When I followed a link from EPUK to a page of the worst 53 family Christmas cards (French text), my first thought was of the image selected by David Cameron for his card this year. While I wouldn’t want for a moment to be rude to the photographer, who I’m sure didn’t take it to be used as a card, the image by Stefan Rousseau does seem a little close to those included in that list, most of which came from another site, BuzzFeed, in a feature The Most Awkward Family Holiday Photos, who credit most to the awkwardfamilyphotos site, which has quite a range.
Of the three main party leaders, the one who wins my vote for his card is definitely Nick Clegg, who used a drawing by his kids. Miliband’s family snap, again by Rousseau, is a nice happy family snap, though considerably dragged down by a border of Xmas clip art.
It’s a long time since I felt it appropriate to send out a family picture as a Christmas card, and the only time I can recall doing so, it was a very straightforward and old-fashioned group, more or less one that could have been made as a daguerreotype, and its circulation was restricted to other family members who might have had an interest in how the kids were growing up.
Photographer’s Christmas Cards, sent out mainly to other photographers and possibly clients, are a good opportunity to use your own work, though most of mine have not been even remotely Christmassy. I’ve kept quite a few that I’ve been sent over the years, and have often threatened to post a selection of them on the web.
This year I’m sending a postcard with a detail of one of the images in the Secret Gardens of St John’s Wood show which I just happen to have around. The full image would have been better, but has an aspect ratio that doesn’t fit a standard postcard well. Just so that no one feels left out if they don’t get a print copy, here is the full image now:
Garden in St John’s Wood, May 2011 (rt click and select ‘view image’ for larger)
Some years I have tried harder and found a suitable Christmas theme in an image. Here are some that I’ve used:
The Muriel Lesters protest at offices of bomb makers Lockheed, Dec 2008
Santas protest at Church of England and Dept of Education & Skills, Westminster, Dec 2005
Santa proposes to Santa, Trafalgar Square, Dec 2006
(I can’t remember now which of the dozen or so images I have that I used of the Santas engagement in Trafalgar Square. There is a different one in the 2006 book.)