via IFTTT
This photo was truly electric. It actually is a picture of sparklers in action on the 4th of July. Images taken with the Samsung NXMini.
Why Should We Take Family Portraits & Why We Don’t
We all forget about the importance of taking family portraits. There are so many excuses that get in our way: soccer practice, work, exercise, shopping, me-time. the list goes on. With so many excuses to not get it done we being to lose focus on why it’s important in the first place.
Thought parents work hard to make sure their children are safe and protected, accidents happen. None of us want to think about it. None of us want to imagine it. It could be you, your spouse, your child. It doesn’t matter. The point is that every moment you get together is precious, and every chance you have to get that family portrait could be your last.
When I was younger, my family had large holiday celebrations. Grandma would pull all of the grand-kids together for a picture. Though it was nice to get all the grand-kids in one photo, we never bothered attempting to get the entire family. Since then my grandfather and an uncle have passed away. Those pictures have no one but the little kids in them. Other pictures of them survive, but it is the ones the holidays that have the strongest memory with me.
It’s important to find a great family portrait studio. Going out and getting the photos taken doesn’t take more than an hour out of our busy schedules, and that hour of time is priceless when the final product is in our hands.
Why do we do it? High school senior portraits and baby pictures are never forgotten. Those are milestone moments in our lives (and the lives of our children). For the first few years of their lives, we have pictures of our children taken every year so that we can capture the innocence of their youth while it still survives. Yet we forget that we are always changing, even once we grow older. There is no particularly compelling reason for us to want to capture the moment with our family each year. It seems everyday, or ordinary. So we excuse it. There’s always tomorrow, right?
But what if there isn’t? Do you want to take a chance with today? Fifty years ago children mostly stayed in the same town in which they were raised. When a family wanted to see each other, they simply went across town. That could explain why fifty years ago portraits were not as common-place as they are now. Today, instead of moving across town, children are often moving across the country. That means families are less likely to see each other often, and family portraits are even more precious.
Portraits also tell a story. When I look back on those holiday pictures with my sister and cousins I don’t just see a bunch of kids sitting together in their Sunday best. I see memories, pieces of time as they were then. The photos are a story of that particular year.
The great thing about family portraits is that they are useful for more than just a frame on the wall. There are a number of different crafts that involve using photos, and each one creates a unique gift idea. These crafts also help bring the family together, creating even more memories.
Don’t waste another day. Schedue an appointment, bring the family together, and capture the most precious moments every day.
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30 Days to Becoming a Better Parent Day 20: The Power of Passion
Children need to be exposed to many things as they are growing up. As parents it is important to let them explore different types of activities and interests. We need to encourage these interests and not trivializethem in any way (even if they don’t make sense to us).Our children are going through a process of exploration and must be able to make choices and learn for themselves where their true passion lies.Sometimes this means entering your child’s world and coming to a better understanding of what their interests are and why they are interested in that specific item or items. Sometimes it means knowing your child well enough to encourage them to try something that they may not have thought about trying in the past because they did not know anything about it. For example, encouraging your child to try chess because you know that they love to play games that require thinking and logic and then finding them opportunities to play chess if they do find that they enjoy the game.
It is also important to let your children into your own world, helping them to understand what you are passionate about and why you are passionate about these things. It helps to have them involved in some of the activities that you are involved within so that they can understand and see that being passionate about something is a good thing and can truly make your life more meaningful.
For some kids you will have to be persistent and continuous in your encouragement as they may be slower to find a passion for themselves. As parents you have to be vigilant in encouraging your child to continue trying their best to find what will make them happy.
Some questions you should ask yourself include:
- What am I passionate about?
- What is my child passionate about? What are their interests and why are they interested in them?
- How can I do a better job at sharing my passions and interests with my children?
- How can I be more encouraging of my child’s interests?
As you begin to answer these questions you may find it necessary to revisit them over time as your answers and definitely the answers about your children will change as you all change and grow.
In researching this topic I came across a few sites that I thought that I would share with all of you:
- http://www.teachkidshow.com/teach-your-child-to-be-passionate/
- http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Helping_Kids_Find_Purpose/
Today’s task is for you to answer the above questions as well as review the above articles. What are your thoughts regarding this topic? Make a list of your passions and share them with your spouse/partner/friend. Talk about these passions and talk about how you can share these passions with your children. Once you have completed these tasks, come back and share your thoughts with the rest of the group.
If you are so inclined please leave your responses in a comment below or link to a blog post if you are going to commit to joining me on this journey so that others can learn from you as well. Good luck with day 20 and I look forward to your thoughts and comments!
