{A Holiday PSA Every Photographer Needs to Read}

If you are a photographer READ THIS before you open even one Christmas gift! Especially if that gift is shaped like a Lens Box.....

Every year so many of us photographers get lenses as gifts from our loved ones.... If you are one these lucky photographers then I'm doing my happy dance for you. My husband has recently learned that any lens I want cost more than we agree to spend on each other for Christmas so I'm not expecting anything like that. (This doesn't stop me from making sure Mr. Professional Baby holder knows that I want a Canon 70-200 IS) I know he isn't spending $2000 on a Christmas gift (and I have already picked up all my gifts and none of them weigh enough to be that beast of a lens).

No matter what lens you have you eye on, it would be an AMAZING surprise for any photographer to get a lens for Christmas! But BEWARE! If you open a lens, try to hide your excitement at first... Why? Let me tell you a cautionary tale that saved me a ton of embarrassment last year... A Newly Wed photographer goes to visit her wealthy new in laws for Christmas. Her mother in law dabbles in photography but never really expressed any support in her business...or of her in general... This year she is being extra nice, talking to her about their shared passion for photography, and this photographer is finally thinking that her mother in law has come to like her.... All night long she drops hints that they got her a special gift this year to welcome her to the family, that a few family members even went in on it for her, and that it's something she has been wanting for her photography business.

On Christmas morning in a room full of friends and family, all eyes are on her as she opens a gift from her MIL... She had no clue what it could be but knew it must be something amazing....She is cautioned not to drop it and that it's something she has been saving up for as her brother in law starts recording with his phone to capture her reaction.... her heart is racing as she removes the paper from a rectangular box to see the words 70-200 f2.8L IS LENS and the photo of a gorgrous white lens..... She bursts into tears of holiday joy and hugs her mother in law....She starts throwing around thank yous like Oprah in that one meme (You get a Thank You and you get a THANK YOU!) and telling her new family how much this means to her......and then the room erupts into laughter as the photographer realizes that the box doesn't feel quite heavy enough to be this beast of a lens....She'e thinking "I thought this would be heavier"....and "Is it just me or is the lens rattling around in the box?" That's when she notices that the word CANON is misspelled...The box is the same as a real one in every other way.....same colors and design, same fonts, same beautiful white lens on the front.....her new in laws had decided to give her a gag gift in order to initiate her into the family....a very cruel Christmas joke....

Because it's a MOTHER FREAKING COFFEE MUG!

Photo credit to Mr. Professional Baby Holder! Sometimes he gets things in focus yay!!!!

Don't get me wrong. It's a great gift for a photographer (or at least a new photographer because most of us have 194,098,390,850,985 of these in our kitchen cabinet...) But they are super cool and we love when our friends and family support our passion for photography! PLUS WE ALL NEED THE COFFEE BEFORE WE CAN DO THE THINGS! If only they made tupperwares that looked like camera bodies to match! Getting these guys is practically a right of passage. I have two (well, now only one keep reading ha ha!) and I love them! One is from my amazing in-laws but had I not heard this story a few years ago, I would have had the same embarrassing reaction to my first Lens Mug. So thank you to whoever it was who shared her very embarrassing video! JUST PLEASE, if you give one of these to a photographer you love, don't build it up like its the real thing. In fact, maybe write a disclaimer like "THIS IS A FREAKING MUG" on the gift tag in ALL CAPS.

Happy Holidays from THE PROFESSIONAL BABY HOLDER

*****************************BONUS PSA!*************************************

As I was taking photos for this blog I was thinking, "I'm going to get a photo of my mug WITH coffee in it... and maybe I'll drink another cup today, let me just pop this bad boy in the microwave to heat some up".... yeah nope... don't do that... I repeat,

DO NOT PUT THESE GUYS IN THE MICROWAVE ...Even if the bottom reads "Microwave Safe" like mine does...

I now have one less Lens Mug and a house that smells like melted plastic. But at least yall get a BONUS LESSON!

*********************************************UPDATE: OH HOLY &*!#$*******************************************

SO THIS HAPPENED!

My hubby and I just finished opening gifts on Christmas morning when he said, "Have you been up in your studio lately?... There might be one more gift up there." I thought he had maybe bought me a new soft box because he was sending me links to them on cyber Monday...... nope.... here's my reaction!

Cue Ugly cry....

He bought this on December 1st! Way before I wrote this blog! I didn't even know he was reading this blog when I saw this the other day....Trolled by my own husband.... But he wasn't it wasn't under the tree.... We have been joking about this since the day I put this blog up lol! I was totally surprised!