The Old Flipperoo Makes Pictures Look New

I'm gonna flip if my digital camera takes better pictures now

One of the very best investments I made last year was getting up real early on the day after Thanksgiving to buy a brand new digital camera. Although my Kodak Z760 Easyshare Digital Camera is over a year old, I still LOVE it as much as I did on the day I bought it. For anyone with a blog, it adds so much!

I've had some fun with my digital camera this year showing my "obese body," revealing for the first time my loose skin following my 180-pound weight loss, reacting to the various flavors of Sweetriot, and so much more! Yes, I'm a ham when it comes to being in and taking pictures and proudly so. :)

But with Christmastime this weekend and all of the millions of pictures that will be taken, did you know there was a neat little trick you can do to make them look even better? Especially those of you with a lot of "old people" (is there a better euphemism for this than "seniors?") among your yuletide clan, check this out!

According to this Yahoo story highlighting a tip from DigitalCameraU.com, all you need to do to take better pictures of your loved one's faces is TURN YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA UPSIDE DOWN! Say what?! Sounds strange, but there's a logical explanation that makes sense when you stop to think about it.

Think about where the flash is located on your camera--it's at the top, right? Well, when the light source comes from above, guess what that does to the pictures of those good-looking family members? Exactamundo! Shadows, wrinkles, and sometimes black eyes.

But not anymore!

Do the flipperoo with your camera this weekend and now the flash will produce light from below rather than above which will completely negate any of those issues with the flash above. Of course, it's awkward at first using your thumb rather than your index finger to take the photo, but you'll get the hang of it.

Why haven't camera companies thought of this before? Whose bright idea was it to put the flash at the top of the camera in the first place, hmmm? Sorry, I just think about these odd, senseless things sometimes.

If you still prefer to take pictures the conventional way (come on, where's your nonconformist spirit?! LOL!), one of the commenters at DigitalCameraU.com had a superb suggestion for you. Here's what he wrote:

"Use a small piece of white paper [over the flash] and it will disperse the flashed light in an equally pleasing manner."

Now there's an idea! Above all, have FUN taking photographs with your digital camera because you are making lasting memories with those kids, uncles, grandmas, and all the other precious people you call family. Isn't that what sharing time together at Christmas is REALLY all about?

Fighting The Crowds To Get A Great Deal

I did something today that goes against my better judgment, but I'm glad I did it. I engaged in that uniquely American tradition of going shopping on the day after Thanksgiving.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

To some people, that's the absolute craziest thing in the world you could ever torture yourself with and to others they live for this one day of the year when THE sale happens and they have to make it a point to go to each and every store to find what they want at reduced prices. It's an interesting dichotomy that I enjoy watching people on both sides fight over every year.

Usually I am one of those who has eaten so much turkey that I am still in a self-induced state of tryptophanic hypnosis that I could sleep for days (and yesterday was no exception!). Shopping is the LAST thing on my mind...BUT!

This year I was on a mission because of some especially great offers by the giant box retailers. If you hate shopping (and I do with a passion!), then you would have to be a glutton for punishment to go through this.

Yet, out the door I went at 8am. No, I didn't get up at 3:30am so I could be the first in line waiting for the doors to open at 5am. I'm not THAT obsessed with it. The way I see it, if they want my business then they will stock enough of the item they are featuring in those sales flyers that make your Thanksgiving Day newspaper weigh 10 pounds heavier that will last them throughout the day on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Imagine my surprise when I get to Target this morning and they are out of the only item I went there for. I parked in the next zip code just to walk in and be told they didn't have any more. Shoot! But at least I got in a pretty good cardio workout today walking from my car, dodging shopping carts, and weaving in and around people, people, people! :)

So when Target didn't have the one item I REALLY wanted, I decided to go to Wal-Mart and get their version of this same item. It was more expensive and fancy-schmansy than the one I was going to purchase at Target, but oh my goodness, this thing is awesome!

What is it? Check it out right here:



It's the Kodak Z760 Easyshare Digital Camera. This bad boy came out in May 2005 and is a very high-quality camera with a whopping 6 megapixels. If you don't know what that means, suffice it to say that the photos will be as pristine clear as they can possibly be.

Do you remember how good these pictures of the CarbSmart book signing were? They were beautiful because they were taken by a digital camera with 5 megapixels. This Z760has SIX! Whoa!

I am so excited about this little doo-hickey thingy (do you like my technical terminology there?) because it will allow me to share more photos with you, especially while I am out on my book tour for "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." I can't wait to use it at my book signings this weekend in Virginia.

In fact, I am just a couple of hours away from my first book signing at noon today at Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake, VA followed by another one this evening in Hampton, VA. Special thanks to Heaven & Earth for hosting me this weekend. I will also be visiting their store in the Kemps River Shopping Center in Virginia Beach, VA on Saturday at noon. I hope to see some of you there!

Enjoy this extended holiday weekend and eat up on that turkey. It's good protein and tastes oh so good when you dip it in some mayonnaise with cheese and wrap it up in a lettuce leaf. Mmm mmm good, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. But I digress.

Take care and we'll blog at you later! SEE YA!