The Outtakes Are Better Than the Final Shot: Humorous Christmas Card From Minted

December 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

IMG_1225

I love Christmas cards so much. I save the ones I receive and bundle them up with a ribbon when I pack up all of our Christmas decorations. At the beginning of December, when it’s time to decorate for the holidays again, I pull them out and leaf through them. Sometimes I go back several years to when everyone’s kids were babies, comparing their little faces to what they look like now.

I love the gesture, the idea that someone was thinking about our family when they address the envelope to us. I hope they feel the love when they receive a card from us. And I hope it makes them smile.

IMG_1272

I quite enjoy going through the photos we take in preparation for our Christmas card. This year the experience was a little bit less hectic because my family knows the drill. As soon as the kids see me setting up the tripod and pulling out different shirts for them to wear, they’re on to me.

IMG_1213

IMG_1142

Since the photos we don’t use are often more entertaining than the final one we pick, I decided to go with an outtakes theme. I didn’t force it – I set up the shot, gathered my kids and husband, and let my mom and dad stand behind the camera to press the button. Since I’ve been fussing with camera settings, of course I left it all on the completely wrong settings for the kind of light that was hitting us at Leo Carillo that day, so even after it seemed like we got a nice shot, I made everybody do it all over again.

Then I got all fancy and took more shots of the kids as the sun sank lower in the sky and the light became more golden. And then I got artsy. Well, as artsy as I can get. I’m not very artsy. I’m not even a good photographer. But I always like the photos we get during these shoots. They’re real, and they capture a moment in time, the best way you can pretend to freeze your family in this happy moment.

IMG_1232

IMG_1248

Once we get home and I look through the shots, then it’s time to pick a card layout. With so many choices on minted, this year I wanted to use a design with a lot of photos on the front, and one on the back. These are the ones I played around with (also with the help of my friend Desiree who has an eye for this sort of thing): holiday collage our favorite moment

I especially love minted’s option for different backs of cards. The full card printed background is classy, but then you can add a photo and even text. This was one of my favorites:

Front

multi merryxmas

 

Back

multi merryxmas back

 

I don’t like to share photos of our Christmas card until after they have been mailed out, so stay tuned for a later post when I add all the photos and a shot of the final card.

Minted is running a special right now – they will address your envelopes for FREE. You just have to upload your address book and make sure all the addresses are correct, and you can pick artsy fonts and logos and such for the front. Also today they have a deal – 15% off and free shipping on all holiday cards!

I received credit at minted to facilitate this 2-part series of posts.

 

Filed Under: Holidays, Photographs, Products Tagged With: , , , , ,

Go Back To Printed With Minted

November 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The trend toward e-Christmas cards makes me sad. I love sending and receiving real cards, and this year I’m making mine using minted.

mint christmas cardYou can purchase this design here

I’ve sent actual physical Christmas cards to friends and family since…maybe since I graduated from college? Certainly long before my children were born. It’s way more fun now that I have them as photo shoot accessories, though. I’ve never been tempted to switch to e-Christmas cards, which is certainly easier, cheaper, and faster. But there is something about the ritual of creating the perfect card, addressing the envelope, and checking off the list that helps usher in the holiday season.

Ever since my first son was born 9 years ago, Christmas has been much more fun in general, starting with holiday photo cards. I have a friend who used to keep a special album of holiday photo cards she received from people. She said it was neat to flip through it and watch the children multiply and grow through holiday greetings over the years.

Now that I’ve been doing photo cards for 9 years, I can do that with just my own little family.

One year I sent out a card with several pictures taken throughout the year on the front with the requisite “Happy Holidays” greeting, and on the back, in a small thumbnail photo spot, I included an outtake from one of the “Kodak moments.” We were at Disneyland and the kids were fidgeting and it was kind of rainy – it was a miracle they posed at all that day. But the shot was hilarious, and a lot people who received that card that year commented that that was the part they loved the most about it.

disney outtake“The magic is in the outtakes,” the caption read.

So this year, why not try a reversal?

What if I do a holiday card photo shoot and on the card itself, just include the outtakes on the front? And maybe the “real” photo on the back?

Minted has a lot of lovely designs that will help me make this happen, and a handy filter that lets me sort by number of photos (lately I have favored one big photo with writing along the bottom but that won’t work for an outtake spread), color palette, shape, size, type of paper, etc.  Like other online photo card design tools, minted lets you play around with the different templates. Minted’s tool is easy to use and if my computer is not too tired it refreshes quickly.

There are SO MANY possibilities I am having a hard time choosing. Look, I even made a sample:

FRONT

mint test christmas card frontRelax. This is just a test. In fact, that is what I am doing in this photo. Relaxing.

BACK

mint test christmas card back

It will most likely come down to what we decide to wear for the shoot and our location. Last year it was the top of a hill on one of the trails at Chesebro Canyon. Not sure what we will pick this year. (And in case you think I’ve gone fancy, the “shoot” consists of our family, my mom and dad, and lots of me threatening the children with serious consequences if they don’t quit whining and smile, dammit.)

Printed photo cards have really come a long way. They don’t have to look cheap or cheesy. Minted prints everything on high quality paper, and you can even choose a small photo book with little stories about your family from the whole year.

