I just love Christmas and the festive season!!! Christmas lights are up everywhere and christmas carols are playing in all the shopping malls…. My boys ask me every day: “Mom how many more sleeps until Christmas?” Well today it’s 25 more sleeps until Christmas!!! And I am so excited!!

Yesterday, we went to Mikey’s School Christmas concert – he is at The Bridge nursery school which is the feeder school for St Johns College (which is where Jamie is (GR0 this year) and where Mikey will go next year – can’t believe my little boy is going to big school!) It’s also the feeder school for Roedean which is where the concert was held yesterday.

    I have to say that this was the cutest Christmas concert I have ever been to! It was a nativity play with a difference and it was called “Christmas through the seasons….” – it started off with 2 angels looking for Christmas and then they made their way through each season beginning with Spring, where the children were dressed up as bees & blossoms. The music was also so much fun and made the concert a joy to watch. Then it was Summer with butterflies and rainbows.

Autum was next with acorns and owls – Mikey was an owl and sang beautifully on stage. (yes I am a proud mother especially since at last years concert Mikey spent the entire time  sitting next to me and refused to even go near the stage!!) Finally it was Winter with Snowmen and Icicles but still no-one could find Santa.

Finally a bright little star appeared (played by Kapil Moodley who is Mikey’s best friend as well as Zayd Motara – the 3 musketeers they are) and tells everyone that they need to ask Mary and Joseph where Christmas is. Mary and Joseph appear and tell everyone that Baby Jesus is Christmas and everyone celebrates!!! It was beautiful and watching those young children sing and dance and wave on stage – some of them even shouted hi to their aunts and uncles and grandparents right in the middle of the show! It was soooo cute! And of course I took tons of photos….

Last week was Jamie’s Nativity Play at St Johns and that was just as cute – Jamie was a little lamb and looked too gorgeous in his costume. And of course, he now knows all the words to all the christmas carols and sings them akk day long and we all sing them at bedtime every night – it is lovely and just warms my heart! Children make Christmas time so special!

Have you ever photographed what you thought was Holiday Gold only to discover a lump of coal after viewing it on your PC? A wise sage once defined INSANITY as Doing the same things you’ve always done, but EXPECTING DIFFERENT OUTCOMES.

Generally speaking, photographers disappointed with old holiday pictures, wanted to take better ones, but didn’t know how. By using these eight simple tips, you can leave this “Insanity” behind…

I. Do Some Homework

Decide before the event, your preference for WHICH group photography poses to use. Significant considerations are: who will be there, what is the environment, group combinations, and the lighting requirements (day or night).

II. Fire and Gasoline

Face the facts… sometimes family members don’t get along (yeah right… “sometimes”). Keep this in mind when taking group photography poses.

It is also OK to take smaller group pictures that are “safe,” than a larger group picture which may ignite. Often just having some distance between potential combatants works well, but that needs to be accounted for when deciding which group photography poses to use.

III. Take Bunches Of Picture

Take more than one image of EACH POSE. Regardless of what you say or do, people will blink. Although you can virtually eliminate the blinking problem, too many photographers mistakenly rely on spotting problems by viewing the camera’s tiny LCD screen; which leads to…

IV. When to View The LCD Screen

The digital camera’s LCD screen can solve or cause problems. The LCD screen should only be used to review general framing of the picture, verify that all faces can be seen, and check the histogram. DO NOT USE THE LCD SCREEN to determine picture sharpness/out of focus, high/low contrast areas, or whether any blinking occurred (click the above link for more info on eliminating blinking).

V. The Power Of Humor

Remember what this group finds funny. It could be anecdotes, phrases, names, and family foibles that are humorously appropriate for your group. Then use it JUST BEFORE YOU TAKE THE PHOTO. It’s a fact that a natural grin looks three times better than “fake-photo-face.”

VI. The Big Bang

Each flash has a “flash range,” which defines the range of proper illumination your flash produces. Check your owner’s manual for how far away from your subjects you can be while still properly illuminating them.

