Shutter Sisters

opening my eyes (and a giveaway)

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Polaroid sx70 camera, PX600 Silver Shade UV+ film

Of all the wonderful people I’ve met this past year, Gail is the one who has taught me how important it is that we, as photographers, remember to use our tools (our cameras) to create awareness and motivate positive change.

Since the last time I talked with her, many have rallied around her Kickstarter project to help her raise finishing funds for Opening Our Eyes, a documentary film about her 99-day journey around the world with her daughter to film the stories of people making a positive difference in the world. I can’t tell you how much this project resonates with my spirit and feed my passion.

And you can help make a difference too! Here’s how:

Today I’m giving away a copy of our book, Expressive Photography (UK cover) to one lucky and generous reader. All you have to do is back Gail’s project on Kickstarter, make a pledge of a minimum 1$ amount and leave a comment here before December 24th midnight PST to be entered in a random drawing. I’ll also throw in some Polaroid postcards and Polaroid mini prints.

We’re so close to reaching our pledged goal! Less than 250$ to go, every dollar counts!

UPDATE: We made it! We just reached our goal! Thank you all so much! You can still donate and leave a comment here to enter the giveaway. Anything pledged forward will be shared with the subjects of the film for their causes.

And congratulations to Rachel for winning a copy of Expressive Photography! Thank you all again so much for your support, your generosity has made it possible! Happy Christmas!

the last days

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I am spending the last days of the year bundled up in my favorite scarf, crisp leaves and snow crunching under my feet, blowing on a warm cup of tea that I’m holding with both hands and Christmas songs playing repeatedly over in my head (right now, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” by Tony Bennett).

I am also pondering over my primary intention for the year to come, and as I reflect on the past twelve months and the moments where I felt most alive I can’t help but think of the amazing women that joined the October class of the Simple Soulful Photography workshop. I once wrote that I envisioned this online course like I would arrange a meet-up with good friends in a small café. But what I have received was so much more than that. The class vibrated with creativity, humbleness and courage, engaging in thought-provoking conversations that I learned so much from, rallying around each other when some participants were going through a rough patch, and sharing beautiful images.

Today I am happy to give away 3 registrations for the January session of the Simple Soulful Photography workshop (January 3-29). Please share with us how you’re spending the last days of the year and leave a comment here to be entered in a random drawing between now and Monday 13th at midnight PST.

Note: Last time I wrote that I was creating a little something special for those who couldn’t join the workshop. You can now download excerpts from the first two lessons of the October 2010 session here.

And if you’d like to start the new year exploring 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, I encourage you to register for the four-week course to join me and featured guests Marianne Elliott, Gail Mooney, Karen Maezen Miller, Amanda Gilligan and Bob Smith.

the six questions featuring Susannah Conway

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Susannah Conway is a photographer, a writer and creator of the Unravelling e-course. 

But she’s so much more than that.

She’s a fellow Polaroid addict whose sense of beauty and wonder is constantly encouraging me to expand beyond my comfort zone, be playful and grow. She’s a very proud aunt who loves with abandon. And a teacher, a friend, whose disarming honesty and full commitment to honoring and celebrating the beauty of life, to sharing what she knows and giving what she has, whether she is holding a pen or a camera, are a gift to all of those who know her.

Susannah kindly accepted to answer the Shutter Sisters six questions interview. And I’m most happy today to share with you her answers here.

1. What’s the story behind this photo? 

On a sunny spring morning I looked out of my bedroom window and noticed the street was strewn with pink blossom; so much had fallen it was collecting in piles like pink snow drifts. It took me less than five minutes to get dressed, pull on a pair of Chucks (choosing the yellow pair over the navy – v. good move), grab my SX-70 Polaroid camera and run outside. I shot about four or five photos in total and this one was my favourite.

2. What was it that lit your photography spark? Do you remember a particular camera, course, person, roll of film?

 

I’m actually a born-again photographer, because I first fell in love with photography at art college in 1992. I can’t remember what I shot but I remember developing that first roll of film and looking breathlessly at the contact sheet as I realised I’d found the way to transcribe what I saw in my head onto paper – I wasn’t a painter or musician or sculptor, I was a photographer! I spent the next three years in the studio and darkroom committed to my art. The second time I fell in love with photography was in Seattle in 2006. It was my first time in the States and I was still grieving the death of my partner the year before. I was visiting friends I’d met through blogging and had brought a borrowed digital compact with me to record the week; taking shots of a new city not only brought me out of my grief for a while but seemed to wake up the photography part of my brain too. Looking through my photos when I got home lit such a fire of inspiration in me I haven’t stopped shooting since. 

