Be Alive-Think Freely

Shiloh is a 9-year-old chocolate lab. In human years, she is 63, about the age of her owner, this writer. We both feel a little achier at the end of the day now. We are aging. The issue is Shiloh does not know it. Little wonder she begins each day wagging her tail.

Shiloh came to mind after reading a lovely, and this writer believes spot-on poem that, at-a-younger-time-in-life, might seem corny. The poem is a reminder that being alive is a wonderful place to be. Life is a gift. Why do dogs recognize this and we often do not? Perhaps it is because dogs do not know that life is short. That knowledge is our burden.  It is also our blessing.  Knowing an end to life is inevitable is the reason to appreciate life now. Has anyone else had a “close call” in their past and thought “I’m not going to take life for granted ever again?”  Perhaps more than one close call?

The last line of the poem encourages us to “Make each day a masterpiece”. Shiloh the 9-year-old lab does this every day.

Be Alive
Think freely. Smile often.

Tell those you love that you do.

Rediscover old friends. Make new ones.

Hope. Grow. Give. Give in.

Pick some daisies.

Share them. Keep a promise.

Laugh heartily.
Reach out. Let someone in.

Hug a kid. Let out the kid in you.

Slow down.

See a sunrise. Listen to rain.

Trust life. Take a leap of faith.

Make some mistakes. Learn from them.

Explore your heart. Let your imagination play.

Paint your dreams. Enjoy. Celebrate life.

Make each day a masterpiece.

Jan Michelsen

http://www.allbusiness.com/legal/legal-services-law-practice-major-us-firms/10626717-1.html

Reasons To Create Your Own Family Tree

Everyone wonders about their ancestors. Who were your grandparents and great grandparents? Who am I and why do I live here?

You probably know your parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts a generation back. However, you may not know where they emigrated from and why. Maybe, you do not even know where they live.

Creating a genealogy helps you put every one in the right place and time. I like to take a large piece of cardboard and start off with the oldest ancestor you know and come down to the present. This way helps keep everyone organized and you will not lose a cousin.

Your family tree consists of only your parents, your children, grandparents, great grandparents, great-great grandparents and so forth. The people you are directly related to.

You then make separate trees for your spouse and uncles and aunts. However, I like to keep everyone together and do what is called “cluster genealogy”.

If your ancestors emigrated, they no doubt brought family over and also went to the town where their ancestors lived. When searching a census, for example, look around the town for relatives. Families did not move far away and often married a person who lived nearby.

There are many family tree software programs. Everyone has their own favorite. You can look online or visit a book store for forms and charts.

You do not need to use software or even a computer to make a good genealogy, but it helps keep everything organized. You can even add pictures and write family stories in them.

Maybe you were adopted or even feel like you are in the wrong family. There are thousands of family trees online, but be careful that you are looking into the right one.

A good reason to make a family tree is to find inherited diseases. Most diseases are caused by some sort of abuse or lack of knowledge for prevention. If you know the disease and the cause, you will have ammunition to use against the disease.

It is very helpful to make a timeline for every person in your tree. It helps put people in context with events going on in the world. You will be able to quickly see if there was a war going on or an epidemic that may have killed some of your family.

Another reason to make a family tree is to release your creativity. There are several styles of trees available or make your own. You can use a picture of an actual tree and make the leaves the people on the tree. Have fun making your family tree.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6075714

Family Tree Video – The Basics

With all of the technology available to us today, there are several fun and interesting methods to share the family history that you have compiled through your extensive research. An idea that is growing in popularity, because of the way that it brings your history and ancestors to life, is to create a family tree video. Readily available computer software, scanners, and affordable digital camcorders make it possible for even a novice to create a video without much fuss. Here are a few tips to creating an informative and interesting video that friends and family alike will enjoy watching.

Along the course of your research travels you have likely gathered countless photographs, documents and other memorabilia related to your family history. Sharing these keepsakes with all members of your family is a great way to share your ancestry.

