Shutter Sisters

Focusing on EyeTime 2014

By

Above: Different Shades of the Same Grey by Felicia Simion. Future Voices Jury Winner

Above: Different Shades of the Same Grey by Felicia Simion, EyeTime Future Voices Jury Winner

For the past few years Shutter Sisters has had the privilege of helping to support the EyeTime Photo Competition hosted by the Morpholio Project. Tracey Clark was thrilled to be on the jury panel again this year.  She reflects, “It’s always so inspiring to get the opportunity to discover new photographic talent in a contest like EyeTime. Getting the chance to vote on the winners with so many creative and talented judges is such an honor.”

Above: Architecture in Limbo by Ben Tynegate. Future Voices Jury Winner

Above: Architecture in Limbo by Ben Tynegate, EyeTime Future Voices Jury Winner

EyeTime was assembled by photographers, professors and students as a means to publicly promote the research, exploration and investigation currently happening amongst today’s emerging photographic talent. The contest seeks to give a “voice” to these creatives by showcasing their work. And the entire contest is dedicated to an exceptional young journalist, Jessica Lum, who dedicated her tragically short career to the need of giving a voice to others.

Above: Street Barber by Binh Duong. Emerging Talent Jury Winner

Above: Street Barber by Binh Duong, EyeTime Emerging Talent Jury Winner

An award-winning photographer, reporter, editor and humanitarian, Jessica’s approach was best stated in her own words: “To truly understand a story we need a deeper level of interaction. If we desire to truly grasp the full significance of an image that we capture, we need to step out from behind that camera, gain a level of trust and converse with the human people to whom we wish to give voice.”

Above: Worlds Within Us by Dery K, EyeTime Morpholio Special Recognition

Above: Worlds Within Us by Dery K, EyeTime Morpholio Special Recognition

Other EyeTime 2014 winners  include photographers Javier Corco, Rongguo Gao, Tiberio Ventura, Turjoy Chowdhury, Alessandro Falco, Nicholai Go and Rainer Weston.

Above: Lovers by Christopher Lucka, EyeTime Emerging Talent Public Winner

Above: Lovers by Christopher Lucka, EyeTime Emerging Talent Public Winner

Congratulations to all of the finalists and to the winners and thanks to EyeTime for celebrating such talent and including us in such a gratifying experience. The winners are all featured at the EyeTime 2014 website. Be sure to check it out.

Perspective Through Portraiture

By

Lensbaby LM10 Image by Tim Prust

Above by Tim Prust of Wisconsin

Seeing the world around us through a new lens is refreshing.  Even the smallest, unexpected shift in perspective can yield inspiring results; in our work, in our world and in our hearts. Witnessing the portraits being captured by the participants of the Traveling Lens Project is proof of that. The portraits we capture of the people we love are perhaps the most meaningful of all photographs. Whether they’re energetic or pensive, candid or posed, these are the kinds of images that leave us breathless and fill us with gratitude.

Above by Mia Camp of Sweden

Above by Mia Camp of Sweden

Above by Jote Khalsa of Texas

Above by Jote Khalsa of Texas

Above by Meredith Winn of Rhode Island

Above by Meredith Winn of Rhode Island

To see more images from the #travelinglensproject follow along on Instagram & check out our project gallery. To get more info about the Lensbaby LM-10  (which is what all of these images were captured with) visit Lensbaby and tell them we sent you.

Ding ding ding

By

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Lens (& Brotherhood too) is full swing with stops so far in California, Texas, New Hampshire, Missouri, Canada and London. That said, there’s no telling what might pop up in people’s view finders when given a photo muse like the Lensbaby LM-10 . It’s no surprise that there’s been all kinds of diversity in the the images that have been rolling in. And yet, oddly enough (or perhaps it’s not odd at all?) there have actually been some images that have very specific common threads. Remember, in this particular project, no one has been prompted or given a theme or specific subject matter to shoot which makes it quite serendipitous that, for example three shots like this pop up.

