Creative Photo Ideas For Jewish Scrapbookers:

At Shalom Scrapper we know that creative photos make for creative pages. The following ideas are listed here to get you started. With a little advance planning, you can turn your Jewish memories into spectacular pages!

General Suggestions For Fabulous Photos:

• Get close to your subject and try to eliminate extraneous items from your photo. Remember that if you are using a disposable camera you have to be at least 3.5 feet away for clear photos.
• Use natural light whenever possible by opening your window blinds or door and positioning your subject close to the light source (see below for the tip with candles).                                                               
• Take photos from the eye level of your subject (taller for adults, closer to the ground for children).
• If you are shooting with a digital camera, just fire away - you can always delete extras later.
• For Shabbat and Hannukah candle shots, try turning off all of the lights in your room, ask your subjects to get in a little closer to the candle light (be sure no one gets too close and gets burned!), and turn off your automatic flash feature. Have everyone be really still. The soft orange glow is beautiful.
• For safe photos of latkes cooking in oil, make a few extra latkes, put them in the pan after they cool with some oil then snap away without any fear of getting burned.
• Take photos of the Jewish items that make your holidays memorable: sedar plates, candlesticks, matzah covers, challah cutting boards, etc. These items are often handed down generation to generation and a photo captures them forever in your scrapbook. Cut out the pictures to add to your layouts.
• Ask for permission in advance if you are in doubt about the appropriateness of taking photos in your temple or synagogue for special events.
• Encourage other members of your family to take pictures of you as well - you deserve to be in your scrapbooks, too!

 Brit Milah/Bris - Take Photos Of:

• The baby boy wrapped in a tallit.
• The father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all holding each other's hands. Place the baby's hand at the very top and take photos of just the males' hands.
• The father and mother holding their son and looking into his eyes (also try one with the baby's grandparents standing behind the parents).
• The Moyle holding the Bris certificate and the baby boy.
• The ritual pillow with a copy of the written program underneath it.
• The God-parents handing over the child to the parents.
• Relatives doing their readings at the ceremony - be sure to save a copy of the program for your scrapbook as well.
• The baby boy with a sign that says ''Today is my big 8th day.''
• The family mingling about the food.
• The blessings being made over the challah and wine.
• The parents signing the Bris certificate.
• The father holding his baby boy over his shoulder (if done properly you should see the back of Dad's head with his kippah and the face of they baby boy buried in Dad's shoulder).
• The baby boy with a large kippah on his head.

Baby Naming for a Girl - Take Photos Of:

• The mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all holding each other's hands. Place the baby's hand at the very top and take photos of just the females' hands.
• The father and mother holding their daughter and looking into her eyes (also try one with the baby's grandparents standing behind the parents).
• Relatives doing their readings at the ceremony - be sure to save a copy of the program for your scrapbook as well.
• The family mingling about the food.
• The blessings being made over the challah and wine.
• The girl holding a piece of challah and/or the wine goblet (with the help of Mom or Dad).
• The baby girl boy wrapped in the tallit.

Jewish Wedding - Take Photos Of:

• The groom lifting the bride's veil at the b'deken ceremony.
• The bride, groom, and witnesses signing the Ketubah.
• The Rabbi handing the Ketubah to the bride.
• The groom or bride's father wrapping the glass in a cloth napkin before the ceremony.
• The groom stomping on the glass.
• The broken glass shards lying on the cloth napkin.
• Up close pictures of the Chupah, as well as the bride and groom under the Chupah.
• Guests doing the Horah at the reception.The bride and groom being lifted on chairs during the Horah.
• The blessings being made over the challah and wine.
• If the candlesticks, Kiddush cup, etc. that are used have special meaning, be sure to take close up photos of them and journal their significance.

Hannukah - Take Photos Of:

• Decorating the house for Hannukah.
• Wrapping all the presents and laying them out in the Hannukah wrap.
• The cook washing potatoes and the making the latkes. Also the cook crying from cutting the onions.
• The kids carefully pouring applesauce and sour cream into special bowls.
• The latkes stacked up and placed in front of a wide eyed child.
• Family members dipping their latkes in the apple sauce or sour cream and eating them.
• Be sure to record the family latke recipe for future generations.
• Family members holding their bellies with the empty latke plate in front of them.
• Lots of powdered sugar sprinkled on the sofenyot (doughnuts) and the family getting the powdered sugar all over their faces and fingers.
• The cook rolling out and making butter cookie dough for Hannukah cookies. Be sure to record the family cookie recipe for future generations.
• A child lighting the menorah with the long shamesh candle - with the help of Mom or Dad.
• All the menorahs in the house lined up all in one place, filled with candles, and glowing on the eighth night. Each family member should stand behind his/her special menorah.
• The menorah filled with lit candles and the family by the soft glow.
• The kids playing with dreidels (hint: stage the shot by asking a child to pretend he/she is getting ready to spin it).
• Family members eating gelt or chocolate coins.

