The Monday Mag – June 15, 2015

In This Edition Of Our Weekly Magazine:

– Say “Cheese” But Don’t Make A Face
– Give A Kid A Pizza Box
– And A Side Of History: The Shrimp Cocktail

Our Favorite Quote Of The Week –  “A straight path never leads anywhere except to the objective.” – Andre Gide

Say “Cheese” But Don’t Make A Face – Capturing the moment is not just about getting the funniest shot anymore; it’s about capturing the essence of a person. In the early days of photography, it would have been unimaginable to make a goofy face on a photograph. In fact, subjects were propped against chairs and had to stay perfectly still. Today, we no longer call them stills, we call the snapshots and everything goes. A shared meal is a unique occasion to capture the essence of friends and family as they interact with each other, relaxed. The best way to accomplish this is to wait for the main course to be served. The initial banter has subsided by then and conversations have taken root. Your subject does not need to be looking at the camera. Capture snapshots between dinner guests engaged in conversation and you’ll capture their emotions and engagement in the moment. These photos make powerful memories because they allow something deep to shine forth.

Give A Kid A Pizza Box – A cardboard box is a treasure for a creative mind at any age, and an opportunity for thinking outside the box when it’s time to entertain the kids and encourage artistic expression. A friend of ours drew roadways inside a pizza box and added cardboard buildings to make a cityscape for toy cars. Everything folds up and is self-contained for storage. There could be a cityscape pizza box, a countryside box, a beach resort box… Here are a few more ways to turn a fun meal into lasting fun times. The hopscotch one is our favorite.

And A Side Of History: The Shrimp Cocktail – Believe it or not, oysters made their way into the long-stemmed glasses with hot sauce long before the shrimp. A survey of American cookbooks reveals that shrimp were specific to Cajun cooking before becoming popular across America. These shellfish appetizers were served on regular dishes or in bowls. The name “cocktail” enters popular use in the 1920’s, during prohibition. At that time, restaurateurs cleverly decided to use their long-stemmed glassware to make a stylish presentation for the shrimp delicacy while the sale of alcoholic beverages was restricted. It is said that the cocktail sauce was sometimes drizzled with a drop or two of some forbidden elixir.

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