To get started you should be sure to scan or digitally photograph all of your photographs, records, documents, and heirlooms (like jewelry) to ensure that a digital representation of everything exists. Digital records are a great idea, even if you do not plan to create a video; digital records are safe from fire or water damage and are a great way to preserve priceless family memorabilia for many future generations.

Once you have a digital copy of everything related to your family history at your fingertips, you will need to select which key pieces will go into the video. A good video is one that imparts a good amount of information without overloading and, in effect, boring the viewer. It should tell the story of your family with rich detail, without getting repetitive. Too many documents, and too few photographs, are a rapid sure way to lose the interest of your viewers. You should also take care with the photographs you select; try to select the photographs that are the best representation of the person or the story that you are telling.

To add to the interest of the images you are including, you could include relevant background music and audio commentary. The addition of music will go a long way towards helping to convey the feel of the era being represented on the screen. Recording your own commentary to narrate the details in your video will not only help towards explaining the stories of your ancestors, but will also help to add an additional layer above simply just digital imagery. Try to keep your commentary relevant to the stories of each person, place, and heirloom item in order to keep the interest of your viewers.

If you find yourself lacking photographic details for a few of your ancestors, you could consider locating public images available from most historic societies; for example, many towns have societies dedicated to preserving the history of their hometown. They will have access to many photographs of the town and even of the town residents that can be shared and then included in your video.

Always bear in mind that you are not just creating a video detailing your family tree, you are telling the story of your family. Pay attention to the small details and, with a little bit of time and effort, you can create a family history video that every person in your family will cherish and enjoy for generations to come.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3664187

 

If you are needing help please let Hart Digital Stories know. www.HartDigitalStories.com

Why Write Your Family Story?

Some people know their family story is worth recording because they are famous or wealthy and understand there are some who would enjoy reading about their journey to that fame or fortune. Other folks may ask themselves, why would I ever record my family’s story and who would read it if I did? Perhaps there are reasons beyond the obvious to write family stories. Let’s consider the following four reasons:

A Day Passed is Gone Forever

Obviously, a day passed is gone forever. However, sometimes there are days worth preserving. They would be days of celebration and rejoicing like graduations, weddings and births, and days when an ah-hah moment had a lasting impact on our lives. Examples of other memories that might be worth preserving for posterity could be where we were and what our thoughts were when some major national or international event occurred, like the death of a president or The Royal Wedding. These are the things that make memoir writing more valuable.

Roots Speak

Roots speak? Well, yes, they do. When we look back on where we came from, it often explains much in our lives today. It can explain how and why we make decisions that take our life on one path or another. Future generations might be thankful for the recording of the life of our family to help understand their present.

Families Impact Society

Recording family stories helps the world around us put the societal puzzle pieces together. An example of a group of recorded sound bytes of family history is at StoryCorps. Since it is kept in the National Archives, these stories can be listened to and analyzed as long as our country lives.

Simple Joys

Simple joys of family gatherings include sharing our histories, however long or short, however exotic or mundane. When we write our family story, those simple joys are re-created over and over again as they pass from one hand to the next.

It doesn’t matter who you are, your family story has a place in the history of mankind and is worth recording. You can dictate your family memoir into a program on a computer that will transcribe it for you. You can hand write a family story. You can input the material directly into a computer. Whichever way you choose, make sure there is a hard copy stored in a safe place to insure that future generations will benefit from who your family is today. There is no better time than today to start writing your family history.

Cheryl Ann Wills is a Free Lance Writer, specializing as Ghostwriter, Copywriter and Small Business Promoter. She writes for the success of the small business community in the language target audiences understand, using long-tailed keywords appropriate to their industry. Her words are crafted to make people want what a business has. She writes stories about entrepreneurs because she believes that in telling their stories and sharing their advice, she not only helps them succeed via exposure and links to their sites, she also helps our country’s economy. She ghostwrites for people who are too busy to write their own books. Simply stated: her written words profit the bottom line of every business or author that chooses her.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6334584

4 Fun Family Photo Projects – Easy, Creative Ideas For Picture Taking and Making This Summer

Summer is the perfect time to get creative with your camera. There are endless photo opportunities around each corner. Take advantage of the season to take plenty of pictures. And then turn them into something fun. Here are four easy ideas to try.