Stay tuned to see what we picked. I say “we” to be inclusive but let’s be honest. Mama does all the work here.

I received credit at minted to facilitate this two-part feature.

 

Filed Under: Photographs, Products, Things Tagged With: , , , , ,

Local Blogger Spotlight: David Lockeretz of Nobody Hikes in LA

February 13, 2013 by 8 Comments

Descent From Ladyface Mountain, by David Lockeretz of Nobody Hikes in LA

I am happy to introduce a new monthly feature here on Agoura Hills Mom – the Local Blogger Spotlight!  (I couldn’t think of a kickier title for this.  Let me know if you have any better ideas.) I’ll be helping us all get to know the people behind the online resources you might be using all the time, or introducing you to those you should know about.

It is my honor to have David Lockeretz, intrepid hiker, photographer, and note-taker, appear in this space as the very first subject of this series.  I have never met David in person, but since I started following his blog, Nobody Hikes in LA, years ago (it is one of the few that I actually subscribe to because I have such big dreams of hiking more often) we have connected through the internets and I have found him and his blog to be very helpful.  Read on to find out how he does it, why he does it, and what he has against strawberries.

Why did you start Nobody Hikes in LA?

I was trying to create the site that I would have wanted when I first got into hiking. I wanted each post to be as comprehensive as possible, and I wanted to provide information about as many different hiking trails as possible. I’ve always been into writing and photography, and the blog provided a great outlet for both. I’ve also enjoyed sharing my hiking experiences with my friends, and through the blog I’ve connected with new people too (present company included.)

How often do you hike?

As often as I can – usually at least once a week, sometimes three or four times.

What’s the farthest hike that you have considered to still be “in” LA?

I’ve done some that are pretty far from L.A. One of my favorites is Garnet Peak in southeastern San Diego County, in the Laguna Mountains. It’s at least a three hour drive from L.A. but it’s a great hike, so I recommend making the trip. I’ve also covered a few in the San Jacinto and San Gorgonio Mountains, which are two hours east of L.A., and a few up in the Santa Barbara area. If a hike is really good, it’s worth making the trip.

How do you remember all the details of the hike so that you can write about it when you get back? Do you take notes, or rely on your photos?

Usually I take a bunch of pictures, and I’ve also used an app called Every Trail that’s available for Droid and iPhone. You can use it to track your hike, including elevation, and you can upload it to the Every Trail web site. You can also download other peoples’ hikes. Many of the hikes I’ve done are also written up on other blogs, or in guidebooks, so I can refer to them for notes.

Sandstone Peak @ Dusk

Can you share some of your favorite places to hike in or near Agoura Hills? Why are they favorites?

Sandstone Peak, which is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains, is absolutely phenomenal.  It’s got everything – ocean views, geology, canyons, mountains, woodlands – and it’s challenging,  but not too difficult.  A good hike right near Agoura Hills is Ladyface, which you can see from the 101 Freeway at Kanan Road.  There’s a lot of off-trail scrambling on that one, and the descent can be pretty nerve-wracking – there are a few spots that are nearly vertical, or at least it seems that way.  But the views from the top are great.  Paradise Falls near Thousand Oaks is another good one.  It’s a year round waterfall in Wildwood Park.

Paradise Falls

What about places to avoid? Trails that are badly maintained or are considered dangerous for some reason?

I really don’t think there are any BAD trails – I don’t recall ever going on a hike and feeling as if I’d rather be at work, or thinking afterward, “Gee, I should have stayed home and watched TV instead.” I do think that to enjoy a hike, you have to know what you’re getting into, which is why I provide a lot of information on my site. The first time I tried Black Star Canyon Falls, which is a very popular waterfall in Orange County, I didn’t prepare accordingly. I didn’t make it to the waterfall, and I got poison oak. When I returned, I knew better what I was getting into, and I avoided the poison oak and made it to the waterfall. There are a lot of factors into picking the right hike, such as difficulty level, season, and challenges such as navigation or rough terrain. If you plan well, you’re likely to have an enjoyable experience.

What would a casual reader of NHiLA be surprised to know about you?

That I originally moved to L.A. to pursue music. I still play in a few bands, and teach music lessons, and have recorded a bunch of stuff, but I’ve come to realize that hiking is really what I love to do. Also: I hate strawberries. I mean, seriously hate them. I react to strawberries the same way that I do when I go to a public bathroom and the person before me didn’t flush. I don’t like avocados either, which I realize is sacrilege when you live in California. On the other hand, I really like beer, especially India Pale Ales. In fact, I’m probably going to start a blog about IPAs in the near future.

—

Well, if Nobody Drinks IPAs in LA pops up, dear readers, you can bet I’ll be letting you know about it here! And of course I took this opportunity to educate David about Ladyface Alehouse for a great post-hike watering hole.  

All photos courtesy of David Lockeretz, who has a pretty amazing gallery of photos for sale (and a calendar, too!) at his site.  Drop by Nobody Hikes in LA and check out David’s great trail recaps at locations all around us in Agoura Hills!  And tell him Agoura Hills Mom sent you!
Filed Under: Around Town, Photographs Tagged With: , , , , , , ,