The sun on your face, the warm sand between your toes, the sound of waves lapping as you drift in and out of sleep...fewer moments conjure up such warm memories as those spent with friends and family at beach.

And like all unique environments, taking beautiful photos at the beach has its own set of rules and tricks. So before you take out your camera and start snapping away, take a few minutes to read some helpful tips here.

Here are some ideas/ traditions for your family this Thanksgiving holiday. 

Family traditions are the glue that bind one generation to another. They give children and parents something to look forward to, as well as something to count on during the hectic holiday seasons.  Make your own Thanksgiving family traditions ~ and share them with others.

♦Make a Blessing Basket

♦Tree of Thanks

♦Thanksgiving Notebook

♦Designate a particular tablecloth for your family Thanksgiving celebrations.

♦Show your gratitude to an unsung hero

♦Have children dress up as Pilgrims and Indians

Don't forget the story with the photos! What school supply did your child get most excited about? Why? Was your child nervous? Excited? Scared? What quotes can you collect from your child that morning?  What were your words of advice? Capture the whole story with each picture you take!

Waking up in the morning	School Clothes
New School Shoes	Getting Dressed
Brushing Hair	Eating Breakfast
Packing Lunch	Lunchbox
Backpack	School Supplies
Favorite New School Supply	Walking out the Door
Walking to school or school bus	The Kiss Goodbye
Friends at the Bus stop	Getting on the bus, bus leaving
Picture w/ Bus Driver	Bus number
Name Tag or Information Sheet	In front of school, school sign
At the Classroom Door	With the teacher
At their desk	Name on Desk
On the playground	Coming Home

Family Reunion Activity Ideas
By Darlene Cameron of Arizona

Here are 32 ideas that Darlene came up with as activities at your reunion:

Talent Show. By families, individuals or groups. Include songs, dance, poetry, skits. Either prepare ahead of time or improvise on the spot.

Campfire Singing. Family sing-a-long. Write an annual family song.

Spotlight. Spotlight a family member. Someone who has accomplished something special. For example, Grandma's 90th Birthday.

Recipe Book. Have families bring recipes on 3 by 5 cards and put together, making copies later, or sent ahead of time for books available at gathering.

Genealogy Walk. A few family members research lives of ancestors. Portray events in their lives in a play or skit.

Photo Ideas for a Reunion Book

What to include......

Capture the essence and excitement of the reunion by including these moments and items:

* Group Photos
* Individual Family Photos
* Oldest/Youngest Attendee
* Map of where everyone is from

More family reunion photo ideas ...

Preparing and Planning Your Photos for use in our Heritage Makers Publishing System

The rule of thumb is “great photos uploaded yields great photos printed”. The resolution of your photo is expressed in dpi (dots per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch) and represents the clarity of your photo. The dots/pixels hold the image information of your photo. The more dots/pixels per inch that you have the more precise the information is within the dot/pixel. For best results you want a photo that is 300dpi. The typical 4x6 photo is expressed as 1200x1800 in pixel size. I calculated that by multiplying 4x300 and 6x300.

Read the rest of the article ... includes information on digital camera settings, scanning your photos, settings for your scanner, how to achieve excellent print results from your photos and more!