Merry Christmas!

An inside look at an ec cover shoot

This month, we thought it would be fun to show our readers a little bit about what happened behind the scenes at the December 2010 ec photo shoot.

Before the shoot:
Last summer, the ec team had a meeting to flesh out the December issue. Our editor Mandy led us in a discussion to decide what kinds of stories we'd put in the issue, and where. We also decided which story would be the lead (and therefore tie in with the cover). Mandy ordered the story from one of our writers, and I went to work on the image with ec's cover photographer, Scott.

A few weeks before the shoot, we chose a model from a local modeling agency. We picked out a couple of model choices from comp cards. A comp card is more or less a postcard with photos of the model in different setups so we get an idea of how he looks on camera. We like to pick teens that look all-American for ec covers, and we chose Dylan as our December model. We also chose a date for the shoot, and hired Christin to do makeup and hair.

Next, we started discussing concepts. We thought it would be great fun this time if we made a set look like the sky with a lot of fake snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, so Photographer Scott and I piled into the car and went searching for snowflake ornaments—in August. That's harder than you might think! Most stores don't sell Christmas items till September. We ended up at Hobby Lobby, where they had a massive collection of snowflake ornaments in every size, color, and shape:



and Photographer Scott went to work in his photo studio painting a wall blue and hanging dozens of ornaments on fishing wire, then suspending them from light stands all over the room. (Photographer Scott does a tremendous amount of work on these photo shoots besides painting and making things with fishing wire. He also decides on lighting, sets up the studio, comes up with ideas, and solves a lot of problems before the shoot ever even starts...and then he takes all the pictures.)



The day before the shoot, we did a walk-through, which is where I go to the studio, we shoot some test shots to see how the lighting and set work. This helps us get a better idea of whether or not our idea is going to work, what we might need to change, and what we can expect once the shoot starts.

At the photo shoot:
A photo shoot is a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work. And for everyone else working on the shoot—models, assistants, the model's mom, the makeup artist—it's also a lot of waiting.

When everyone arrives, we have some introductions, and then the team makes wardrobe decisions. For this cover we chose a brown sweater from Urban Outfitters with a red t-shirt to add a little bit more color, along with a couple other wardrobe setups that ended up not looking quite as good.

Next, the model gets makeup. Even the boys. Everybody needs makeup at a photo shoot. The reason for this is to smooth out the model's skin and add some opacity to it so it can reflect light evenly. Most of our models also get a haircut or some hair styling done. Once makeup and hair are done and the model is in the first outfit, we can start.

Start means taking a couple of shots to check the makeup. The makeup artist needs to see the makeup in action to make sure it's even and does what she wants it to do. And we need to see the model in the set to make sure everything looks the way we thought it would. And now that we've prepared and checked and tested and made up, it's time to shoot. Here's what the makeup test looks like:



We shoot lots and lots of pictures. For this shoot, we shot 400 pictures just for the cover. Out of the 400, we got about 10 potential covers, we got a lot where the wardrobe or framing didn't work, and we got a few like this:



Because even models close their eyes in pictures sometimes.

From the 10, we narrowed it down to one. We liked the action the snowball added, but felt like we could use a different crop and a few more snowflakes in the picture:





When I started comping up the cover, I ran into a little problem:



Which we fixed with super-secret spy technology a little Photoshop work:



And that, my friends, is how the December cover came to be. :)

Christmas Gift Guide

It’s Christmas time, which means you’re probably starting to think about Christmas presents. In this month’s issue, we featured an article on pages 56-58 on how to give thoughtful gifts. Below, we've elaborated on some more ideas for gifts that will make the people you care about know how important they are to you:

PARENTS:
1. What do they like to do?
Consider a gift that will help them do that activity. Does your dad play tennis? Have his racquet restrung and arrange a time when you two can head to the court together. Does your mom like to cook but ends up wearing some of what she’s making? Consider getting her a new apron and a standing offer from you to clean up the kitchen when she’s finished.

2. What do they need?
Does your mom work in a drab cubicle? Paint her a picture or frame a photo of your family to brighten up her office. Maybe your Dad hasn’t bought a new swimsuit in 10 years. Update his summer wardrobe this winter with a new pair of swim trunks.

3. What do they want?
Does your mom dream of traveling to Italy? Buy her a trip planner for the cities she’s interested in so she can start thinking about what she’d like to do when she eventually gets there. Is your Dad looking for a job? Resume’ paper and envelopes, a roll of stamps, and a new tie could be the encouragement he needs to keep up the search. If you’re trying to help a parent fulfill a big dream, talk to your brothers, sisters, and even extended family to get in on helping you with the details and cost.

4. Do they have a funny habit or preference?
If your Mom is always spouting off bits of wisdom or funny phrases, keep track of these. Write them down and record why you appreciate those sayings and how they’ve helped you. Hearing that her words are making an impact on you will make more of an impact on her than you’ll realize.

