Shutter Sisters

untold stories

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“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou

As our month of stories comes to an end, I can’t help but wonder about all the stories that are still lodged inside each one of us, patiently waiting to be told. I’m wondering if you are like me, and perhaps you’ve just scratched the surface in terms of what you need to say and shoot. I mean, I am not even talking about whole life stories here, I’m just sticking to this month still…

As I pondered on my September, I remembered moments when I felt excited, in love, sad, challenged, hopeful, out of words…  To each of these moments, there was a story attached, of course. But sadly, I’m now only carrying the weight of memories, because those stories remain untold. So I wholeheardly agree with Maya Angelou’s quote above, and I would like to add that maybe, if we all told more stories, then maybe, we could all walk lighter in this world…

At least we’ve got a good start here at SS, right? 🙂 And since we still have time (lucky us!), how about we share one more image, and tell one more story that needs to be told today? Share with us today a photograph that tells the story of your September/ or your life.

 We are giving away one $100 Paper Coterie gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of September to one of YOU! All you have to do is share a comment each day before midnight EST for your chance to win that day’s random drawing. And be sure to keep shooting your own stories and adding them to the OWP Pool on Flickr where you have a second chance at winning one of those $100 Paper Coterie giveaways.

*image taken with sx70, Impossible Film PX70 Color Shade.

stories of experimentation

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 PX70 Color Shade First Flush

When the folks at the Impossible Project released their first new instant films in 2010, I couldn’t resist the urge to embark on a pioneering journey with them. Now, we are not “just” shooting with instant film again, which is in itself alluring enough, but we are shooting with new, amazing films that are still up for experimentation and refinement. In this new pathway, there is surprise, creativity, variety and possibility. I know it can be daunting to work with a medium that is somewhat unstable (and expensive) but there are no wasted shots. Everything counts because we are thinking and learning every time we compose and press the shutter.

Personally, I’ve had a bit of a hard time shooting with the PX70 First Flush (an earlier release of the now more stable PX70 color shade). But I persisted and I played with different exposures, light sources, intensities, etc. After many shots – a couple of (not wasted) packs – I got the shot you see above. Although it is still developing as I type (it should get less blue as it settles more), I already love it as is. Right now it is the perfect kind of weird for my taste. I love the bluish tones, the painterly feel and even the snake pattern in the lower left corner (my 1 year old model ain’t half bad either ;))

What about you?  Impossible film or not, how do you push yourself and your medium? Today, share your shots and stories of experimentation with us.

And remember, we will be giving away one $100 gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of September to one of YOU! All you have to do is share a comment each day before midnight EST for your chance to win that day’s random drawing. Be sure to leave links to your story shots.

Superpowers

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Lately I have been thinking about all the ways in which Photography has given me superpowers. For instance: I can freeze a special moment (any moment actually), I can capture someone’s soul (huge!), I can make people smile (and I’m so not the funny type), I can make someone feel beautiful (I only reveal the beauty that is already there), I can change the world (documenting and sharing stories), I can make one travel around the world (through images), I can create memories (for myself or someone else),I can make ordinary things look extraordinary (it’s all about how you look at things), etc…

But I know it is not just me, right?

So tell me, what superpowers have you acquired since you’ve started carrying a camera? Can you share an image to illustrate that superpower today?

new beginnings

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Today my 10 month old daughter took her very first steps on her own. She looked at me, extended her arms, launched herself forward, and after 4 little steps, she fell on her bum. My husband and I cheered, clapped and squeezed her with hugs. “Well done!” She then picked herself up and clapped too! 

I look at her and all the new beginnings in her life, and I feel so proud of how she meets every single moment with courage and excitement. I wonder when and why we all end up losing our spontaneity and our joy in learning along the way. I wonder why we feel so inadequate when we are learning and making mistakes, or when we want to experiment with something new but feel afraid, or when we don’t even attempt new things because we worry about failure and judgement. I wonder why we forget that we can always pick ourselves up and do it over and over until we are happy with it. I wonder why we don’t celebrate all those attempts we make, because we really do some amazing work trying… And mostly, I wonder why we loose sight that learning is fun, essential and truly universal. Everyone has things to learn no matter how capable, wealthy or brave they are. And guess what? Everyone starts wobbly. Fact.

So let’s take some first steps towards the new things we want to learn, shall we? Sign up for that class, read that manual, buy that book, call that friend or teacher… Let’s take a step or two today, and regardless of what happens next, let’s promise each other that we will give ourselves a round of applause, because new beginnings are always beautiful and something we should all be proud of.

Now, please share with us one fabulous thing you still would like to learn and attempt in this lifetime! If you are inclined, also post an image (from someone else or yours) that inspires you to learn something new (link to source, please). Don’t think too much. Just have fun with this! 🙂

what we dream of shooting

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Rice fields had always been on my dream list of places and things to shoot. Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, Phillipines, etc. Somehow I’ve been chasing them all over the world in order to capture their inexplicable beauty. I love capturing the vastness, the saturated greens, the workers with big hats and scarfs, the flags dancing with the wind…  I often have a hard time remembering it is actually all about the rice! 🙂

How about you? What are the places (or things) you dream of shooting in this lifetime? And if some of your shooting dreams have already come true, please share those images with us today.

