Celebrate Mother's Day with Great Photo Gifts from Snapfish

As you’re gearing up for Mother’s Day on May 8 and searching for the perfect keepsake for yourself or your readers, I wanted to provide you with a few gift recommendations from HP and Snapfish that we think moms will love! These include:

Available from Snapfish.com

• Photo books – Honor mom by capturing her favorite moments in a personalized photo book. You can even archive her favorite family recipes! Snapfish offers photo books with many creative layouts and a range of sizes including 8x11, 8x8, 5x7 and even 4x6 flip books, great for all occasions.Leather bracelet with photo charm – Put mom’s favorite picture on a bracelet so she can wear it every day.
• Sterling silver swinging locket – Looking for a gift she’ll cherish forever? Snapfish’s new sterling silver necklace with swinging locket allows you to display mom’s favorite photo in a locket that is sealed in a waterproof, UV-resistant coating to protect the image. Sent in a gift box, Snapfish does the wrapping for you.
• Keepsake Box – Perfect for keeping all her prized possessions in one place, this beautiful keepsake box is made of dark-stained wood and features one glossy photo tile, measuring 5" X 2¼" deep.
• Hardcover Journal – Inspire mom by helping her record her special day and year with a personalized journal by Paper Coterie. The journal features a photo and several custom designs she’ll flip for.
• Photo greeting card – Who doesn’t love a thoughtful greeting card? But why settle for one you can buy anywhere?  Instead, show your appreciation for mom by sending her a personalized photo greeting card on her special day. Snapfish offers a myriad of selections with more than 3,000 designs. You can even create a recordable greeting card to show mom how much you care, whether she’s close or far.
  
  Available at your local Walmart:
  
• Photo books– Looking for a thoughtful gift that’s easy on your wallet and your busy life?  You can create and purchase a treasured keepsake while catching up on errands at your local Walmart.  HP and Walmart offers instant Photo Books in sizes ranging from 4x6 to 12x12 (product availability varies by store). Even better, Walmart is offering a price rollback now through June 30^th for great gifts at significant savings.
• Photo greeting card – Waited until the last minute to get Mom a card, but don’t want to settle for the picked-over selection at the store?  Create a custom photo greeting card in-store at Walmart and watch Mom smile as she opens it. 

My Take on Snapfish and Their Services

I had the opportunity to try out Snapfish and their services and I was amazed at the breadth and depth of their products. From the pendant listed above to a myriad of different photo books, you can make almost any memento that you can think of. I played around with the site and was intrigued to find how easy the site was to use. In seconds you can upload pictures and start making a photo book or special mothers day card or other unique gift. The sky is the limit! For me, I used a giftcard that I received to make a photo book that I think someone will definitely like (I'm not saying whom for wandering eyes may be watching). 

So if you have a special mom in your life that you are looking for a wonderful unique gift, look no further than snapfish.com where you can let your creativity soar and you can make purely spectacular things!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

   

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Gazillion Bubbles Photo Contest

I know that for many people across the country are not quite having spring weather yet (I just look out at the frozen tundra that is Michigan to know that), but out in Los Angeles, CA where Gazillions is headquartered they have already kicked off the spring season with their third annual "Ultimate Gazillion Bubbles Photo Contest"! 

The contest is currently running until July 22, 2011. The Grand Prize winner will receive a $1,000 Toys 'R Us Gift Card along with a "summer fun package" of Gazillion products valued at approximately $100! We will be giving away monthly prizes of $250 gift cards and bubble prizes too!

Please visit www.funrise.com/photocontest for more information. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but yours can actually be worth $1,000!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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Disney Junior and Disney Family.com are inviting families to “Be Part of the Magic” of Disney Junior

To celebrate the upcoming launch of Disney Junior on Monday, February 14, parents nationwide are invited to enter a favorite photo of their child into the “Be Part of the Magic” contest.   Six families will truly “be part of the magic” when their child’s picture is featured on-air during the premiere week of the newly branded Disney Junior programming block on Disney Channel. 

Entries will be voted upon by the public, with the six children (3 boys and 3 girls) ages 2-7 who receive the most votes being selected as the winners.  In addition to the initial six winners, Disney Channel may select other photos of children entered into the contest to be featured in an on-air promotion. Entries will be accepted from now until January 23.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
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Between Pageantry and Poverty: Representing Ourselves

(source)

"It often seems as if America has only two frames through which to view its Native culture: ceremony and pageantry or poverty and addiction."

The New York Times has an incredible slide show on the web of photographs by Adam Sings In The Timber, a member of the Crow Nation in Montana. The above quote is so powerful and so true, and Adam says that his work seeks to fill in the space between the extremes, to show that the members of his Nation are so much more than the stereotypes that abound. He says,

“The rhythm of life on the reservation isn’t that much different from the rest of the country, just on a smaller scale.We have those who live in poverty and those who are upper middle class. The real difference is that we also have our identities as Crows. Those identities stem from our tribe’s culture, language and history.”