5. How can you make their lives easier?
Does your mom stress about what to cook for dinner all the time? Buy her a membership to an online coupon and meal-planning service, like e-mealz.com.

SIBLINGS:
1. What are their interests?
If your sister has an affinity for the gelato at a certain store, get her a gift certificate and a T-shirt with the store’s logo on it. If your brother likes a certain sport, see if there’s a magazine about it and buy him a subscription.

2. Where do they spend most of their time?
If an older brother’s girlfriend lives 20 minutes away, buy him a gas gift card so he can save on the cost of driving to see her. If your sister is always in her room painting or drawing, then buy her some new art supplies that she wouldn’t buy for herself and an iTunes gift card so she can create the mood she wants while she paints.

3. Why are you grateful for them?
If your sister always helps you pick out what to wear, then take her shopping, let her pick out several things she likes, and buy one of those items without her knowing. If your brother keeps the family entertained with his funny stories, write them down, type them up, and bind them into a book. You’ll be able to present him with a gift of his own words so that he can remember how funny his family thinks he is.

4. What are some of your favorite memories that include them?
Think back to funny old home videos. Can you recreate those moments for your sibling? Or maybe you could unearth a funny picture from when you were younger and frame it for your sibling.


SIGNIFICANT OTHERS
1. What do you like about that person?
If you really appreciate your significant other’s ability to make you laugh, then consider giving him or her a DVD of a favorite comedian. If you like the notes he or she writes you, order some personalized stationery or note cards for him or her.

2. What does he or she like to do?
Think about your boyfriend or girlfriend’s favorite activity. Is his gear or supplies for that activity worn out? If so, replace some of it. If you’re into some sport or hobby that your significant other knows nothing about, give him or her your time and instruction so that it might become something you two enjoy doing together. (But make sure that it’s a fun time of instruction, not a stressful one!)

3. Where do you two spend most of your time?
If you go to the movies a lot, consider purchasing your significant other a subscription to Entertainment Weekly or other similar magazine so that he or she can get reviews of the movies you might watch. If you spend a lot of time outside doing outdoorsy stuff, buy him or her a new stainless steel water bottle and include a pocketknife or other helpful tool.

FRIENDS
1. What do you two have in common? Is there a gift idea lurking there?
Maybe you both like a certain band. See if the band will be coming anywhere near where you live and plan a trip to the concert for you both (and a parent).

2. How long have you been friends?
You could document the time line of your friendship with a collage or photo progression of your friendship.

3. Why are you thankful to have this person in your life?
Consider all the ways that this person has helped you. A symbolic gift, like an umbrella, might help you convey how this friend has shielded you from bad stuff (rumors, gossip, family troubles). Or if your friend is the type of person who is always honest with you, then you might consider giving him or her a journal to encourage your friend to record his or her honest thoughts.

4. What can you see this person doing with his or her life in the future?
If your friend likes history, buy him the biography of a historical figure he likes. If she wants to be a doctor, buy her a pair of scrub pants.


The ideas are endless, but we hope this post got you thinking and will lead to some sweet satisfaction for you as your family and friends delightedly open their gifts from you.

Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Did you miss "Snippets and Soundbites" last week when the ec team (and we hope, you!) were all celebrating the holiday with our friends and family?

We hope so!

And we hope this week's stories get your first weekend in December off to a good start. Here we go!

Where the books are. 

Regina M. Smith loves to read, but she's currently without a job, so buying books isn't really in the budget. But that's not really a problem when her local Anniston, Ala., library is full of books she can check out for free with a library card. Which she has. But instead, the 42-year-old woman was arrested this week for stealing books from the library. Police say Smith had taken 222 books valued at $5,432 over the past couple of years. Her top picks? Crime novels, mysteries and vampire stories. A police investigator said the woman had a valid library card, but sneaked the books out and kept them rather than using it to check them out. To learn more, go here.


There's an app for that.
iPhones have definitely revolutionized the way we use our cell phones, with apps, games, and any number of special function. But a California man is taking his love for the iPhone and its applications a step further: he credits an app for helping him to save a player's life. Eric Cooper, a basketball coach, had downloaded an app called Phone Aid and studied CPR the night before his teen's basketball game. One of his players, Xavier Jones, stumbled, stopped, and collapsed during the game on the day before Thanksgiving. Seeing that Jones wasn't breathing, Cooper and his assistant coach delivered CPR and got the teen breathing again. Jones heart had also apparently stopped. He was later diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a sometimes-deadly thickening of the heart that impedes blood flow. To learn more, go here.

