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When your holiday card photo just doesn’t work out…

By Mara

Tommy and Teddy with the lion in Trafalgar Square

I often get the notion when we’re traveling that I can get the perfect holiday card picture exactly when and where I want it. This may be the ultimate example of the phrase “hope springs eternal” and yet I can’t seem to stop myself. This summer when we were in London, I was certain that a picture of the boys with the lions in Trafalgar Square would be ideal. I love Trafalgar Square, which is kind of like a big living room in the middle of Central London. I love Nelson’s column, so impossibly high. I love Saint Martin in the Fields with its bells and poetic name. And I love those big lions.

Of course, the day we were in Trafalgar Square the boys were goofy and tired. It had rained and an errant drop got on the lens, showing up in a number of the pictures before I realized it was there and wiped it away. The photo above is the best picture I got and I’m sorry to say that it just didn’t make the holiday card cut. Too posed; too awkward; no sense of space or perspective. It’s just off. Of course it is better than this one (note Matt’s arm floating off to the right):

Riding the back of the lion in Trafalgar Square

Or this one (although I’m guessing the boys might dispute my artistic judgment here):

Goofing around in Trafalgar Square

Someday maybe I’ll realize that trying to choose the “perfect” holiday card photo before I’ve actually taken it is never going to work!

For Photo Friday at Delicious Baby. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Filed Under: England, London, Photo Friday, We've been here

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Comments

  1. Natalia says

    December 17, 2010 at 3:17 am

    I am known to stress out trying to get ‘just one decent photo’ on our travels, only to get home and find out that every shot is just a bit wrong – angle not right, a bit out of focus, pigeon in the way … and it is so hard to get the perspective right in some places, like Trafalgar Square – how do you fit it all in?

    So take heart – you are not alone!

  2. Myra says

    December 17, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    I do the same thing when traveling — try to take the perfect picture for my holiday card. This year I have the pictures, but never got around to making the card. Is there still time, LOL?

  3. Miss Magpie says

    December 17, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    I hear you girl. I thought the same thing this year. Oh, we will get a great shot using the beach in Tulum or the backdrop of a tiny village in South of France. However we ended up with nothing I loved and hence my card is a hodgepodge of smaller cropped pix that piece together a year full of wonderful trips….

  4. Monna McD says

    December 17, 2010 at 9:07 pm

    Perfection is over-rated and the pursuit of it makes us into basket cases.
    Mara, I love these shots of your boys… they look so healthy and happy!

  5. Vera Marie Badertscher says

    December 18, 2010 at 10:13 am

    This year I beat the odds and got the perfect shot–it’s a stained glass window in a corridor leading to the treasury of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. The only problem is, that I’m sure no one will believe that it is a real photo that I took all by myself! I’ll go post it on my blog in case anybody wants to take a look.

  6. Kristy says

    December 18, 2010 at 8:23 pm

    Wow, how many times can I say Been There Done That! Well, even without the perfect card, you still have the great trip and the wonderful memories. A fair trade I think!

  7. Juli Hartsfield says

    September 17, 2021 at 9:59 am

    Thank you for this post, i’ts amazing and super useful! In a few weeks I will be visiting Atlanta so this post and your previous one, were really a must for me. Thank you again!

I'm a family travel expert & award-winning writer who loves to eat. Explore this site and you'll find lots of stories about my adventures, and family travel tips. More about Mara

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