8/2/08

How to take a beach picture --a photo essay


Step one: Decide that it is TOO FAR and TOO SANDY to walk to the beach to take a beach picture, scout around the house to find the best spot, rearrange HEAVY deck furniture to make sure you have the best look...this is essential when there are 8 photographers in the house...

Step two: Coerce all the small children to take off their bathing suits and get clean. Order pizza, let them smell pizza and tell them they can't eat it until after they have taken 50 pictures and remind them they have to smile and look happy!

Step three: Coerce the dads that they have to do step two as well, even if they whine "don't wanna..."


Step four: Arrange the grandparents in the center, for they are always in the center of our lives (and bank-rolling most of the week allows them that privlege)Comfort the littlest cousin who fell down in the chaos. Make sure he feels love, but remind him stuffed lambies are not allowed in the picture. Comfort him some more. Change your mind and leave lambie in, notice he smiles in all the pictures


Step five: Quick shove the rest of the kids around Mumma and Poppy. Take at least 30 pictures (thank you creator of digital cameras!) Yell, giggle, dance and look like idiots to make them smile. Secretly be happy that they do not have cameras to shoot back at you (thank you for bad cell coverage that kept the teens cameras in the backpack)

Step six: Realize OH CRAP, all the kids are clean and in the picture. Maybe we ought to throw ourselves in there as well. Thank the high heavens that your sister actually read the manual that came with her camera and has an art degree in photography and knows how to work the timer. Nobody wants to go next door and ask the Latvians to take our picture.

Step seven: As the oldest, the responsible one, post the one group picture that you look the best in, even if everyone else looks goofy, because you can, "IT's MY BLOG"

3 comments:

Cassie said...

You also have a beautiful family! You're right--it's pretty hard to take a picture of that many people! We always come out with about a million goofy ones :)

Robert said...

Pics are awesome...and so are you guys.

Don't worry about your Pakistan and India. Pakistan is happily blowing things up in the basement with Palestine while India and Israel are engaged with Zoo Tycoon upstairs.

The middle floor is considered a demilitarized zone with Rachel, Andrew, and I having set up sentry towers equipped with dart guns.

All will be well. Peace out mah Sistah...enjoy the wine!!

Rachel said...

This post reminds me of the Southampton Summers of my youth, on my mom's side because she has a brother and 2 sisters. So we would get everyone together for the Summer Herrrick Reunion shot. I will have to dig up one of those pics to show you. Now, there are no big family photos anymore. Kinda sad.

You are so blessed that you and your kids have this, Kath. (I know you know that you are blessed.) I'm jealous, but happy for you too! :-)