The article points out that people just want to see dramatic images, not the "common bonds of normalcy." Sings In The Timber does an amazing job at striking the balance. Here are some of the images, definitely check out the whole slide show here, and his website here.

(all images (c) Adam Sings In The Timber and can be found here)

I actually really struggled with putting up my post on Thursday about the sexualization of Native women, with the heartbreaking statistics and the film from Current TV. I struggled, because clearly those issues are so incredibly important and need to be brought to the forefront, but at the same time, it continues the process of otherization and helplessness that are so often associated with images of Indigenous Peoples from around the world and in the US.

I worry about feeding those stereotypes and creating a cycle that has been discussed at length by scholars studying the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa--how powerful images of suffering meant to stir viewers to action actually create the opposite affect:

[This type of photography] hinges on the assumption that images of suffering can invoke compassion in viewers, and that this compassion can become a catalyst for positive change. By examining a widely circulated iconic photograph of a Ugandan woman and her child affected by AIDS-related illnesses, we show that such representations can nevertheless feed into stereotypical portrayals of African people as nameless and passive victims, removed from the everyday realities of the western world.

That quote comes from a great academic article called "Representing HIV/AIDS in Africa: Pluralist Photography and Local Empowerment" by Amy Kay. Her solution to the representation issues? Put the cameras in the hands of the local people and create a more nuanced dialog--exactly what Adam Sings In the Timber is doing with his work.

So this is me attempting to bring a balanced portrayal to the table--our tribes and communities are not all about powwow feathers and beads, nor are we completely and totally consumed by poverty, abuse, and addiction. There is truth at both ends of the spectrum, but there is a whole lot in between.  



NYtimes--Familial Bonds Among the Crow: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/showcase-174/

Adam Sings In The Timber's webpage: http://www.singsinthetimber.com/index.html

"Representing HIV/AIDS in Africa: Pluralist Photography and Local Empowerment": http://www.ericgottesman.net/isqarticle.pdf

Earlier:

Nudie Neon Indians and the Sexualization of Native Women: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/2010/06/nudie-neon-indian-stage-crashers-and.html

(Thanks so much Katie!)

Eté Indien: French Glamour gets in on the tribal fashion trends

Fashion Foiegras posted a first look at French Glamour's new spread on American Indian fashion trends, with the caption: "American Indian is back in style! Rock the look with a first glimpse from French Glamour." But my first question: did we ever go out of style? ;)

A lot of the Navajo-style jewelry is gorgeous, but (even with my limited french skills) it doesn't look like they're Native made. sad.

After the jump, more images from the shoot. (all taken from www.fashionfoiegras.com)

Ete Indian: Fashion Foies Gras: http://www.fashionfoiegras.com/2010/03/american-indian-is-back-in-style-rock.htm

(Thanks to my fashionista friend Alicia!)

Ilka Hartmann Photography

I was pointed to this link via Julia on Twitter (thanks!), and I absolutely love Hartmann's images. She has a large collection of photos on her site, not just of Natives, but I think her most striking images are the ones of urban Indians and AIM leaders from the 1970's and early 80's. I also love that most of the images are from the Bay Area, the place that I called home for the last 6 years--though it does make me a little homesick.

After the jump, more photos and a short video of Hartmann talking about her exhibition in SF which included images from the Alcatraz occupation, AIM events, and the longest walk 1978 (I also included links at the bottom for more information about the history behind the images).





This is the video of Hartmann walking us through her photos, highlighting some of the major events in AIM history that she documented. It's actually really cool to hear her talk about the images, the context, and her relationships with the subjects, it makes them even more powerful.

More pictures:

 

Philipp Deere, Medicine Conference,
Intertribal Friendship House, Oakland, CA, 1979

 

Dance Class
Intertribal Friendship House, Oakland, CA

Baby Boy
Intertribal Friendship House, Oakland, CA

In addition to the urban Indian photos, I was drawn to the images from a sunrise ceremony on Alcatraz before the Longest Walk (more info on that here), because they remind me of the ceremony we attended every year on Alcatraz in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day. It adds a whole new layer of meaning and a stronger feeling of solidarity to the event.

What I like most is that the images offer counter-narratives to many of the commonly held stereotypes about Natives, and give some insight into the often forgotten community of urban Indians, as well as the often overlooked Indian involvement in the civil rights movement. With such simple photographs Hartmann manages to capture so much emotion and history. Her work is very refreshing after the hundreds of negative images and stereotypes we see everyday.  

Definitely go check out her site, and please note that all images I posted are (c) Ilka Hartmann and can be found at: http://www.ilkahartmann.com/

Ilka Hartmann Photography: http://www.ilkahartmann.com/

History of the AIM movement: http://www.aimovement.org/ggc/history.html

Alcatraz occupation information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_Alcatraz

(Thanks Julia!)