Photographic Memories

HP Photo Books are perfect for sharing memories. In these interviews, mom bloggers share their thoughts on photography and the photos that captured the special moments of their lives.

To read an interview, select the woman's blog:

Julie Marsh, mothergoosemouse

Julie Marsh is the embodiment of mompreneur. In addition to her personal blog mothergoosemouse, she is also an editor at boutique shopping site Cool Mom Picks, co-founded the Parent Bloggers Network, writes a political column at The Imperfect Parent and contributes to group blogs Mile High Mamas and The Soccer Mom Vote. When she's not blogging or taking care of her family, she makes hair clips and bows for girls, which she sells on etsy.com. Julie lives with her husband and children in the Denver, Colorado area.

Julie's aunt is an avid photographer. Julie recalls that though she often got tired of posing while her aunt checked all her settings, she also looked forward to seeing the prints. Her parents also took lots of pictures and home movies, including some incredible slides from their travels in India and Southeast Asia in the 1960s.

Her first camera was an instant camera that used flash bulbs. Now she uses a basic 4.0 megapixel point and shoot that she got just before a trip to Greece and Turkey in 2004.

Julie's favorite photographic memories are "photos that transport me back to the moment they were taken. That's the essence of a great photo for me. I also love photos where I've "gotten lucky" and captured a moment that I hadn't thought I'd caught."

She took one of her favorite pictures in Santorini, Greece, of the town of Oia: "It's an island cliffside of cave houses, and the ocean and sky blend together. Kyle [her husband] had it enlarged and framed, and it hangs above the landing on our stairway. Santorini is full of such beauty, natural and man-made, and I love that this photo captures both aspects."

Julie's favorite photos of her children are when she's caught them in action, but they are aware of her and give a big grin. And they love to see the pictures right away: "It never fails to crack me up that after I take a picture, they both come straight back to me and peer at the back of the camera to see the shot I've just taken. They'll never know the old days of waiting WEEKS to see pictures. They get instant gratification."

Julie occasionally lets her older daughter Tacy take a few pictures around the house with her camera. She is considering getting her a children's digital camera for Christmas and expanding her horizons to outdoor photography.

Julie was thinking about making an HP Photo Book for her husband. They just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary and she thought it would be neat to compile a book of highlights from the past ten years. "He actually loves pictures, unlike a lot of guys, and I think this is something he'd be thrilled to keep on his desk."

She thought her mother and mother-in-law would really enjoy Photo Books with pictures of their grandchildren, and was planning to make one for her third child, a boy due at the end of January "since he'll probably get the short end of the stick when it comes to timely baby book entries."

Do you print your photos on a regular basis or just share them digitally?
"I have envelopes and envelopes of photos that I haven't yet put into albums, in addition to years of photos that haven't even been named properly, let alone printed. I'm a huge fan of printed photos, but one of the drawbacks of digital photography is that I end up with more photos than I can physically store in albums."

Photos by Julie Marsh.
Interview by Susan Getgood