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 Who is this sassy, fun thing?
When I saw this picture for the first time in many years, I held it and studied it as if seeing it for the first time. I could not believe it was me. I felt much like Barbara Streisand’s character in the movie, The Mirror Has Two Faces, when she saw a picture she had never seen of herself when she was a little girl. I thought, “This is me? I was cute, fun, happy, loved and confident?”
As I looked at this picture, I couldn’t believe this was me. You see, like Barbara Streisand’s character, I had lost my way, too. I had forgotten who I was. It seemed everything I had been doing in my life for so many years was part of a journey to take me right back here – to being who I always was, this fun, happy, loved and confident person, much like what happened with Barbara Streisand’s character.
Quote from The Mirror Has Two Faces:
Mother: Do you know what I thought when you were a baby? That you looked just like your dad, and that Claire looked like me.
Rose: (looking at an old picture of little girl) What’s that? She was so pretty, even then. Look at those eyes. Those lips.
Mother: That’s not Claire, that’s you.
Rose: Me? I never saw this picture.
Mother: I found it when I was cleaning up.
Rose: This was me? I was pretty?
Mother: Your father adored you. But you know that. He never felt that way about Claire. Only you. I don’t think he ever held a baby until you came. He never wanted to let you go.
Rose: I’m glad you found this.
Mother: So am I.
Rose: She was very pretty.
Mother: You were very pretty. Remember that.
So, as I look at this picture of this fun, happy, loved and confident little girl, I am telling myself, “That’s me. Remember that.” That’s the real me. The me before the ugliness of the world. If ever I need to find myself, I need not look any further than this picture.
We all need one of these pictures. It does not matter the age you are in the picture. Just find at least one picture of yourself where you shine, not just shine on the outside, but shine on the inside, too – you at the top of your game, confident and happy. Put these pictures where you can see them every day. And, remember, you do not have to find yourself. You just have to remember who you are.
P.S. Please note the pose. This is why I cannot wear dresses to this day.
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if the world ever has to depend on us to grow enough food to feed the masses. Heck, we would be lucky to grow enough to feed one very tiny person for a light snack.
Remember, my little garden in which I was so proud of? Well it is the saddest thing ever, what is left of it that is.
This is embarrassing, but here you go. This is what is left of it.
Yeah, I know this is just grass. I promise you we planted spinach here.
Our cucumber plant.
These are tomato plants and have been growing for about 8-10 weeks. But we planted tomatoes in here about four months ago, too. I have no idea what happened to those. Either the ones I planted four months ago are very stunted or are missing.
I have high hopes for this one. Please tell me it is not a weed.
My guess is that it was a lack of consistent water, and what water we did have was pretty heavy and probably washed any nutrients away, and we didn’t add any additional fertilizer. Honestly, though, I am really not one of those people who loves to grow things. I love to eat them but not grow them. I do not really like getting diry, sweaty or eaten by bugs, and too much sun and heat will give me a migraine. Did I mention I live in the South? So, you see, I am not sure this is going to work for me. There has got to be a better way.
Oh, yeah, there is…it’s called a grocery store.
Thank goodness for backup plans.
Did I mention that I actually have the beginnings of a draft article entitled, “Grow Your Own Vegetables”? Well, I was an optimistic gal if nothing else, wasn’t I?
Do you want to see what I wrote? I was even curious myself, so let’s take a look (I laugh in the face of embarrassment and humiliation.):
“We planted our vegetable garden nine days ago…and look what we have now!”
That was it.
That wasn’t too bad. That was as far as I got. Thank goodness. At least I didn’t proceed to tell you how to grow beautiful, yummy, healthy vegetables because obviously I know NOTHING on the matter.
We thought we did.
But we didn’t.
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I’ve recently learned that not only is it important to take pictures, but it is also important to make a note of who is in the picture. You’ve heard the saying, “He has muscles in places that I do not have places?” Well, I have people in pictures that I do not know who is in them. period.
 My sons made my mom a “special box” years ago and gave it to her for a present, and she had placed a lot of old photos in there before her death. I almost typed “after her death”. Now that would have been weird, huh? But, no. She did this before her death. So, after she passed away I was given the box since the boys made it for her. I didn’t even look through it when I got it. I came home with the what turned out to be the worst migraine in the history of all migraines and went to bed right after I got home…after being very sick. When I awoke around 4:30 in the morning, the migraine had started to subside. I took that break from the horrible, wretched pain and nausea to make some tea and take more ibuprofen. While drinking my tea, I curled up on the sofa to look through some of the things that I had brought home with me the night before.