VII. [spin]Plan “B”

If you need to be further away from your subjects than your flash allows, there are four things you can do (not counting “crying”):

1. Increase the ISO
2. Move to a brighter location
3. Use a tripod with a longer exposure times
4. Purchase an external flash unit

.

VIII. What’s The Best Angle?

When using a flash, avoid shooting directly into mirrors or reflective surfaces. If an alternate location is impractical, take the image in such a way that the flash is NOT PERPENDICULAR to the surface, but is at an angle (so the flash won’t be seen in the picture).

Don’t be surprised if your holiday pictures suddenly become sought after to make enlargements. When this happens, see how to both save money and insure that people don’t get “chopped off” when cropping is required.

My sister is now studying 1st year consumer sciences at varsity in Potchefstroom this year . Quite an interesting subject really.  It’s all about what packaging should look like for you as the consumer to want to buy it. It also includes things like how to arrange display windows and such, very creative.

Anyways. my sister was in matric last year and I decided to go big with her matric farewell photos (what can I say, I jumped at the chance to have two goodlooking models,
well dressed, hairstyled and ready for a great evening out).

My uncle is a builder and so owns a generator.  I asked to borrow it from him and naturally he said yes but I had to fetch and return it myself.  So off I went to the building site and had some of the guys load this generator into the boot of my little rugged 4×4.

My mom made my sister’s matric farewell dress herself(she’s also made my sister in law’s 2 matric farewell dresses, my matric farewell dress, bridesmaids dresses for my
brother’s wedding and many more) She can also cut my hair better than any hairdresser and no, I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the whole world .

It’s the best thing
ever because the dress is then custom made and designed for your body shape.  When I saw the picture of this gorgeous red dress on the internet I just knew in my heart that it
was the perfect dress matric farewell dress.

I set the generator and the Excella500 studio lights up in a veld across from Alberton Dam close to my house.  The lights I borrowed from my previous company.  It really looked quite awesome if I must say so myself:-)  What a mission to get my whole family ready and organized for some family shots, as always it was a little bit of madness and a great load of laughs.

I had spent a lot of time that week making a list of 3 pages(yes you heard right) containing all the different kinds of poses I wanted to try out. I must say my models were
very obliging and tons of fun.  It’s always great when you know your models and they know you, they feel relaxed around you and are open to trying new things.

Everyone driving past thought they were having wedding photos taken and hooted like mad.  Take a second and imagine this scene for yourself.  We had 4 cars parked in the veld,
which 3 of them was excellent 4×4′s and the other the other a volvo.

A studio lighting setup being powered by a generator(which was quite noisy might I add).  And finally 13
people(kids and adults) standing around talking and being in the photos.  We must’ve looked like the circus
Corli you looked absolutely gorgeous!!!! Tjaart you looked very dashing!(so happy you took my advice and got a tophat and cane, it just made the look)  I felt very privileged to have taken your matric farewell pics and I know you’ll treasure the memories forever!!!!

Have you ever photographed what you thought was Holiday Gold only to discover a lump of coal after viewing it on your PC? A wise sage once defined INSANITY as Doing the same things you’ve always done, but EXPECTING DIFFERENT OUTCOMES.

Generally speaking, photographers disappointed with old holiday pictures, wanted to take better ones, but didn’t know how. By using these eight simple tips, you can leave this “Insanity” behind…

I. Prepare For The Holiday

Decide before the event, your preference for WHICH family photography poses to use. Key factors are: who will be there, what is the environment, group combinations, and the lighting requirements (day or night).

II. Explosions Are Only Good On July 4th

Face the facts… sometimes family members don’t get along (yeah right… “sometimes”). Keep this in mind when taking family photography poses.

It is also OK to take smaller group pictures that are “safe,” than a larger group picture which may ignite. Often just having some distance between potential combatants works well, but that needs to be accounted for when deciding which family photography poses to use.

