Digital cameras are a wonderful thing. Picture the stack of Christmas photo cards you receive each year. Ever stop to wonder how long it took to get the shot that wound up on your best friend’s photo card? The kids are perfectly posed, looking at the camera, smiling brightly. The only question is whether it took 50 or 100 tries. It’s an open secret…photographing people presents its challenges!

When I was a kid, there were no digital cameras. My family didn’t even have a 35mm camera; It was Polaroid all the way. I can still remember the flash sticks and shaking out each print so it would develop faster. A look through our family photo album shows lots of photos that could’ve been better, but somehow, I don’t think it was cost-effective to try and try again. This would explain why there are family photos of me, at age three, baring all of my teeth in a horrific grin, eyes squinted closed, trying my best to follow directions when my mom or dad said “Smile!” There is an old saying that each time someone takes your picture, they steal a piece of your soul. I wonder what pieces were stolen with photos like that!

Photographing people, be it toddlers, teens, or your grandparents, is a lot easier without having to worry about wasting film. Well, maybe “easier” isn’t the right word. The more people you put into your photo, the harder it gets. One person is smiling; the other is talking. Your mother is looking at some other person with a camera and your brother’s eyes are closed. Your wallet isn’t being hurt by wasted film anymore, but your patience may take a hit.

When taking pictures, breathe deep, and work for that shot. It will come. Those photo holiday cards you got in the mail last winter are proof. And, in this age of computers and online photo albums, the bloopers can be stored for all eternity, too!