Shutter Sisters

52 of you (and a giveaway!)

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“Women are the primary resource of the planet.
They give birth, we come from them.
They are mothers, they are visionaries, they are the future.
If we can figure out how to make women feel safe and honor women,
it would be parallel or equal to honoring life itself.”
– Eve Ensler

Beginning the self portraiture journey helped us discover the empowerment we find through photography. Now we often find ourselves reaching for a camera as a form of self care. Seeing to be seen. Seeing to reflect the beauty we feel inside.  We are all women, mothers, sisters, daughters, sharing this human experience. We all struggle, grieve, fear, celebrate, love, dream, hope and mourn. We have great joy and also great pain. We embrace all of these pieces of self.

As mothers, women, and artists we are focused on documenting the everyday beauty of our lives, our homes, and our families. As photographers, we are good at seeing the beauty of the world around us. We discovered that women were missing from their family photos. We recognized this need for all women, and NOW YOU Workshops was born. Now is the time to honor ourselves by finding our place in it. What do we want to remember? What is our place in the chaos? What is our place in the joy?

Right now we are very excited about our newest eCourse. 52 of YOU is a year long gathering of creative women. This eCourse was born out of desire, companionship, global community, and shared inspiration. This project is our third in a series of self portraiture classes provided online. By having a year long project to gather around, we can keep the focus on you with a less intense yet day to day journey. Registration is now open!

Today we are happy to announce a giveaway! We are offering one spot in our 52 of YOU eCourse. Please leave a comment here by midnight (PST on 12/17) for your chance to join us all year long.

xo,

Kristin & Meredith

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Don’t forget to join our mailing list! 

 

*****WINNER OF A SPOT IN 52 of YOU : Jeanne! *****

 

in gratitude

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November was a dark month. Here in New England, it feels like the slippery slope leading down down down into the darkness of short days and long nights. November is the hardest for me. Others might argue that February is hardest here in the north country but I would disagree (having only had one under my belt, ahem!) February for us is a busy time filled with birthdays and a visual expression of pulling oneself up into light with each day growing longer by the minute and the ever elusive Springtime always just around the corner. Yes, February is easier for me to swallow with birthday cakes and ice cream.

November was another story.
And thus, a gratitude project was born.
last year it was what carried me through.
It’s a great practice in daily mindfulness.

This past month I found myself thankful for:

  • reclusive artists and the partnership that flows between.
  • radical acts of love
  • laughing children, hide and seek, and cornfield picnics.
  • photography and the inspiration that comes with the first snow of the season.
  • the nights my mom visits me in my dreams, even though it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
  • this colorful world.
  • this messy life and the lessons we learn together.
  • sunday drives that lead us to thrifted bliss.
  • this art of juggling, crazy as it makes me.
  • for technology that allows these conversations that float through this very sky connecting maine to london and canada. thankful for these connections, these women, this laughter.
  • strangely, grateful for the broken washing machine… it gave me this day in town with my loves.
  • for sunshine and friendship
  • this boy who made me a momma.
  • this day. this moment. this life.
  • the little things like hanging curtains in our new bedroom yurt.
  • this epic day of gatherings and blended families, thanksgiving feasts. this is the reminder that our past does not define us, it simply brought us to where we are now… which is as amazing. 
  • my love, my partner, and an impromptu date night in portland.
  • this day to finish my work week, this laughter to finish the month, and true smiles that come with real life.

So, while I was silent in blogland I was shooting images every day with my iphone because that little device often acts as a lifeline and keeps me present in the moment of everyday photography. Have you done a gratitude project? If so we’d love to see it! Do you prefer your smartphone or your dslr for everyday shooting?

What have you been grateful for? Please leave your words (and images!) in the comments below.

the art of us

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 “All communication begins with an intention, and your intention determines the quality of your life.”

