Rick painting the house, 2006.

Linda and Debbie and neighbor boy
at Christmas, 1953.

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Snapshots

Snapshots are a kind of picture that we see all the time. They are photographs taken by people who are not professional photographers, although they might be very good at taking pictures. Snapshots are usually informal. They show friends and family living their lives, often at special events like birthday parties or on a vacation. Snapshots are telling the story of a family, but usually snapshots are trying to tell the story of a happy family. Have you ever been told to smile for the camera? The only captions most snapshots have are a few words scrawled on the back. Before the 1960s, most snapshots were black and white. After that most snapshots have been in color.