Monday, September 5, 2016

Making Memories

Fiona, 7, blows out her birthday cake candles with help from sister Isla, 3.
My memories are fading. Then again, I'm almost 70. Fading memories come with the territory. But I have noticed something. Memories that are attached to photographs, memories that have been etched and re-etched over the years by the repeated viewing of photographs, seem to be hanging in better than the many undocumented memories that once cluttered my brain.

A dog in fondant with edible-ink detailing.
Fiona turned seven this weekend. Grandma Judy made a special doggie cake on request of the little girl. The resulting cake was decorated with dogs made of fondant with detailing done with edible-ink markers.

Fiona might remember the cake. She might. But her sister Isla at three will surely forget. That would be sad as both the little girls had a hand in the decorating. They made the little coloured buttons decorating the cake. The buttons were Fiona's idea.

But I got some good pictures of both the cake and Fiona and Isla blowing out the candles. I backed up the event pictures with some shots of the cake itself. I took both overall shots and close-ups.

I will make sure I have prints made and I will make sure the kids have copies. Fifty years from today the prints may be faded but I think the memories will still be fresh thanks to my photographs.

Fiona wanted a puppy cake for her birthday. Grandma Judy delivered.

Note: No flash was used for any of the images. I only have a camera-mounted flash and I hate the light from  straight-on strobe. If I cannot bounce my flash, I go for available light. I moved the cake closer to a window before shooting. Moving the cake helped to ensure that the white icing reproduced close to white.