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):
Or this one (although I’m guessing the boys might dispute my artistic judgment here):
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.
Natalia says
December 17, 2010 at 3:17 amI 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!
Myra says
December 17, 2010 at 12:35 pmI 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?
Miss Magpie says
December 17, 2010 at 2:02 pmI 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….
Monna McD says
December 17, 2010 at 9:07 pmPerfection 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!
Vera Marie Badertscher says
December 18, 2010 at 10:13 amThis 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.
Kristy says
December 18, 2010 at 8:23 pmWow, 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!