LilSugar

Holiday Photo Style: Getting the Perfect Picture

LilSugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:00:00 PST

Lights! Camera! Family! It's time to snap that perfect shot. We looked to the professionals at Classic Kids to get some tips for taking the most memorable photos. According to the company's founder, Julie Floyd, the key is to keep your subjects relaxed and remember that children do not need to be perfectly posed in order to get a great image. She also recommends:

Never say “smile” or ask the children to say “cheese.” The mouth will smile, the eyes will not. You must work for your smiles by entertaining your subjects.
Get down to their level. The photographer needs to bring the camera down to eye level. Even lay on the floor if necessary.
Fill the frame with your subject. A nice close shot is far more interesting to the viewer than seeing a lot of background.

To read more of Julie's tips, including some to keep in mind when going to a professional photographer,

Leave props out of the photograph unless the object is something your child can’t live without.
Make the shoot fun. If your family of four kids has to sit still for the picture, be sure that you are very entertaining. Enlist help from another adult if necessary.
Let kids be kids. Don’t stress about Band-Aids, braces, bruises, and black eyes. Imperfections are charming and make kids look real. Don’t insist that hair is perfectly styled. Natural truly is timeless.

If going to a professional photographer, Julie offers two additional tips:

Choose a photographer who loves kids and will make the experience fun for your children. Don’t give your kids instruction on how to behave during the shoot. Tell them they are going someplace to play and let the professional control the kids and the shoot.
Choose comfortable clothes the kids like. Give them a choice of several outfits preapproved by you.

Source

The Apparition Trailer: Ashley Greene Runs From a Homemade Ghost

Maggie Pehanick — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:25:24 PDT

Remember that old inspirational saying, "If you can believe it, you can achieve it"? It looks like that's the case for Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan, and Tom Felton in The Apparition. The trailer shows a team of young researchers attempting to create an apparition with their minds. When the experiment is a success, they realize that maybe it wasn't the best idea to go around making ghosts appear, especially when said ghost starts killing people.

This trailer is totally creepy and also pretty reminiscent of a couple of horror classics. The hubris of the young scientists trying to create something unnatural without regard for whether it may turn out to be totally evil is so Flatliners, while the "You believe it, you die" concept reminds me a lot of The Ring, though you had to at least watch a video tape in The Ring. These kids might be worse off, given that they have to control their own thoughts in order to survive. The flick comes out Aug. 24, but you can watch the preview when you

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Ahoy Matey! Sailor Style For an On- or Off-Shore Summer

Kate Stahl — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:06:16 PDT

Whether you're spending the entire Summer at the beach or are just hoping to make it to your local pool a couple times, there's no better season for your kids to sport sweet, nautical-inspired styles. From classic boat shoes in baby sizes to an overload of sailor-esque stripes, the following 10 pieces are sure to make your lil one feel instantly sea-worthy. Now to find a friend with a boat . . .

Growing Through Arts' Music Series: Kid-Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Kate Stahl — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:56:42 PDT

We're all about exposing kids to fine arts, but is opera asking a bit too much? Not according to Growing Through Arts, a company founded by former pro dancer and Harvard grad Aleksandra Efimova, which creates educational children's books and toys. The company just launched its second series of books (the first focused on ballet), breaking down some seriously highbrow stuff for kids ages 2 to 6. Growing Through Arts' philosophy: exposing kids to the arts early will help develop creativity and imagination, confidence, leadership, memory, abstract thinking, discipline, focus, and preacademic skills.

The three music series books - The Peter and the Wolf Symphony, The Snow Maiden Opera, and Twist, A Musical - each include beautiful illustrations, a modern take on the classic opera, symphony, and musical tales, and questions designed for parents to ask their children to teach them moral lessons. You'll also find a glossary of terms that will teach kids words that are used in music class, the opera, and the symphony.

So what do you think? Could you get your 2-year-old amped about opera? Psyched about the symphony? Weigh in below!

Geek We Love: The Father of the MP3 Player Market

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:11:05 PDT

Although Kane Kramer developed the first MP3 player in the 1970s, it wasn't until 20 years later that MP3 players hit the consumer market. For that we have Nathan Schulhof to thank. In the early 1990s, he envisioned a "portable device [that] would allow the selection, retrieval, storage, and playback of audio content delivered to the device via the Internet."

