The best idea I ever had was when I received some pictures from my niece, she is 10 years old and has her own digital camera. I must add she is very technologically savvy, as most youngsters are today. She was on a camping trip with her Girl Scout troop and snapped numerous pictures, uploaded them to an email and sent them to me. There were pictures of her and all her friends laughing, cooking, hiking and sleeping. But the ones that really caught my attention were a few that were of the sunset and sunrise. Some were taken while hiking that I thought might work for my photo Christmas cards this year since they were in the woods.

The nature photos were so beautiful. She said her guide advised they quietly walk up a labeled path and then go off the trail just a short way when they stumbled upon a mother doe with her two babies that looked like they were sleeping. The guide must have known this was a special spot and my niece was thrilled beyond belief! There were about 25 shots of those deer, but then they moved on and many others were absolutely gorgeous. It didn’t take me very long to decide which I would use for my photo cards this year.  It saved me from having to get the dog in holiday gear. My niece was so excited when I asked her if I could use it and to know her picture will be sent to all my friends and all our family.

My friends and I joined a hiking group 3 years ago. We have hiked up to 20 miles in a day in every place that we have gone, such as the Delaware River, parts of NYC, and the Appalachian Trail in NJ. There are still new sites to be explored! We all love it since we meet new people every time and the frequent hikers become new friends. There is never a dull moment. We have taken many amazing nature photos with us doing funny poses in the foreground.

The combination of scenery that we catch on our cameras are not always what someone would see in a normal everyday setting living in the suburbs, like historical statues and buildings, old nature trails, rivers, bridges, old railroad beds, abandoned shacks, various animals, Tarzan vines (that we swung on), and funny signs. It’s truly amazing!

Since we all have an assortment of uniquely funny and astounding photos of nature and each other, I actually want to buy some of my new friends and family some photo Christmas cards by using my hiking photos. I think these cards would be perfect for the occasion, considering that there is tight bond that forms between people once they get to know each other, especially when they are all doing something they love.

Ok, I’m completely in this year! I’m finally going to have digital photo cards for my
Christmas cards. I am seeing so many photo cards for every event; I figured I should get in the action.

I  thought nature photos might be a unique idea, so I started shooting any and all things cute and beautiful I could find. Any squirrel eating a nut in my backyard was a subject. Oh, there’s a cardinal in my maple tree. I’m going to aim and shoot – the camera silly! Ah, but the photo wasn’t sharp enough and the cardinal flew away and all I got was the maple leaf! By the way, that same squirrel I took so many pictures of ate all my husband’s huge tomatoes that he had growing in pots on the deck this past summer. So do I really want that squirrel on my cards? My husband certainly doesn’t!

Then I thought about all the beautiful pictures I took  from our boat of the sunset over Long Island Sound. There it was! My perfect photo! For many years, we took family photos for the holidays and I put the photo inside the card. I love all those pictures of my children. Now everyone is all grown up and have children of their own and it’s only my husband and I. So our summer sunset photo is perfectly us. It reminds me of the great warm summer we had, and I love it. It’s OUR photo card to everyone.

I hope everyone loves it as much as I do!

Each year I take my daughter and grandchildren to the beach for summer vacation. They love the beach and really appreciate the treat of grandma taking them to such a great place. Well, grandma doesn’t like the beach at all! The thought of walking on hot, burning sand and getting sun block in my eyes is not my idea of fun.  This year is going to be different; while the kids are funning and sunning I am going on a nature walk with my camera and take photos near the beach, not on it! I did my research and found interesting paths in the woods that would make great photo ops, this year I am bringing the insect repellent and the sun block! The plan was like having separate vacations in the same place. I do my thing, they do theirs and we meet in the evening to talk about our day. My bet was that grandkids would not even know I’m gone because they would be having so much fun.

I made the big announcement that I would not be going to the beach every day to tan and play but instead I would be going to explore the area near the beach and I would take many photos to share with them.  Honestly, I don’t think many kids know there is more to the beach than water, sand and McDonalds of course! I really thought I would get some “But Grandma’s” however to my surprise they wanted to come along!  I could not have been happier to be reminded that my daughter was raising some pretty cool kids. We took so many great photos that my daughter and I each decided to use one for our personalized holiday photo cards this year. Greetings from the Jersey Shore! With a picture of the forest behind us, that will keep people guessing! This is why taking photos near the beach is better than on the beach.

As I start to think about the holiday season, the “hunt” for a photograph to use for my photo holiday cards starts to set in.  Should I use the formal, posed photo taken by the professional photographer with a few holiday props thrown in?  Or, perhaps it should be the traditional photo taken by the unprofessional photographer (me) of the family in front of the Christmas tree?  Oh, what to do!  As I sift thru my photos, I come across photos near the beach from our family vacation over the summer. Some of the photos are fun, some are posed, and some are “untraditional” in terms of the holiday season, but they all capture the essence of our family and the memories of our time at the beach.

