Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 08/11/2010
(New York, NY) -- The social networking revolution has transformed virtually every aspect of our daily lives-most notably in the way we share our thoughts and feelings. The possibilities presented by Facebook postings, Tweets and emails are, by definition, expansive and unlimited. Yet, as award-winning photographer, Sue Barr has found in her business, more and more people are seeing the downside of "reaching out" electronically. The proof in the pudding? For Barr, it's holiday cards.
"I have been shooting and custom designing holiday cards for my clients going on two decades," Barr says. "A few years ago I noticed that some had migrated to various types of e-greetings and do-it-yourself web sites. Now they are back."
For all of the convenience and reach that electronic "cards" offer, explains Barr, they actually dilute the meaning of friendship and can erode the intimacy in relationships.
"It's one thing to send an e-vite to a cocktail party," says the Lifestyle Photographer of the Year. "But do you really want your holiday message posted on a Facebook wall or dumped into someone's junk folder? And is that the way you tell someone you care? This is a time of year when you want something beautiful and tangible, something that people will treasure� and look at a decade later."
The ideal time to begin the process is in late summer and early fall. Not only does this leave ample time for enhancing, retouching and design, but as any photographer will tell you, it's unquestionably the best time of year to shoot. The sun sets later, people look healthier, kids haven't started feeling the weight of the new school year, the light is warm and inviting-all make for a fantastic, finished product.
Holiday cards convey a message of happiness and health at a time when family is foremost in our thoughts. An e-card may live forever in cyberspace but, by the same token, it is also ephemeral. An artfully shot and individually designed card offers permanence. And as more and more people are discovering in the age of Facebook, that's well worth the time, effort and thought.
To see examples of work visit www.suebarrphoto.com or download http://tiny.cc/Holiday_Samples
Sue Barr www.suebarrphoto.com was honored as the Lifestyle Photographer of the Year by American Photographic Artists www.apanational.com in 2008. Raising Your Toddler (2009, Globe Pequot Press) features more than 350 of her images of children and families.
