somebody can get beneath the bubbles and gently blow them upward until they freeze. A helper can also maneuver a frozen tray below a frozen bubble as it starts to fall. (It seems that once the bubbles freeze, the air inside them gets cold enough that they sink more quickly than regular bubbles.)
Humidity is Important -- Very dry air pulls the moisture out of the thin bubble walls and can cause your bubbles to pop before they have a chance to freeze. I don't know what the humidity was on the first morning we tried, but this morning it was 68%. The higher the percentage the better.
Be Careful of Direct Light -- Judging on what I read, a bubble becomes a tiny greenhouse when the sun hits it. Unless you're working on a super-cold day, know that direct light may warm the air inside just enough to keep your bubbles from freezing. On the other hand, it might create partial softening and frost patterns, so do some experiments.
Photographing Frozen Bubbles You got 'em! But how do you prove it?
Use Contrast -- Photographing pale bubbles on pale ice is tricky. I wish now that I'd made my ice sheets on a dark colored trays to provide some contrast.
Make Flat Ice Sheets -- I wish I'd filled my trays up to the brim so that I could photograph the bubbles at eye level with the dark treeline behind them. As it was, the rim of my tray got in the way of taking pictures.
Skip the Flash -- I had no luck with a standard on-camera flash as it "washed out" the pale bubbles. Instead, I had to wait for the sun to rise and use a high ISO. (If you want to make a big project of it and create homemade reflectors and light sources, one of the best books I've seen on this is Heidi Adnum's The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos.)
Use a Tripod -- In the low light, I couldn't hold my 18-200mm zoom on my Canon Rebel XTi steady enough for crisp details. Also, the light was low enough that I had to switch to manual focus. To make sure I got an image that was as crisp as my basic lens and high ISO would allow, I took many shots and refocused slightly each time. Even if I deleted most of what I took, I got a few "keepers."
Many thanks to Danielle for sending me the original article as well as to Katie and Sarah for their help.
Speaking of bubble fun... This past spring and summer, we got into making huge monster soap bubbles. If that appeals to you, click HERE.
Eli and his papa had fun putting out Christmas lights this year.
I snapped a photo of the results for the family scrapbook, but had to use my tripod to prevent blurring.
Most of the time blurred photos are annoying. Sometimes, though, they are lots of fun. Last night I set my camera for daylight, pointed it towards our Christmas lights, and then moved the camera in different patterns.
This past week not one...not two...but three mom friends contacted me after seeing a camera for kids in a picture of Eli that I posted to Facebook. I know the feeling! Before we bought that camera for Eli for his fifth birthday last week, I contacted some friends for feedback and read lots of reviews too. Since Christmas is coming, seems like it might be handy to post a product review. If anybody wants to add their thoughts or experiences in the comments section, that would be great!
Why buy a camera for a kid? I adore photography, so in part I simply love sharing my hobby with my child. But as someone with a bachelor's and master's in Art Education, I know it is important to give children creative outlets. My son doesn't seem to like drawing very much (at least right now), so a camera of his own invites him to look closely and record things that interest him. Sometimes if I'm looking for a way to coax Eli outside or get him interested in a new place, we'll do a "Camera Walk." We both have our cameras while we wander and then look at our photos when we get home. Sometimes we'll pick a theme together for these walks -- taking pictures that show the season, objects of a certain color, things that move, etc. (Click HERE and HERE to see examples as blog posts.) Another reason to buy a kid a camera is to help with transitions. We got Eli a toddler Fisher-Price camera when we moved from California to Georgia when he was three and a half years old. He loved it and it did seem to help. (Click HERE to see more about that model camera or about using a camera as a "good-bye tool.")
So why did we buy another camera if we had the Fisher-Price already? The photos are fairly grainy from that camera and it is chunky enough that Eli never wants to carry it around. (Frankly, I'm not happy hauling it either.) It also has no zoom and looks more like a young child's camera. It was great when Eli was a toddler. In fact, I'd recommend it for a younger child or one rough on toys. Still, a few months ago Eli started asking for something more and we knew it was time to move on.
Kid Camera vs. "Real" Camera -- I debated about whether to just get Eli a cheap real camera. There are some reasons why cameras for kids are not as good. First, none of the kid cameras I found have a flash, so indoors the pictures are always going to be blurry. To get any kind of indoor image at all, you'll have to teach a kid to stay very still while pushing the shutter button -- hard for them to remember in the moment! Also, kid cameras have fewer megapixels. That allows kids to snap away without taking up too much digital space, but the resulting images are somewhat grainy rather than sharp and clear.
So why chose a camera made specifically for kids?
Sturdiness -- The main benefit of a camera made for kids is that it should last longer. Since my kid is pretty gentle and careful, a grownup camera might be an option. Still, the chances of him (or his buddies) bonking the camera against something, dropping it, or falling down while the camera is in hand are high enough I thought a kid one was a better idea. If we are inside and Eli wants to take some pictures, he can use my point-and-shoot camera for a little while.
