Photography Surprises!

Yep, this is me, goofing off!

I've shared before how I've loved taking photos since I was a young child. I used my parents camera, remember the ones where you had to lick the bulb before slipping it into the flash clip area?

Oh yes, those were definitely "Kodak" days, in fact, it was a Kodak camera I used back then. Sweet! I wonder what happened to it anyway? Not sure.

Mimicking my daughter actually!

Anyway, the other day my husband about spilled his coffee all over his shirt and tie when he was reading the "Globe and Mail National newspaper" during a short break in the routine of his office hours. He called to let me know a few of MY photos were in the newspaper!

I was stunned and thrust into a frozen state, not sure what he was talking about...at first.

You see I've been uploading some of my favorite photos onto my "Flickr" site/folders" over the past year or more. I was alerted a few weeks ago about the "Globe and Mail" newspaper search for photographers using a winter scene as the focus for entry photos.

On a dare I submitted a few and thought no more about it, just happy to be able to submit, excited actually. And then, I was alerted to their new "Canadian City Street" theme and entered a few more. It was those photos my husband saw in the newspapers, in full color yet! Woohoo!

He tried to bring home a copy for me to see and keep as a momento of sorts but someone else had stolen it away. So I went online to view the photo entry slide show. Sure enough, there were my photos, twelve of them! You can view the slide show HERE.

And then, I submitted a few photos in their "beach" themed category and was notified all four entries were accepted. What fun this has become for me! No, sorry to say there is no remuneration involved, just credit for the photos featured in the newspaper and on the Flickr group page. It's all good though for me. I'm having a blast just being a part of this!

I love this little hobby of mine! :) It gives me much pleasure to snap photos of the normal to the weird. And I am forever indebted for the invention of the digital camera! I am.

I've come to appreciate how my photos can be used in unlimited and unique ways for gifting purposes, blessing another in both usual and sometimes unusual ways. Over Christmas I made 7 photo albums, 4 collage mugs, a mouse pad for my husband to use at work, and framed a few.

I experimented using both "Snapfish" and "Vista print" both which I've used before but not for making collage mugs and a mouse pad.


The photo album I created for my husband included 490 favorites, a photo portfolio of sorts.


They say every picture tells a story, and for him when viewing it, every photo did in fact tell a story recollected with deep inner emotion. You could say - he liked it! :) He actually loved it! So did I!


When one of the albums from "Snapfish" was due to arrive very late due to that severe storm in the North Carolina area, I was offered apologies and granted a surprise 50 reprint gratias offer.

Smiling to myself, I had a light bulb idea. I decided right there and then I would use the reprint offer to have a wonderful assortment of my favorite photos printed and I would use them in my craft room in a huge collage on one wall, to be deemed my "Happy Wall".


I just received them in the mail and can't wait to begin my project. Aren't they just so colorful and tell me, does looking at them even begin to make YOU smile?

I would like to encourage everyone to tuck their camera deep inside your purse, handbag, knapsack or keep it nearby at the very least. Grab it when life presents something that makes you smile, anything is fare game because it becomes a very deep and personal thing.

Take photos not only of people or animals, but of scenes before you, things, personal pleasures and allow those photos to stand the test of time when the next generation sifts through your personal belongings and says; "I wonder what she was thinking when she snapped this photo? I love the angle or I love the photo in general". It's your photo memory legacy folks.

So go ahead, check your batteries. Dump your memory card onto a disk to save what is already there. Buy an additional memory card to keep with your camera.

Snap away!

Take gazillions of photos. Savor the moments when something touches your heart. Delete the rest that aren't worthy of keeping. Oh the joy of a digital camera!

Least of all, please!

I would love to encourage you to just go ahead and - USE IT! Or... Lose it! Lose the memories. Lose the moment. Lose the precious personal thoughts as they disappear into thin air and no Kodak moment was sought, or savored for good.

Just for fun, I would like to share my newest photo creation with y'all, a very personal item that offers me continuous and repeated smiles.