3. What’s your photo philosophy? Does it reflect your life philosophy?

 

Film photography is like meditation for me – I slow down my breathing, I focus intently on what’s in front of me, wait for the right moment and then I press the button. I don’t rush taking the photograph because I only have limited film to use – I want to make each shot count, and take my time to feel that the moment is right; if it’s not I move on. I try to live this way too – living mindfully in the moment and not allowing myself to get too caught up in the past or the future. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s a continual practice, just like photography.

4. Where do you look for inspiration?

Everywhere. Whenever I leave the house I have a camera or three with me – even if it’s just my iPhone. Going somewhere new is a photographic orgy of inspiration, but I try to look with new eyes in the familiar places too. Even a trip into town to buy groceries can offer up photo opportunities. I take photos everywhere, wherever I am and whoever I’m with. I take photos of the stuff no one else would look at, as well as the obviously pretty stuff. I see lines and shapes first, then colours and details. I’m always composing with my eyes – I find it impossible to switch it off, actually; I’m the one who lags behind the group to photograph the rust on the side of a skip. My friends and family have learned to tolerate my behaviour 🙂

5. What aspect of your photography are you constantly working on, trying to improve? 

With every photograph I take I feel I am improving on the last one. I don’t take my eye for granted and am always looking for new ways to capture light or colour or feeling. Shooting with vintage cameras means you have to get to know the quirks of your equipment; I don’t have the guarantee of digital clarity with my SX-70 but that’s one of the reasons I love it so much – it keeps me on my toes!

6. Are there women out there that you consider your shutter sisters? Who, and why?

There are the women who have gone before me that I admire: Dorothea Lange, Diane Arbus, Francesca Woodman and Uta Barth are my four guiding lights, even though my style is different from their work. And there are women I consider my Polaroid sisters: Jen Altman, Amanda Gilligan, Alicia Bock, Andrea Jenkins, Jessica Hibbard, Steph Parke, Darlene & Kristen, Cori Kindred, you, my dear Irene, and many others besides. I love how passionate and supportive the Polaroid community is!

Thank you so much Susannah!

Susannah is currently hard at work on her first book, to be published in spring 2012, and collaborating with Jenifer Altman and Amanda Gilligan on a how-to book about Polaroid photography, also coming out in 2012. You can read more about her shenanigans on her blog at SusannahConway.com and connect with her on Twitter @photobird. Also, registration for the next Unravelling class opens on Saturday, December 4th.

listening

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Lately I’ve been reading a lot and doing some personal studying on creativity, and what I’ve learned is that one of the most important aspects of creative growth is our capacity to listen. As photographers and visual artists, I believe we often tend to forget this. And yet listening, really listening – to nature and its sense of beauty and balance, to what people are not saying, to what they’re feeling, allows us to achieve a deeper connection with everything, as well as with our most authentic selves.

Today try to shift focus, and really listen to what’s around you. And please share your images with us.

THIS moment

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As we head into the busy holiday season it is ever more essential to remember where you are, right in this moment. It is easy to get swept away in our to-dos and our giving to others. Remember, YOU are a gift and your life is one too if you only stop to notice it. Give yourself with this sacred and creative time to dive deep and discover that to live the life of your dreams, you need not look any further than the life right at your fingertips.

In my own life these days, there has been a big shift happening. It all recently came to a boil when a crisis emerged in my marriage right before my 12th anniversary just a few weeks ago, and significant events started to unfold… or maybe it started when I committed to my dream about creating the wishstudio and life began aligning as I showed up to take hold of my dreams… or maybe it began when I became a mother, expanding my life exponentially after a long fallow season. These are some things I will share with you.

What really matters though, is what I can tell you now from where I stand in this very moment through all the twist and turns of my journey, that none of it really matters (gasp!) yet it is all greatly significant. With open eyes, a wide open heart and immeasurable support and love from the kindred community I’ve found right here, I’ve come to see my life through an entirely new lens – one that is steeped in compassion, love and a deep sense of acceptance and gratitude.

