Snappy Christmas

We're a visual bunch. Ever since I knew how to push buttons, I've had some sort of camera in my hand. An old boxy Polaroid that looked like a combo camera and accordian. The stylish 110 models from Kodak (they fit in your pocket!), and the square snapshot cameras.

I've taken LOTS of really bad pictures and a few really good ones.

I graduated to SLRs when I grew up and absolutely adored my Nikon 4004s which had a regular 35mm lens and a 70-210 lens. I practiced doing portraits, shot photos for MTV during one of the first (frigid) spring breaks in Daytona Beach, tried shooting animals but had limited success there (they don't generally sit still when you tell them to - especially squirrels). I have a couple of really stunning art shots that I've framed, but have discovered that candid photography is really what is up my alley. The kind that captures everyday life when the subject doesn't realize you're taking the picture.

That's hard to do with a giant SLR, so when the digital age brought in these little cameras, I fell seriously in love. My first real digital camera was a Canon A510 and I was hooked. Eventually, I also bought a Kodak something or other but the lens cap wouldn't stay on and it wasn't as handy for spontaneous shooting, so it lives in the bottom of my bag - probably to never see the light of day again.

Since I live with a camera in my hand, my family realizes that it could be captured at anytime and their souls put out there on the internet for all the world to see. It doesn't always make for good candid photography.

I still try though.

This year, ZBoy expressed a real interest in having a camera, so as I was out and about, I kept my eyes peeled for an appropriate camera for my boy. Radio Shack has apparently decided to get out of the camera business, and had all their digital cameras on sale. Serious Sale. My first digital camera cost me over $150 (I think it was $179 but I'm not sure), but these cameras were between $40 and $110! I bought myself a Canon A580 and ZBoy a Canon A550. Darling Man is going to inherit the A510. Now we've all got Canons and are ready to point and shoot at any time.

You know what my shots look like. You see them here all the time.

These are ZBoy's first attempts with his new camera:

Somehow when he takes pictures of himself, you really SEE him as he is.

This is our beautiful Tottie. It's hard to get a good picture of her because she always squints when she sees the camera. Obviously, the trick is to take her picture when she's sound asleep.

And this is me. Early morning, smudgy makeup, unbrushed hair. I had no idea what kind of framing he was doing and consoled myself with the idea that I could always make him delete the picture off his camera. But I like this picture. I mean, I really like it. If I didn't know the person in the picture, I would like it.

Looks like my boy's got the eye.