PUT A CAMERA IN A STOCKING
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I moved to New York in late December of 1998 and settled in Brooklyn with my then-boyfriend, now-husband. Christmas Eve came quickly and the family made plans to take a drive through Dyker Heights and view the festive scene. The neighborhood is tucked in near the Verranzano Bridge and annually hosts a winter wonderland experience. Carloads of families and children make the journey through the neighborhood and each house welcomes themes of gingerbread houses, sugarplum fairies, and good ol’ St. Nick. It is truly an amazing (and quite expensive) production. The kids and I walked up the entranceway to the Nutcracker house and we noticed snowflakes began falling on us. For a moment we thought, holy cow, they have a snow machine spiting flakes out from the backyard – so over-the-top! Then we realized it was a classic Disney moment of winter’s first snowfall in a magical setting on Christmas Eve. The happy ending came later when a publisher told me they wanted to use one of the photos I took that night in a book about Brooklyn. |
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The moral of the story is: take some pictures this holiday season. Another year has passed so make your own record of it. Make an effort to get a nice photo of your grandpa or sibling or pet. A camera provides a nice opportunity to document your celebration – the laughs, the food, the lawn art, the cheer. Next time you’re shopping at the mall, why not hop in line to visit Santa and his helpers, get a picture taken. The first daguerreotype photographs taken in the nineteenth century were of family members. Parents paid a luxurious fee for a portrait session, sometimes having to stand very still next to their children for hours. Our culture became fascinated with the photographic document. Personally I look forward to receiving the holiday cards made with a family photo on it. I simply can’t throw them away and have initiated an impressive collection thus far. |
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This time of year there are plenty of characters to photograph as well as festive locations. I recommend tapping into your inner child and spending a few hours in FAO Schwartz. Enjoy some hot chocolate at the Plaza or the creative window displays at Macy’s. I hear the Rocketts put on a must-see show at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. On the other hand you may rather photograph snowscapes and nature. Aside from taking a ski weekend in Aspen or other adventures, city dwellers flock to Central Park. We can park ourselves under the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, go ice skating, or head up to the Bronx Zoo for the display of lights. I suggest taking a stroll through Tiffany’s if you really want to see some ice. |
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The true chore begins when you pick up your prints from the lab. Technology can assist us with storage and shared viewing however some purists enjoy making home made albums and frames – great gifts w/ a personal flair at an affordable price. Some of us will simply get double prints made or we can digitally scan prints and email them to loved ones. Whether you keep your pix on disks or make custom albums, I have learned to sort them immediately, place them in an archival photo album or box, and enjoy for years to come. |
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