The Mom Crowd

In honor of Mother’s Day, The Polkadot Platypus is giving away this super cute Cappucino Dot Changing Kit by The Bumble Collection just for simply leaving a comment on their blog. The Polkadot Platypus was recently featured on The Today Show for being a company who gives back. A portion of all of their proceeds are donated to organizations that benefit Down syndrome awareness, research and education. The contest ends May 16th, 2008, so hurry over and let them know you stopped by so you can hopefully win this super great changing pad! You can view the contest and their feature from The Today Show by clicking here. You can also browse some of their other incredibly great products and know that any purchase you make is benefiting people with Down syndrome!

As I indicated a few weeks ago, I’m a big picture-taker, and I have been my entire life. Strangely enough, I never took any formal photography classes in high school or college (and now I’m kicking myself for it.) I’ve taken a couple of community courses in the past few years and have been employing some of the things I learned ever since. That said, let me be clear: I take pictures for fun. I edit and print my photos based on what appeals to me, not necessarily what is “good photography”. I really have no mind for the science of photography and rely mostly on the auto features on my cameras. And I am totally aware that there is a myriad of amazing mom (and mom-to-be!) photographers out there. Those of you who took the plunge and tried Best Shot Monday know what I’m talkin’ ’bout! So don’t misunderstand and think that I think I’m some kind of photography genius. Oh, no.

Here’s what I’ve learned (all from books, other blogs, and the aforementioned classes). If you’re feeling like you just can’t get a good shot of your adorable child, try some of these basics:

• Get close up! There’s nothing more boring, in my opinion, than a picture of someone who is too far away. You shouldn’t have to squint to see what facial expression the subject has. This applies to larger group shots too. How many of those do you have where it’s a sea of “heads” and you can’t really make anyone out?

• Get down to the kid’s level. A picture taken from the parents’ point of view makes the child look really small. It’s a lot more exciting to see the child right up front rather than from above. I find it’s especially effective when you’re looking “up” to the child.

• Don’t make your child pose for every picture. Some of the most interesting pictures I’ve ever seen and taken are candid. Get into the habit of shooting every expression your child ever makes and every action he/she ever does, with or without them looking at the camera.

• Avoid the “say cheese!” routine. Those tend to yield the most unintentionally-lame smiles the kids muster. I’ve found that cracking a joke or doing something funny gets those natural smiles out quickly. This is easier to do with digital cameras, too, because they’re not directly up to your face, blocking your expressions from the kids. But you gotta be fast! Lately I’ve found myself singing “Head, shoulders, knees & toes” to Lucy to get a real smile out of her when I take pictures.

• Crop out whatever is distracting, unnecessary, or uninteresting. This vastly improves a picture. The idea is to fill the frame with the subject. If that’s impossible to do straight out of the camera (SOOC for you photo-philes), utilize a cropping tool in your photo software. I remember learning somewhere that it’s better to avoid using your zoom feature, and instead crop the far-away subject on your computer (the picture comes out clearer.) Here is a basic example:

Before:

After:

• It’s okay to cut off part of the subject’s head. I realized recently that I do this a lot! There are some old-school types who just can’t handle this, and that’s okay too. Whatever pleases you aesthetically should be your goal. My thought is that a good picture doesn’t have to be perfectly centered or framed. Here’s another post from Shutter Sisters on the same topic.

(I told you I do this a lot!)

•  Blurry photos aren’t necessarily bad photos.

•  Experiment with creative subjects and shoot from different angles. It’s fun to look at the “everyday” with a different perspective!

•  When shooting outdoors, have your subject wear something red. I’m not sure why, but red really pops in natural light. Here are some examples:

•  Cloudy or overcast days are best for outdoor pictures. I remember hearing somewhere that wedding photographers prefer overcast weather for outdoor shoots. Sunshine is indeed pretty; squinty faces in direct streaming sunlight are not. If it’s a blazingly sunny day, head for some shade for the people-pictures, if possible!