1. Yes, beginners CAN create works of art. If all or most of the pictures on your memory card are of people, here’s your change to break into new territory. In this digital age, you no longer have to be a professional photographer to create artistic prints worthy of hanging on the wall.

Experiment with your macro mode by taking super close up snapshots of the flowers that are blooming everywhere. Use that ultra zoom at the zoo to get an animal portrait that looks like it was taken in the wild. Click away at the seagulls, sand and surf. Take your camera with you wherever you go and look for interesting things to capture in your lens.

Take pictures from different angles and distances. Study your results and when you find something you like, try to do it again with a new subject. Sooner or later, even the biggest amateur will accidentally stumble into taking some great shots, and learn in the process. Then, don’t be shy. Frame those masterpieces with pride and display your efforts.

2. Make an easy, inexpensive, thoughtful gift. Of course, you could give one of your framed photos as a lovely present. But you can personalize your photos even more, by adding a meaningful, inspirational or even funny quote. Just open up your photo in your computer graphics or word processing program. Resize it to 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 inches. Then type in the quote in an attractive font. Choose a font color that contrasts with the background, so that the words are clear to read, such as white on a dark background or black type in a lighter area. Move the text to a better location on the picture, if necessary.

You can use this same method to make a handmade name print. Research the meaning of the recipient’s name. Baby naming websites have all that information. Once again, using computer software, type the person’s name on the photo in large letters. Underneath the name, place the meaning in smaller letters. After your gift is printed, trim it to the right size and frame.

3. Wish you were here! Why settle for an ordinary generic vacation postcard that just displays a landmark? Instead, you can send postcards that showcase your family having fun at your destination. Simply take some snapshots of your loved ones in the foreground of that recognizable scenery. Choose a good shot and bring your memory card to the local supermarket, drug store or photo store to print, or use a kiosk in one of those locations set up for doing it yourself.

Once you have your 4 x 6 inch photos ready, then on the back of the picture just write your message on the left and the address on the right. Put a stamp on it and mail. For an even more professional look, you can find acid-free postcard labels that are manufactured for that purpose to fit on the back of photos.

4. It’s Christmas in July. Don’t wait until November to take that great holiday picture for your family photo Christmas cards. Take advantage of the nice weather, natural outdoor lighting and the relaxed, happy faces of your kids having summer fun. A candid snapshot of your children engaged in activities they enjoy, reveals their personalities more than any posed portrait. And if you want to stage it, you can photograph your loved ones wearing Santa hats in the pool or building a sand snowman on the beach.

Then, take it a step further. Browse online for a great photo Christmas card design, order them, address the envelopes, seal and add stamps. Do everything ahead and mail them in December. That way, you’ll have one less thing to do when the hectic holidays roll around.

So, play with your camera this summer. Take some time to familiarize yourself with what it can do. Experiment with the different features and modes. Click away at anything and everything. Then have fun transforming your photos into something creative. And then, do it all again with every season to come.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4523962

 

Remember we can take these pictures and turn them into a family fun video!

Preserve Your Family Memories With Digital Scrapbooking

I found this article very interesting:

Scrapbooking is a great hobby and art form. Preserving your family memories and histories is an excellent thing to do for yourself and for your family. Traditionally people go to their local craft store purchase a scrapbook and the materials that go with it. This entails using a lot of room at their home and a small mess with clippings and glue. With the advent of the Internet this scenario has changed. Now there is a vast amount of information online that allow for digital scrapbooking. With the Internet you will not have to deal with all the clippings and glue.

Now with doing things on a computer you will have some distinct advantages over traditional scrap booking. Keep in mind that you will be giving up some things also. But we’ll talk about that later. With the computer you will be able to regenerate a photo an endless amount of times. If you happen to mess one up while you are working on your scrapbook then it isn’t that big of a deal. You will also have many different fonts and labels. Most of these will be for free. You see avid scrapbookers are more than willing to help you out for free.

