16 Tips to Photograph Christmas Morning

It's here!!!!!  The day after next you will wake up to Christmas morning!  The paper will get torn off the presents and sit in heaps around your living room while your family oohhs and aahhs over their gifts.  You quickly move onto breakfast and next thing you know, lunch and/or dinner were served and the day is over.

Suddenly you realize that you haven't taken not one photo!  Eek!  How are you going to document it when it's all over?

I found some great tips from Click it up a Notch (www.clickitupanotch.com) that I thought I would share with you:

*This post contains affiliate links. Thanks in advance for supporting Click it Up a Notch.

• No. 01 Set your white balance.
  Don’t waste your time fixing it in PP when you can set it on your camera. Use a gray card, ExpoDisc, or Kelvins.
• No. 02 Keep your shutter speed at least at 1/125.
  Unless you are going for a shot with motion blur in it, you want to make sure your photo isn’t blurry.
• No. 03 Raise your ISO.
  The odds are your room may not have enough light that early in the morning (depending on what time your kids wake up). Don’t be afraid to raise it!
  

  • If you are photographing more than one person, check your aperture.
    Remember lower number less in focus and higher number more is in focus.
    
  • No. 05 Charge your battery the night before!
    Or go ahead and treat yourself to an extra battery or even better a battery grip as an early Christmas present.
  • No. 06 Be sure to stand by the tree when the kiddos come around the corner.
    You want to make sure you capture their faces when they see everything and not be walking behind them.
  • No. 07 Don't forget to re-read Creating a Photo Essay so your pictures can tell a story.
    It’s important to use your images to tell a story. Isn’t that why we take these images? To tell the story of Christmas morning.
  • No. 08 After you have captured all the photos you want, put your camera away and enjoy your family!
    Studies show that you remember more of an event when not viewed through a viewfinder. Take the pictures you need to remember the moment. Then put your camera down, sit back and soak in all the joy around you.
    
    For 8 more, visit:  8-tips-for-taking-great-pictures-on-christmas-morning-childrens-portrait-photographer-scottsdale/
    
    

    Lastly, in case I don't revisit this blog before 12/25, I would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Beating Holiday Stress

It's November and before you know it, Thanksgiving is here, quickly followed by Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the crazy holiday season!  How can you best prepare for this time of year?

Stress is a HUGE factor between November and December.  We tend to place unrealistic high expectations on ourselves and as a result, we feel pressure, a sense of feeling out of control and sometimes unhappiness.  Fortunately, there are many little steps you can take to gain control, reduce the pressure and have a more enjoyable holiday season.  According to Connie Bennett, certified health counselor, you can:

• Take calm-down breaks. Soon after you awake, close your eyes, take several deep breaths and meditate or just relax. Imagine yourself in a beautiful place, think of a happy memory or visualize yourself succeeding at a cherished goal. “Quieting down your mind before you begin your day can help it get off to a great start and things will flow for you,” says Debra Berndt, an expert in creative visualization and hypnosis and author of the upcoming book, Let Love In: Open Your Heart and Mind to Attract Your Ideal Partner. In addition, whenever you get stressed out, anxious or feel overwhelmed during the day, take quick relaxation breaks of 1 to 5 minutes to calm yourself down. Conscious, slow breathing can help you when you’re feeling frustrated waiting in line at the supermarket, post office or drug store.
• Put on rose-colored glasses. When people try to push their bad habits on you during this holiday season, tune into their motivations. For instance, before you get annoyed at Aunt Jane, who keeps urging you to try a piece of her apple pie, or your co-worker Frank, who keeps trying to fill your glass with booze, first take a deep breath. Then, step into their shoes and realize that Jane is just showing that she loves you, and Frank is merely trying to be convivial. Then graciously thank them for their misguided attention. Rather than view your situation with annoyance, be grateful instead.
• Get moving. Perhaps one of the best ways to overcome stress during the holidays or any other time is to exercise regularly. Research shows that physical activity not boosts your fitness and energy levels but can also elevate your moods. In addition, exercise has been found to reduce anger, tension, fatigue and confusion. Despite the many demands on your time, this is not the season to stop exercising. Indeed, when regular exercisers are inactive, they begin to feel depressed and fatigued after just one week, according to a study from scientists at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Exercise also can give you that much-acclaimed “runner’s high.” Indeed, research shows that rigorous physical activity of any kind pumps up production of endorphins, your body’s feel-good neurotransmitters.
• Go for real foods mostly. Inevitably, at this time of year, you’ll be tempted with sugary, empty-calorie “treats” just about wherever you go. But to be your most energetic, focused and happy self, it’s best to eat foods that grow on trees or on the ground (vegetables and fruits) and to choose healthy fats (such as olive oil and flax seeds), lean protein (such as fish and organic chicken) and legumes, nuts and seeds.Take polite portions of “comfort” foods and drinks. During the holidays, it’s easy to “fall off the wagon” and use—or over-use—alcohol, sugar and caffeine. It’s best to think before yu treat your body like a trash can instead of a temple. The best way to stay true to the best you is to limit your consumption of such comfort or pleasure foods and drinks as apple pie, cookies, pasta and eggnog. When offered these and other “goodies,” try to take three to five “polite” bites and sips—and only after having a well-balanced meal with smart carbs (vegetables, fruits or whole grains), fats and protein. (See Tip #4.) Be aware that if you’re a sugar addict, you must be especially vigilant when it comes to desserts and quickie carbs.
•  Prepare “Nice To Do For Me" and “Need to Do For You” lists.  Writing down all that you have to do during the holidays will help you realize how do-able your tasks are. Be realistic as to what you put on your lists. Then start tackling one item from each list in turn. For example, after buying gifts for your mom or significant other, take time to work out, too. By alternating between lists, you won’t feel deprived, because you’re being good to yourself. Better yet, as Cheryl Richardson suggests in her fabulous book, Take Time for Your Life: A 7-Step Program for Creating the Life you Want, prepare an “Absolute Yes” list, which will reflect priorities that inspire you to use your gift of time well. “When you practice extreme self-care and put yourself first, you are then fully available to others without resentment or anger,” she aptly points out.
• 7.  Be generous. One of the best ways to stay calm, content and cheerful this time of year is to act generously with your loved ones, co-workers and friends. This doesn’t have to mean you’re spending a lot of money. You can be generous with your compliments. You can generously offer to do a loved one’s dreaded errand. You can generously write a fun, short poem. When you are creative with your gifts and thank you’s, people will appreciate your real, heartfelt sentiments.
  
