Smile!

Ward Photographer - that is my new calling. I didn't know that was a calling until they asked me to do it! I laughed (maybe outloud) as I said yes - my photography skills are not so good...but luckily I only have to take pictures of couples in the ward to post on the ward website. Those are simple and clear responsibilities - easy. I even have help from the ward webmaster. Ha! I have learned after two weeks that people DO NOT want to have their pictures taken for the ward website. My attempts so far:

• Announcement from the bishopric at the beginning of sacrament meeting, instructing people to go to the foyer before Sunday School and have their picture taken....result - one couple on my side, one on my partner's side. I had to accost the couple.
• Phone calls to 10 families on Saturday inviting them specifically to be photographed during Sunday School the next day - left seven messages and got three definite "yes I will be there." We got those three "yeses" and one or two more random couples that I had to accost in the hallway.
• Resorted to interrupting Primary and Sunday School lessons to take pictures of the teachers (our ward calls couples to teach all of the classes). We got the most pictures from this method but I managed to totally offend a lady in the ward. I walked in the room and saw a man and woman teaching the class and thought "they totally don't look like a couple." (in order to protect their identities I will not describe them but I will just say that they are an odd couple). So I said something stupid (I don't remember my exact words) but the message was "you don't look like a couple." If I had thought for about 2 more seconds I would have realized that of course they are a couple or they wouldn't be teaching together. Duh. Well, the look on the woman's face was not very happy - she looked pretty ticked off - must be a sensitive topic for her. :( I was feeling pretty stupid at this point but luckily her husband had a better sense of humor about the whole thing - he kept cracking jokes about it and laughing it off. When I finally got around to stating my purpose for interrupting their class, the woman flat out refused to have her picture taken! I told her I wasn't going to force her but the bishopric would really like to have pictures of all of the ward members. "Well, the bishopric already knows who we are!" She sounded so irritated. OOO Kaay. I didn't really know what to say and so I tried to leave as graciously as possible - complementing their class on their good behavior, etc. Sooo embarrassing! I felt awful for offending her and a little irritated that she wouldn't let me take their picture!

So, I am a little discouraged with the lack of progress I am making on my assignment. If anyone has a suggestion for a better method, I would love to hear it! If your ward has a photographer, support them and go get your picture taken! It isn't hard - all you have to do is smile!!