Cheese Grins

So... the hot topic of today: My Camera

I do not like my camera. I got it for Christmas when I was maybe, lets say 14 years old, give or take a year or two. There is nothing wrong with it, so I can't justify to myself buying a new one, especially considering my newly instituted save-money budget. But I do have some complaints. My camera weighs at least as much as a brick. When I carry it in my bag, my shoulder hurts by the end of the night. Its not bulky mind you, just heavy. Also, it sucks battery life like a kid sucking a Slurpee on a sweltering July day. I swear I use it for one event, and I have to replace the batteries by the next day. I also just am not in love with the picture quality. The picture colors always seem dull and out of focus. Therefore, I don't end up taking a lot of pictures. My camera is heavy and I am not in love with the picture quality, not to mention I am horrible at remembering to take pictures, and always feel so fake and posed whenever I do whip out my camera. Instead of getting the perfect candid moment of laughter and energy, it always turns into, "well you're in the shadow so move over here, and oh wait lets grab Friend so she can be in the picture too." By then it ends up being, "Okay everybody! Pretend I'm capturing the perfect, most joyful moment of this party. Put on your cheese grins and look at the camera!" (For illustrated version, see Exhibit A and B below.) OR the other scenario is where I am too cowardly to ask a stranger to take our picture, in which case we end up with, what I call, the "Classic MySpace Self-Portrait." You know what I'm taking about. Anybody who had a MySpace fell victim to this pose. It is also commonly found on Facebook. It is quite easy to do, you simply reach out with camera in hand as far out as your arm will go, and snap the picture of your face. Voila! A picture of your face that can be displayed on the internet. Sometimes you can make a model-face, or a silly-face; really any expression will work for these kinds of pictures. (For example, see Exhibit C, D and E below--I guess I am victim of these more often than I thought. But in my defense, its hard to get pictures of the Husband and me when it is just us two.) These shots are not so artistic, or candid. But I guess a few of these pictures now and then are good too, right?

Exhibit A: The definition of cheese-grins

Exhibit B: More cheesy smiles. Maybe we just always smile like that?

Exhibit C: At a softball game with no familiar people around to take the picture

Exhibit C: You can't tell he is reaching his arm out...

Exhibit E: Classic.

Take note of the washed-out color look of the photos. My theory is that I have just been spoiled by other people's expensive cameras and Photoshop, leading to my dissatisfaction with normal colored photos.  

But basically my intent in telling you all this is to warn you that if you do not see many pictures on this blog in the near future now you know why. Most likely I forgot to take pictures, or they are too cheesy for a blog. Of course, this post may be the exception to that, seeing how there are 5 whole pictures with this post. Hope that is not too overwhelming.