Shutter Sisters

photobooth love

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I’ve been a fan of Photobooth Friday for a long time, marveling at how insanely creative and fun those strips are and enjoying the delightful stories they unfold in four or less shots. Yet it is only recently that I gathered up the courage to go to one of the only eight booths left in my city, enough change in my pocket and my heart full of expectations.

And I loved every second of it.

The two young girls before me who couldn’t stop giggling. The tourist couple waiting in line with trepidation. My turn (I blinked, of course I blinked). And how the whole experience reclaimed my playful self, and helped me discover a new way of being that I can now share with my kids.

How about you? Do you love photobooths as much as I do? What do you like about them? Maybe you even have old strips stored in boxes? Today, please share your photobooth love with us. And if you haven’t taken the plunge yet, you can browse the photobooth locator to find one near you. Who knows? Today might be the day.

Note: No photobooths around? Try the Photo Booth application on your computer. There are also a lot of free apps for iPhones and Androids.

To Mama With Love

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This year, your Mother’s Day gift could change the world.

no, really.

To Mama With Love is a collaborative online art project that honors moms across the globe and raises funds to invest in remarkable women who are transforming the world. Participants create heartspaces that include words, videos, photos & investments in honor of mamas they love. 

This year, the funds raised will be invested to expand the efforts of four extraordinary women who are building schools in Tanzania, providing education and loving care for local children in Nepal, and running shelters for women in Afghanistan. People from all over the world have already joined the love bomb movement and shared their heartfelt love for their mother, wife, sister or friend.

So today let’s celebrate motherhood. Share with us the stories and images of the women who inspire us to be brave, to be playful, to love fiercely, and whose support continuously reminds us that we are strong and capable even under the most difficult circumstances. And if you’re so moved, show a mama your love and change the world!

Also, a group of talented women photographers have graciously donated original prints to benefit the To Mama With Love 2011 campaign. If you’re still looking for a unique and meaningful Mother’s Day gift, please consider purchasing one of the beautiful prints in the store. 100% of all profits from print sales will be invested in the dreams of these four inspirational women changemakers who create hope in our world.

Happy Mother’s Day to you all!

just kids

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1. DSC_0505, 2. “As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.”, 3. upside down, 4. Day 345 of 365, 5. Just For Fun, 6. untitled-1028-2

This is a small selection of gorgeous kids shots from our Shutter Sisters Flickr Pool. Beautiful images that let little ones reveal themselves with an overwhelming sense of authenticity and truth, and remind us to be mindfully present and playful, always.

Today capture the silly, the cute and messy, the innocent and hilarious of childhood, and share your photos with us in the comment section below.

ps: The April session of the Simple Soulful Photography workshop starts next week April 4th! Join me and featured guests including Marianne Elliott, Karen Walrond and Amanda Gilligan for the four-week online course and explore the connection between creativity and self-care, learn basics but essential techniques on composition and lighting, and embrace, cultivate and express your most authentic self in a supportive community.

signs of hope

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The devastating news from the past few weeks have left me so sad and vulnerable. And while trying to make sense of it all is probably useless, I look around and take comfort in the fact that although the universe is reminding us of the reality of the fragility of life, it is also allowing flowers to bloom everywhere.

Today show us signs of spring. Today show us signs of hope.

change perspective

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I don’t do it often, but I believe that one of the most simple and fun exercises in photography consists in looking for different perspectives to shoot your subject from. When we cling to our comfort zone, never trying new things, we cut ourselves off from the opportunity to develop our creative strengths and discover what we can do with our cameras. A simple shift of point of view can have a dramatic impact on your photos and open your eyes to a wide range of new possibilities, whatever you choose to do to change your perspective. 

What about you? Do you often find yourself lying on the floor, perched up on a bench or shooting through a window or the reflection of an unexpected mirror? If yes, please share your images with us. If not, today is a good day to try.

my to-stop-doing list

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Using the excuse of waiting for one hundred percent of acceptance of myself in order to shoot.

Letting my preconceived notions about what is remarkable blind me from seeing myself clearly and prevent me from delivering my most authentic work.

Feeling guilty every time I pull out the iPhone instead of the big camera (aka my Canon 5D).

Comparing my journey with someone else’s.

Today tell us. What’s on your to-stop-doing list as a photographer? And share with us an image that brings you joy, and celebrates who you truly are.

delivery system

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“There’s a certain amount of love that wants to enter the world. And the ability to be part of the delivery system for that is probably the one goal that never goes away.”

– Martha Beck, on How She Really Does It?

Today deliver love.

Making space

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1. l i g h t h o u s e., 2. 334 :: 365, 3. Magnitude, 4. DSC_4769, 5. in my rear view, 6. 1/52

From the Shutter Sisters book:

Negative space: “The space around and between the subject(s) of an image. The use of negative space, as a balance to the subject(s), gives the viewer’s eye a place to rest and is an important element to the overall composition of an image.”

It also creates stunning, powerful images like the ones shown above from the Shutter Sisters Flickr pool.

When we shift focus, mindfully crafting the composition of our shots, we are given the opportunity to find a new harmony, and to fully reinvent them. Today slow down and pay more attention to the space and energy around your subjects. You might be surprised.

your best shot 2010

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There’s a group on Flickr that invites its members to reflect on 12 months of capturing life and share their best shot for 2010.

What I like most about this exercise is that it allows me to go back to the earlier months with the kindness that I often lacked of during those moments. Looking back I realize how self-conscious I’ve been at times, that one of my enemies in my creative process is common sense, but that I’ve also been brave and learned a lot (even though probably not as much as I wanted to). 

This past year for me has been about developing techniques with digital photography, slowing down, bringing a playful and joyous energy behind what I do and learning how to create the images that I want. The photo above is the one that I shared with the group, my best shot 2010.

Today, show us yours.