This, has truly freed me. It means I can let go of regret because all of it was part of seeing me into this moment. I can let go of expectations and see the abundance of my life as it is. I can embrace the possibilities, because this clarity and love is what really makes magic happen in our lives!  I can show you.

I will share with you the tales and gems of my experiences as well as offer you encouragement to find the joy that exists in your own life through creative practices and compassionate acceptance. Together we will take some measured and meaningful steps, and hand in hand along the way I know you will discover how we truly have the ability to love our lives (the one here at our fingertips!) as we ultimately learn to better love ourselves.

I am honored to give away a place in my 5-week e-course THIS moment: all you have is all you need (November 15th – December 16th 2010)! Please leave a comment on this post sharing one thing you see in this very moment that is extraordinary in your life!  If you would like to go ahead and register, early bird registration is available now through November 5th. I would love for you to join what I know is going to be an amazing journey!

Image, words, and giveaway courtesy of the lovely and talented Mindy Tsonas, creator of WishStudio.

And congratulations to Felicia for winning a place in Mindy’s THIS moment e-course!

the six questions featuring Gail Mooney

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Photo by Erin Kelly, all rights reserved.

Last weekend I attended the European Summit for Global Transformation in Amsterdam and was introduced to photographer and filmmaker Gail Mooney and her latest project, Opening our Eyes, a 99-day journey around the world with her daughter Erin to document and film the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in service to others.

Gail has traveled the world for over 30 years shooting for international companies and publications. To say that she is an inspiration is an understatement, and yet I’m not sure I can find other words to better describe the impact she’s been having on my life ever since we shared a conversation and a grilled cheese sandwich a week ago. I learned a lot spending a couple of days in her presence, about how amazing it is what one small act can do, about being a woman photographer in our society today, about our responsibility to remember the truths about our work, and to hold them at once – of its playfulness, and of its power.

Gail graciously accepted to answer our SS interview. Here are her answers:

1. What’s the story behind this photo?

 

This photo was shot by my daughter, Erin Kelly at the Kopila Valley Primary School in Surkhet, Nepal – the school that Maggie Doyne built. I had been filming the children at the school, shooting in the video mode of my Canon 5D Mark II camera and I was showing the kids the video playback of what I had shot. The children were all so excited and gathered around me to have a look when my took this photo – unbeknownst to me at the time.

2. What was it that lit your photography spark? Do you remember a particular camera, course, person, roll of film? 

I became a photographer in a backwards sort of way. I had been studying architecture at college and after my sophomore year, I took a break to travel around the world. After my year-long journey, I knew that I wanted to find a career that would allow me to live a lifestyle that involved diverse cultures, travel and peoples’ stories. So I decided to pursue a career as a photographer and use my tool (my camera) as a means to that end.

3. What’s your photo philosophy? Does it reflect your life philosophy?

 

As I said above, my camera gives me access to people and their stories and it is a powerful tool in creating awareness and effecting change. Yes it does reflect my life’s philosophy – to use my talents to tell the stories of diverse cultures and social issues – to inform others and create understanding on a global scale.

4. Where do you look for inspiration?

 

Everywhere – I do not get my inspiration solely from other photographers or photographs.  I may be inspired by a piece of art in a museum or seeing something in nature when taking a long walk in the woods – or it may be something someone said to me over a cup of coffee.

5. What would you say is one of your “signature” editing tricks, themes or style? What do you think makes an image recognizable and uniquely yours?

I think that people can see the sincerity and honesty in my work.

6. What aspect of your photography are you constantly working on, trying to improve?

I am always learning and trying new things.  That is how I got into shooting motion almost 11 years ago.  I was looking for another way to tell a story – using sound and movement. 

7. If you could go anywhere in the world for an epic, weeklong photo excursion all by your luxuriously unhurried self – regardless of money, time or childcare issues – where would you go and why?

Antarctica – it’s the only continent that I have not visited and it would a week of exploring extremes.

 

Thank you so much Gail!

 

To read more about Gail and the Opening Our Eyes project, please visit her website, blog and watch the trailer here. Gail also started a Kickstarter project to help raise finishing funds for Opening Our Eyes and inspire and motivate people to create positive change in their communities. Please take some time to learn more about this project and back it up if, like me, you believe in it.

