Austin's 1st Christmas -- Where Did Grandma Go?

Everyone was urging me to go get my camera and I hesitated.  "It's Austin's first Christmas, Mom!  Go get your camera!" Amanda pleaded.  Filled with guilt, I grudgingly raced up the stairs.  It was a priceless moment that would be gone in an instant.  Why in the world would I hesitate to photograph my grandson's first Christmas? 

I grabbed my 50mm lens that gets down to a 1.4 aperture and traded it off of my Canon Rebel XSI to my Canon T2i that will get a higher ISO since it was low light in the living room.  "Turn off the ceiling fan!" I shouted from the office, knowing that the flickering light from the fan paddles would effect my camera's auto focus. 

"Mom, hurry!" they shouted.  I started heading down the stairs, then ran back up again.  I forgot the Expo Disc to get the White Balance set just perfect in a room known for getting the whites to appear pinkish.  I could hear the collective groan all the way upstairs as I threw the cord around my neck.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I realized that no one had turned off the ceiling fan.  Now Christmas was going to have to wait until the fan came to a crawling stop from its last pathetically slow,... never ending,... not-quite done... rotation. 

"Jessica, move the rocking horse, it looks like horns are sticking out of Austin's head!" I ordered.  "Amanda, move your toe.  It's in the shot," I barked.  Austin is thoroughly enjoying his moment and thrilling over each sparkly bow and the endless crinkly paper.  It is magic.  The photographer in my is agonizing over the dim lighting and working to capture each fleeting expression as he bounces up and down in excitement; his face a beaming blur of pure joy.

I rose to the challenge and created some precious keepsakes. I have all that I could ever want in pictures of my grandson's first Christmas.  Yet a part of me is sad--the part that didn't want the heavy responsibility of wielding the camera from the very first moment.  You see, Austin's Grandma didn't get to join in the festivities.  She'll get to see the pictures later, after post-processing, and build her emotional memories from those images.  In place of Grandma, at the foot of the Christmas tree in amongst the ribbons and paper, was a bossy photographer with a great big camera stuck to her face, who sure looked a lot like Austin's Grandma. 

Yet, all in all, Austin's Grandma is happy in the end.  She has sweet pictures that last beyond the fleeting moment to pore over and remember when that baby is gone and replaced by a big man with a deep voice who picks up his Grandma and swings her around as he hugs the life out of her. 

Here is a picture of Austin's Mommy, Amanda, in 1988 on a wooden rocking horse made by our dear friend, Bruce Elliott:

Here is Austin, 22 years later, on the same horse:

And here I am with my camera lens turned back on me.  I am wearing my amazing sock monkey hat that I absolutely adore.  After 25 years, Austin's Grandpa is getting pretty good at knowing what crazy Grandma likes. 

Best wishes to all for a great Christmas and New Year!!!

Four Weeks of Blog Silence While I Slave Away

I've read that Novembers are hard work months for photographers, but I really had no idea!  For the past few weeks, I would put eight hours in at the bill-paying job and then come home, grab a bite to eat and go right to work on getting photos ready for families who wanted prints to share with family at their Thanksgiving feasts.  Most nights I was in bed by midnight.  Wowzer!  The really hard part is that without sleep you make more errors in judgement and processes that shouldn't take long at all have to be redone, over and over again. 

To get a much-needed break, my photo-buddy, Malinda, dragged me off to Missouri Town earlier this month for a photo challenge.  It was really a lot of fun and I had a great time working in dim candlelight to get great pictures of historic buildings and the authentic actors who portrayed the people of the 1800s.  The freezing wind chased us from one building to the next as we worked out way through the town. 

 

A reflection of our tour guide sharing about the drafty bedroom.  Notice the flame on the candle bending in the breeze passing through the gaps in the walls.

Of all the pictures that I took that day, my favorite was of Belznickel, a sort of St. Nicholas from long ago. He was amazing. My husband says this shot is going on our wall.

Have a great Christmas celebration and don't run yourself too ragged keeping up with the details. Take the time to remember what is important: a place intended for livestock became a maternity ward on a dark and cold night.  There, in a feeding trough, lay a newborn babe wrapped in cloths with his mother and father watching over him as smelly shepherds crowd in to get a glimpse.  Lean in and take a peek for yourself.

His name is Jesus and He is the reason for the season.