•  Take your camera everywhere; have it on hand at all times! I can’t stress this enough. The beauty of a digital camera is that you can take as many pictures as you want and just delete the bad ones, so take out your camera and play! You just might capture the perfect moment when you least expect to.

(As you can see, I’m a big fan of black & white and sepia tones for the classic moments!)

Some books that get these points across with lots of great examples are How To Photograph Your Baby, How to Photograph Your Family, and How To Photograph Your Life by Nick Kelsh. I like his books because they’re very easy to understand.

Other places online to find great tutorials and photographic inspiration (these people seriously put me to shame):

Shutter Sisters

Mother May I

The Land of K.A.

Momology

The Hip Momma’s Journal

Are a photography junkie like I am? Do you take scads of pictures of your children on a weekly (or daily!) basis? We’d love to see your photos. Link us to some of them in the comments section!

One of my hobbies is creative writing. I was inspired to keep a creative writing journal after reading (most of) Natalie Golberg’s book, “Writing Down the Bones.” I saw Dawn mention the book on her blog once. It is a collection of short essays giving advice and tips on how to be a better writer. A goal that I am always working on is to become a better writer and story teller.

One way that I have been working on improving my writing is by flexing my writing muscles with San Diego Momma’s Tuesday Prompts. Every Tuesday she posts a writing prompt and you must post your response on your blog or in the comments on her site. It is really fun to see what everyone writes. I feel like it is like a Best Shot Monday for writers. Even if you aren’t remotely creative with words you should take a chance and try it! You might even surprise yourself.

Online literary magazines are a great source of inspiration for me. I have even thought about trying to write pieces of my own for submission to them. I am not completely sure of the submission guidelines. Who knows if I ever will, but it is a nice goal for me to keep in the back of my head.

Literary Mama has some fascinating stories. I just read “Alpha Mom,” by Kelly Fordon. The story was incredibly sad, but it was also really good because it stirred up a lot of emotions in me. I just checked and read that it was a fiction piece. Thank God! The story reminds me of Anita Shreve’s novel, “Sea Glass,” because the writing and characters are interesting until you get to the depressing ending.

Mamazine is interesting. They pride themselves in writing about other mom interests besides crafts and car seats. I enjoyed and related very much to “First Spoon,” By Odarka Stockert.

When I think of online women literary magazines my first thought goes to my friend, Janell’s, literary magazine called, The Fringe. I read Jennifer Ann Janisch’s Non-Fiction piece “Solo.” The whole time I was thinking “What are you doing!?” It is incredibly well written. I was so immersed in her story that I didn’t hear my baby crying in her crib after her nap until my husband asked me if I heard her.

Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine is another online literary magazine for moms. I related a little too well to Michele Markarian’s “Miles in the Morning.” My daughter isn’t in my face yet, but I hear her in her crib as I pull up my covers and pretend her cries don’t exist.

Finally, I read in Literary Mama’s blog that TravelingMamas.com “is in search of true uplifting, funny, inspirational, and touching stories with a travel theme for an upcoming anthology series. Possible themes may include family travel, romantic escapes, girlfriend getaways, and solo trips. ” The deadline is September 1,2008 and they may even give you $50. Check out the blog post for more information.

Do you enjoy creative writing? How about on your blog? Have you ever read any of these literary magazines? What do you think of them?

(Note: Normally I’m your trusty pop-culture writer, but occasionally I might veer away from that territory and into other things. In case you were wondering.)

When I am fortunate enough to have my two darlings nap simultaneously, I get to have “free time”! Oh, to remember life B.K. (“Before Kids”, as Myra awesomely puts it.) I’m not that housewifey with my free time, I’m just gonna make that clear right now. Each room is pretty much a mess, there’s always laundry to put away, and I don’t get dinner prepared.

