Every year at work, as Christmas approaches, I am sent off on a search for the perfect "Wreath on Door" photo. It's the task equivalent to climbing Mt. Doom (I happened to catch a few scenes of LOTR this weekend; forgive the reference).

Why is it so difficult for photographers to capture this shot? It doesn't require anything special--just a pretty red door and a normal evergreen wreath with berries and a bow. Are they not aware of the high demand?

Let's look at some examples:

Hungry, oversized wreath Eats door

Dollar General on a budget

Everglades in England

I could go on, but your eyes probably hurt.

Fascinating article (NYT) about a woman who sews all her own clothing. The "slow clothes" movement, she call it. Unfortunately, sewing clothing is a bit more complicated than cooking your own food--but I can tell you from my limited experience that the rewards are tenfold.

How little we know about where our clothing comes from and who makes it!