In the late 1950s, my uncle Henry was the first relative to own a movie camera. It was a small 8mm camera, but the movies were a far cry from the blurry, glossy, mostly black-and-white photos of the time. Now we could see blurry movies!

Filmmaking was a new frontier, opening the landscape to the average person who wanted to make movies, even if some had trouble holding the camera steady.

I remember being mesmerized while I watched a silent, grainy color movie of our family picnic - the camera wandering aimlessly among aunts and uncles and trying to keep up with us kids running in all directions.

In 1984, my father-in-law invested in a bulky VHS video camera primarily for the purpose of documenting his newborn grandson, my nephew Michael. Now, we could watch blurry videos! Six years later, he used the already outdated camcorder to videotape our newborn son, Joey.

By the early 1990s, when our kids were born, video cameras were smaller than the big VHS recorders of the previous decade. Panasonic even labeled its entry into the growing camcorder market the "Palmcorder," emphasizing its small size.

Now, we have countless hours of family videos, from baby pictures to preschool. I've since transferred the best ones to the computer for easy reference. Since then, my Hi-8mm camcorder has been tucked deep in a drawer.

Here are a few highlights:

I was lucky to capture my daughter's first steps on video. Andrea walked around in circles in our tiny kitchen, not knowing where to go or what to do with her newly acquired mobility, while my 3-year-old son Joey sat on the floor trying to block her every step. But Andrea learned to overcome obstacles at an early age. And to this day, she doesn't let anyone stop her from doing what she wants.

There was a brief scene of Joey throwing play sand at his cousin while the videographer (me) yelled at him just before the camera stopped.

There's music, too. Namely, a scene of Andrea singing into the microphone of her karaoke tape recorder. And another of Joey playing a toy guitar on the stage of the raised fireplace hearth. Later on, Andrea took an interest in music and singing. Joe – not so much. He became more interested in sports and computers.

Other moments include:

Art Linkletter style interviews with the kids where I recorded their silly answers to my dopey questions.

Joey, striking out 11 times in pre-Little League.

Andrea, driving her tiny Cozy Coupe into the garage door (after her big brother pushed her).

Joey, forcefully trying to cut through the cake on his second birthday as he pushed it across the table.

Andrea, singing in her pre-school play.

Joey, getting a base hit in pre-Little League.

There were the kids' birthday parties, Christmas mornings, school plays, and even a standing-room-only 80th birthday party for my dad.

Now, I rarely make videos. But when I do, I use my phone... preferably in landscape mode.

Story and Cover Photo Copyright © 2025 by Michael DeFrancesco