– Danielle LaPorte
Today, think about social media and your place in it. Think about your own avatars and how (and what) we communicate through these visuals. What if there was a project that was created with the hope and respect rooted deeply at its core? What if the intentions were to connect everyone through the lens of their camera and through the social networking sites that define this time of our lives? 
A new project is about to be born. The Art of Us. This project strives to connect all of us together in a gallery of avatars. It’s aesthetics and people and social media and truth. Because this is how we relate to one another. Every day. This is our world in the twenty-first century. This is what our kids witness while growing up. This is how our parents wrestle with new technology. 
This is us. 
This is our culture. 
So, there should be an importance in this, right? We should be more mindful of what we put out there. This is the art of us! We want you to tell your story and share your art through the image you put out to the world, your avatar..  your profile picture! 
Recently, a profile picture exhibition project was brought to my attention. Be Art. A great idea, I thought… afterall, this is our world, this is how we relate, this is how we share bits and pieces of our days, our triumphs, our struggles. Our profile pictures are tiny pieces of art, tiny reflections of self, our voice put out there in square pixel format for all our the world to see. But upon further investigation, to be honest, it wasn’t at all what it seemed. Looks can be deceiving! And further conversations were had on the topic. You can find those conversations here.

I know that art is subjective, but it seemed that the implied party scene of avatars shown with their video were supposed to represent this period in history as the “art” of today. And, well, that’s not MY voice (nor the voices of my peers.) So we’d like to offer an alternative for everyone out there. This is the tiny seed that was planted and grew into a project about to be born. 
When I realized that I didn’t want the Be Art project to represent any tiny bit of who i am as a person who uses social media… it opened a space in my heart for offering an alternative. The alternative is: The Art of Us. You see, there’s a reaction that comes from shock value. and then there’s a reaction that comes from light and truth. I personally think the world should be focusing on positivity. On how we can lift ourselves up with respect for each other and hold ourselves in the best light possible. 
I teach classes on self portraiture. It’s a big part of my existence as a photographer, as an artist, as a mother partner daughter sister. i recently wrote a feature article in DP Magazine on self portraits and was pleased by the like minds that reached out. and in the words of DP Magazine’s editor, Wes Pitts, he shared the same perspective. “One of our favorite articles in this issue (DP Magazine Oct 2012) is by Meredith Winn… who offers thoughtful ideas for creating more interesting and authentic self-portraits. Though social networks are gratuitously littered with snapshots of people making silly duck faces, we’re refreshingly reminded that self-portraiture can be a truly personal, elevated art form that’s not contrived out of sheer vanity, but rather emerges from honest experience and introspection.”
So, can we start a new revolution? Who’s with us?! Can we create art as a form of activism? I think there’s so much power in photography. I feel really strongly about harnessing the power of it and using those super powers for good, not evil. Photography and self portraiture need not be defined. But there is a responsibility that comes with wielding a camera (and pointing it at ourselves) there is the hope for depth, there is always a path for human growth and self-awareness that holds true, even in the face of opposition.
We believe in the power of photography.
We believe that nothing is ordinary
that everything can be seen as art.
We believe in the power of positivity.
We believe that cameras are tools of expression.
We believe we can be the change we want to see in the world.
We believe in beauty
(that an authentic representation of self can empower the masses.)
We believe in respect
(that when we share what is genuine we find others of like minds.)
We believe that your masculinity, your femininity, your weakness, your strength
are all worthy of being documented.
We believe we are all complicated, messy, beautiful human versions of self.
We believe this is the art of us.
We believe this is the art of you, too.
Today, share your thoughts. Do you have a passion about this? Or are you wondering what’s the point and how can one person change anything anyway? We’d love to hear from you today.

mother nature

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The wind blows the rain sideways against the windows. It sounds like the ocean outside, rain coming in waves. Everything becomes art through the blur of water. We focus on this instead of the fear. He asks a lot of questions about floods, he knows the story of his name: the river that flooded our house not once but twice during my pregnancy. He knows we are often at the mercy of mother nature.

We speak, instead, of the beauty around us. We share stories, we discuss the safety of our home. Instead of dismissing the worry, we speak directly and kindly about truths. During storms, we are humbled by nature. Her strength keeps us bundled up inside.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the outside world disappears. School is cancelled, electricity flickers. Things that truly matter come to the front of our minds. We have each other. We have a roof to keep us dry. We have popcorn by the woodstove. 