There are some key advantages to using vacation photos for your holiday cards. Photos of the beach, the sand, the ocean or even of shells can make stunning backdrops for a picture particularly in terms of color and content.  It is also especially nice to receive a picture that emphasizes warmth at a time when the weather is often cold, snowy or bleak.  Using a beach picture for your holiday cards is also a great way to express to recipients something about what you did during the year without having to formally write about it. While weather and clothing make your beach photos somewhat more challenging, the fun and joy of being at the beach often results in a more relaxed and natural photo that can convey a unique “spirit of the season”.

So as the holiday season approaches this year, instead of … a Christmas tree, a fireplace or a wreath, you may want to consider….a beach, the sand, or some waves….for your personalized photo holiday cards.  While not your typical card, your Season’s Greetings and Best Holiday Wishes will surely stand out from the others and make a memorable impression.  Always remember, “Life’s a Beach”…

I took up the hobby of digital photography around five years ago, and love taking pictures of the shore. One of my favorite things to do with the photographs I take is to create digital photo holiday cards. I know you must be thinking that holiday cards should have winter subjects like evergreen trees or snowscapes, but there’s something about a beach memory in the dead of winter that has a universal appeal. From waves crashing against the shore to seabirds in flight; from picturesque harbors and lighthouses to dune fences and piers; from driftwood to sea shells, there just isn’t enough time in a day to capture everything.

As a life-long resident of New Jersey, I have come to appreciate the extensive shore areas along the Atlantic coast. For those of you who have never been to New Jersey, check out a map and look at the barrier islands that extend from Sandy Hook in the north to Cape May in the south. That’s a distance of around 125 miles! Dotted along the length of this vast coastline are numerous seaside communities that offer spectacular beach vistas, just begging to be enjoyed (and photographed). There is even a place on the west coast of Cape May, called Sunset Beach, which affords a terrific view of the sunset into the ocean.

The best time for beach photography, or any photography for that matter, is at dawn and dusk. The low angle and quality of the light at sunrise and sunset make an otherwise ordinary photo extraordinary. If you don’t mind the cold and you are more interested in shooting the natural aspect of the shore rather than summer crowds, winter is a great time to shoot beachscapes. Unless there is snow on the sand, the beach looks pretty much the same year round. Gulls don’t migrate, and shells still wash up in the surf – plus there’s no charge to go on the beach! One of my most popular photos is the one below that I took in Ocean Grove on Christmas Eve 2006. I also photographed this surfer on the same day! I recall that the weather was mild for December, but I was still wearing a fairly heavy coat.  I guess when the surf’s up, surfers surf!

If you’re more interested in getting shots of people, then obviously the summer is the time for you to visit. On a sunny day, you won’t have to look very far to find crowds of people in colorful swimwear under colorful umbrellas. Of course you’ll have to fight the traffic and pay to get on the beach, but it’s still worth the effort.

Whatever the season, go out there and shoot. The more time you spend at the beach, the more you’ll want to return. Get out early, or stay late for the best lighting, and enjoy taking photos at the beach!

Swirling eddies of
rust, yellow and gold
Upon the hillside
majestically unfold
The glory of autumn’s
annual story retold.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

Beneath the hedge
wide, green and tall
Peeks a rusty red fox
eyes round as a ball
As he spies on the land
to provide for his hall.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

The icy waters over
tumbled stones flow
Dissecting the forest
where trees start to grow
Providing the nourishment
the elms need to glow.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

The sun is ascending
on the edge of the dark
The tree stripped of clothing
its branch seems so stark
Saved from the gloom
by a glorious lark.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

Upon the flat prairie
my eyes are soon drawn
To the wonderful sight
of a newly born fawn
As she takes her first steps
just after dawn.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

On the distant horizon
at the edge of beyond
An orange sun glows
prepared to abscond
To far distant lands
with the wave of a wand.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

A dreary old street
with a dying town’s dream
A crack in the sidewalk
would lose our esteem
But there grows a lily
trapped in the sun’s beam.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

The sun overhead
hangs low in the sky
On the tree ice takes hold
and spring must comply
Awaiting its turn till
winter will die.

Snap! Snap! Snap!
my Nature Photos

Nestled all cozy and snug
among the thick books
On the hall shelf with knickknacks
you may overlook
The treasures collected on
travels I took.