Another great advantage to digital scrap booking is that getting the scrapbook out to your loved ones is much easier than with a traditional scrapbook. With a traditional scrapbook you would either have to take the scrapbook around, ship it around or make multiple copies of it. Not that easy of a thing to do. With digital scrap booking you can email it, post it to a family website or burn a CD and send it in the mail. How much easier is that not to mention less expensive?

Another tremendous advantage is all the effects you can do to your scrapbook at the click of a button. You can easily color your letters. You can apply various effects to your pictures to make them standout. You can remove the red dots in people’s eyes that seem to always happen when you take their picture. You can digitize your own handwriting. If it is a Christmas album you can make it snow. In one of my last albums I had specific songs playing for each different page. The effect was very powerful and got exactly what I was feeling across to my family. The options are almost endless.

You will need a few items to be able to do scrap booking. The first is a computer, of course, not an issue since you have to have one if you are reading this. The next is quality scanner. You will need this to get actual pictures into you computer. You should also invest in a decent digital camera. Pay special attention to the software that comes with the camera. These packages are normally quite good and will definitely enhance the pictures in your albums. If you don’t want to buy a digital camera then don’t worry there are a number of free packages available online.

Make sure you don’t pass up this great new trend in scrapbooking. Now earlier I mentioned that there are some downsides to digital scrap booking. Digital scrapbooking, like all things on computers, can be a little on the non-personal side. Traditional scrapbooking is great because you share the creation of the albums with your loved ones. You can spend an afternoon putting one together with your kids and reminiscing with them about the pictures of your family. This is quite powerful. There are also scrapbooking clubs so you can socialize while doing your hobby. Interaction with other people is important and I think gets lost in these days of computers. Ultimately I expect you will find that blending digital scrapbooking with traditional scrapbooking is the best way to go. Each have their strengths and put together they benefit greatly.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1153614

How to Make Family History Stories Interesting

Genealogy and family history are popular today. Maybe it is because there are so many baby boomers reaching middle age and realizing the importance of preserving their heritage.

I have had the privilege of hearing many family stories from my grandmother, mother, and uncle. In the past few years, I decided to write them down and keep them in a binder. In the future, I may publish them in a book, not to be sold, but just for my children and future grandchildren.

How can we make these stories interesting, and not just dry accounts of the events? One method I have tried to use is Freytag’s Pyramid. Many teachers use this to show students how to structure a short story. Pick one event and set it up in this way:

1. Exposition

Set the scene. Tell who the characters are, where and when it takes place, and give a little background information.

2. Inciting Incident

What happened to begin the story? What event begins the action?

3. Rising Action

Now start telling the events of the story. The action and suspense should build.

4. Climax

What is the high point of the story? What is the main event of the story? Make sure you elaborate on this. Use details to graphically describe this event.

5. Falling Action

The main event has happened. Now wind the story down.

6. Resolution

How did it end? What lesson was learned? How did your family member grow or change because of this event?

Now you have the basic structure for your family story. Take these notes you have jotted down and write them into a narrative.

If you want to, you can start collecting these stories and putting them in a three-ring binder. You will be preserving your family heritage as a treasured heirloom.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1071114

Family Movies – Take the Time

When I was little, a family event that I have such fond memories of was those evenings all of us would gather together on a Friday evening and view our old family videos. wholesale electronics stores in those days didn’t have convenient, powerful technology. The movies, mostly featuring my brother, sister, and me, gave us a rich and powerful way to connect with the past. We would watch over and over again the silly antics of daily life – family reunions, Christmas mornings, sledding down the hill in the back yard, fishing trips to the Boundary Waters, and just about anything else we did together.

Of course, the old movies did not have audio – it was like getting to see an a film classic from the Charlie Chaplin days of silent movies. Electronics wholesaler(s) then couldn’t provide easy to use technology. Dad would provide our own narrative, and generally it was the case that that would make the family movie night even more enjoyable. The oldest of the family movies were not in color. I can’t even recall what the media technology was that we watched, but it definitely was not convenient. For family movie nights, we would borrow a projector from the school or from church, or sometimes from a neighbor. We had one of those old movie screens that was stored in the closet.