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Making Camera Shopping Fun: Shopping for a New Digital #Camera
There are many reasons to purchase a new camera. Perhaps you have a special occasion coming up or you have simply decided that it is time to retire your old camera. Whatever the reason for upgrading, one thing is certain: when it comes to choosing a new digital camera you will be spoiled for choice! There are over 100 different manufacturers, all with a wide range of equipment targeted at everyone from professional photographers to casual happy-snappers, and it can be difficult to choose the right camera for your needs without giving the matter some serious thought.
Modern digital cameras are generally of very good quality these days, with most of them having high optical zoom features and low light settings that can help capture photos with excellent details, even in quite poor light. Plus, the said gadgets are relatively cheap; as such, anyone can afford a good quality camera.
There are essentially three types of digital camera available: compact, compact system and DSLR. Compact devices are relatively small, one-piece gadgets with the flash and the zoom built-in. They are perfect for holiday snaps, school sports events and other special occasions, being easy-to-use and quick to set-up. Compact system ones are also relatively small and easy to carry, but come with a range of changeable lenses, to enable the snapper to take pictures over a greater distance. DSLRs are large-bodied cameras with a wide range of lenses that cover great distances all the way to macro (extremely close) shots. These are used by professional photographers and gifted amateurs to capture exquisitely detailed and carefully composed images; such as those seen in the pages of magazines like National Geographic.
Most digital s, even the smaller and cheaper compact models have a smart auto feature. This option automatically sets the camera to the optimum levels for the situation, being able to capture action shots, sunsets and even picking out the best moment to capture faces. Facial recognition software is so advanced that some cameras even offer a ‘smile detector’, automatically triggering the camera’s shutter when it sense the subject is smiling!
Your first step before heading out to buy a camera is to decide on the purpose of your camera. Do you enjoy taking photographs and go out of your way to make sure you have a camera to hand all the time, or do you just dig out your battered ‘point-and-shoot’ camera for truly significant moments? If you enjoy photography and are prepared to spend some time learning all the features and attachments of your new device then opt for a more high-end system camera. If you just want a reliable camera that will work out the best settings by itself and present you with excellent snaps of the event, then a compact camera is perfect for you!
High Flying Action with the #NX300 #Imagelogger
This image was taken with the Samsung #NX300 #imagelogger
How to take great family photos with your smartphone
Along with cooler weather, fall leaves and football, comes another back-half-of-the-year tradition – taking the Holiday family photo. Believe it or not, you can actually snap a great shot on your smartphone with the help of a few tweaks. MetroPCS expert, Jay Möller, offers the following tips to create that Holiday-card worthy photo.
Clean the lens: It sounds like a no-brainer, but many people forget about this step. Your phone spends most of its time in your hands, pockets or purse, which means oil, lint and dirt can get on the lens.
Go colorful: Check the camera setting on your smartphone to see if it has High Dynamic Range or HDR mode (sometimes it’s also called Wide Dynamic Range). Using it allows your phone to capture a range of colors and tones in a single exposure.
Weigh your options: You’ll also want to check for features on your smartphone that allow you to take black and white, sepia-toned, panoramic and action shots, or even choose the best one. If your phone doesn’t have them, consider apps like Instagram that can adjust the tone and feel of your photos.
Check the response time: There is a delay between the time you push the shutter button to when the camera takes the photo. Snap a few sample shots so you know how long it takes and can time your shots accordingly. Doing so will help you avoid blurred photos.
Lighten up: To make up for the fact that a smartphone image sensor is smaller than one found on a regular camera, get outdoors during the day to take advantage of the sunlight. Also, don’t forget to turn on the flash because that will help amplify your light exposure.
Steer clear of the digital zoom: Digital zoom is fine for quick, in-the-moment photos, but not a good idea for a more formal shot because it can ruin the image. If you need to “zoom in,” just move closer to the subject.
Capturing Simple Memories Can Be As Important as Big Ones #YesMemory SPON
Last night we had a fun time watching some fun movies, setting up a fun family movie night. I always love family movie nights as it is a time for all of us to be able to spend time together just sitting around, not stressed, not fighting, but instead having fun!
