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.
Kim,
known as Zoot
online, takes a wry look at life in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband, 12-year-old son, two-year-old daughter and
assorted pets. She also writes about television on pop culture blog
MamaPop.
Kim has been interested in photography as long as she can remember, but when she was younger she didn't have the
resources to explore her interest. "I remember seeing a picture my grandfather had taken --
I must have been 7 or 8 -- of a snow covered golf course and thinking, "I could do that." Finally, in the digital age,
I was able to buy higher end cameras. It is truly a love of mine, but I am such a novice."
Her first good camera was a digital point and shoot that allowed her to experiment but didn't need a lot of
knowledge to use. She now uses a high end "prosumer" digital SLR which she calls her most prized possession.
Her favorite moment on film is a series of pictures of her father when he was about five years old:
"He was the youngest of 10 and there aren't a lot of pictures of him growing up. But evidently
someone had a camera one day and took some pictures of him and his two sisters. It's the only glimpse of him as a child
I have seen. I do the opposite with my children."
Her favorite shot that she took is a recent series of photos of her mother-in-law, father-in-law and brother-in-law all
holding hands and jumping on a trampoline with her daughter. She says it's not something they would normally do,
"but for the two-year-old angel, they would do anything. I am glad she'll have that to smile at as
she grows up."
Kim likes a candid photo, with kids doing what they normally do but also looking at the camera. She especially loves how
the pictures she takes of her son and daughter together capture their unique and amazing relationship:
"There is one in particular I took of them reading each other's books in our front yard that was
both funny and sweet. I love photographing my kids."
Her son has started learning about photography and enters a lot of contests on Flickr. Kim says
"he has an incredible eye and doesn't seem to have the voice that says 'That won't look right.'"
To appreciate his work, start with this photo of a
spiral staircase
that won third prize in the under-13 age group in the "A Little Perspective" photo contest last summer.
Kim will be using her HP Photo Books as Christmas presents, but she was pretty clear that she'd have to make the books
for her family members rather than give them a blank one to use for their own photos:
"I'm the only one who ever prints pictures much less does anything with them. I even printed up my
in-laws vacation photos for them one year and made an album because it bothered me they hadn't done it!"
If she were making an HP Photo Book for herself, she would be likely to use it to document her family over time rather
than a single event: "I'm not one to do "occasion" albums because I feel it's too limiting. I like
to do "The last year" or "Our lives together" type of albums. I'm very much into documenting our lives in long glimpses
and not specific dates."
Print or Share online?
"Both. I am still one who buys photo albums regularly. I print digital photos monthly and send them to friends and family. As much as I love the digital age, I miss prints, so I use them often."
Printable version
Kim,
known as 
Her favorite moment on film is a series of pictures of her father when he was about five years old:
Her favorite shot that she took is a recent series of photos of her mother-in-law, father-in-law and brother-in-law all
holding hands and jumping on a trampoline with her daughter. She says it's not something they would normally do,