  
  With just a few simple tips and smart choices you can relax and enjoy your holiday season.  

Scrapbooking Supplies Availalble....Slowly but Surely!

It's been way too long since I posted, and I have lost my way and floated around for awhile, but I always seem to come back to scrapbooking.  I love it and feel it's an important part of our lives.  Maybe you don't like to scrapbook - that's fine.  Recording memories are so important for future generations.  And that is what I am passionate about - recording your memories.

Before I get into a rant about that topic, and it is definitely a topic for another post, I want to let everyone know that I am building both my Etsy store and Ebay auction list with scrapbooking supplies.  I'm not sure which one I will keep - maybe both - but for now, you can score some Christmas stickers and stamps by visiting one of 2 sites:

My Etsy shop:
Scrapsupplies Shop

My Ebay auctions:
My E-Bay sales

I appreciate your support and stay tuned for more posts, new supplies, new scrapbooking pre-made items and general stuff about my scrappy life!

Thanks!

Gear up for presents!

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” -Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

When I talk about 'green' scrapbooking, I'm really doing the Earth an injustice. I'm limiting myself to just one little niche in my green endeavors - scrapbooking. What about the rest of the paper craft genre?

Even though it's only February, the holidays are here before you know it and everyone is scrambling around purchasing, buying, purchasing, buying, blah, blah, blah. So if you take some time now, you can be ready to MAKE some gifts come November. Here's what you can start saving:

• Cardboard - think of all the things that arrive in the mail or some type of cardboard packaging you get when you purchase something. Start breaking it down and putting it in a safe place. There are many projects we can do with this stuff.
• Tins and powder drink containers - we are big drinkers of Gatorade in this house. Every 10 days, I'm trying to do something clever with the container. Hold onto a few of these - I'll show you what we can do with them.
• Paper bags - some stores are going back to these instead of plastic. Throw a couple in the closet and we'll get creative with them.
• Shredded paper - are you shredding all of your confidential information? Good - you need to. Now bag some of that stuff and I have some ideas for it.

Stay tuned as next week I'll show you some project ideas with these materials.

Enter With Joy!

We had alot of fun during our Joy door hanger class! Check out what these creative ladies made:

This was a one-hour class, and all the supplies were provided by Remember When Creations. This is a great little gift for someone on your list or to decorate in your own home. I will teach this class again through the Vocational Adult Community Education in Martin County on Nov. 5th and Nov. 13th. If you are interested in either signing up through them or if you would like to have this class in your house with your friends, contact me at info@rwctc.com

It's Christmas in July!

Do you realize we're almost halfway to Christmas??? You know how it goes - school goes back into session, then it's Halloween (and the retailers put Christmas stuff out) and then you are carving a turkey & then you only have 4 weeks to the big day! Why not get a jump start on holiday gift giving by attending a RWC's class? This month we are making a Joy Door Hanger.

When: Sat. July 26th

Where: Tierra Verde Clubhouse

Time: 11:00 am

Cost: $10

You will receive the 8" Joy chipboard & all materials to decorate/embellish it.

Please RSVP - I can take 9 participants!