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fijr If Houston Mrnne |( (wp frontal "Houston County's Legal Organ Since 1870" i tT r —I Judy's Gems Judy Hall jhall@evansnewspapers.com I’m sure by now that you’ve got everything ready for Christmas... presents all bought, wrapped and placed under the lovely decorated tree. I can however offer a few words of advice about those Christmas photos we all take and cherish in years to come. First, however, how about a lit tle history regarding lights and Christmas. Many of our Christmas traditions involve lights - Christmas trees, candles and lights strung around our homes, just to name a few. Of course, since the discovery of fire, light has been used to bright en the darkness, especially dining the depths of winter. Better to light the darkness than to curse it. The first light related to Christmas is a star - the star of Bethlehem, said by the Bible to shine over the place where Christ was bom. After that came can dles placed on Christmas trees, Yule logs and later, of course, the discovery of electricity added to the ways we could celebrate with lights. Taking photographs of lights has been difficult if not impossi ble for many years. Cameras and film were too slow to capture the image of the lights. If you added flash for the photograph, it was as if there were no lights - the beau ty of the lights was lost. Then, came the days of the fast film - ISO 400 or greater - now up to ISO 1,600. The early films nf this type would capture the image, but the resulting prints would be excessively grainy. Fast films of today are much better. Now it is possible to use ISO 800 and higher and still get a print with very little grain. Amateur photographers and some “professional” photogra phers have learned to rely on the auto-exposure of their camera be it a point-and-shoot or an SLR. Today’s cameras are not fooled by the low light, but are able to set themselves for good exposure even in low light. So, how do you get good photos of that beautifully decorated tree or house? First, turn off the flash or strobe on your camera, if possible. Even a camera with a flash which doesn’t turn off) can be muted by placing something over the flash. Be sure you don’t place anything in front of the lens. Next, since you will probably be taking the photograph at a very slow shutter speed, you will want to use a tripod if you have one. If you don’t, it is possible to place the camera on a solid level service or on a beanbag placed on a solid service and take the photo. This will prevent movement of the camera if you are careful to not move it when pressing the shut ter. Take more than one photo of the same scene just to be sure you get a good one. For an extremely dark shot, you may want to set your SLR to the “B” or bulb setting. On this setting the shutter will stay open as long as your finger is on the shutter. A tripod is highly rec ommended if not required for this type of shot. Want to take an outside shot of your decorated house? Take it at twilight, not when the sky is totally dark. Some cameras have settings which will allow you to light your family or friend in the foreground of your picture and not the lit house in the back ground. It might be indicated by a symbol that looks like a person at night in front of lights. Use a tripod. I hope these suggestions will help you to get better photo graphs of your Christmas memo ries. After all, that’s what photo graphs are - a picture of your memories. Merry Christmas. Take lots of photos. You’ll be glad you did. Vixen and Blixen and Prancer and First Grade experts talk about the excitement of Christinas By Charlotte Perkins Staff Writer First graders may just be starting out in life, but there’s one subject they’re experts on: Santa Claus. How does he get into your house? “Down the chimney!!” says Kristie Schimming. But what if you don’t have a chimney? “He’s magic!,” says Michael Schultes. “He can do magic and make a pretend chimney!” Kristie and Michael were part of a group of highly vocal Perdue Elementary School stu dents who gathered in the school library