Season’s Greetings 2008: The Outtakes

Now here’s a tradition I can really get behind.

Last year, I told you that we took 38 shots to get to our perfect Christmas card picture. This year with 2 extra-wiggly kids and a camera that does rapid-repeat shots, it was much, much more.

First, what everyone else saw:

Merry Christmas to you, all of my friends inside the computer. I continue to thank goodness that you are in here, reading, reacting, and following my (mis)adventures.

I noted in the past that I hang the design of the picture on a wardrobe choice, and this year it was the family four-pack of Johnny Cash T-shirts, gifts from Aunt Kathy & Sue’s trip to Tennessee in the spring. It was only fitting, then, that Aunt Kathy herself took most of the photos that were up for selection for the card. I used three pictures this year because the obvious winner from the main shoot is the rare, never-before-seen shot of the little boys looking at each other lovingly. It lasted only one frame. But I wanted people to see their faces, so we had to add Kyle on the gee-tar and Brady’s crazy pre-haircut hair.

And because I couldn’t send out 70 photo books, I reserved the outtakes for you, my digital audience:

Setting up the shot: The whole clan – our family of four, and Kathy, Uncle Steve, Nana, and Great Grampa all went to our favorite nearby park for this occasion.

It was late morning, so I thought the light would be perfect. Turned out there were crazy bright back-lit spot or dappled shady spots. Nothing was just right. We tried several.

Also, Kyle kept getting up and running away.

We eventually settled on the bench under the shady tree, with Aunt Kathy shooting from the sand below, which explains the big double chin effect on me. I sacrificed my vanity in the official photo for the sake of the boys’ cuteness.

It was really hard to get them to sit still, look at the camera, and smile. And of course I made them do it a million times, then check the shots, then do it all over again. They were pretty testy. Luckily, we had lots of M&M’s on hand.

For a certain series of shots, it looked like we were all having a great time:

It didn’t last:

But luckily, we were able to put together a great set of holiday photos that, I feel, reflects our unique family personality. Thanks again to our beloved Aunt Kathy, the family archivist.