Shutter Sisters

it calls to me

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Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.  ~ Doug Larson

Oh my, we’ve had the craziest weather for this time of year. May temps in March! It’s amazing what a little fresh air and sunshine can do for a person. Seriously so good.

Every day this week the porch swing has called to me…. ‘come sit‘….. and I do…. Even if it’s just for a few moments. As I sit….the sun warms right through me. It’s such a beautiful thing. I feel renewed…alive… more hopeful…inspired….. It’s as if I’m bubbbling over. It’s just so good.

Spring fever has hit!

How ’bout you? Share a little ‘spring’ with us today.

just a whisper

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In the Beyond Layers group we’ve been sharing whisper images this week. I’m amazed at the beautiful photos one simple word has evoked. 

When I think of whisper I think of light, airy, white…….a gentle breeze…. I think of the quiet voice I often hear in my head…. soft whispers of a new idea…….or a quiet warning…’kim, something is not quite right‘ Over the years I’ve learned to listen to the whispers…. It’s been a good thing….

How ’bout you? What thoughts and emotions does the word whisper stir for you? I’d love to see a whisper image…. Please share with us today.

Pushing Through Creative Blocks

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a gentle day with kinfolk magazine….guaranteed to inspire.

I’ve been hearing a lot lately from creatives who have hit a wall, a dry-patch, a slump, a creative block…. Many say it hits hard in the winter….others for no reason at all. I get it! I’ve been there, done that…. many, many times. My longest block lasted almost 2 years. ‘ugh’…. I mean, seriously…. can you imagine? Thankfully, that was my last major dry spell…and it was almost 3 years ago now!! Woo hooing here!

I have found a little ‘trick’ for knocking down the wall…crushing it…. kicking it to the curb….. before it takes over my creative life.

It’s simply, showing up …. I push through, keep creating…. soon I find my way to the other side of the slump…. re-inspired and fired up again!! I push by changing things up. I focus on learning something new, trying a different technique, pushing my limits…. Or I switch over to something a little dreaded…. like file organization… my weak link…. Or bookkeeping…another weak link or organizing my studio. If that doesn’t work I give myself a gentle day….. a day to relax, regroup…. and just be…. But just one day, maybe 2…. Then I move forward…do the work, make the art…. do.

Let’s talk about inspiration…. slumps, droughts, blocks… How do you push through to the other side? What works for you, what doesn’t? Share with us today.

Quick Snaps

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Winter frost…  Oh my it’s pretty. The photo possiblities are endless.

The other day I took the puppy dogs to the lake. I also took my Nikon. I was very excited to capture the pretty frost. Unfortunately I left the battery at home on the charger. Ugh. Thankfully I had my Olympus Pen in the car and I was able to snap away during our walk.

I just love this shot of Ben. The focus isn’t great, his legs are cut off, but he looks so handsome with the frosty tress in the background. By the time the walk was over the frost had fallen. I’m so glad I had my Pen close by and I was able to capture it. How about you? Do you keep a small camera or maybe your camera phone close by to capture the beauty life offers up?

Share a quick snap with us today.

on my windowsill

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I bought a dozen roses at the super market the other day. I divided them into 4 bottles. I have them sitting throughout our home. It’s always nice to have a little touch of pretty in different rooms. Don’t you think?

This sits on our kitchen windowsill…. right by the sink. It’s lovely to see and smell as I do the dishes.

How about you? Share a little touch of something pretty with us today. 

He Posed for Me

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Finally….  one of my boys agreed to pose for me. Perhaps it was a weak moment. Really it doesn’t matter. What matters is he posed for me.  Woo hoo!

I’ve been wanting to take Bryce’s photo forever. But he always has one excuse or another. The truth is, I am not much for taking people pics, so maybe I’m not that persistent. I’m way more comfortable setting up still lifes or photographing Ben. Probably because they don’t talk back. ‘smile’.

The other day I thought, darn it, I’m going to demand he let’s me do it. I casually walked into the living room….all calm, cool and collected. ‘Bryce, I need to take your picture in the white room. Can you please let me? I need to practice with this new lens.’ I was prepared for resistance, so I had a whole speech ready. But he simply stood up and said ‘sure….as long as I can keep my toque on….‘ I could not believe it…. I was almost speechless…..

I didn’t waste a moment… Up we went…. and click, click, click… He didn’t complain, he followed ‘direction’…which is somewhat unusual… And we captured some fabulous shots. Then we popped into the studio and did a little post processing together. The whole experience was perfect.

This is our favorite shot…I think it really captures who Bryce is. He’s a deep thinker… quite serious and I often catch him looking just like this.  

How about you? Are you met with resistance when you try to photograph your family? Any tips for me?

Share a family photo with us today. 

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I shared on my site several times after Camp SS, that I fell hard for California. When I arrived home after that amazing trip I struggled with my surroundings. Everything looked so dull and lifeless, and quite disappointing after the beautiful scenic beaches of California. It took me weeks to get back in the groove…settle into my world, appreciate the beautiful open space of this place we call home.

Then the winter cold hit fast and hard…..it was really shocking…..walking on the treacherous ice made me uptight and just plain cranky….. But winter seemed to settle, soften, relax….and we’ve sinced been blessed with so many amazing days, allowing us to soak up the crisp air and just enjoy the beauty around us.

Thank you winter for your gentle spirit this year….

Today I share a shot of our ‘winter’…..  the open lake we walk each day….. Winter’s snow, frost, starkness, solitude, it’s all truly poetic….. Don’t you think?