Passover - Take Photos Of:

• The dishes being changed for the holiday week (one person carries out the regular dishes while one person carries in the Passover dishes).
• The cabinets being searched for hamatz (Dad or Mom head first in the cabinets).
• A stack of matzah boxes in the kitchen.
• The sedar plate being set and placed on the table.
• A family member holding up a copy of the Hagadah (so that there is a scrapped record of the family Hagadah used each year).
• The Festive Meal being prepared and served.
• Fingers dipping in the wine for the 10 plagues.
• Parley being dipped in salt water.
• Elijah's cup being filled and the door being opened (take the photo from the outside looking in).
• The afikomen being hidden in a humorous place.
• Children looking for the afikomen (take the photo at the children's eye level for effect).
• If the candlesticks, Elijah's cup, sedar plate, etc. that are used have special meaning, be sure to take close up photos of them and journal their significance.

Purim - Take Photos Of:

• Children and adults getting dressed up for temple or the carnival.
• Children making "Down With Haman" signs for everyone to hold up.
• Groggers and noise makers in people's hands and someone holding his/her hands over their ears.
• All the cute Queen Esthers, Mordechais, Kings, and Hamans.
• The Megillah being rolled out and read.
• Children rolling out the hamentashen dough and filling them with spoons of jam.

Rosh Hashana - Take Photos Of:

• Children holding two big apples over their eyes.
• The jar of honey slowly being poured on the apple slices.
• Family members blowing the shofar really hard (hint: have everyone's cheeks really bulging for full effect).
• The family's hugs and kisses for the Jewish New Year.

Bar Mitzvah - Take Photos Of:

• The Bar Mitzvah boy holding up the invitation to the big day.
• The portion of the Haftorah printed for the scrap page, with an english translation.
• The Bar Mitzvah boy being presented with his tallit by his parents.
• The Rabbi blessing the Bar Mitzvah boy with hands on the boy's head.
• The torah being carried by the Bar Mitzvah boy.
• The Bar Mitzvah boy reading from the Torah with his parents standing behind him, looking on.
• The Bar Mitzvah boy holding up his prayer book.
• The blessings being made over the candles, challah and wine.
• If the candlesticks, Kiddush cup, etc. that are used have special meaning, be sure to take close up photos of them and journal their significance.
• The guests doing the Horah at the party.
• The Bar Mitzvah boy being lifted on a chair during the Horah.
• The candle lighting ceremony.
• The Bar Mitzvah boy being kissed and having his cheeks pinched dozens of times.
• The Bar Mitzvah boy being covered with thrown wrapped candy.
• The Bar Mitzvah boy should be encouraged to write down his feelings about his special day in his own words and own handwriting - he will appreciate looking at the journaling in the scrapbook in later years.

Bat Mitzvah - Take Photos Of:

• The Bat Mitzvah girl holding up the invitation to the big day.
• The portion of the Haftorah printed for the scrap page, with an english translation.
• The Bat Mitzvah girl being presented with her tallit by her parents.
• The Rabbi blessing the Bat Mitzvah girl with hands on the girl's head.
• The torah being carried by the Bat Mitzvah girl.
• The Bat Mitzvah girl reading from the Torah with her parents standing behind her, looking on.
• The Bat Mitzvah girl holding up her prayer book.
• The blessings being made over the candles, challah and wine.
• If the candlesticks, Kiddush cup, etc. that are used have special meaning, be sure to take close up photos of them and journal their significance.
• The guests doing the Horah at the party.
• The Bat Mitzvah girl being lifted on a chair during the Horah.
• The candle lighting ceremony.
• The girl being kissed and having her cheeks pinched dozens of times.
• The Bat Mitzvah girl should be encouraged to write down her feelings about her special day - she will appreciate looking at the journaling in the scrapbook in later years.

Shabbat - Take Photos Of:

• The candles being placed in the candlesticks and lit aglow.
• A silhouette of the women covering their eyes and welcoming the Sabbath.
• The wine being poured in the Kiddush cup.
• The man holding the Kiddush cup and chanting the Kiddush.
• If the candlesticks, Kiddush cup, etc. have special meaning, be sure to take close up photos of them and journal their significance.
• The blessings being made over the challah. The challah being torn into pieces by family members and shared.
• The family around the table for a Sabbath meal.
• The Havdallah candle, spice box, and wine cup.

Hebrew School - Take Photos Of:

• The student at his/her desk.
• The child with the teacher and class mates.
• The child in front of the sign to the Hebrew school holding a book bag.
• Journal some of the prayers and Judaic studies that the child has learned in Hebrew school each year.

For more information contact:

Shalom Scrapper

P.O. Box 285

Coppell, TX 75019-0285

925.451.3529

http://Shalomscrapper.com

customerservice@shalomscrapper.com

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