iMovie

I made an iMovie tonight. An iMovie that has captured all of the highlights of our daughter's third birthday. I used my new blip camera for the still photos and my husband used our little hand held video camera. We traded cameras here and there to balance the photos and my sister did an awesome job of taking video for us too. I have to say that I've gotten pretty good at taking well balanced photos at various events. I try to include all of the guests. Some are pose photos but most are spontaneous. I like to keep the video clips fairly short but very sweet so that when I combine the video/stills in a movie, everything flows nicely. I have such a huge interest in this. Making movies, taking video, obviously photographing special moments......it's such a life long passion of mine.

I must of watched the iMovie five times tonight. I am a perfectionist when it comes to things like this so every time I saw a red eye or noticed a spot where the movie didn't flow right, I had to make the change. And every time I made a change, I felt like I needed to watch it again to make sure that my changes didn't interfere with the music that I chose for the movie. And the music has got to be just right for the occasion. Each time I watched it, I found myself smiling and laughing at the same places and reliving the excitement of the day. If I can gift my children with anything, it will be recordings of special moments from their childhood. I want them to see how deeply they have affected our lives. How much we adore them. How they are our entire world. I want them to see how they have always been showered with love, hugs and attention from our friends and family. I know that they will have those memories in their hearts and their minds, but to see it will be a powerful thing for them. My parents gifted my sister and I with home videos from when we were children and they are sacred to me. Absolutely sacred.

And I'm blessed to have my Mac because it is a tool that has been crucial in organizing and presenting my photography and of course, in allowing me to make iMovies. I have made two full movies thus far. My husband wants to learn how to make them as well. And as soon as he is willing to sit down for two seconds one of these days, I will walk him through it! :) We will be with many of the same people who were at the birthday party over Thanksgiving so I want to gather everyone so that we can all watch it together. Memories, making memories.....