a peek inside the fishbowl

Did you do the Canada Fitness thing when you were in elementary school? I think it might have been part of the government-funded ParticipACTION program in the 1970s. It took place in school, during the school day. I had mixed feelings about torture that masqueraded as “physical fitness.” On one hand it was a free day off school, BUT it wasn’t exactly a welcome break for those of us who weren’t inclined in this way. Did this a well-meaning social experiment really motivate us to stay fit? Hmmm. I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Canada Fitness was an annual event that pit kid against kid in a series of grueling Olympic-style events in order to stem society’s concerns about “TV legs.” We participated dutifully for the promise of an iron-on patch (bronze, silver, gold) or a place of honour among our peers with an “award of excellence.” Year-to-year I averaged a silver. One year I got a gold. My mother used it as a coaster for her ash tray. [OMG – pictured here! … the patches, not the ASH TRAY you sillies.]

Canada Fitness events included the long jump, triple jump, speed sit ups, the 50m dash, the endurance run (much hated by me) and the flexed arm hang – the domain of the small and wiry (again, not me).

Ah, the flexed arm hang. I hated this one almost as much as the endurance run. You had to hold on to a monkey bar as long as you possibly could, chin above or level with the bar at all times. My god did it ever kill. The. Seconds. Ticked. By. Ever. So. Slowly. When you finally decided that your arms couldn’t take it anymore you’d plunk down to the mat, jiggly and weak, with about five minutes to recuperate before you had to go on to do your push ups.

Well, that exact feeling of nausea and shoulder pain came back to me the other day as I was carried a load of purchases to my car across the Ikea parking lot. It was total and complete deja vu. The sinews connecting my arms to my shoulders were screaming in pain just like they did back then in second grade. But this time it was self-imposed.

More tomorrow.

It started with the neck. I tipped my head backwards on a kiddie ride and hurt it.

Then, I got a cold.

NOW I have pinkeye (in both eyes), a cough that would wake the dead, a stuffy nose, and my body is purging itself of mucous that’s a shade of green I don’t want to even think about, much less write about.

I am tired. My brain isn’t working. And I’ve pretty much lost my voice.

I must be cursed.

I love back-to-school photos, don’t you? There’s just something about them that is sweet and genuine and true. There’s that buzz in the air, the kids are excited, the parents are excited … and to be able to get that on film is truly a wonderful thing.

I know, I know. You want to know more about this contest thing. First, some backstory:

I got a note in my Inbox from HP Canada. HP, along with Toronto-based professional photographer (and mom) Wendy Rombough, has developed a set of tips for your back-to-school photos. I thought they were pretty good. And considering this fits my quest (you didn’t know I had a quest, did you?) to encourage good photography everywhere, fellow photographin’ mammas make note:

• Use the light: Turn off your flash whenever possible and work with the existing light.  Your images will be more meaningful when the light is natural, and your children will be more relaxed without the flash going off.

• Zoom with your body: Don’t just rely on your zoom camera features. You can move yourself around and closer, much faster. Get close and capture special moments, such as when your kids reunite with last year’s friends on the first day of school. 

> I’m adding something here: Before you snap that photo take a moment to do a quick in-camera check: have you filled the frame? Is there anything weird in the background? Are buttons buttoned and zippers zipped?

• Measure the years: Pick a special place at home or at school and photograph your child in the same spot every year to show how much they are growing.

• Think symbolic: For a young child, this might mean photographing them walking away from you with a huge backpack trailing behind them, or carrying a favourite book 

• Don’t forget your almost-grown kids: Teens can be hard to photograph but try candid moments, such as your son saying goodbye to his dog before leaving for the first year of university.

• Go on location: Environment photos can bring back all kinds of memories so try taking pictures of the school, playground, or a university student’s new room in residence.

Memorize those tips, and get snappin’, because you have a chance to win an HP Photosmart C5280 (and ink AND some photo paper!) courtesy of HP Canada. Thanks HP! (Prize details at the bottom of this post.*)

Here’s how you can win:

-This is a “back-to-school” photo contest, so the subject of your photo should be of your school-age child going back to school or starting school for the first time. Boarding the bus, walking to school, waving goodbye – the setting and set-up is up to you – and remember those tips!

– Here’s the tough part. You’ll be taking miles of photos (in fact, school may have already started for some of you), but we’re asking you to post your BEST (a maximum of three) photos to Flickr. Make sure each photo is tagged “fishbowlbacktoschool.” That way it will come up in a group search and we can admire them all as a group. (Not sure what this means? Just ask. Or email me the photos and I can post them on your behalf)

– The best photo (as determined by our panel of judges) will win the prize.* 

– Whether you’ve entered or not, don’t be shy about telling us which are your faves.  Which is the best photo? Who do you think deserves to win? Give us your two cents in the comments below. We’ll read them all.

– Deadline for entry is midnight, September 10th 2007. Anything posted after that will not be considered.

– This contest is open to folks in Canada and the continental US only.

* So here’s how HP described the prize to me:

Ideal for school projects and printing photos, the HP Photosmart C5280 All-in-One Printer, Scanner and Copier, provides reliable, worry-free home printing.  It’s also easy to save, share and print photos … simply insert a memory card then view on a 2.4-inch image display, all without a PC.
 
Print essays and projects, make high-quality colour and black-and-white copies, and even print directly onto CDs and DVDs.  With one-touch red-eye removal and HP Photo Essential Software that allows you to edit, print and share photos, it is easier than ever to personalize and print your photos. And, with HP Vivera Inks, your photos will always be rich and vibrant in colour.
 
Win an HP Photosmart C5280 All-in-One along with HP Vivera ink and Advanced Photo Paper and the creative possibilities are endless. Total value: approximately $235.  Learn more about HP printers and inks at www.hp.ca.

So there it is folks! Happy snapping. And good luck!

[contest updates – if any – will be add at the bottom of this post]