III. Take Bunches Of Image

Take more than one photo of EACH POSE. Regardless of what you say or do, people will move at the last second. Although you can virtually eliminate the blinking problem, too many photographers mistakenly rely on spotting problems by viewing the camera’s tiny LCD screen; which leads to…

IV. When to View The LCD Screen

The digital camera’s LCD screen can solve or cause problems. The LCD screen should only be used to review general framing of the picture, verify that all faces can be seen, and check the histogram. DO NOT USE THE LCD SCREEN to determine picture sharpness/out of focus, high/low contrast areas, or whether any blinking occurred (click the above link for more info on eliminating blinking).

V. The Power Of Humor

Remember what this group finds funny. It could be anecdotes, phrases, names, and family foibles that are humorously appropriate for your group. Then use it JUST BEFORE YOU TAKE THE PHOTO. It’s a fact that a natural grin looks three times better than “fake-photo-face.”

VI. OOOPS

If you need to be further away from your subjects than your flash allows, there are four things you can do (not counting “crying”):

1. Use a tripod with a longer exposure times
2. Increase the ISO
3. Move to a brighter location
4. Purchase an external flash unit

.

VIII. What’s The Best Angle?

When using a flash, avoid shooting directly into mirrors or reflective surfaces. If an alternate location is impractical, take the photo in such a way that the flash is NOT PERPENDICULAR to the surface, but is at an angle (so the flash won’t be seen in the picture).

Don’t be surprised if your holiday pictures suddenly become sought after to make enlargements. When this happens, see how to both save money and insure that people don’t get “chopped off” when cropping is required.

Last week miss million dollar this week nedbank million dollar golf challenge.

Its that time of the year when all the top golfers head towards Sun city to challenge for

top honours in the million dollar challenge sponsored by Nedbank.

The course is in pristine condition and the golf will be enjoyed as much by the spectators as the players on the legendary gary player golf course.As professional photographers we cant stop ourselves from taking photographs.

Sergio garcia is the bookies favourite to win the challenge this year, however I would love the defending champion Trevor Immelman to take the honours.

I know

that when the nedbank Golf challenge comes around christmas is just around the corner.

I love this time of the year.

This article explains some of the key elements for success in
baby sign language. The guidelines presented in this post provide you with a great foundation to ensure you will have a successful and rewarding experience in teaching your baby to sign.

Timing is Everything

A fundamental question that parents have regarding baby sign langauge is when to start signing with their baby. As you may expect, there is no fast rule on an exact age to begin signing. Every child is different, developing at his or her own pace. Most experts agree, however, that a child will not be able to distinguish signs in any meaningful way prior to reaching 6 months in age.

Generally, you may begin to teach basic signs starting at age 6 to 9 months. Your child could start signing back to you as early as 6 months. From 12 months onward, you can start introducing some secondary, more abstract signs. Around 2 years of age, your child may start combining signs, and begin to speaking. Again, there is no definite time frame for your baby’s signing development. You should read your baby’s cues and use your intuition to know when he is ready to start the learning process. When he starts sitting up and showing interest in the activities around him, baby is likely ready to begin learning signs. In particular, if your child is following what you’re doing with your hands, he may very well welcome your instruction. These nonverbal indications\cues will let you know that baby is now receptive to your teachings.

Many babies don’t make their first sign until 9 months of age or later, sometimes not before 12 months. Don’t get frustrated if baby doesn’t start signing right away. While it may seem like it is taking him forever to sign back to you, take heart. Though the first few signs may come very slowly, one day your child will suddenly be learning signs at a rapid pace. In fact, you may have a hard time keeping up! Then the pace will slow again. Teaching your baby sign language will be filled with fast and slow periods, stops and starts. Just keep at it, and you and your child will succeed. And always remember, the studies on baby sign language prove that signing with your baby is a good thing.