I’d love to see your winter… perhaps you have no snow, a little snow… or maybe even tons…. Share with us a little peek of your world today…..

http://shuttersisters.com/3345/

Oh….YES you can

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Say you can, you will…..say you can’t…you won’t.
Is it that simple? Hmmmm, maybe not quite. But this has worked for me, time and time again.

Throughout my creative journey I have always believed I ‘could’, even before I began, and it has served me well over the years.

If you simply believe that you CAN, you really CAN do amazing things in an extraordinary way. 

In my twenties I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I got married and had two kids by the time I was 23. The one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted kids, so it was an easy decision to make. In time, after the baby stage was over, I came back to the question, ‘what am I going to do with my life?’

A few years later I decided I wanted to paint. I simply started painting…dove right in. I never did take a painting class; I just kind of faked it, til I made it. I had no idea where that painting would take me! The more I did, the more in love with the process I became. I started calling myself an artist early on. I think that belief, that clear intention, laid the groundwork for my future and allowed me to build a career with my art. Honestly, if you were a stranger looking in you would have thought, is she crazy… she’s really not that good! But yet with great intentions, I made it happen. I managed to create a career around my art, a career that has helped support our family, a career doing something I love.

When I discovered photography I never once thought I couldn’t do it. I just did it…forging ahead…learning as I went. When i finally decided to learn photoshop I dove in with both feet….simply believing I could.

Just the other day someone asked me: ‘but how do you know how to do all this stuff?’ And I simply answered ‘Easy, I never doubt that I can, and I learn as I go.’
All the knowledge and inspiration we could ever need is at our fingertips; right in front of our eyes in just seconds. We don’t even have to leave home. There really are no excuses.

I’ve watched my children struggle to find direction in their lives. Their biggest obstacle is a ‘can’t do’ attitude, but I know one day they will discover that they really can. And for that, I can not wait!

Whatever you want in life, you can do it…. It may take hard work…there may be mountains to climb, obstacles to move….but it’s completely doable. First you must believe you can.

Are you struggling with your photography? Do you think you can’t take pretty pictures, or you can’t get out of automatic mode, or you can’t learn how to use the big, bad photoshop? 
You are right! As long as you feel that way….it will never happen. You gotta switch your thinking….. 

Now’s the time, my friends…. It’s almost 2012….. are you IN? Are you READY? Can you do it? Whatever it may be…..You can… I can… We can!!

Today I am giving away a spot in my new eCourse, Beyond Layers, a year of art full inspiration. 52 weeks of encouragement, motivation and inspiration……centered around, but so much more than photoshop……

I’m so excited to share this with the world. I’d love for you to be a part of it.

To enter please share with us your ‘I can’ statement for 2012.
In 2012…. I can…..
What is it you’ve been wanting to do? State it here…. and believe you can with all your heart. 
I will be right here, cheering you on!

*****

For more information about the Beyond Layers eCourse, click HERE. The give away winner will be announced at the bottom of this post on Saturday, December 31st at 12:00pm.

Choosing Happiness Right Now

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If we can really truly find happiness in the very moment/space we are in, wow… that is good stuff.

I know it can be hard. I’m not saying it’s easy. But I do think it’s true.

I choose this photo to share today, because I took it just a few months after I discovered photography. I shot it with my nikon d40 and the 50mm 1.8 lens. If that means nothing to you, let me explain. The d40 is an entry level dslr. The 50mm 1.8 is a fabulous and really reasonably priced lens. At the time, buying that lens was a huge investment…. a giant leap of faith. We definitely could not afford it, but I wanted it with my whole heart. 

Because I was using it with the d40, it didn’t auto focus and at the time I had no idea what I was doing. I was learning as I went. I simply knew the 50mm had a low aperture number which would allow lots of light to come in. And I felt completely blessed that I had it.

I shot the photo with my whole heart. I was so present in that moment….alive and in love with my new passion, photography. I can take myself right back to that day, that moment in time. I was sitting on our old staircase, it was mid afternoon, aiming at the lovely antique door knob, trying my best to get it in focus. I could see the picture I was trying to create in my mind… a Country Christmas photo.

Focus…..Click…. focus….click…… magic happened. 

It’s one of my favourite photos ever. And, It’s been licensed by many companies. Isn’t that crazy?

Would the d700 or the 5d…. with the 50mm 1.4g have made this a better photo?
I don’t think so.

As photographers, we are always thinking of the next thing… whether it’s a fancier camera, a better lens, the newest software. I am so bad for this! I won’t deny it. But, I know, if we can embrace and give thanks for whatever equipment we may have at this very moment, it can completely transform our art.

So my friend… wherever you are, and with whatever you are shooting…. whether it’s a point and shoot, an iPhone, a less than dreamy dslr…. whatever it is… go forward into this beautiful season of joy…and shoot with gratitude…..
Maybe, just maybe, magic will happen. And perhaps all that happiness will open the doors to so much more.

Today, share with us a ‘from the heart‘ photo. I just know you have some….. 

Lights of the Season

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My favorite part of the holiday season has to be the lights…. They create such a magical feeling.

I’m way behind on my holiday decorating….In fact, this is all I’ve done so far! The lovely light from this rusty lantern caught my eye as I was zipping by this evening…. ‘picture perfect’ I thought….

snap….snap…snap….

There’s nothing like a sparkly holiday tree. Or how ’bout a sparkly puppy dog? Oh my goodness…so precious…. or…some homespun holiday cheer. 

Have you captured a little twinkle magic….or maybe some inspired holiday cheer….this year? Share with us today.