Trap! Trap! Trap!
my Nature Photos

Last year I tried something new for my digital Christmas photo cards. After facing the truth that my daughter no longer wants to be on the front of our holiday cards and my dog, that in reality is not the most adorable pooch in the whole world, I found myself browsing the aisles of holiday cards and pre-packaged assortments. As I frowned, hummed and hawed while talking myself into and out of this Christmas card or that price, I left the store feeling blue. I thought maybe this year I won’t send cards. Would people mind? Lots of people I know don’t honor this tradition. And as I sat in my car and started the engine I said to myself, was I being too picky? Maybe I could go back in and look again? My dilemma was that I really like wishing all of my family and friends a Merry Christmas but how should I do it now that I had exhausted the normal means?

After dinner I resolved to not forgo the digital photo cards idea. I still wanted my family’s cards to have a personal touch and not a store bought one, so I decided to pull out my digital camera and compose my own still life nature photograph. I did not fool myself into thinking I would come upon a family of deer or a snow covered cabin with a plume of smoke, frozen pond and cardinal in the nearby tree but I did have a creative streak and all the props I needed were easy to come by and naturally beautiful. Using glossy green holly leaves, sea shells bleached by the summer sun, a few curls of silvery birch bark, and a sweet-smelling pomegranate with its ruby red berries, I snapped a picture for my holiday photo card full of texture, fragrance, and color. I’m looking forward to next year and you never know…maybe I’ll be the next Cézanne.

Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.
- H.G. Wells

When an image of nature photos comes to mind, what do you see? Is it an adorable bunny sitting in a field of flowers? Or is it a beautiful deer pausing to drink from a peaceful stream? What comes to my mind is the second brightest object in the sky after the sun. You guessed it, the moon. I wondered to myself, how could I take an enchanting picture of the full moon and send it out as holiday photo cards? As seen by the naked eye, the hemisphere of the moon that is facing the earth is almost fully illuminated by the sun and appears round. Wouldn’t that make a sweet and interesting picture?

Speaking of full moons, did you know that they are traditionally associated with temporal insomnia and insanity? Psychologists, however, have found that there is no strong evidence for effects on human behavior around the time of the moon. Studies on dog bite admissions to hospitals in England and Australia found that attacks were twice as common during a full moon. According to scientific reviews, the moon alters the way humans and wildlife behaves. For many centuries, the full moon has been linked to crime, odd behavior, and werewolves.

One of my favorite Hollywood depictions is the legend of the werewolf. Although the original Wolf Man movie does not make use of the idea that a werewolf is transformed under a full moon, the sequel introduces that theory. It made explicit use of the full moon, both visually and in the dialog. Presumably this is what popularized the full moon connection in the 20th Century. Other fiction has assumed the transformation is an inescapable monthly occurrence. The Wolf Man proved so popular that actor Lon Chaney, Jr. is remembered and loved for his signature universal monster role. So, during the next full moon, grab some popcorn, watch a good old fashioned horror flick, and take the time to appreciate the beauty of nature’s mysterious moon.

Next time you peek out your window and find a full moon rising, grab your camera and go outside. Just find an angle you like, point, and shoot. With a little more preparation, you can also really improve the quality of your pictures. Wait for different phases of the moon to emerge or snap a shot of it behind rolling clouds on a stormy night. You can capture the beauty and mystery of the moon for your holiday photo cards on almost any night. Just watch out for the wolf man!

Photos near the beach – any beach – make for great personalized photo holiday cards. If you live near or vacation near a coastline, you probably already know that looking at photos of your time by the beach can make you feel that all is right with the world. If you live in a warm climate, your personalized photo cards let you share your tropical holiday with all the snow-bunnies you know.

Snow photos near the beach? There’s a whole new perspective for your camera! Envision it: pristine, silent, and shimmering with naturally peaceful wishes. Rocky coastline? Think of your exciting photos of surf spraying upward on impact. You can almost smell the water and air!

Beach photos make for beautiful and memorable photo holiday cards.

You don’t have to live near an ocean coast to share these feelings. My memories of growing up near Lake Erie and the Niagara River give a surge of joy to my soul. You don’t even have to partner an “official” body of water with this joyous appreciation of nature. A photo of a spring-fed pond or a manmade swimming hole, surrounded by lush vegetation and canopied by blue skies, can evoke a sense of peace, freedom and whispering breezes.

Capture a critter within your holiday photo cards and enlarge your message to include animal, as well as mineral and vegetable. Catch a seagull in soaring flight over the water or a pelican atop a rock or a scurrying sand crab. Add a campfire on the beach and you have all the elements of nature: air, water, fire and earth. Get creative by showing empty sandals in the sandy foreground, surf and sky beyond.

In other words, you can send a mental and emotional vacation near the beach as a holiday gift to every recipient of your personalized photo holiday cards!