We on the East Coast are weathering this storm. We wish you well and carry you in our thoughts. Today, share with us your weather reports and let us know how you’re doing out there!

inside outside upside down

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How we view the world through our camera lens often helps us shape the world we experience in our day to day life. One of my favorite photographic perspectives is the simple act of reflection and inversion. This post processing “flip” lets my world become the abstract surrealist version of life that I often perceive in my imagination.

The morning I saw this image in the puddle reflection, we were both feeling something in the space between mother and son. It was a hug and a tug of parenthood and childhood. We were bridging a gap and it conjured up memories and old stories long forgotten. I wanted to document the feeling of this morning in a way that didn’t show a particular expression, but instead, painted a picture of how I felt from our conversation.

Since I have a camera with me absolutely everywhere I go, my son is used to this fact even in his rebellion of it. I now find myself explaining my process to my son, as he is often the witness to my creative spark (and with reluctance to have his photograph taken these days) I hear myself telling him, “I’m focusing on your shoes, the details of your face with be lost in this puddle reflection.” By talking outloud to him about my process it puts him at ease that I won’t try to sneak in a picture of him unwillingly. This also gives him the ability to be part of it the process. So, when we view the final image, perhaps he carries that vision with him as he ventures out into his world. And the next time I see him gazing into puddles looking for another dimension, I will smile to myself at the future he might hold in his own imagination.

Do you seek reflections? Abstractions? Do you flip your images to create an optical illusion to wrinkle your brow with a millisecond of confusion? Show us how you play with photography by sharing your images in the comments below.

comfort (zone)

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Note to Self:
Focus on the light
When life is hard, pick up your camera
When days are joyful, pick up your camera
Every now and then try moving towards what scares you
Stretch your comfort zone, artistically ~ metaphysically ~ literally
Trust the process; no matter where it takes you, and remind those around you that they are loved.

I tend to turn things over in my hands and in my mind… I want to explore all perspectives. I want to touch all the seams: how we come together and how we fray apart. In doing so, I search for my humanness and our similarities; through this process, I find compassion and self care.  I do this through writing but mostly through self portraiture.

What is your comfort? Are you willing to ever step outside of that comfort zone? Even just once? Today share an image of “comfort”… food, self, weather… it’s different for each of us! For me, my comfort is always embracing my camera shyness and the ever present reminder of why I started down the path of self portraits in the first place. It’s taken many years, but I’m happy to say that my comfort is my self. 

. . . . . . . .

Registration is now open for NOW YOU Workshops :: Digging Deeper 
(a six week online eCourse offered by Meredith Winn & Kristin Zecchinelli)
find out more details here, and register early before this next class sells out!

something green

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We live in a land of extremes: snow white in winter and lush green in summer. I’d have it no other way, really. When I crouched in the grass to take this shot, it was the peak of greenness. It’s a strange time in New England when the greenery around you is so intense it overwhelms your eyes. The world is awake, the ferns are unfurling, the grasshoppers are jumping. Mother Nature is in overdrive! It’s like having the problem of too much love, it’s no problem at all… it simply opens your heart to expansion and growth; overwhelming as it may be.

Green is one of my favorite colors simply for how alive it makes me feel. Below my feet, through the weeds, or lost in play. I paint my world green as often as I can. Today, share with us something green. Leave a link in the comments below, add your images to the OWP flickr pool, or tag your images #sselevate on Instagram.

go boldly

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I kept gazing at it, like some mirage off in the distance. After our picnic lunch, we took off on a walk so we could get closer. Up near the dunes, where the river meets the sea, there was a dry storage of sorts. She sat up on blocks with a for sale sign taped to the stern. The colors are what grabbed my attention, and yes, how she sat there proudly as if to sail off into the air.

But oh, those colors!

We all gravitate towards favorites. And this color combination tugs at my heart the most. The boldness it invokes in me and my photography is perhaps why I find myself shooting similiar tones again and again. Can colors make you stronger, more submissive, more aggresive, more melancholy? I allow myself to be more vibrant when shooting colors like this while behind the lens. I don’t question this, I simply acknowledge it and gather these strong colors around me like a boisterous tribe of friends.

Photography allows us to go boldly in any direction of the color wheel that we desire. What do you see through your lens? Show us some of your favorite colors today.

how we see ourselves

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Shutter brother, Artfarmer, in the studio with his self portrait.

