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.
In her blog myMOMtra Wendy documents her life as a working mom with two young sons, age five and two. She describes it as part of her ongoing process of self-discovery: "I'm who you think I am. Well, I've spent many years trying to be. This blog is another step in finding out who I think I am." Lucky for us, for in the process, we get to witness her joy in life and her adorable little boys.
Even though her mom was a college photography instructor when Wendy was in high school, Wendy didn't catch the photography bug at the time. After she got married eight years ago, though, she started to dabble with it and "once the kids came along, I was so hooked. With these great subjects, it's hard to not keep shooting."
Wendy recalls having both an instant camera and a disc camera when she was a child, but says that digital is what made photography come alive for her: "Digital is right up my alley. It has interested me so much that I finally organized 1200+ slides I found from my childhood and earlier, and had them all cleaned and digitized. It was a fantastic experience. I can't wait to do it again with other media like film reels."
She's currently using a point and shoot that offers both manual and automatic modes as well as video, and hopes to get a digital SLR someday. Her favorite thing about her current camera is that it is small and fits easily in her purse: "I've always got it with me and I love being able to capture the moment at a whim."
One of her favorite photographic memories is a picture of herself in the courtyard of the house she grew up in: "I've got two crooked pigtails and I'm writing thank you notes from one of my birthday parties. I must be about eight or nine and I'm working so hard that my tongue is curled up and over my top lip. My mom took it and I've actually captured a similar one of my older son. I love having that opportunity to bridge the generations."
One of her favorite photos that she took herself is a picture of her older son in the mountains of Colorado walking along a dirt road shortly after he had learned to walk: "I love the colors, the spatial awareness and the way it makes me feel watching him forge his way on life's journey. Corny but true."
Another favorite is a photo of her younger son that recently won a 4th of July photo contest.
She says her older son loves to take pictures, and recently even asked her to take his picture, a true full circle moment. Her younger son really likes to pose for pictures, and immediately wants to see the result in the display screen.
Wendy feels that both posed and candid pictures have their place, although admits that candids are usually her favorites: "I love to capture the essence and feeling of a moment. Posed will never give you that. Posed are wonderful for remembering an event or documentation, but candids will give you truth! "
For example, in one of her favorite pictures of her older son when he was a baby, he is swinging at the park: "He has the biggest smile and an infectious laugh. I swear you can hear him when you see the picture. My husband's hand, from nowhere, is pushing him. Something about it is showing comfort and fun, and captures what I think childhood should be."
In the past, Wendy has used online services to create photo books. She's looking forward to using the HP Photo Books to make her own creations: "The theme possibilities are endless… kids, family, events, work, gifts, etc."
Print or Share online?
"I used to print all my pictures. Now I share digitally on my personal blog and my SmugMug page. I did put all the worthy pictures from each of my son's "first year" in a specially monogrammed album, but I recently installed a 19 inch digital photo frame in my kitchen so I no longer have to select just a few favorites for frames."
Photos by Wendy, myMOMtra Interview by Susan Getgood
Printable version
In her blog 
Wendy recalls having both an instant camera and a disc camera when she was a child, but says that digital is what made photography come alive for her: 
She says her older son loves to take pictures, and recently even asked her to take his picture, a true full circle moment. Her younger son really likes to pose for pictures, and immediately wants to see the result in the display screen.