Prior to our movie night we pulled out a game of Sequence
What I love about these impromptu nights is that they are simple, but they mean a lot. I know that many times I forget to capture these events on video or on camera, but the more that I see my kids aging, the more that I know that this is important and when I do capture these memories it is very important to know how I will keep the images and videos safe. I have had a few experiences where CD’s that I have burned get destroyed, so I have ended up falling back on using multiple copies of CD’s and multiple hard drives to make sure that my memories do not disappear. On top of this though I have also started to use YesVideo as a way to bring together my videos and CD’s into one place and consolidating them into a beautiful display for the whole family! I have made 4 DVD’s thus far and they all came out great. I look forward to continuing to use their services in the future and I highly recommend you consider it as well.
If you are interested, YesVideo will be having a #IHeartDad Twitter Party that I will be a part of – http://blog.yesvideo.com/?p=
They also are also having a photo contest now live for the #iHeartDad campaign. For each entry entered YesVideo is donating $5 towards the Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation and the randomly selected winner will receive a $60 transfer service from YesVideo. No judging nor voting will take place. We will also feature photos on our Timeline Cover photo on FB and our wall. We would love you to enter and/or mention this on Twitter or in your post if you don’t mind. Link: https://www.facebook.
So for us, we snuggled up and were able to have a good time in jammies, under a blanket, having a great time together, and most importantly, spending time together!
What would you do if you had a family movie night to make it special?
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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Woven ( @WoventheApp ) #Kindle Fire ( @AmazonKindle ) #Giveaway #dadchat
About Woven
Woven, a one-of-a-kind, free, mobile solution that aggregates and organizes users’ photos from multiple online services like Facebook, Instagram and Shutterfly. Woven is a great “Dads’ app”, whether they want to relive old memories with friends, look back at baby pictures, or brag to their wives and parents about their kids. It aims to make photo viewing easier for parents in general: with personal photo collections increasingly spread across multiple hard drives, phones, tablets and online storage services, just organizing them for viewing is normally a headache.
Woven is for people who snap photos, reliving treasured memories later on is a joyous experience — especially with friends and family. And yet, with personal photo collections increasingly spread across multiple hard drives, phones, tablets and online storage services, just organizing them for viewing can be a headache. New solutions are needed to reduce this burden on families, simplify the rediscovery of special memories, and bring more joy to photography.
Designed with simplicity in mind, Woven’s one-time set-up collects photos from all of a user’s online storage accounts — from Facebook and Instagram to Shutterfly and Picasa among others. Images can also be automatically added from users’ phone or tablet camera rolls for even more convenience. The single, master collection of pictures Woven creates allows users to swipe through its streamlined touch interface, and after initially linking their online accounts, no Internet connection is needed for basic viewing.
My Take on Woven
For someone like me who takes a ton of pictures, having an application like Woven makes a lot of sense. Being a blogger and a father I document a lot of my life, experiences and thoughts online and place the images of my life online as well. The problem though is that many times I have placed these images in many different places making my online photo album a bit scattered! Woven makes this much more manageable and brings together many of the most popular sites and making on photo album that you can then share with the world! I tried the application on a Kindle Fire and all I can say is WOW! The application works great and allows me to have so much more available to me then I have ever had before! I have to say thank you to the developers of this application as it is an amazing one that is long overdue in my perspective! I highly encourage any of you that have your pictures spread to the wind (per se) to try out this application and make your life that much easier! Best of all, the application is FREE!
Giveaway
The great people at Woven have provided me a Kindle Fire pre-loaded with the Woven app for a lucky reader! How would you like to win this for yourself or for your family? All you need to do is Subscribe to this blog OR follow on Google Friend Connect AND go to The Woven’s Facebook page and Share a picture and tell us about the moment you knew you were a dad. The contest will run for two weeks and will end on June 24, 2012.
Bonus Entries
- Blog about my Giveaway by linking back to this post (1 entries per blog post. Please leave each entry in separate comments with your URL link in order for it to count)
- Grab my badge to your sidebar
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- Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or any forum, including the name of the prize and a link to this post. Here I’ll make it easier on you, copy and paste this:” @dadofdivas is giving away an @AmazonKindle #Kindle Fire thanks to @WoventheApp – a great #photo album for all –http://dadofdivas.com/giveaway #Giveaway #win” (Then leave the link to your post. One entry per place per day)
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Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.
This contest will run until June 24, 2012 at approximately 11:59 pm Eastern.
Winner must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.
Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!
Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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@SanDisk 16GB Ultra Secure Digital High Capacity, SDHC, Memory Card @adorama #Giveaway #dadchat
About the Product
Adorama offers so many great items for Photographers! I wasluck enough to review the SanDisk SDSDRH-016G-A11. The SanDisk SDSDRH-016G-A11 is a 16GB Ultra Secure Digital High Capacity Memory Card. SanDisk Ultra memory card features faster performance, greater storage capacities and better dependability, so you can get the most from your investment in a featureich, high-quality digital camera or camcorder.