Right Word – Right Moment

Once you decide when to start teaching baby to sign, you must choose which words to begin with. Choose a handful of basic words to begin teaching your baby. Do not overwhelm your child, or yourself, with a large number of signs. At any given time, you should only be working with three to four new signs. Once your child learns a sign you are working on, add another sign to teach him.

Your child will recognize a sign before he starts using it as his own. The recognition of words is known as “receptive language”, while the ability to form words (and signs) is called “expressive language”. Pay attention to your child’s facial expressions when you are teaching him a sign. His expression may tell you when he begins to recognize the sign. For example, his eyes may widen with a smile when you sign the word “milk”. After he recognizes a sign, your child will likely begin expressing that sign soon thereafter.

Always introduce and reinforce new words at the appropriate moments in time. Again, working on a handful of words, introduce them before, during, and/or after an activity. A great time to teach “milk”, for example, is when you are giving baby milk and after he is finished drinking his milk. Conversely, you should never teach a sign out of context. If your child is playing with a toy truck, do not try teach the sign for milk.

You will find signing with your child is exciting and rewarding. If you have any doubt, read what other parents say about sign language for babies!

This article explains some of the key elements for success in
teaching baby sign language. The elements presented in this post provide you with a great foundation to ensure you will have a successful and rewarding experience with baby sign langauge.

Timing is Everything

A fundamental question that parents have regarding baby sign langauge is at what age to start teaching their baby to sign. As you may expect, there is no fast rule on an exact age to begin signing. Every child is different, developing at his or her own pace. Most experts agree, however, that a baby will not be able to distinguish signs in any meaningful way prior to reaching 6 months in age.

Generally, you may begin to introduce basic signs starting at age 6 to 9 months. Your baby could start signing back to you as early as 6 months. From 12 months onward, you can start introducing some secondary, more abstract signs. Around 2 years of age, your child may start combining signs, and begin to speaking. Again, there is no definite time frame for your child’s signing development. You should read your baby’s expressions and use your intuition to know when he is ready to start the learning process. When he starts sitting up and showing interest in the activities around him, baby is likely ready to begin learning signs. In particular, if your baby is following what you’re doing with your hands, he may very well welcome your instruction. These nonverbal indications\cues will let you know that baby is now receptive to your teachings.

Many babies don’t make their first sign until 9 months of age or later, sometimes not before 12 months. Don’t get frustrated if baby doesn’t start signing right away. While it may seem like it is taking him forever to sign back to you, take heart. Though the first few signs may come at a snail’s pace, one day your baby will suddenly be learning signs at a rapid pace. In fact, you may have a hard time keeping up! Then the pace may slow again. Teaching your baby to sign will be filled with fast and slow periods, stops and starts. Just keep at it, and you and your child will succeed. And always remember, the data on signing with your baby prove that signing with your baby is a good thing.

Right Word – Right Moment

Once you decide when to start teaching baby to sign, you must choose which words to begin with. Choose a few basic words to begin teaching your baby. Do not overwhelm your baby, or yourself, with a large number of signs. At any given time, you should only be working with three to four new signs. Once your baby learns a sign you are working on, add another sign to teach him.

Your baby will recognize a sign before he starts using it as his own. The recognition of words is known as “receptive language”, while the ability to form words (and signs) is called “expressive language”. Pay attention to your child’s facial expressions when you are teaching him a sign. His expression may tell you when he begins to recognize the sign. For example, his eyes may widen with a smile when you sign the word “milk”. After he recognizes a sign, your child will likely begin expressing that sign soon thereafter.

Always introduce and reinforce new signs at the appropriate moments in time. Again, working on a handful of signs, introduce them before, during, and/or after an activity. A great time to teach “milk”, for example, is when you are giving baby milk and after he is finished drinking his milk. Conversely, you should never teach a sign out of context. If your child is playing with a toy truck, do not try teach the sign for milk.

You will find signing with your baby is exciting and rewarding. If you have any doubt, read what other parents say about signing with your baby!