Lensbaby LM10 image by Kim Klassen

Image above by Kim Klassen in Canada

Image above by Tracey Clark in California (Disney's California Adventure)

Image above by Tracey Clark in California

Image above by Xanthe Berkeley in England

Image above by Xanthe Berkeley in England

What we love most about these discoveries is the reminder that no matter how many miles there are between us, we are always somehow connected and we think that’s awesome.  As the shots from this #travelinglensproject keep coming through from more destinations, it’ll be fascinating to see what other differences and similarities might occur. The adventure keeps getting more exciting!

The Lensbaby Wheels are in Motion

By

Lensbaby LM-10 image by Stephen Pullan

Image by Stephen Pullan in New Hampshire

Round and round and round they go. Where they’ll stop, nobody knows.

Well, that’s not entirely true. We actually do know where our 6 traveling Lensbabys will be stopping over the next 6 weeks during the #TravelingLensProject. We’ve got it all mapped out; 31 photographers, 30 stops, including 18 states and 8 different countries. These LM-10s are covering a lot of ground! And they’ve got some amazing tour guides. Yep, there are 31 photographers who are going to take these babys for a spin.

What is all of this about? In case you haven’t heard, its all a part of  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Lens (and the Brotherhood too, of course). SO, who are these photographers? We’re glad you asked! We put the call out for submissions and we got an amazing response! Out of lots and lots of great submissions pouring in from great locations, we curated a fantastic group. You can discover them at the Traveling Lens Project page. From there you can click on their image and say hello on Instagram. And when it’s their week with the LM-10, they’ll be sharing what they see through the lens of the LM-10. All you’ve got to do is keep checking back here for features and follow along on Instagram (@shuttersisters & @seeinanewway @thecameramen) via our project hashtag #travelinglensproject.

To get the project humming along, we wanted to share a few of the shots that have been rolling in since our first photographers got their lenses. And as the project continues, we’ll be featuring images from every one of the participants from each of their hometowns to give you some local flavor and a glimpse into their everyday lives. It’s going to be like traveling the world with friends, right from the comfort of your own phone. Pretty nifty!

image above my Meredith Winn

Image above my Meredith Winn in New Hampshire

Image above by Henry Lohmeyer

Image above by Henry Lohmeyer in Missouri

Image above by Jote Khalsa inTexas

Image above by Jote Khalsa in Texas

Image above by Tracey Clark in California

Image above by Tracey Clark in California

Lensbaby LM-10 image by Meredith Winn

Image above by Meredith Winn in New Hampshire

We hope you enjoy the ride! We know we will.

Behind the Book : An Interview with Susan Tuttle

By

 We’re thrilled to kick off our brand new author interview series, Behind the Book, with the lovely and talented Susan Tuttle.

An Interview with Susan Tuttle

Shutter Sisters: First, tell us about your new book.

Susan Tuttle: The title is Art of Everyday Photography: Move Toward Manual and Make Creative Photos. It was published by North Light Books in August 2014. My publisher did an awesome job of creating a brief summary about the book as seen on Amazon. I’d like to share that with you… “In this easy-to-understand book, Susan Tuttle encourages the reader to get her camera out of “auto mode” and finally learn how to use its features to create beautiful photos capturing the everyday moments of life, including portraiture, landscape, still-life scenes, food, pet photography, street photography and more. In addition to camera basics, Susan includes many tips and techniques for getting the most out of smartphone cameras and photo apps.”

I was thrilled to have a variety of talented digital SLR and mobile photographers contribute to the book. Within its pages you will find the work of Tracey Clark, Susannah Conway, Vivienne McMaster, Daniel Berman and many more!

Since I wrote more than the book could hold, my editor and I came up with the idea to include it in an e-companion to the actual book, which you can access through a link mentioned at the bottom of every other page of the book.

SS: Tell us why you wrote the book Art of Everyday Photography.

ST: I get so excited by the process of teaching and learning! Before my photography/author/online instructor career, I was a K-12 public school music teacher for 10 years. So, I’m definitely a teacher in spirit and feel a calling to share my passions with others. I feel fortunate to be able to share through my blog, books and online photography, iPhoneography and Photoshop classes.