It's a tough economy.
Things have been a little tight financially lately, but Iowa's prison system is finding an interesting way to cut down on costs. Their inmates could soon be manufacturing the toilet paper that will be used in the prisons. Inmates at two prisons are testing a single-ply toilet paper processed at a Missouri prison. Officials say the Iowa inmates could start processing their own toilet paper next year if the state legislature supports the idea. Iowa prisons use about 900,000 rolls of toilet paper a year. Officials estimate that processing it in-house would save about $100,000 a year. It would also create jobs for the inmates. To learn more, go here. 

December Daily Bible Readings

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And what better way to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth than by digging into the Book that tells the story of His love? Here are your daily Bible readings for this month:

Wednesday, December 1: Daniel 4; 2 Peter 1
Thursday, December 2: Daniel 5; 2 Peter 2
Friday, December 3: Daniel 6–7; 2 Peter 3
Saturday, December 4: Daniel 8; 1 John 1

Sunday, December 5: Daniel 9–10; 1 John 2
Monday, December 6: Daniel 11–12; 1 John 3
Tuesday, December 7: Hosea 1–3; 1 John 4
Wednesday, December 8: Hosea 4–5; 1 John 5
Thursday, December 9: Hosea 6–7; 2 John
Friday, December 10: Hosea 8–10; 3 John
Saturday, December 11: Hosea 11–12; Jude

Sunday, December 12: Hosea 13–14; Revelation 1
Monday, December 13: Joel 1–3; Revelation 2
Tuesday, December 14: Amos 1–2; Revelation 3
Wednesday, December 15: Amos 3–5; Revelation 4
Thursday, December 16: Amos 6–7; Revelation 5
Friday, December 17: Amos 8–9; Revelation 6
Saturday, December 18: Obadiah; Revelation 7

Sunday, December 19: Jonah 1–4; Revelation 8
Monday, December 20: Micah 1–3; Revelation 9
Tuesday, December 21: Micah 4–5; Revelation 10
Wednesday, December 22: Micah 6–7; Revelation 11
Thursday, December 23: Nahum 1–3; Revelation 12
Friday, December 24: Habakkuk 1–3; Revelation 13
Saturday, December 25: Zephaniah 1–3; Revelation 14

Sunday, December 26: Haggai 1–2; Revelation 15
Monday, December 27: Zechariah 1–3; Revelation 16
Tuesday, December 28: Zechariah 4–6; Revelation 17
Wednesday, December 29: Zechariah 7–9; Revelation 18
Thursday, December 30: Zechariah 10–12; Revelation 19
Friday, December 31: Zechariah 13–14; Revelation 20
Saturday, January 1: Malachi 1–4; Revelation 21–22

Christmas in your heart

A wise friend of my family once told my mom that it was good to keep a little bit of Christmas out all year to remind ourselves of what God had done. When I moved into my own place, I kept the tradition alive, placing a tiny pewter Nativity scene on a shelf in my hallway. It’s a simple Nativity scene, just Mary, Joseph, the Baby Jesus, along with a cow and a donkey. Mary looks simultaneously surprised and serene; Joseph seems a little shell-shocked; Jesus looks like any ordinary baby—and the donkey and cow just seem to be there to add a little context.

I keep that Nativity scene out all through the year because my friend’s advice was good. I need to remember the message of Christmas all year round. There are moments when I need to be reminded that Jesus walked this earth just like me and knew the joys and sorrows of life. There have been seasons in my life when I’ve become consumed by the good works of faith, so much so that it would have been easy to forget that salvation itself is a gift.

Salvation is a gift we can’t earn, no matter how hard we try. Even as believers, it’s sometimes easier to think that we have to somehow do good things to become worthy of that salvation. Sometimes, God’s free gift of salvation to all who believe just seems too good to be true.

But the fact is, all those years ago in Bethlehem, we got our first glimpse of the plan of salvation that God had put into motion before the foundations of the earth. He knew our deepest need, and He gave His only Son so that we might have a right relationship with Him.

This Christmas, we don’t want you to get so caught up in the trees, the lights, and the tinsel that you miss out on what God has done for you. We want you to hear and understand the gospel message that God loves you, and He sent His Son to live, die, and rise again so that He might have a relationship with you. That’s the topic of Carol Sallee’s cover story, “The gift that can’t be earned,” on page 26 and the theme of many of this month’s devotions. It’s the reason we asked Sam O’Neal to talk to you about how to make Christmas meaningful (p. 16) and enlisted Erin Davis to answer the tough question of why we need a Savior in the first place (p. 46). It’s the message we want your lives to proclaim and for you to share with others, which is why we included an article on witnessing (p. 60) and Adam Richards’ personal account of sharing Christ with a friend (p. 62).

Christmas isn’t just any holiday. It’s the time we set aside to ponder how much God loves us because of the extravagant nature of His gift: Jesus. Accept Him, love Him, follow Him, and let Christmas live in your heart all year round.