last Thursday to talk about Santa and the excite ment of Christmas. How old is Santa? Victoria Gonzales thinks maybe he’s 100, but Justin Jones argued for 183, and Emma Thomas topped the esti mates with an even “one thou sand!” How do they know he’s so old? Well, he’s got a beard, and, according to two of the children, he’s got that tell-tale sign of aging white hair! “He’s got hair like yours!” one says to the reporter. “Are you Mrs. Santa?” “No!” another chimes in. \ s’ ‘it Vv" ‘ . ‘ - • r ■ :-■ Photo by Emily Johnstone Little Cole Robinson enjoys the annual Houston County Fire Department Christmas party! He is the son of Commissioner Gail Robinson and her husband, Mark. m % r . ■ Wbw-' mw AH. !'V-'' :JllllliailL li||| #BU - 'mNSJHt .■ 1 <o w r || r fißUH a&jßm » , -- ft A : Mm fPlßi^ JH|. yBH n . vnAi/ B jhH Bk Bk&fl ts|w£ Jl v- #■■s&s&'£&* ''•'' '•' '^; !^*'-V'Vi?:Ki^R^t*^,: •'• ’■"••V- nUHr ’ : ' lifestyles “She’s Mrs. Claus!” Giggles all around. Time for a new subject. What’s your favorite Christmas song? “Making a List and Checking it Twice!” “Up on the Rooftop, Click! Click! Click!” “Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells!” For Emma Conrad, “Jesus, Name Above all Names” is a favorite, and for Brittany Edmonson, it’s “Silent Night.” Do these children know why we celebrate Christmas? Absolutely. “It’s the day the Baby Jesus was born!” Kristie says. “No! No!” Emma argues. “It’s Jesus’ Birthday!” How long ago did Jesus live? First graders may not always know the answers, but they’ll give it a try. “180 years ago!” “No, 178 years ago!” Back to the North Pole, where some of the children say that Santa fives in a castle, and some say he fives in a cabin. What are the names of Santa’s reindeer? Well, there’s one that they all know. “Rudolph!” “Rudolph!” “Rudolph!” December 24. 2002 “Pretzel!” “Rudolph!” “Dasher and Prancer! Dancer!” “Vixen and Blixen!” “Rudolph!” “Can they really fly?” the reporter asks. j “Yes,” says Kianna Honan fl with complete assurance. fl “Santa uses fairy dust to I sprinkle on them!” says Jfl Chloe McLaughlin. Does Santa really fl know if you’ve been fl good or bad? < “Yes,” the children ■ chorus, and he might V leave you some coal fl instead of presents if you fl haven’t been good. fl What’s coal? I “Black rocks” fl Do they know anybody fllfc n who’s ever gotten black flair:, rocks for Christmas? Well, no, not really, but then it pays to be on the safe side, with Christmas almost here. And another fl thing all the chil- flfy "’fl dren agree on is fl that while Santa absolutely won’t jfl come into your house (fl % until you’re asleep on * These first graders \ Urn from Perdue -flfl Hr fl flgL^fl Elementary fl cM their thoughts about Christmas with The Journal. From left, front row: Victoria Gonzales, Justin Jones and Michael Schuttes; middle row: Emma Conrad, Brittany Edmonson, Kianna Honan, Chloe McLauglin; back row: Kate Hill, Tyhson Grogran, Carly Moore and Kristie Schimming LLL'L .•*- jpg 4 % r*,flHHHflflflMnH^nflHMHHHHflDflflHHKuflflflflflfli Photo by Judy Hall Who’s happier about holidays - staff or students? The office staff at Perry Middle School dressed up as elves last week as they prepared for the Christmas/New Years break from school: Celebrating are: (l-r) back - Phyllis Lockaby, Shirley Brown, Julie Morton and Carla Yarbrough. Kneeling in front is Audrey Spires. Christmas Eve, Christmas morning < can begin fl any time after M *A M JVfIP! flflflP f a. l^rir ELIh yfl IflLflEt T if - flAMHl^fl'• \ mm I *Lgff “Same Williams Day” Photo by Charlotte Perkins Mayor Jim Worrall proclaimed Wednesday “Sallie Williams Day” in honor of the New Perry Hotel’s long time employee. Sallie Williams, an expert cook ahd salad chef, was honored with a reception attended by friends and family, and received a plaque with a proclamation, and several gifts in recognition of her 50 years on the hotel staff. C1 Pretzel midnight. Their estimates on when oflp they’ll be out of bed on the big day range from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Parents, be warned! Photo by Charlotte Perkins