As a child, the Arizona desert provided the rugged, blissfully quiet and expansive backdrop for many a sun-drenched day full of adventure, mischief and excitement when I played outdoors daily from dawn to dusk. I now have my own little girl, whose soul lights up every time we embark into the great wide open together — the fresh air and the anticipation of the unknown infusing her with the same unquenchable desire I had to explore every crevice of my small corner of the earth. While she won’t stay this age forever, or always exude the same undying curiosity and endless wonderment for all that nature has to offer, I can capture these beautiful memories in photos.
Having spent most of her childhood soaking up the lush, verdant landscape of Portland, OR, my daughter’s affinity for the outdoors, from the slithering worms and snails to the towering trees, fluttering butterflies and hovering eagles, is evident every time she lets go of my hand to boldly forge her own path into the unpredictable backdrop. Watching her walk ahead of me fills me at once with pride, joy, hope, and even a bit of melancholy at her burgeoning independence. Whenever I look at the photo above, I am reminded of these feelings.
I am forever taking snapshots of her solo strides into the scenery, which are so marked by the stoic, inherent wisdom that children and Mother Nature share. My favorite photos are the ones in which I capture her tiny little body blazing a trail beneath a canopy of larger than life trees that stand by as gentle guardians. My little soul mate. Taking the road less traveled, as I have done my whole life, will never be lonely again now that she’s just a few steps ahead of me.
Do you capture your favorite family memories through photography, too? If so, share them with us! We’re partnering with Federated Media to challenge you to send us your favorite photo memory showcasing a special family moment, and we’re especially interested in seeing how you’re sharing your love for green design with your little ones. We’ll pick our favorite photo based on creativity, image quality and its ability to tell your story and the winner will take home a fabulous $500 Best Buy gift card! It’s easy to enter, and just think about how nice it would be to have an extra $500 to spend on your friends and family this holiday season, or maybe just buy an iPad for yourself!
TO ENTER TO WIN A $500 BEST BUY CARD
1. Upload your favorite design photo(s) to Flickr.com and tag them #CapturedPhotoContest_Inhabitat.
2. Important note: Be sure to make your pics “public” so that we can see them.
3. Comment below with a link to your Flickr photo and a short description of what it is.
4. You may submit up to FIVE photos between now and December 24th. We’ll be judging them based on creativity, image quality and storytelling-through-photography. The contest ends on December 24th at 11:59PM EST and we’ll be contacting the winner through Flickr Mail around January 16, 2012.
TIPS on how to win:
- Pick creative, funny, thought-provoking photos that capture a favorite design memory
- You MUST include the hashtag #CapturedPhotoContest_Inhabitat
- Mark your photos “public” or else we can’t see them This Captured Series is brought to you by Best Buy. Get unbeatable prices on all digital cameras to capture your family memories this holiday season!












Here’s the link to my picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/72100517@N07/6512078411/
This was a very special day. I had just moved to Florida and took my niece and nephew to the beach after picking them up from school.
We usually go through life and don’t realize a special moment when it’s happening. I’m glad I noticed this one when it happened and I still realize how special it was.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photoskatelife/6468761741/ I was worried about taking my digital becasue of sand, so i instead used my film slr, easier to clean, less worry family on the beach, summer 2011
Photo link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaparral/4286629284/
My Grandpa had a reserve of (frozen) some sausage from the family farm, we cut it in half to share with someone on a forum I read whom asked for sausage. We might not have much ourselves but we always find a way to share. Compassion is our passion.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11435453@N00/5558427159/in/photostream/
On this camping trip to the john day wilderness, I witnessed the most amazing combinations of colors within nature. The Painted Hills became the inspiration for the palette that now covers the walls in my house. All the colors compliment that beautiful red hair on my little one too, which is an extra bonus.
Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/72123679@N02/sets/72157628425081169/detail/
We are lucky enough to live in beautiful Western Montana. Rather than spending thousands of dollars to fly to some ocean resort, we choose to explore the backroads of our state with our two kids – age 2 and 4 – to help them appreciate their local environment. This past summer we made the trek to the most Northwestern part of Montana, the Yak Wilderness. Beautiful rainforest ecosystem and complete solitude made for a great family camping vacation! This is a collection of 5 pics to tell our story.
Beautiful family vacation memories. I can’t wait to take my children to the beach every summer and see them play in the sand and water. I can’t think of anything better.
1 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/72234705@N03/6521939115/in/photostream/lightbox/
2 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/72234705@N03/6521939479/in/photostream/lightbox/
3 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/72234705@N03/6521939981/in/photostream/lightbox/
4 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/72234705@N03/6521942335/in/photostream/lightbox/
5 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/72234705@N03/6521940529/in/photostream/lightbox/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72393287@N05/6538153293/in/photostream
December 26, 2006, This is my son Logan only 6 days old meeting his Oma (German name from Grandma) for the first and only time. Oma was passing away from Cancer, she held on long enough to meet her first Grandchild, she passed away not long after this photo was taken. When my husband and I walked into her bedroom that night with our son Oma cried and said “I made it, I got to meet my Grandson!” This was the best Christmas present for all of us! This photos holds many memories for our family of that night and of our Brave and Beautiful Mother.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72393287@N05/6538153537/in/photostream
My son Logan was supposed to be playing Baseball with his team, but when he saw the field full of Dandelions he decided that he would rather make a thousand wishes.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72393287@N05/6538154201/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72393287@N05/6538154041/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72393287@N05/6538153779/in/photostream
Here’s my entry.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tubbytelly/sets/72157628529775683/show
Our first full year with our first child and what a year of memories! This summer we designed and built a deck using the most eco-friendly materials that we could find and hired carpenters who promised to have the least amount of waste left over. We celebrated our new deck at our son’s first birthday bash in our backyard (background in first photo). We do everything with green design in mind and plan to share that passion with our son as he grows (and with all of our friends as they come to enjoy backyard get-togethers!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72650905@N07/6557098535/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72650905@N07/6557099613/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72650905@N07/6557100979/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72650905@N07/6557100537/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72650905@N07/6557101455/in/photostream/
1. “Danville” I love this photo….the colors, the style…the day was just perfect…it is rare we get just to walk about. My son, 15 months old, was happy to just be walking and loving every second of stepping on as many leaves as possible. I loved this trip, i love this day. Nakiah CruZin…
& enjoying weather & colors he isn’t used to seeing everyday!
-what else could you ask for? Happy, Healthy and being in the fresh air……
2. “Encinitas” This was the day we returned back home to SD. A very different day, then the day before in Danville, The weather was warm and sunny…..We walked about with no jackets…it was the 3 of us…just enjoying the San Diego Weather
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72722417@N06/
My favorite photo today. I just realized after blow drying my sons hair, how long it is….whoa!
It was a giggle fest night…and i think he was feeling groovy..
“throwback”
Nakiah Cruzin.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72722417@N06/6561463477/