The old family films in and of themselves helped us remember days long gone – joyful ones of joyful times – but the act of sitting down, together as a family, and watching the movies as a family was also a wonderful way to make memories in and of itself. The parents would make popcorn often, and we would allocate a chunk of time so that the family could spend the entire night viewing the movies.

With the proliferation of film capability available at your local wholesale electronics stores – it is surprisingly simple in modern times to capture high quality video footage of just about any event you can imagine – We see before us a wonderful chance never before seen. The cameras are portable, affordable, of superb quality, and simple to use. The media (DVD especially) are easy to manage and highly affordable. In addition, it is easy to duplicate and distribute family movies to the relatives. Something you should consider with your movies is to make copies and keep a set of copies in our bank’s safe deposit box. Should a disastrous event ever visit your residence, you surely do not want to lose the family videos!

It is somewhat ironic that these days, with such improved video capabilities, the typical family is not taking the time to sit down and view the old family movies with each other. In the old days, it was a big production for the family. Perhaps part of what made it special was that it took so much work to make it happen – finding the equipment, etc. The fact that it is so easy to do nowadays should not take away the magic of sitting as a family and seeing old family movies together. Be sure to take time to enjoy the old childhood videos! Find those moments to enjoy the time as a family

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2639093

 

I can help you create these videos for you and your family http://www.hartdigitalstories.com

WRITING YOUR STORY

“The important issue is getting started. Because many… stories ask us to reveal things about ourselves that make us feel vulnerable, it is a procrastinator’s paradise. Just get up, start answering questions on a tape recorder, writing things down, gathering up the photos, and looking at the old videos.” 

Joe Lambert, Co-founder-Executive Director

Center for Digital Storytelling www.storycenter.org

Think of your photo movie as a story. Great stories have a beginning, middle and end. There is conflict which must be resolved by the end of the story. There are all the elements of good writing you learned in school years ago. How about a little refresher?

The following questions guide you in thinking a little deeper about why you are creating this photo movie. Writing the answers to these questions will lead to photo movie text boxes and photo captions that give meaning and coherence to your photo movie

1. Why do you want to tell this story? What is the main idea?

2. Who are the main characters?

3. From whose point of view will you tell this?

4. What realization are you as the author trying to communicate?

5. What is your storyline, plot or dramatic question you will ask to keep your viewer’s attention?

6. What is the conflict or central desire? Can you think of a surprise to use?

7. Where is there tension? This should come at the beginning

8. How do you or your character(s) satisfy this desire?  Is there some conclusion? Your story cannot end without tying up loose ends, by showing how the desire is or is not satisfied. Did someone learn a lesson?

9. Experiment with twists in your ending to delight and surprise your viewers.

10. What is the emotional content of your story? Remember to be true to yourself.

11. What words, phrases or parts of your story convey to your viewer that this is really you talking and scripting?

The way you speak or write is your voice. Are there certain words or phrases or details you want to remember? These are Pearls that you can use in your story. Keep your writing short and to the point Let your pictures tell the story.

12. What music best conveys the theme or main idea of your story is a question Joe Lambert asks in his Cookbook (for sale at storycenter.org) for digital storytelling. Music conveys feelings. Is it fast paced and exciting, he asks, slow moving and emotional, flowing and tender? Is music without words better than some with words? Do words get in the way of how your story sounds? You want your music to resonate with your storyline. Remember, if you like the music you choose, your audience will.  

13. How can you use economy of your words and detail?  Your story will be richer if you use just the right pictures and words. Focus on your Pearls. Focus on words you want to tell, share and preserve.

14. What is the pacing you want in your story and sequencing of your pictures? A fast-paced Photo Movie where pictures show quickly on the screen suggests “urgency, action, nervousness, exasperation and excitement. Conversely, a slow-pace will suggest contemplation, romanticism, relaxation or simple pleasures,” says Lambert. Remember to use a change of pace for interest.  “Change music tempo to build a sense of action or release. Try moving from a panning effect on a still image that slowly stretches out our concentration, followed by a burst of images in staccato succession, staggers our senses and vitalizes the media piece,” according to Lambert..