 So, I opened the box and was so excited to see old pictures. I. Love. Old. Pictures. It was like some secret and wonderful treasure had been bestowed upon me. It even had a few newspaper clippings which I love just as much as old pictures. My joy quickly turned to curiousity when I realized that of all the pictures my mom chose to put in this special box, these were pictures of people I did not know from Adam.
So I offer a few up in case anyone wants to trade with me for people I actually do know or at least tell me who these people are. I am sure they are very important – if I just knew who they were.
Oh, lookey here! Miss Myrtle Beach! I know we must be related. I am just positive that beauty and poise must run in the family (Did I mention I can barely get one foot in front of the other without tripping?).
Maybe one of the boys dated her?
I wonder if Myrtle Beach, South Carolina still has this for people to use for pictures? It sure beats the heck out of the fat, circus looking lady that is everywhere.
 
If anyone knows who these people are, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know.
But you know what? I love them even if I never know who they are. I remember seeing these pictures all my life. They are familiar and a treasure to me even if I never know who these people are.
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 Take pictures of the things that hold your memories, have sentimental value, remind you of a happy moment or have a story. Be creative and artistic in your crops. The creative crops, journaling (or at least museum type matting and labeling), subjects chosen and publishing is what sets this apart from an album or a scrapbook. It will truly be…your life as ART!
What kind of things would I take pictures of for this project?
There are so many little things that are special every day in our lives. It’s hard to say now what will set something apart to be one of those special memories that you will cherish for years to come. Just because an image is not used in this project does not mean that you cannot use it in your family album or scrapbook. I suggest taking the pictures, choose your favorites, and then give yourself the option of changing your mind on the final images until you are ready to publish. Time will make it more clear, and you have nothing to lose because you will always have the picture…even if it is not included in the final project.
swing, deck, slide, sandbox, basketball goal, doorway measurements, Christmas stockings, favorite stuffed animal, special piece of jewelry, a flower given to you, day trips, vacations, get togethers, etc.
You can take this project to the next level by journaling about what is in the picture.
How often? Is this like project 365 where I take a picture a day?
That is the great thing about this project. The schedule you set is up to you. If you want to take a picture a day and choose ones you want to include in your finished work, you can do that. If you want to set a schedule where you want one image a week or take one day a week to work on this, that will work, too.
How will I know when it is finished?
Well, depending on how you choose to publish it, this could be an ongoing project through your life. Things in our life do not stop being special to us, and you want to keep capturing life. You can just choose different ways to publish it or create different volumes if you choose to do this in a book or slideshow.
Ways to Publish Your Work:
- Calendar
- DVD Slideshow
- Collage
- Wall Screen
- Hardback Book (museum tagged [white border with a descriptive word or title underneath the image or words on one page with full bleed photograph on the next – it just depends on how much journaling you want to include in your book)
Starting and Organizing a Photography Project:
- Write out your idea on paper. This is where you will brainstorm and record your ideas.
- Setup a folder on your computer for this project. Include an area specifically for photographs.
- Begin taking your pictures.
- Process your pictures as you go or all at once depending on the project. I think setting aside a specific day or time of day to work on the project will help keep in the front of your mind and keep it from being too overwhelming with too much to do at once.
- When you want to include words and are at a loss, try including a poem or lyrics to a song if it is for personal use only.
My Personal “My Life As Art Photography Project”
I’m taking pictures of the things that hold our memories, have sentimental value, remind us of a happy moment or memory or have a story.
My children are grown now. I so wish I would have started this when they were little. Imagine all of the beautiful memories you would have over the period of all those years. Most of those things are long gone now for us. Some of those things we still have. I’m just going to have to look a little harder. I may find it in a Christmas tree ornament or stocking, an old toy we saved, or a special blanket. You will be surprised where you find your story – it may be in a small detail. It often is.
If your children are still young and at home, you are so blessed that you can do this now while everything is still so fresh in your mind. One day, it will not be so easy to recall.
When I am finished I will have it printed in a hardback book and make copies for my children. What a beautiful heirloom this will make! I can also make a calendar, collage, or dvd slideshow.
Join our flickr group and share YOUR pictures! We would love to hear your stories, too!