The founder and CEO of Audio Highway, Schulhof has been dubbed the "father of the MP3 player industry" for creating, patenting, and introducing the Audio Highway Listen Up MP3 Player in 1996. The first of its kind to be introduced to the public, the Listen Up Player had a retail value of $299 and held up to 60 minutes of digital audio files. To give you some perspective, today an iPod Classic ($250) stores up to 40,000 songs.

Even though the player was not mass-produced (only 25 devices were made), it still received a lot of buzz and recognition in the tech world. The player won an Innovations Award at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1997 as well as a People's Choice Award at the second annual Internet Showcase Conference in 1998.

See how Schulhof feels about Apple's success.

Boulder, CO: A Food Mecca in the Rockies

Susannah Chen — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:12:12 PDT

Recently, I found myself with the prospect of being in Boulder, CO, for a long weekend. It was an opportunity that I seized faster than a dog would take leftovers. Aside from being home to the University of Colorado's flagship college campus, Boulder's also known for its food-centric, health-focused, and highly educated population - last year, it was even named America's Foodiest Town by Bon Appétit. I traveled with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty, curious to find out if this town at the foot of the mountains lived up to all its hype. Read on to see where my stomach led me in Boulder.

5 Ideas For Styling a Trendy Topknot

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:50:00 PDT

A topknot may not be a new kid on the block, but because the look is so versatile, this tried and true style has become the go-to look on red carpets everywhere. While the classic slicked-back ballerina bun may have initially been the inspiration for this style, each of these five celebrities took a twist on tradition, and the results paid off. Click through to check out five Hollywood topknot styles you'll want to try.

The Vampire Diaries "Before Sunset": The Good, The Bad, and The Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 04 May 2012 07:56:52 PDT

I didn't really expect things to get that crazy on The Vampire Diaries until next week's season finale, but wow, this week is full of intensity. There are a few big fights, a little bit of vampire torture, and though Alaric is the villain of the episode, the group is victorious in taking down another of their foes amid the chaos. Bonnie gets to use her witchy skills, but she's not the only lady who's channeling her girl power this week; Elena gets pretty tough, not just relying on a Salvatore brother to save her this time.

We're gearing up for next week's finale, and though there's some obvious setup for the next episode, there's a pretty big event that happens this week. And as usual, there's also an ample amount of great moments and funny lines. So, to get to the good, the bad, and the bloody, just keep reading.

4 Simple Tips to Encourage Your Kids' Creativity

Laura Marie Given — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:06:21 PDT

Painting and drawing are great artistic outlets, but creativity means more than simply diving into a box of crayons. To encourage your kids' creativity in other areas, it's best to step outside the box and introduce them to fresh, new activities and environments. Whether it's a quick cooking date or a day spent out on the town, we've come up with four simple tips to help your little ones exercise their imaginations:

Invite them into the kitchen. Make a space for your kids in your cooking routine and teach them about different spices or food combinations. Let them create their own recipes, have taste tests, and bring them to the farmers market to introduce them to new foods. Giving them a glimpse of what goes into their meals is a great way to stimulate their curiosity and maybe even kick-start a new passion.
Turn off the TV and turn up the music. Whether it's during arts and crafts or while your kids do their homework, try switching the focus away from TV and computers. Instead, play different kinds of music that the lil ones may not be used to - from classical compositions to indie ballads to the Beatles, listening to something different can spark their inspiration in new, unexpected ways.

Keep reading for more creativity-boosting tips.

A Blast From the Past: Classic Kids Toys Enter the Digital Age

LilSugar — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 03:16:53 PST

It's hard to imagine that our kids will never know the joy of being the banker in Monopoly or invent their own games to play with Barbie. But even the most traditional of children's toys are making the leap into the digital age. According to a study conducted by Common Sense Media, half of all children ages 0 to 8 have access to a new mobile device (like a smartphone, video iPod, or iPad/tablet) - making good old-fashioned playtime a thing of the past. Check out five classic kids favorites that are withstanding the test of time - thanks to some digital enhancements - and vote on which one you'd pick for playtime for your family.