15. Are you having writer’s block and can’t think what to write? *Take a 4X6 card and write out your story without stopping for 10 minutes or until both sides of the card are full. 

• Ask yourself questions.
• What are the answers?
• Every story begins with a question. When you stop answering questions, the story is over.    

*Barry lane, After THE END Teaching and Learning Creative Revision, p. 15.

16. Just do it

• Start by answering questions on tape and writing down answers
• Have someone else be your scribe. 
• What pictures will you use? Gather them. Use any picture that helps tell your story in focus, out of focus, intact or torn, clear or faded. We can fix these.
• Involve your family or friends. Storytelling is a collaborative sport and it is more fun to bounce your ideas off others.
• Do you have an inner critic or editor that tells you what you write will not entertain? Turn it off. Just believe in yourself as a writer.
• What pearls, words you want to tell, share and preserve, do you want to remember to use? You can use these pearls to write captions on pictures (three to ten words), or text frames (two or three sentences per frame.) Several frames can be sequenced back to back.

17. What quotes or dialogues do you want to remember?

18. What words could be better expressed if you looked for alternatives in a thesaurus?

MAKING PERSONAL PHOTO MOVIES

making personal photo movies stories about Nowadays and yesterdays

What is a personal Photo Movie?

HART DIGITAL PHOTO MOVIES™ are digital video stories; good-old-fashioned stories, but for our digital age. We produce video stories using your pictures, video clips music and narrative.

☺ No complicated software

☺ No expensive hardware

☺ Just a little help from us. 

 

 

what is a digital story?

A Digital Story is a story using digital tools to help people to tell personal stories in a compelling and emotionally engaging form.

A Digital Story contains some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and music and lasts for between two and ten minutes.                                          http://www.educause.edu/Resources/Browse/Digital%20Storytelling/28783

Why do we tell stories? “Stories connect us with our humanness and link past, present, and future by teaching us to anticipate the possible consequences of our actions”.     http://teachingteachers.com/?page_id=61 

Why digital stories?

it’s the Technology

The stunning array of sophisticated digital devises multimedia applications and high speed internet give people power. When this power, in the form of digital storytelling, is applied to social networking, blogs and other tools of online communication the demand for great content can only increase.

Hart Digital relies on best practices in digital storytelling

These practices continually change with the growth in digital technology and educator inventiveness. The idea of digital storytelling, the pioneers of digital storytelling, come from the early nineties work of Pedro Meyer, Joe Lambert and Dana Atchley.

www.pedromeyer.com

www.nextexit.com

www.storycenter.org

It’s the teachers 

Significant contributions to the art of digital storytelling come from K-12 educators who recognize the immense learning potential this form of communicating provides students. Jon Orech is one of those educators.

 A good story is at the heart of Digital Storytelling.

The heart of a good story is good writing.

Your digital story will be entertaining, coherent and meaningful because you are giving attention to the story. The narrative creates the “center” upon which you build your digital story.

Jon Orech

http://jonorech.wikispaces.com/Great+Storytelling

http://jonorech.wikispaces.com/About+Jon

 

What is the Feature Set for a Hart digital Photo Movie?

• 5 minute duration: Give or take a minute
• 40-50 Images:  Digital Images
• 1-2 Video Clips: Video Clips are edited to ten seconds each.
• a Music Selection: Up to 5 minutes long
• 10-15 Image Highlights: Highlight allows a picture to linger longer on the screen. This creates focus on the image so it stands out.
• 10-15 Captions:Caption refers to a word or brief comment placed directly on an image. It is useful when telling something about an image that is not known by looking at the image itself. Captions do not affect the image itself.
• 8 to 10 Text BOXES:Text Box is a frame within the photo movie that  contains narrative text.
• 5 VIDEO STYLEs:Style is the look and feel of a photo movie. It includes effects, backgrounds and transitions.
• longer photo movies: Hart Digital offers photo movies in five minute chapters. Call for more information.