Photographs and the Art of the Unselfie

I recently had the opportunity to look through some old photographs of my childhood and was surprised to find an album of family members all holding me not too long after I was born. It was such a thrill! 

So, there I am as an adorable little newborn and many of the people holding me are now deceased. 

Uncle Gilly

Grandpa

Uncle Jeff

I'm so grateful to my parents and the family members around me that took the time to document these important moments, and yet each picture just looks relaxed. These weren't photo shoots or  fancy parties. In fact, they usually just took place in the living rooms of these special loved ones. 

With today's technology we are never far from a camera and we take pictures all day. But we seem to take two kinds of pictures.
The first kind of picture is inanimate objects. Remember going on a field trip as a kid and your mom would send you with a disposable camera to capture your adventure? I certainly do. And I remember developing the pictures and they were all of random things. 

Grass in Washington D.C.

A floral shop in Washington D.C.

The second kind of pictures we seem to take are selfies. Selfies by the fist-full. 
As much fun as selfies are it's important that we take pictures of other things too. 
How in the world will we present our lives to future children and grandchildren if all we have are pictures of inanimate objects and selfies? What is our legacy if that's all we document? 
"Look at this picture when grandma's eyebrows were on point!" "And this one was an epic hair day grandma was having."

As we take pictures it's important that we document moments that we will want to remember, and to also make notes of who the people in the photo are. There are many apps that will let us record details about the pictures we take- and it is very important that we write (or type) the first AND last names of the people in the picture along with the date.
I've lost contact with friends from my first few semesters of college, and it makes me sad. I have pictures with these people but have you ever tried googling "Scottie the Hottie I think he was from New York"? It doesn't yield many results. 

That isn't to say that random pictures or selfies should be discouraged but rather that we should take a variety of pictures. 

Documenting our legacy is about the every day moments, and the tender times during our day. Our pictures should be more than random pictures of trash cans, selfies, or only photos of vacations and ballgames. We are so much more than any single event. We are all an amazing collection of adventures and moments and it's beautiful to look back and revel in these silly, sad, happy, thoughtful, meaningful, incredible memories. 

Take more pictures, smile, document, and remember. 

Happy Photographing Hunters! 

Twitter: A Love Story

I love Twitter 

It is my preferred source for finding news, celebrity drama, and movie updates. (If you haven't seen it yet, I'm still geeking out about Kenneth Branagh directing the Artemis Fowl movie.)

Other than getting news updates in it's many forms I can also see what's the latest in the world of family history. There are constantly updates, technology advancements, and record discoveries taking place as well as the foremost authorities in family history writing articles to help us all in our pursuit of hunting down our ancestors. 

If you don't have a twitter, it's easy to set up on your phone or your computer. 

Here are some great groups to follow on twitter that regularly update with articles, and helpful hints.
Family Search 
Ancestry
Ancestry Road Map 

These are just a few of my favorite groups to follow, and their tips are interesting to read. It's exciting to see that the world of family history is always moving forward and coming up with new ways of finding the people of our past.
There's always something new to do and something new to learn. 

Good luck Hunters and Huntresses!