Safer Batteries -- The battery compartments of most adult cameras pop open fairly easily and most are on the bottom of the camera, allowing the contents to fall out. You don't want to lose the batteries. More importantly, swallowing batteries (particularly the "button" batteries in some cameras) can kill a child. Kid cameras have child-safe battery compartments.
Designed for Kid-Thinking -- Another big reason to go with a kid camera is ease of use. It can be frustrating to kids if they can't understand their own camera. They may not be able to read the menus or understand some of the vocabulary on regular cameras. Also, many of the buttons on regular cameras have multiple uses, which can be confusing.
Viewfinder Options -- Kid cameras usually have a viewfinder for both eyes. That's handy because closing one eye doesn't come easy for a lot of kids. They can also use the digital screen on the back to compose their images.
Size -- A real camera can be too small for young hands to hold securely.
Eli in Canyonlands National Park last summer...
After talking to some other moms and reading reviews, I settled on the VTech Kidizoom Camera Connect. Why?
Price -- In November I found Eli's camera for $30 online. (It is more than that now.) There are some kid cameras with more features but that cost quite a bit more.
Features -- The VTech Kidizoom has a camera, video/movie camera (with playback), and voice recorder. It also lets kids get a little creative, editing their pictures or using downloads to add fun backgrounds, clip art, or animation. The camera also has three games on it, which I'm not as thrilled about. I hope the camera will increase his interest and interaction with the world around him rather than encourage him to sit on the sofa like a lump playing electronic games. Sigh.
Ease of Use -- The VTech is particularly intuitive, in my opinion. The icons make sense and added sounds give kids cues about what the buttons are doing. Before we even fished the manual out of the box, Eli was doing well with this camera's various features. In particular, Eli seems to like having a zoom. He pushes the button with the large tree on it to bring objects close and the button with the small tree on it for the image to "back up." A thumb toggle (like a gaming console) makes it easy for Eli to scroll through old images or chose more complex features. A multi-step process makes sure he doesn't accidentally erase photos.
Batteries -- This camera uses four AA batteries. For a kid camera, that is helpful because you can either buy regular batteries or use rechargeables; you're not stuck with some dead odd-sized, rechargable-only battery when your kid is suddenly dying to use the camera. (Note: The camera comes with a brief user's manual, hand strap, and USB cable but no batteries, so add batteries if you give this as a gift.)
Size -- Eli's old Fisher-Price camera was so chucky that it was like carrying a small brick around. The size of the VTech is just right. It is admittedly heavy enough that Eli doesn't want it in his hand all the time on long hikes, but he carries it in his small backpack quite easily. I can carry it in my coat pocket or back jeans pocket for him too.
Want to see some pictures from Eli's new VTech? Scroll down past the product links.
Comparing the VTech (top) and the Fisher-Price V2751/V2752 (bottom): (Sorry that the cameras aren't quite flush with the ruler. I had a small person "helping" me take these reference photos.)
The VTech Kidizoom Camera Connect:
Older Model:
Newer Versions of Eli's Old Fisher-Price Camera:
Eli's VTech Photos (Unaltered)...
We're happy with our purchase. We hope to use this camera for a few more years before getting Eli an inexpensive "real" point-and-shoot camera.
Back when Eli started to learn the alphabet, he and I began taking pictures of interesting letters. It is a bit of a challenge. The letters have to be separate enough that you can photograph them without the rest of a word appearing. Also, the letter usually have to be a couple of inches tall or larger to photograph well.
We especially searched for the letter E so we could one day make a collage for his bedroom wall. Today that collage gets printed! Hooray! Here are some of our favorites...
Last month we were headed home from the coast during the evening hours...
Eli fell asleep. The car got quiet. We drove along on hilly backroads past farms, fields, and woods. Sometimes the lights of passing cars were the only lights we could see for miles.
I started noodling around with my camera, testing out various settings and my timer. I propped the camera on the dash and pointed it at the road ahead. The car in front of us became a jiggle dance...
A passing car and a reflective sign became rivers of light...
We passed another car, melting them into lightwaves...
And a rumbing motorcycle we passed became just a heartbeat...
JourneyLeaf is a tool to help me appreciate, preserve, and share those raggedy yet shining moments in everyday life. Joy requires practice. (To read more, click above on the word "ABOUT.")
The original words, images, and concepts on this blog are copyrighted. Please do not use them without my permission. Thank you!
My primary camera is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel T5 with a Sigma DC 18-200mm lens (1:3.5-6.3) or Canon EFS 18-55mm lens. On occasion I also use my iPhone 6. For crisper images (when I'm not in a hurry to grab the shot), I use a Dolica Proline B100 tripod. I often tweak my images using Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.
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