I don't regret the numerous pictures of Brigitte Bardot, but I'd rather have a good photograph of my father.
- Raymond Depardon
In the next few weeks many of us will be spending time with friends and family.
There's really nothing more that I can add to Mr. Depardon's statement. I must have taken several hundred photos while I was with my mother, but I'd happily trade them all for one good photo of her. Don't let your proximity and comfort with your friends and family lull you into not taking photos of them, use it as a springboard to make more and better photos instead.
Hella and Juergen, some friends of ours, invited us for lunch yesterday. It was a lovely meal, with lots of delicious things to eat...

Later on, we went to the living and they lit the Christmas tree. It was a beautiful, the first time I see one like that. Many beautiful little toys made of wood, and some others made of glass. I took this picture of Juergen while he was lighting the candles of the tree.
Sorry about the quality, but I took my picture with very high iso. Still I like the colors and the moment.
![[Image: IMG_0204-Edit.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/IMG_0204-Edit.jpg)
I took some good photos of friends & family but was denied permission to post them online.
Irma, I love the old-fashioned Christmas tree! Iâve always wanted to do one with real candles. You captured this moment very nicely.
Keith, I took a picture of my mom and dad that I was very happy with, but they didnât want it on the Internet either. However, I did get these shots of my daughter on Christmas Eve right before she was leaving for a date. It was really quite an accomplishment to get her to sit still long enough for me to take them.
![[Image: DSC01174b.jpg]](http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/images/upload/DSC01174b.jpg)
I love the photo Irma - timeless moment.
Aine - What a delightful daughter. Hope she had a good time.
KeithAlanK Wrote:I took some good photos of friends & family but was denied permission to post them online.
The most important thing is to take them, I realize that posting people photos on-line is sensitive and not always possible. I may have one or two to share once I'm unpacked from my family visits, but mostly they're for personal use.
My goal this year was to not just take photos of the kids, who are cute and precocious, but not the only people in the room. Fortunately the three days gave me plenty of opportunity, and I've come away with about 1200 photos to sort through. The only problem is that I have 1200 photos to sort through.
1200? Ouch!
Luckily I only had to take the "formal" or planned photos this year.
Sylvia's new T-70 is the camera designated for family and friends candids, "say cheese" pics, and all-around snapshotting.
I don't like taking those kinds of pictures so it was a great relief to be able to leave my camera in the bag during most of the week.
Because I'm known as "the camera guy" everyone always expects me to take lots of pictures at every gathering, but I'm almost violently opposed to it.
Don't know why, but it's true.
Never printed any or shared them, so I thought people would take the hint.
I just want to enjoy myself and socialize.
Sometimes I get begged and guilt-tripped by relatives to take snaps, and have been known to open people's purses, take out their cameras and hand them to someone--"this way you'll actually see the pictures, because if I take them they'll just get deleted".
Doesn't seem to sink-in.
Maybe I'll be sorry someday, but I doubt it.
Everyone has a point & shoot or disposable 35mm, and that's what those cameras are for.
Let them pay for printing hundreds of mindless 4x6s that'll get fingerprints on them, then get thrown in a shoebox for 20 years.
I know I sound grumpy, but this has been a big problem for me in the past and I hate it.
Thanks for your comment Aine, Chris...
Aine, your daughter is a beautiful girl. Your pictures are great!
I have some more pictures of the tree. I will prepare a little series for you...

Irma, I like the unconventional treatment of the portrait.
aine-caitlin, judging by your avatar you and your daughter look nothing alike.

I'd never think that those were hurried impromptu photos.
Keith, cameras are a barrier to participation, which is probably why you don't like it and why I do. :| I don't mind being the guy with the camera, but surprisingly that isn't how people see me. Considering that I brought five bags of gear -- two camera bags with three cameras, laptop and electronics bag, lighting bag, stand and tripod bag -- it's a minor miracle. (I was also shooting a couple of rooms for the future MiL, who's an interior designer.) But I can't claim authorship of all of the 1200 photos, since Penny and her brother also were using my 'little camera', and for the last day I had some hair-trigger problems with my E-3 set to 5fps.
I'll probably cull the herd down to 150-200 photos and burn CDs for everyone, with a smaller selection put on my website so that the Australian side can see their wayward daughter before she returns home. Last year I just did the website gallery, and used the photos from last christmas for gift tags and small albums. Soon I'll have to stop surfing the net on my laptop and actually start working on them and a couple of other projects....
Thank you Irma, and Iâd love to see more of that tree, especially with all the candles lit.
Matthew, at least you didnât use the old âYou two look like sistersâ line, which we get quite often (and, of course, I wish was true).

I was lucky that I already had my tripod and camera set up because I had been taking pictures of the tree right before she walked in the room, so all I had to do was beg her to sit down for a couple of minutes.
We have one more family get-together to go tomorrow night because some family members couldnât make it to town by Christmas, and theyâve already asked me to take pictures. I will take some - I usually do - but then Iâll turn it over to someone else so I can just enjoy the party too.