Art of Everyday Photography by Susan Tuttle

SS: What did you enjoy the most about writing the book?

ST: A digital SLR camera is a tool plain and simple. I am excited to be able to empower the reader to learn about all of his/her camera’s functions so that he/she may make more creative photos. Yes, you can learn to shoot in manual, and I guarantee the process of learning how is way less daunting than you may think. Shooting from the gut will always be the most important factor when it comes to making beautiful photos, but think how much more powerful your photos will become if you know how to use your tool to best realize your creative visions!

SS: What was the most challenging part of writing it?

ST: That is easy to answer. It would be making sure that all of the technical information was spot on, especially as information was edited and shifted around during the layout and design stages. Also, I made it my top goal to make sure I presented this technical information in a fun, easy-to-understand and inspirational way. This required me to make multiple drafts and edits, to make sure I was giving my best teaching throughout the book.

SS: Did you shoot the photography specifically for the book or did you curate the images you already had, or both? What was the process like?

ST: Both! Every image in the book had to be selected with such care as each needed to demonstrate a specific technique or tip. I also wanted them to not only be technically-good, but infused with something much more which comes from ‘shooting from the gut’ — something spiritual, if you will. Some of the images that I had in my archives made perfect fits, so I used them. The meat of the book was composed during the winter months. Drawing from my archives allowed me to include photos from multiple seasons, thus allowing for color! I also took fresh shots — for one I wanted to include new shots never before seen on my site. I also needed to take shots of things I didn’t have examples of in my archives. For instance, I needed shots of lightning and some fireworks. I think I got some spiritual help along the way — we experienced a lightning storm like never before, so I had lots of stunning lightning shots to choose from.

SS: What is your favorite photo you shared in your book? Why is it your favorite?

ST: I honestly don’t have a specific favorite, but one that always makes me smile is this wide angle shot I took of this little girl at a birthday party. Wide angle shots taken from above like this distort figures and can give them a cartoonish effect that looks adorable with kids and pets.

Interview with Susan Tuttle

 

SS: What one tip would you share with  people who want to start taking better pictures right now?

ST: Shoot from the gut!

“I believe that there is extraordinary to be found in the ordinary, and that we can elevate our everyday lives by embracing and honoring that which is simple.” – Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle Author of Art of Everyday Photography copy

Susan Tuttle is both an iPhoneographer and DSLR photographer from Maine, USA. She is the author of four instruction-based books (published in the US and abroad by F+W Media, North Light Books) on the subject matter of mixed-media art, digital art with Photoshop, iPhone photography and DSLR photography. Her fourth book on DSLR photography and iPhoneography called Art of Everyday Photography: Move Toward Manual & Make Creative Photos has just been released. Susan’s iPhoneography has won numerous recognitions and awards, including American Aperture Awards (AX3) 2013 first place in the ‘nudes’ category, first place in ‘portraits’ for the Paris Mobile Photography Awards 2013, and several honorable mentions for the Mobile Photography Awards 2012 and 2013. Her mobile work has been exhibited in New York, London, Paris, Prague, and was recently part of the Photo Independent Art Fair in Hollywood. Susan just released an online course co-taught with mixed-media artist Alena Hennessy, called Co-Lab: Paint, Paper and iPhoneography Magic. She also offers an online course called The Art of iPhoneography Self-Portraiture. Susan was recently named Technical Advisor for Somerset Digital Studio Magazine.

Her past titles include Photo Craft: Creative Mixed-Media and Digital Approaches to Transforming Your Photographs (North Light Books, 2012, co-authored with Christy Hydeck), Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements (North Light Books, 2010) and Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations and Explorations (North Light Books, 2008).

Susan shared a stunning photo essay with Our Collective this month. Don’t miss it! And be sure to take advantage of the amazing discount she’s sharing with us for her Art of iPhoneography Self-Portraiture class.

Find Susan Tuttle: SITE/BLOG : INSTAGRAM : FLICKR : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : PINTEREST