This 16GB SDHC is designed to increase the storage capacity of your digital device.
It provides the durability and high-speed quality needed for advanced amateur photographers and photo enthusiasts. In addition, it has been compatibility tested with a broad range of high-end digital cameras.
My Take on the Product
As a person who loves photography and taking a ton of pictures, this was an amazing product. The card itself holds so many imaged and the extra security on this card makes it so much better than other cards (in my opinion). With the number of images that this can hold, I no longer have to worry that I will run out of room while I am shooting photos and the reasonable cost, being what it is makes it easy to stock up on these cards just in case too! I highly recommend this card for any photographer!
Giveaway
How would you like to win a 16GD card for yourself or for your family? All you need to do is Subscribe to this blog OR follow on Google Friend Connect AND Sign Up for the Ultimate College Preparation Blueprint Newsletter. The contest will run for one week and will end on June 14, 2012.
Bonus Entries
- Blog about my Giveaway by linking back to this post (1 entries per blog post. Please leave each entry in separate comments with your URL link in order for it to count)
- Grab my badge to your sidebar
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- Subscribe to the Dad of Divas Reviews Site
- Sign Up for the Divadom Newsletter
- Follow me on Twitter (@dadofdivas) (leave username in comment)
- Follow Adorama on Twitter (@adorama) (leave username in comment)
- Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or any forum, including the name of the prize and a link to this post. Here I’ll make it easier on you, copy and paste this:” @dadofdivas is giving away an @adorama 16GB @sandisk SDHC card-perfect for capturing #photos –http://dadofdivas.com/giveaway #win #giveaway” (Then leave the link to your post. One entry per place per day)
- Like Dad of Divas on Facebook (Leave username in comment)
- Like The Ultimate College Preparation Blueprint on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheUltimateCollegePreparationBlueprint (Leave username in comment)
Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.
This contest will run until June 14, 2012 at approximately 11:59 pm Eastern.
Winner must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.
Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!
Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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Is Digital Photography Helping Or Hindering Our Society #dadchat
I love taking photographs and since 2004 I have had the opportunity to own a Kodak Easyshare camera. Now I know this camera is starting to get old, but it has done a great job at capturing the important images within my families life. Prior to this, I used a Minolta 35mm camera that was a hand-me-down from my mother (A very nice hand-me-down).
Prior to 2004 my 35mm was wonderful and produced great pictures! I was however staring to have some problems with the shutter speed and getting some light seepage that was a bit frustrating. Around November 2003, J-Mom and I decided to get a new digital camera prior to the birth of Diva-J. We also were very excited about the idea of immediate gratification, seeing the pictures, being able to delete pictures immediately and re-shoot, etc.
The camera definitely lived up to its reputation, and as I said before I have been able to get some greast picture over the years.
Saying this though I return to the crux of the question I am posing today. Is digital photography helping or hindering our society?
I can say that I love the ability to tinker and fix and know what I am taking. But the quality of a 35mm is stellar….and there is still something to the anticipation of what you will get with this type of a camera and the roll of film that you are turning in. I can honestly say that I always love the wait that I have and the suspense of seeing what my eye and camera captured with my newer Canon 35mm camera that J-Mom and her parents got for me back in 2006.
Does digital picture taking cheapen the moment? I think not. Now, I will put a caveat on that in saying that I do think that it has become so easy to make an image something that it is not…making the perfect image when the original is far from it. This makes me think of the whole concept of airbrushing pictures for magazines and how reality really isn’t reality.
I am not saying that I am a purist as some are…. I do not shun digital technology. By the contrary, I find myself using my digital camera more than my 35mm…but the sad thing…I barely print off the pictures I take. I do keep them on the computer, but I fail to print them as I would with my 35mm pictures. This is one of the things I miss with digital photography…you are not forced to get pictures you have to throw out or cringe at. Instead you can pick and choose the best ones, you get to digitally enhance those that you do want making the perfect moment even better…. and you get to save money because you are only printing the pictures you want.
One final thing that comes to mind is the fact that recently Polaroid released information that they would no longer be making Polaroid Instamatic cameras…this too is a creature of a bygone age. I mean I always loved having to shake the heck out of those pictures to see what kind of image I (or whoever else was taking the photograph) had received…oh well…I guess the technology revolution continues.
So I now turn this over to you, please fill the Maniverse with your thoughts…
Good day from the Divadom….
