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Picture Perfect

T

ips for getting the best
possible photos of your
children (in no particu-
lar order):
#1) Know how to use your
camera. Whether you have a
point-and-shoot or a sophisti-
cated SLR (Single Lens Reflex),
you can't get good shots if you
don't know what you
are doing.
#2) Make sure
you have a willing
subject
#3) Get close!
Fill up the frame with
your subject.
#4) Pay attention to
backgrounds. Point-and-

shoots often are fooled when a
window or bright light is be-
hind the subject Also, look for
tree limbs or wires that will
end up looking like they're
growing out of people's heads.
#5) Use your flash. Indoors
or out, your camera flash will
even out the light
and fill in those
dark circles
around people's
eyes.
#6) Sponta
neous is best
Don't have people
look at the camera
and smile or say "1-2-3
cheese."

#7) Use interesting angles.
Bend your knees. Stand on a
chair. Tilt the camera.
#8) Go outside. Better back-
gounds, brighter light, more
places to sit, stand, play.
#9) Know what you want to
take a picture of If you want
Billy and Susie in the photo,
don't take a picture of Billy,
Susie, half the kitchen table, a
pile of dirty dishes.
#10) Have fun! Picture tak-
ing should be enjoyable for
both the photogapher and the
subjects.

-- Daniel Lippitt, Jewish
News photographer

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

May I Give You A
Little Advice?

T HE AP PLET R EE

A Few Good
Jewish Stories

Are your children tired of hearing
_
about that girl with the little red
hood, and can they already recite,
backwards and forward, the one
about the young woman who lost
her glass slipper and then married
a prince?
The Apple Tree is looking for
great Jewish bedtime stories.
Please send us yours, either in the
mail or by fax. Send to: Bedtime
Stories, c/o The Apple Tree,
27676 Franklin Road, Southfield,
MI 48034, Fax (810) 354-6069.
We regret that manuscripts cannot
be returned.

Moms, dads, siblings and grandparents
answer your toughest questions.

QUESTION: My 6-year-old son, David, has a difficult
time sitting through Shabbat services. I love going,
though, and want him to feel comfortable at our syna-
gogue and know it's not a place we go just on the High
Holidays.
I'd love to hear what other parents and grandparents
have to say on this subject. Is there any way I can make
the experience more pleasant for him?

$1 6'i Do you have a question or answer for "May I Give
You A Little Advice?" Please send to Advice, c/o The
AppleTree, 27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI
48034, or fax to (810) 354-6069. All letters must be
signed and include the writer's address and phone
number. Please indicate if you would prefer that your
name not be used in the magazine.

Mother And
Father Know Best

A look at some of the wise advice
our parents gave us.

M

y parents were very
different from one
another, and there-
fore, so was their advice. The
combination of their diverse
perspectives was a blessing in
my development.
It is difficult for most chil-
dren to go through all the
bumps and bruises that come
with childhood. But nothing
can be worse than adoles-
cence.
Dad, of blessed memory,
was my cheerleader through
it all. When I was quite
young, he was always telling
me about the "little choo choo
train that could." If I felt over-
whelmed, and did not think I
could ever do all that home-
work or learn that lesson, he
reminded me to believe it was
possible, after all.
As I got older, I grew much
taller and more sophisticated-
looking than most of the other
girls. Girls ironed their hair
straight, and thin lips and
porcelain complexions were
fashionable. I was ridiculous
in comparison. No matter
how large my rollers, as soon
as there was any humidity in
the air my hair frizzed out to
the next classroom.
But there was Dad, who
Ellen Goldman is executive
director of Yad Ezra, the
kosher food bank and a
member of Temple Emanu-El.

said that when I became an
adult I would be statuesque.
He would say that a tall, well-
dressed woman could stop
traffic, and she would be ad-
mired.
My father passed away
when I was 20 years old. He
was only 40. He was the best
friend I ever had.
I was so busy being my fa-
ther's friend that I did not real-
ize what closeness was
possible with my mother.
Luckily, I made the time to
find it
Mom is both a mother and
a business partner. She en-
courages me to "do my home-
work" in a very adult manner.
If I am working on a project,
she wants me to do the re-
search, get the facts, figure it
all out, and generally use the
good brain given to me.
Somehow, this sage advice
makes me feel both human
and humored. She may not be
baking me any cookies, but
she is standing back, looking
out for me, filled with pride.
My father has been gone
for almost 20 years, and I find
that the older I get, the more I
appreciate the advice he be-
stowed upon me. And I am
grateful that, in my adult
years, I have a mother who
gives me such a helpful, loving
perspective.
— Ellen Goldman

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