 

Important note: Gail would like to use Jackson Browne’s song “Alive in The World” which inspired the title of her film so if anyone knows him, or someone who knows someone who knows him, please contact her!

the beautiful imperfection of film

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I have to admit. As much as I enjoy the convenience and many possibilities that digital photography offers, my love for film, fully entrenched in the beauty of its texture, process and imperfection, is expanding every day.

Today show us some film love, tell us what inspires you about it, how you feel when you shoot it, and if you’ve never tried film before, we have the perfect opportunity for you today!

In celebration of imperfection (our One Word Project theme inspired by Brene Brown’s new book “The Gifts of Imperfection“) we are giving away the cutest little Lomography Diana Mini Camera with Flash that you’ve ever seen. Have you seen them yet? They are ADORABLE! Plus, we’re throwing in some 400 & 100 speed film to go with it! We are giddy, mostly because we know you will be too. Just leave your comment here between now and midnight EST on Monday to be entered in this Diana drawing. Yay! 

And don’t forget! Today is 10/10/10 and there are some fun events to participate in!

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Congrats to Cigi for winning the random drawing for the Diana Mini! YAY!Thanks to everyone for your comments. More fun giveaways to come this month!

simple, soulful

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“Your Style Statement is the two words that define the true you. It’s a touchstone for making more powerful choices in your life – from your wardrobe to your living room, your relationships to your career plans. Your Style Statement is where your essence meets your expression.” – Danielle LaPorte and Carrie McCarthy, Style Statement: Live by Your Own Design

Simple, soulful. I know it doesn’t seem like much, yet defining my style statement has been an important milestone in my career and life as a creative soul. These two words have helped me make decisions about chairs and outfits, and enlightened my path whenever I wandered too far away from my true self. So when I was offered the opportunity to conduct an e-course on photography earlier this year, I couldn’t think of better words to define it. 

The Simple Soulful Photography e-class (October 4-31) is a four-week workshop complete with lessons and challenges that will encourage you to find and express your authentic self through photography. I envisioned this e-class like I would arrange a meet-up with good friends in a small café. I come in early and journal while waiting patiently for familiar and friendly faces to appear. This place is our café. This is your place. Where imperfections are celebrated, insights are shared and souls are nurtured. A place where we support each other on our quest to finding our authentic self and building a more creative and fulfilling life.

I am most excited today to give away 3 registrations for the Simple Soulful Photography e-class. Please share with us your style statement or what words define your work and true, authentic self and leave a comment here to be entered in a random drawing between now and Monday 27th at midnight PST.

differences

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“When people aren’t pitted against each other, when they are not even mildly competing, when people aren’t vying for position (because all positions in this circle are equally important), they jump out of themselves and into their humanity. They fall so in love with each other they think they wrote each other’s pieces. They’re proud of each other and they root for each other. They cry for each other and they feel for each other. When people feel safe, they recognize themselves in others, and instead of being threatened by their differences, they are moved by them. When they are safe, they are moved by their own differences.” – Nancy Slonim Aronie, Writing from the Heart

You are safe here.

Today show us your differences.

wandering

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Yes, the poop stories are true. As well as most of the things that you read in newspapers or on expat blogs. And I could leave my life here in a second if given the opportunity to relocate in New York or anywhere near the beach. But every time I take a walk across the pont des Arts, or come home with a couple of warm pains au chocolat before my family wakes up, I know in my heart and in my soul, Paris will always be my home.

I am most excited today to announce the launch of my collaboration with Bel Kai designs for the Shutter Sisters Capture Collection, the Wandering necklace, now available for purchase.

Whitney and I both envisioned this necklace, which includes three of my personal Polaroid photos, as a way to wander through the streets of Paris, and to be inspired by the unique beauty of the city. Each necklace is sold with a Polaroid postcard (professionally printed on 4.3 x 5.5 inches heavy paper) to whisk you away and take you even further in your journey to the city of light.

As always, the generous Bel Kai designs is giving away one necklace. Please, share with us an image of the place that inspires you, that you call home, and leave a comment here before tomorrow Monday 23rd midnight PST to be entered in a random drawing for a necklace of your very own.