Shutter Sisters

collections of the heart

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When I was a child, I collected rocks.  It didn’t matter where they came from.  If I liked a rock I saw, then into my collection it went.  When I became pregnant with my first son I started collecting antique, silver baby spoons.  I scoured antique stores and and eBay looking for just the right spoon to add to my collection all the time.  I think it’s a no-brainer then that being a photographer, I’m going to acquire things that have to do with photography from vintage cameras to funky jewelry to cool t-shirts.  What’s even better is that those who know me well always seem to find something that, as my girlfriend who gave me the necklace above said, “When I saw it I knew I had to get it for you”.  I’m the one who will carry that awesome camera tote and wear the cool camera earrings and have the cute little keychain.  I love what I do and I ‘wear’ it with pride.  And, like Martha Stewart says, that’s a good thing.  

How about you? What collections do you have? Take a picture and share with us.  I know I’m not the only out there!

 

Two (or more) Is Better Than One

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There were six of us, all of us friends since high school, living like pampered royalty for three glorious days in a fabulous home on the coast, no husbands, kids or troubles allowed.  It was a photographer’s dream being there and my camera, along with the requisite glass of wine or cocktail, was always just a reach away. I took so many photos but just one photo alone couldn’t begin to tell the story of our time together, so I chose the 4 photos that summed up the weekend the most and put it together in this collage/dyptych.  Just one look and my girlfriends and I are taken right back to a weekend that I know we will cherish and remember forever.

How about you? Have you ever made a collage or dyptych? Please share with us today your photo stories.  We’d love to see them.

 

Feeling Creative

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I’m a lover of photography and a lover of words.  Occasionally I like to combine the two when I feel a photo calls for it such as the one above.  When I saw those sweet, tiny, beautiful, little violet flowers, I knew immediately what words to use. 

How about you? Do you ever feel moved to do more with a photo? Do you alter them? Add words? Textures? Share with us your creations.  We’d love to see them.

Waiting

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Spring is defintely in the air and nothing lets me know more than the tree in my yard.  From my balcony I can follow it’s progress into the new season by it’s daily changes, my camera always at the ready.  When it seems that spring will never get here, I just need to follow the progress of my favorite tree to know it’s not too far away.  Waiting is not something I’m very good at, but to see the tree come alive right in front of me makes the wait so worth it.

How about you? What changes have you captured lately?  Please, do share.  

Back To Basics

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Remember how it used to be when there wasn’t any photo editing software and what came out of your (film) camera was pretty much it?  I miss that sometimes, just sticking with my photo straight-out-of-the-camera (also known as SOOC).  Last weekend I did a family photo shoot at the beach and as I finished up the shoot, I quickly took three or four shots of the sunset just as we were leaving. The colors were so stunning, I couldn’t pass it up.  When I got home and uploaded my pictures, I decided the picture above would not be edited in anyway.  I liked it just the way it was with all the glorious colors so I left it alone.  It was a back-to-the-basics photo and that was just fine with me.

How about you? Do you ever feel the need to just leave well enough alone? Today, share your SOOC shots with us.  We’d love to see them.

 

 

 

Anticipation

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After all the holiday rush, January is always a let down for me.  The days are short, the air is too cool and everything seems drab and colorless.  Wanting spring and all it’s glory to be here now, I find myself searching out color anywhere I can, be it the finches that populate my bare tree or the many spring seed catalogs that arrive in my mailbox on a daily basis.  My anticipation of the new season is palpable and I find it difficult to wait for the colors of spring.

What about you? Are you a spring or winter person? Please make my winter a little bit brighter and share with us your seasonal shots, too. 

  

A Legacy

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Watch this. 

Those words and a link to a video of Vivian Maier was all that was in an email that my friend had sent to me.  As I watched the short video piece, I was mesmerized and intrigued by this unkown woman.  In 2007 John Maloof purchased from an art auction a box that had been owned by Vivian containing over 30,000 negatives dating back as early as the 1950s. He decided to develop some of the photos (like the one above and the self portrait below) and what he has found is an absolutely amazing treasure.