Naw, instead, I jump on the computer and start blogging. I love blogging. I used to feel guilty for the amount of time I spend blogging – it’s all so virtual, you know? What do I really have to show for that time? I worried – but then I realized that there is nothing wrong with spending my time doing something I like. And here’s what I like about blogging: It’s my creative outlet. Some people like gardening, others paint. I find personal satisfaction in blogging about my kids, my faith, my taste in movies/music/tv, what our family is up to, etc. I post tons of pictures. I get to keep in touch with my many friends in other cities/states/countries in an easy and convenient way. And I meet new friends with common interests all the time! Blogging makes my “world” seem smaller, and I mean that in a good way. To me, the benefits far outweigh any insecurities that I am “wasting” my time. And you probably agree, or you wouldn’t be here reading my ramblings!

One of the biggest parts of my blogging addiction is photoblogging (posting original pictures on a blog). There are a ton of mommy-bloggers who do this! I began participating in Best Shot Monday last summer. Tracey Clark, an inspirational mommy-blogger and photographer, hosts BSM. The concept is simple: each week, choose what you think is your best shot from your week’s worth of picture-taking, and post it on your blog. Don’t worry over whether or not your picture is good enough – the participants range from highly skilled to the average picture-taker. The cool thing is that everyone is nice. I’ve seen no pretentious attitudes anywhere in BSM. On Monday mornings, go to Tracey’s blog and leave the link to your post in the comments. You’d be amazed at what this simple act will afford you: a slew of amazing photography to enjoy, a ton of input and encouragement from others about your own pictures, and a whole host of new friends to swap life stories with. It is a really cool way to feel connected to something, especially when you feel cut off from the rest of the world in the stay-at-home grind. It’s also a fun way to start another week. Here’s a link to some of my previous BSM’s.

Theme Thursdays are also fun. Stacy hosts this. Each week she gives a helpful tutorial on an aspect of taking or editing pictures, and assigns a theme for us wannabe-brilliant photographers. Then we post our photos and share them in the same manner I described above. This week’s theme was “Spring”. Check it out! Stacy usually posts the new theme at the beginning of each week. Here’s a link to some of my previous TT’s.

I don’t always have time to participate in these things, of course. There are many stretches of time when I’m just too busy with life to focus on pictures and blogging. But it’s nice to know that these communities are there whenever I do have the time.

Of course, there’s also Flickr, a really cool photoblogging community with millions of users. You can set up an account for free (with limited uploading amounts), or pay a fee for unlimited uploading. I like using Flickr because it is really fun to share my pictures with people who are equally crazy about taking pictures. My photostream can be viewed here.

Now that I’ve got an ipod, I’ll probably spend my precious free time playing with that. But that’s a whole ‘nuther post.

What about y’all? When you’re not doing chores, how do you spend your free time? How often do you get free time? And if you’re looking for something fun to do, be sure to check out one of these great online communities.

I received the most adorable personalized frame from Munchkin Designs! The owner, Lisa Komer is very talented and her products are unique, personal, and custom. Her products include picture frames (like the one I received), stationary (note cards, invitations, holiday cards, birth announcements, etc.), canvas art, albums, journals, artfolios, “birthday-in-a-box,” and she will soon be selling Big Sister/Big Brother gift sets. You can join her mailing list to be notified of all of her up and coming products.

The frame I received is great quality. I love the vibrant colors and love that it’s personalized. Darah loves it as well! Our frame arrived packaged very safely. My husband even commented on how much he liked the frame and mentioned that he liked that the glass was “real glass, and not that plasticky film that comes with most children’s frames.” Lisa’s follow-up on her orders is excellent. She sent me an email confirming that I received my order. These frames are a great way to accessorize your child’s room! They also would make excellent gifts for baby showers or birthday parties!

If you’ve read our blog for any amount of time, you probably have figured out that I’m all about anything that helps further medical research. Munchkin Designs tugged my heartstrings when I learned that 10% of all profits are donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has a very special card designed specifically to raise awareness and further research on blood cancers. Half of all purchases of these cards are donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through August 31, 2008.

If you’ve been reading our blog, you probably have also learned that I also am a sucker for discounts! Munchkin Designs is offering The Mom Crowd readers 15% off of all frame purchases. Her website is being redesigned and will soon be taking online orders. In the meantime, to receive your 15% discount, email your order to lisa@munchkindesigns.com with the discount code: MC2008. This discount is good through April 3, 2008!