Wind, Hair and Weather Challenges

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I must admit that one of the things that I’ve always wanted to experiment with in fashion photography was hair. Fans are fashion photographers best friend’s when it comes to creating dynamic hair images. But what about wind? Oh! I’ll tell you… That is very different! You really cannot control in which direction that wind blows, so capturing something other than a mess can be incredibly challenging. This past week I had a crash course on wind as our beach location welcomed us with 20mhp winds!  I had no idea how wind could really impact a photo shoot. Honestly, up to this date I’d worried about rain and harsh sun, but wind… Well. That just wasn’t on my radar at all, and I got my butt seriously kicked. Thank goodness there was this old beat up piano abandoned on the beach, just so my team could hide behind it between shots (I hope assistant and friend Stefanie Renee has a behind the scenes shot of this :)). Everyone was wrapped around in blankets, towels, and whatever they could get their hands on, to keep the wind from freezing their brains off!

We braved it, though. And as you can see in my recent blog posts, we managed to turn things around, by trying to make the best of what we had to work it. Sometimes we were able to use the wind to our favor, sometimes we weren’t. But every single time we tried regardless. There was no winning at all. Everyone was great! Personally, I had Tim Gunn’s voice in my head the entire time: “Make it Work. Make it Work.”

This shot here was taken near our home-base above the beach where the weather was mellower earlier in the day. It is a favorite of mine because it actually looks like we used a fan! Funny how that goes, right? Sometimes we need a fan to make it look like wind, and sometimes we need the wind to have more of a fan look (or a controlled look). For what it’s worth, I’m counting this as my first “fashion hair” shot! What do you think? 🙂

Have you ever been faced with a difficult weather challenge on a shoot? What did you do to make it work? Please share your stories and images with us.

shutterbugs

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I mean, let’s be frank. These days cameras are so widely available that no matter where we go, there is always someone pointing and shooting nearby. As a photographer, this sometimes can feel a little overwhelming, as in: “Why should I even bother shooting when everyone is doing it, right??”

Well, thankfully, since I do believe that we all have a very unique point of view and a different reason to shoot, when I see other people, and especially other women, aiming and clicking, what comes up for me is a whole lot of curiosity actually. When I cross paths with a sister who is shooting, I’m always fascinated by her body language and how she seems engaged and transported. I feel so inspired by how she glows in the moment, that 99% of the time I end up shooting her in action. Women with cameras are just beautiful, don’t you think? You can bet I also turn my head  towards her subject matter to try to figure out what she is seeing and what I might be missing… Sometimes I just nod in agreement, “I see it too, sister.” But mostly, I just love knowing that we are all in this together: seeing, shooting, documeting beauty, telling the story of our lives. I really do.

So, tell me, how do you feel when you see other sisters shooting away?

And if you have any pics you shot of other sisters at play, please share them with us today, so that we may all be inspired by what it looks like to be in that magical moment where we release the shutter and click.

spontaneous beauty

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As I walked around the neighborhood markets with my camera, I couldn’t help but think about Kate’s fabulous post from the other day discussing styling… I mean, look at the fruit arrangement above. Only an artist could have styled this stand, right? The colors, textures, the tiny apple tags, and even the sign on the left laying a little lower than the one on the right just to give my image the right composition balance! It made me think about the Asian lady who might have brought the fruit out that morning (and every other morning of her life really). Does she even know how pretty this is? Did she give it any thought at all? Most likely not.

Although I am a junkie for photo productions, I confess that this is my favorite kind of stylin’. This is why I love traveling to remote villages to shoot people and places that are less influenced by trends and naturally beautiful. It reminds me that we are all inherently creative, gifted, intuitive, artistic, seeking and creating beauty, with or without means, anywhere and everywhere. It inspires me to slow down and make it easier on myself. Sometimes we try way too hard…

So why don’t you share some spontaneous beauty with us today. Show us some images that couldn’t have been more beautiful even if we’d tried.

mother love = true love

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My mother’s day was… A free pass to sleep in a couple of hours, yummy breakfast cooked by daddy, fresh tulips, a stroll around the Mission district in San Francisco, and a tiny photo session in the yummiest afternoon light. All that, but the best part you can see right here: chubby legs 🙂 Oh yes! And that intense look too.

Sometimes I forget she is just a baby and we have a whole life ahead of us to get to know one another. I love her so much. And when I mean love, I mean that kind of love only mother’s know. True Love. I do get it now. The love that sees deeper and that transcends any difficulty or imperfection. There is really nothing like it…

That is why I keep coming back to this one polaroid. Even though there is no smile, the color is uneaven, and there is a chunk missing at the top, it represents a very honest and beautiful slice of motherhood for me. It’s not always picture perfect, but endlessly rewarding. Ever precious. It’s a day we shared and a day I never want to forget.

So, how was your Sunday? Whether you are a mother or a daughter, please share with us a slice of true love from this year’s mother’s day or from year’s past.

Looking versus looking away

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Capturing our subjects looking away from the camera is one of the oldest tricks in the book to achieve dynamic interesting photos.

On the other hand, a deep piercing look is pure magic, isn’t it? I love the fact that a tiny moment can have such intensity, and I can also appreciate that there was a strong exchange between subject and photographer, that then gets passed along to all viewers, causing emotion and reaction. Because of that evidence of connection, the look straight at the lens represents in many ways why I love photography so much.

So today why don’t you join me and share those shots of deep connection between you and your subjects? Let’s see how you looked at them and how they looked back at you!