My Life As Art Photography Project – flickr Group
Or if you have them on a website, include a link to share and inspire others!
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 This is where I tell my husband that I live. I think he has even come to believe it himself. I live in a place where what I get is usually directly proportional to how badly I want it. He will measure something and say, “It won’t fit.” I will measure something and say, “It is so close, and I want it to fit here REALLY badly. Let’s measure again.” He used to think I was crazy, but now he has become a believer in my magical place…and my magical ruler. We have furniture in places where there should be no furniture to prove it.
It’s funny. I never really thought about this until being married to him. It was one of those things where you just assume everyone is like you. Yeah, I know. My Interpersonal Communication book said that we are supposed to be over that by about second grade. I’m 45 and still shocked that other people are so different from me. Go figure.
My husband could not be more opposite than me in this area. Of course, I think his accepting defeat by thinking things won’t work may be directly proportional to how badly he wants it, too. I mean how many times and places does he want to move something for me? Hmmm….maybe he would live in a magical place, too, if it were not for me and my magical place.
Some people might think this is positive thinking. But between you and me, I’m not entirely sure about that or at least that it is all positive thinking. What I really think it is is that I am just an incredibly stubborn tenacious person who believes winners never quit and quitters never win. More things are possible than most of us ever dreamed or imagined if we just keep trying.
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I NEED to be thinking about this. July is half way over. This seems to happen every year. It’s like we go from December to July, and then it’s December again. I am always at a loss for what happens to all of the other months.
Christmas cards take planning and time. There are outfits to coordinate, scheduling of everyone in the family, and you need to book with a photographer in time to get your pictures back for Christmas.
Many photographers now offer an option to purchase a digital file, so that you can design, print and send out your own Christmas cards. All you need is your own card template to use.
As someone who usually ends up sending out her Christmas cards on Christmas Eve, I speak from my heart when I say it is NEVER too early to start thinking of Christmas. Every year I say it will be different, but I don’t think I have EVER got them out early. But YOU can be different, and I will help you. Those who can’t, help those who can.
Christmas Card 0001
download: 4x6 Card Template 0001 PSD (6.09MB)
download: 4x6 Card Template 0001 JPG (929.50KB)
Christmas Card 0002
download: 4x6 Card Template 0002 PSD (4.42MB)
download: 4x6 Card Template 0002 JPG (714.51KB)
Christmas Card 0003
download: 4x6 Card Template 0003 PSD (4.40MB)
download: 4x6 Card Template 0003 JPG (678.75KB)
Feel free to use this for your own Christmas cards. Photographers feel free to use it for yourself or your clients. Just please do not share or sale the template by itself to anyone. If you would like to share it with your friends, please give them the link to this post.
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 Where was all this cool stuff when my boys were little? I love these and think they are perfect for anyone. I think an even better name for them would be “Contact Cards”. They are perfect for any age really, and you don’t even have to have kids. Give them to your friends at school, coworkers, an old friend you run into in the grocery store (Oh, I am hearing the words to a song…”met an old lover in a grocery store…” – yeah, you might not want to give one out there), or you’re at a family reunion and want to keep in touch with everyone but not write your information down 20 times.
Think you would feel a little weird whipping out a card when it is not really for business? I probably would at first, too, but it is so practical. And if that doesn’t make you feel any better then think about all the trendy moms you would be joining the ranks of in the latest craze. One day everyone will probably be thinking, “Who doesn’t have a contact card?”
These go by many names: mommy and me card, contact card, calling card, or business card (trust me…we all run a business whether we work outside the home or not).
Here are some ideas of what you could include on your card:
- name
- telephone number
- address
- e-mail
- blog url
- facebook url (If you haven’t created your own url yet, be sure to do that.)
I have a couple of files for you to download to make your own.
If you have an image editor that reads psd file, that is probably the best way to download the template
download: Contact Card 001 PSD (7.02MB)
– Best for people who have an image reader that reads psd files and with a faster internet connection since it is a larger file. The main advantage to this file is that it is a layered file.
download: Contact Card 001 JPG (281.13KB)
– This file can be used in any image editor. You will just have to have a little working knowledge on how to insert your image and information over mine.
Printing Instructions: To print you will either need to find a lab that prints business card size files or use an actual business card printer. Another option would be to put several on a larger blank image (like an 8×10) and printing it as an 8×10, and then cutting them yourself. This may even be the best option since printing as an actual business card usually involves a certain quantity.
