If you missed my previous post about Philippe Halsman’s Jump Book, the idea for this meme is to take photos of people in mid-air. I brought my camera to a Fourth of July barbecue at the home of my sister’s in-laws to see what I could do to emulate Halsman.
There were some unexpected surprises. It turns out that persuading people to jump is the easy part. In fact, persuasion never entered into the equation. As soon as I suggested it, everyone wanted to do it. The hard part was getting people to wait their turn!
No, actually, the hard part is getting people to jump at the right time. The hard part is snapping the shot while the person is actually off the ground. The hard part is guessing how high the person will jump so you don’t end up cutting off their head or feet in the photo.
No question about it. A great time was had by all, but I am one lousy photographer. My original plan was to convert these to black and white, like the ones in the Jump Book, but the pictures were so bad to begin with that I didn’t even bother.
Here are a few of the least worst:
My sister’s in-laws.
My mom and dad!
My “family of origin.” That’s my little sister in the black shirt.
The cousins. Ok, YOU try getting five kids ranging in age between 5 and 12 to all jump at exactly the same time. But what they lacked in precision, they made up with enthusiasm!
My dear hubby. No, he’s not actually an orchestra conductor.
And here we are, the two of us, on our fifteenth wedding anniversary! :-)
* * *
We have a busy day ahead of us. First, a day of D&D with our dearest pals (masochists that we are, we’re going back into the Tomb of Horrors with brand-new characters that we hope will stay alive at least until lunchtime), and tonight, a big party with extended family & friends on Steve’s side. I expect some great photo ops, bwahahahahaha!
And to reiterate: if you’re reading this, you’re tagged! :-) Please take some jump photos of your own, and leave a comment to let us know.
11 Comments
Love the photos. Happy anniversary.
I am still deciding if I have the courage to do this meme. I am a big woman, and I flap when I jump. It ain’t pretty.
Oh how much fun does that look! I’ll have to give it a go – but I’m home alone right now…
I was wondering how many years it had been since that happy 4th of July at Greenfield Village. Congratulations and many happy returns! Apparently you are supposed to receive gifts of crystal for the 15th anniv. How practical.
I like the jumpshots very much. Hubby does look a little stiff. Maybe he was worried about being stabbed in the hip by his leatherman? Maybe he needs a couple more non-O’Doul’s beverages to loosen him up? Put a maraca in his hand, or a silly hat on his head. Definitely try the jump again outside next time. (He probably spends a lot of time telling kids to limit their horseplay in the house, and felt strange deliberately jumping, especially as a guest of the Taylors.) Rollplaying suggestion: Tell him to imagine himself as a pirate who has lots of diamonds and nickels. Or just use that beach photo of him jumping off a driftwood log with young Joey a few years back. . . .
Veronica, hmm, and what were you just saying the other day about modesty? ;-)
Mrs S, I hope they come home soon, because I’m eager to see!
Aunt Sara, ha ha, actually we’d been sampling cosmopolitans. I probably should have mentioned that in the post. Maybe that explains the enthusiasm! And thanks for reminding me about the driftwood photo. Steve and I had talked about it when we were looking at the book. I planned to scan it but then I forgot. And yeah, crystal is practical — but we have so much of it already. ;-)
I love the pictures. And, it’s nice to see you and your hubby…I can’t say I remember seeing you two together on your blog.
Who need to read books? I can just stop by and look at the fabulous pics.
BTW, I think it may be time to change my blog. If you’re still doing that sort of work, put your thinking cap on.
“Least worst.” Can I quote you on that?
The floors in your house are amazing. Florida is all about tile, and we’re getting sick of it.
Oh, and Happy Anniversary!
Fred, OMG, that is not my house! The floor of my house? Defies description. All I can say is: 3 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog. And carpet. That is the home of my sister’s in-laws, whom you can see in the first picture.
Oh, I love the one of your parents. Happy 15th (belated) anniversary. Ours is in a few weeks… hard to believe 15 years has passed, isn’t it?? Do I have to go take new jump picks, or can I just post a couple of good old ones I have??
I meant to say something before. I thought that was a very creative post. But I don’t think I’m joining. Sorry, I like my anonymity…maybe later in the summer when I’ve lost some weight. ;)
Am I the first to do this jump meme? You can take a look at my blog now :-). We had fun doing it!
Melissa, happy anniversary to you too! And to answer your question… you choose!
Unfinishedperson, you should see the photos I didn’t post. Shirts flying up, bellies exposed… not pretty. :-P But hey, you could always take a picture of someone else.
Val, I think you’re the first. I hope more people will join in; if enough do, I’ll write a carnival-style wrap-up post.
I love this “jump” idea. See my friend’s jump pictures here: http://fourgirlies.blogspot.com/2008/06/girl-ville.html