Artists use self-portraits to explore the basic question that plagues all of us: who am I? As early as the mid 1400’s artists began painting themselves onto canvas. Later, with the invention of the camera (and mirrors) photographers began turning the image (and their artwork) inward as well. Yes, a mirror or a photograph can tell a person what he or she looks like, but we all know that the physical image doesn’t reflect the whole self. We all know that photography can be 99% optical illusion. Self-portraiture insists that an artist embark on the journey of self-exploration. This journey of self brings about choices, the main one being how to represent him/herself authentically. You always get to choose how you see yourself, that is the beauty of self portraits. There’s a growing group of like-minded friends ready to begin the journey of self… just as artists have done for hundreds of years. Does self portraiture call to you as well? 

There are lots of conversations I’ve seen online lately discussing the concept of “everyday beauty” and people are torn as to what that exactly means. Some folks feel this phrase has been overused, misused, or misconstrued. Everyday beauty is sometimes not beautiful at all, right? It’s messy… we all know this. And so going with the literal definition of “beauty” can be confusing when approaching a topic as broad as art and self. And yet so often we try our best to clean it up. We shine it and polish it and try to make it presentable. Are we caught up in comparing our insides to other people’s outsides? We photoshop and airbrush and texturize and soften. I have been known to do these things too, because I want to see what is aesthetically pleasing with my life… and so I organize the composition of my frame to put chaos into order. But can’t everyday beauty include chaos? What is real is what is true: it’s dishes in the sink, migraines, new love, and decay. Sometimes it screams in your face, sometimes it laughs. 

So, what is beautiful? Everyone has their own opinion. Self is beautiful, as is optical illusion. I believe life and reality… and the thought that we are here at all with our paints and film, exploring these thoughts… that is beautiful. All of it, no matter what, is worth documenting. You are allowed to view your life and your self with whatever filters you want to use. It’s your life and your everyday! Your masculinity, your femininity, your weakness, your strength… it’s all truth and worthy of being seen.

Today I’d love to hear your thoughts and words on the subject. What do you find yourself portraying most in your images? Why do we do the things we do? Share any images today of what you find to be beautiful, and help us redefine everyday beauty.

 

now you

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It’s hard to explain, but part of me needs to visually define my outer boundaries of who I am as a person, woman, mother, sister, daughter, lover. There is no easier (nor harder) way to do this than through photography. Dare I say self portraiture helps me understand myself. It definitely helps me to be kind to myself, and remember who I am on the days when it’s easy to forget.

Now, after four+ years of self portraits, after traveling to meet like minded women and speak about my self portrait journey; it feels like the ultimate study of self. It has brought me a sense of quiet confidence, even as it brings me more questions about who i am. This is growth (and it is welcome here). 

This project of self I can only define as me seeking grace in the conflict. Seeking beauty in the decay. My self portraits document where I have been and where I am going. A circular timeline put on repeat. This is the peace within. The flurry and chaos. The solitude and stillness of wind. The reminder that life is blooming, that growth moves us forward with joy and anticipation. Self portraits are my practice in remembering it is ok to sit with the silence. And that through all the wreckage and reality, life is still beautiful.

Lessons come from being on the other side of the lens.
(These are thoughts on being seen.) Being seen is as important as sharing your voice.

I am worthy.
And so are you.

Now is the time to take back the control of how we see ourselves. Through the process of self portraiture, we come away with images to remind us the beauty of seeing… and being seen. As women, we are all these pieces of self. NOW is the time to embrace it.

Today I’m very excited to share with you the NOW YOU workshops e-course! This is an amazing online collaboration between myself and Kristin Zecchinelli. Registration opens today! Be sure to check out our website for more details like who we are, pricing and how to register, details about the e-course, and other faq’s. Class size is limited, so click on over to read more and reserve your spot in class!

Are you ready to be find that brave beautiful you that dwells inside? Set yourself free of expectation and judgment. Seek and find yourself through your lens. Today share with us your thoughts on self portraiture. Do you enjoy self portraits? Do you loathe them? And please leave your selfies in the comments below. As always, it’s great to see you!