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 (This is a picture of my brother and me about 40 years ago. My mom gave this to me about 10 years ago, and it is so precious to me. This is what it would look liked matted and framed with some words of sentiment added. Think what a wonderful gift this would have been to give to someone.)
I confess. I am a sentimental gal. You will find very few material things that mean more to me than my pictures. As a matter of fact my “most valuable” material things are worth very little monetarily. For this reason, I think meaningful picture gifts are perfect for so many occasions. Now before you go grabbing any old picture of yourself and slapping it in a frame to give to someone, you might want to think that one through a little more. I do believe there are certain picture etiquette rules that apply here for giving things like this for a special occasion. It’s one thing to give grandma a framed picture of yourself because you just got the prints back and wanted to share one with her, but it’s another thing to wrap that up and think it is the birthday gift of her dreams.
Keep this one rule of thumb in mind when giving pictures as gifts: It makes the picture more special if it is a picture you either took of the other person or if it is a picture of you and the other person.
Occasions for Photo Gifts
- Christmas
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Birthday
- Valentine’s Day
- Anniversary
- Graduation
- Going Away
- Coming Home
- Wedding Gift
- Baby Gift
- And always remember that gifts are great any day. They do not have to be for a special occasion. As a matter of fact, sometimes a gift for no reason at all even means a little more because it was not expected or required.
There are so many meaningful ways to share pictures as a gift. Remember, too, the importance of handwritten words when making your gift. There is something about seeing someone’s handwriting that makes the words even more special, so if your photo gift calls for any writing, make some of it your own handwriting.
- Recipe Book – This is a great gift idea for a mom to give her children!
- Fine Art Coffee Table Book – This could include family history, pictures with inspirational words, journal, favorite memories with a particular person.
- Calendar with same type of pictures as above.
- DVD Slideshow
- Put old family pictures on DVD – Be sure to scan at a high resolution for printing. Also make sure none of the images are copyrighted. Any professional image will be copyrighted.
- Have an old favorite image restored, printed, and framed.
- Create your own art prints – These can be used for note cards or framed prints. Subject ideas for art prints: flowers, landscapes, nostalgic family heirloom or place (i.e., lake house, favorite vacations spot, great grandparents home, church – could be church where parents or grandparents were married or family church, childhood home, etc.)
- Create a room with a view – Take the picture from your special place that you want to remember and frame it in an old window frame.
- Calling Cards – These go by many names: mommy and me cards, contact cards, business cards, calling cards, etc. They are perfect for sharing contact information with everyone and would be a fun gift to do with a very social person. Click here to learn more and download a free templage to use to make your own.
- Special Times/Special People - Take pictures of your family and/or friends throughout the year at get-togethers and such and print them for them and put in an album for a special day.
- Create an album/scrapbook for each child – Include cards, drawings, certificates, and pictures from their life. Include family pictures, too.
- Keep a photo journal for your child from birth. Just think how precious this would be for him/her to have one day.
- Photo book of favorite things – This would be great for a child to have of all the things he holds dear.
- A child’s favorite toy book – Take pictures of your child’s favorite stuffed animal or doll as you would a day in the life photo session (i.e., Mr. Bongo loves to play the piano, plays hide and seek with [insert child's name here], favorite food for lunch, etc.) This way not only will you capture a special part of your child’s life by using their favorite toy but will also capture what they love to do at this age. Think of the things your child loves to do, especially things they love to do with their stuffed animal or doll (i.e., tea party, soldiers, sport, instrument, food, games, how the favorite animal or doll looks forward to seeing them in the morning, loves sleeping with them, etc.) Include all of these special moments in your book. Be sure to include cute little words to go with it. This will be so priceless for them to have while they are young and when they are older. What a great way to start teaching a non-reading child to read. This can be made into a book and/or a DVD slideshow with words and music for watching on the television, too.
- A day in the life session – Take the same concept from above and use for a day in the life session (i.e., “Mommy & Me”, “Daddy & Me”, “My Brother/Sister/Grandmother/Grandfather/Best Friend/Cousin & Me”, etc.)
- Art Book – Take pictures of your child’s artwork and have it printed for them! How awesome for them to be “published”.
- Give the gift of a photo session – And I don’t mean the boring traditional photo session. Find a photographer who specializes in capturing connections and the real person. This would be a great thing to do for mom and dad or your grandparents. Imagine hiring a photographer who really knows how to capture grandma and grandpa and the 50+ years of history they have together. What a treasure that would be for everyone…forever.