In John’s research on Vivian, he learned that she had never married or had children and was a very private person. She died alone at the age of 82 in a nursing home, her photographs never seen by anyone until now. So incredible is Vivian’s photography that there will be a showing of her work next month at the Chicago Cultural Center.  John was able to purchase even more of her negatives and now has over 100,000 of her negatives and hundreds of undeveloped rolls of film which he plans to put into a book or make a documentary about Vivian.

Two things came to mind after learning of Vivian.  First, how sad that this wonderfully talented woman died alone, having never shared her gift of photography with anyone, ever.  If she had, I wonder how different her legacy might have been.  She very well may have helped pave the way for woman in photography all those years ago in a time when female photographers were a rare commodity.

Second, after seeing Vivian’s story, I began thinking of what my legacy might be.  Yes, I would be remembered as a wonderful wife and mother but there is more to me than that.  I’m a photographer, too.  It’s a large part of who I am.  If something were to happen to me tomorrow, would I have anything to show for it? Sure I would – and there are hundreds and hundreds of photos on numerous hard drives to prove that.  More importantly, would my husband or friends know how to gain access to them? No, they wouldn’t and that is about to change. Some of the hundreds of photos on my hard drives will now be printed, matted and framed, put into books or given to friends.  What good is it to keep all of them stored and never shared with anyone? When I am gone, I want people to say that I was a wonderful wife, mother and photographer. 

What about you? What do you want your legacy to be? If you could choose one photograph (or two or three or more!) that you would want people to remember you as the wonderful photographer you are, please share.  Let us know you, too. 

You can see more of Vivian Maier’s photography on the blog, Vivian Maier – Her Discovered Work.

Keeper of Hearts: Another Bel Kai Necklace for the Capture Collection

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 I can’t believe this year is almost over.  It’s been a good year for me in the sense that I’ve made a concerted effort to be more ‘in the moment’ and to make a point to ‘listen with my heart’ more often.  I even shared my heart, trusting those who love me to be a keeper of my heart when I needed it the most.  Because of this, I’ve had some really great opportunities come my way and have connected with some great women that I don’t think would have occured had I not let my heart guide me and for that, I am so very thankful.

How fitting then, that I am sharing my Bel Kai Designs necklace, the latest addition to the Capture Collection of Shutter Sisters photographic jewelry.  To celebrate, today we are giving one away.  Just leave a comment here by midnight PST and please, show us what your heart is telling you. 

(Cross posted at Everyday Heartbeats)

thankful

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 Thankful – adjective: feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative  

There are 7 us, friends since high school, some of us friends since grade school.  Some of us have kept in touch throughout the years while some of us haven’t seen each other since we were in school.  Last summer we reconnected at our high school reunion and like we had never been apart, we picked up right where we had left off.  We’ll stay in touch this time, we promised.  It seemed important that we keep that promise, and we have.

Last weekend, after much planning and schedule arranging, we managed to get a much needed girl’s weekend away together.  Finally we had a chance to be together for more than just a couple of hours to really get to know each other again and cement the bond of friendship.  Between us we’ve experienced marriage, divorce, breast cancer, loss and love found.  Souls were bared, a few tears were shed but the laughter was endless.  Our hearts broke wide open, our love spilling out to embrace each of us.

I think our reconnection has occured all these years later for a reason.  The universe has brought us together again to love and nurture each other.  To quote the beautiful and wise Jen Lemen, one of the most powerful things that can happen to you is being seen for who you really are and loved deeply at the same time. I feel safe and loved and accepted by these women and for that, I am deeply thankful.

On this, the week of Thanksgiving, share with what it is to be thankful, either with a photo or your words and know that we here at Shutter Sisters are thankful for you.

Telling the Story

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I love for my photos to tell a story.  I want (and hope) for people to feel the emotion that I’m trying to convey through my photography.  It was only natural that once my son joined his high school marching band this year that I was going to photograph them.  Sure, I could take all the group shots and field performance shots of them I want, but that wouldn’t really tell their story.  When I took the photos above and then put them together in a diptych, the photos took on a whole different meaning.  These aren’t just a bunch of kids marching around on a field at the half-time of a football game.  These are kids that are proudly disciplined and take what they do seriously.  Wow, you make us look so important, my son said upon seeing this.  Exactly, I said.  For my 14 year old to tell me that, my story telling skills are obviously doing just fine.

Today, share your photo stories with us. We’d love to see them.