June. It’s a month that just stretches ahead of you...the beginning of a long warm summer just waiting for you to jump in and enjoy it. And chances are if you’ve dealt with the whirlwind of graduation or other end-of-school activities you could probably use a little relaxation.
So now that school’s over, what will you do on your summer vacation? Hopefully you’ll find the time to do a little scrapbooking. And if you still have some end-of-the-year activities to attend, maybe you could use a few photography tips to jumpstart your pages. But first, make sure the kids have some time to enjoy being "free" and don’t forget to catch them in action, as in the layout "School’s Out."
With yearly events like graduations, moving-up day, field day, and other end-of-year activities you may be growing bored with the same old pictures. Why not throw in a few different shots. How about a close-up of the graduation cap? Or a close-up of the tassel? If there’s a program or a banner on display try snapping a focal point shot of that (this also doubles as an easy way to let your photograph act as your page title or journaling block!).
If there’s no "event" like graduation you can still use your camera to capture memories of a special year. Gather up all your school supplies and pile them up...and photograph them. This works for papers, artwork, or even backpacks and lunchboxes, as in the layout "What Will You Remember?" The photographs document artwork done through the year (a space-saver if you don’t have room to save every piece of art!) as well as items brought to school every day.
If there’s something specific about school you’d like to remember, like a special announcement wall, a school bell or a funky piece of playground equipment, capture that, too. We don’t always have to wait for special events to capture memories. Memories abound everywhere.
In fact, the layout "What I’ll Remember About Pre-School" shows just how easy it is to capture school memories without special events. For a layout like this, set up an impromptu photo shoot at the end of the school year. In this case, it’s a father and daughter. Let them talk about the school year and snap away. It may take a roll of film to get a few great shots, but it’s good practice, it’s fun, and it makes for some meaningful photographs. (Another tip - don’t forget to have the subjects write down what they talked about for some meaningful handwritten journaling.)
So now that summer is upon us, enjoy these long and sometimes lazy days! Keep your camera handy and when you snap away don’t forget to look for the little details in those end-of-year activities.