- Boudoir Session – This is fun to do just for yourself. Every woman needs to be in touch with their inner sexy love goddess. But, if you are married, your dear hubby will think he has died and gone to heaven.
Who would not love any of these photo gift ideas!
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about how to live life can be summed up in this one quote…
Live life like you want your obituary to read.
~Tammy Cobb
So simple but so powerful.
I was reading obituaries one day, and yes I do on occasion read them. I know. It seems weird, huh? I think I am going to stop, though. I am starting to see more and more people my age in there, and that is getting to be quite unnerving and totally disagrees with the thought in my head that I am eighteen years old and going to live forever. I never could understand my parents reading them until I got older and realized that after living my whole life in the same area that I had a lot of connections and realized these people were passing and funerals were over before I even heard about it. So, I was reading them one day recently and came across a woman’s obituary that made me think, “Wow! What a well-lived life!” From her obituary I could tell how much she loved, how much she gave and how much she was loved. I don’t think any of us ever intended to live our life to be the very brief, impersonal obituary with a horrid photo (I kid you not. One time I saw someone’s driver’s license photo being used for their picture.) that we many times see. But yet sometimes life just gets away from of us. Either we die too soon or time just got away from of us, and we found ourselves at the end before we knew it.
Take this day and make a list of the person you want to be, what you want others to say about you and think about you when you are gone, the legacy you want to leave, what you can pass on to the next generations to live on forever and just do it! Time waits for no man.
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If you only do one thing today, let it be to tell someone you love them and take a picture with them.
~Tammy Cobb
Top 5 Reasons to Take More Pictures
- Memories fade – As much as we would like to think we would remember a special moment forever, the sad truth is that most of our memories fade with time. Our pictures help us to remember the times we never want to forget.
- Pictures bond. They give us roots and history. It is always nice to have the pictures to go with all of the fun, crazy stories.
- It creates a visual history for future generations.
- Pictures are priceless treasures. When people lose everything in a house fire, that is the one thing that is irreplaceable to them.
- Life can change in an instant. I hear countless stories of people who either just had pictures made before life changing news, tragic accident, or death and people who missed the moment before it passed to be gone forever. My brother told me one time that there are no guarantees in life and that we are only guaranteed the moment we have right now. He found out he had a brain tumor within a year and was dead within four years. There are no guarantees, so never wait for the perfect time. It may not come. And if it does, then you can just take more pictures, but meanwhile you have pictures that you may not have another opportunity to get. Trust me. I know. I write this just a few steps away from my precious mother who is near death as I am wearing a sweater that I purchased for her a year or two ago for us to do pictures. She wanted to feel better first. Better days never came.
I’m so glad I got this picture of us together last year.
She died last week just barely over a year after I took this picture. As I finish up this article that I started earlier this month, it is her birthday today. She would have been 89 years old today.
I had no idea it would be the last one of us together…ever.
While it was not the amazing, professional picture I had hoped for, I now treasure it. I still can’t help but think what pictures I would have of us together today if she would have realized there would not be better days ahead.
How to handle people not wanting their picture taken or not liking the way they look in pictures.
Tell them their perspective will change in ten or twenty years. As they get older, they will most likely look back on an image that they did not like of themselves when they were younger and absolutely love it fifteen years later.
We can probably come up with many reasons for not taking pictures.
- I’m having a bad hair day.
- I’m not in the mood.
- I will miss too much of what is going on because I will be behind a camera.
- Everyone hates it when I take out my camera because they hate to have their picture taken.
- So and so never likes how they look in pictures and always complains.
These reasons pale in comparison to why we should be taking pictures.
The more pictures you take, the better. Especially in the age of digital where you can take pictures without the cost of film and developing. The one word of caution I give here is to actually print your pictures and back them up…several places including off site in case of a fire.
Take lots of pictures. The perfect one you want could be the very next picture you take. Or the very next picture you take could be the last chance you would ever have.
~Tammy Cobb
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I’m an ordinary person dealing with what I like to believe are ordinary issues, but in all the ordinary days, I live an extraordinary life.
This blog is a collection of my photography, random thoughts, ponderings and what I learn along the way. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you, too.
We have but one live to live. Make it an EXTRAORDINARY one!
Find your voice!
Be your own leading lady!
Live out loud!
The world is your stage!
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