Last year was a I-didn’t-get-a-good-photo-of-my-family-so-I-can’t-send-out-Christmas-cards kind of year.
The year before that I used a snapshot I took of the kids at a nearby park.
Today was the day I decided (without looking out a window or checking the weather online) we would get a snapshot taken that could work for/in our Christmas greeting.
After grumbling about what I would wear (and making hubby change out of his “I’m * On Sunshine” t-shirt (* = Christopher Walken’s face; get it?), we were finally dressed and ready to head out.
Open the front door to pouring rain. Of course… it’s winter in Seattle. {sigh}
grumble grumble some more
I tried to convince the family we could do it a different day but they put the kibosh on that idea (please tell me I’m not the only one who has reluctant family photo subjects). “We are all dressed for it so let’s get it over with!”
Still pouring, we head to the Christmas Tree Farm (that I work at for two weekends a year; this was my third year). People are everywhere getting their tree’s and it was my job to figure out where we could go that wouldn’t have people in the way/background and also which worker I could grab to push the shutter.
I wanted to back out. We could come another time. Who cares if we send out a picture? We’re going to look like wet dogs so why bother? Hubby and the kids wouldn’t let me. (snaps fingers)
Quickly I called over Alex (he’s tall enough so the camera isn’t looking up my nose or at my chin’s) to push the shutter and Drea to hold the umbrella over Alex and my gear. A quick lesson on taking the picture (after I plugged in the settings; I’m a manual photographer that uses back-button focus), ordered the fam to disrobe of their jackets and got, in a minute, about five in-focus images and we were DONE.
You can see the rain droplets above my head, but you cannot see my hubby shivering or my wet scalp.
Maybe next year we’ll think of doing this in August, when it’s NOT raining.
(More than likely I’ll put it off next year like I did this year and we’ll scramble again. Perhaps a family tradition has started.)
P.S. Speaking of family traditions… we keep hearing that people don’t know about the Christmas pickle. Do y’all do the Christmas pickle?
{ 6 comments }
Perfect. Love it. And the story. Merry Christmas, nor’westerly style!
Christmas pickle?
What a great photo!
Thanks, it’s growing on me ;)
The Christmas Pickle is a fun little tradition in our family that the kid’s can finally win now that Uncle Brad is out of the country. We have a pickle ornament (grandma has a much smaller, wee tiny one that’s harder to find) that gets hidden on/in the tree Christmas eve (or you make the kid’s wait in the morning for someone to hide it so they don’t wake up early and cheat). The one to find the pickle gets to open an extra present! We have been making it a family gift, so it’s not necessarily FOR the kid that opens it (in our house, anyway). This year it’s the Bananagrams game that we can all play together.
I love your family photo! I know all about the do-it-yourself kind, and if I may say so, yours turned out great! Way above average. ;)
Okay, I am calling you today. I may need your services for hire – but we’ll see … you may not want me as your client!!! ;)
Thanks! It turned out WAY better than I thought it would. When we left the house it was raining, cold and I was grumpy. When we got to the tree farm it was raining, cold, muddy and crowded. I didn’t think it’d work out, but it did!
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