Shutter Sisters

getting grounded

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It always had a negative connotation growing up… “being grounded” was a forced solitude. As an adult now I find myself using that word in attempt to help me find my place. Getting grounded helps me find balance and breath. Most often I look down exactly where I am standing. I look at my feet on the ground and gather up my surroundings.

This is the daily ritual of visiting the brook. With only my iphone in hand, the colors really jumped out at me: dancing and begging to be photographed. The blue water, the orange leaves… this is the season that’s fleeting as fast as we are enjoying it. As I take a step, I move towards forward momentum and transition. This: the symbolic shift, the bridge, the place I cross over.

What’s it look like in your part of the world? Where do you stand? What are you moving towards… what are you moving away from? Let your photography today reveal more of your path. Shoot straight down today, link your photos in the comments below or use the hashtag #fromwhereistand and we can all get grounded together.

when space speaks

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While looking through my photos I see a pattern: I’m either zooming way in for the smallest hint of detail or pulling way back to gather in the view. 

I’ve mentioned negative space here before, and how I love the freedom of it. White space lets your mind wander. So, how does empty space in portraits help tell a story? There is emotion in the distance of it. The tinyness of them out in the big world. The hint of hands being held. The farawayness of conversations shared.

Today give yourself some space, and put your loved ones right in the middle of it. See what it does for your story and theirs. Share your thoughts and images in the comments!

for the love of lines

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I often don’t know how to get inside a photograph. Do you know what I mean? I stand on the edge of an event, a protest, a gathering… and I don’t always know how to best jump in. What do I focus on? Where do I choose to look? It takes me some time to get comfortable and find my focus, narrow my view down to a few frames that tell the best story.

Photography is a powerful tool. We wield our cameras with the possibility to share perspective. When I am outside of my comfort zone {gulp!} I often don’t know where to begin. The job seems too big. When I feel myself in this struggle… that’s when I most want to push myself with my photography and break through those walls.

I am totally drawn to the old bricks of this port city. The age and weather begs to be seen and shared. I stare up at these buildings; covered with ivy, dripping with story. My feet freeze below me as I stand for a minute trying to figure out how best to frame the shot. Shooting buildings {for me} is outside my comfort zone. They just stand there unwaivering! No chasing needed, they are proud and strong and never blink. So why is it that they make me cringe?

I think figuring out your boundaries is a great step in improving your photography. I am constantly on the lookout for the learning curve. I like its steepness. I like being schooled; and depending on the day, coming away from an event with a memory card full of garbage is a good thing, albeit frustrating. It only forces me to try harder next time. To seek inspiration.

And so it is with me and buildings. I try to come at them from different angles. To find the love of lines. To create something abstract from brick and mortar. That is the challenge. And so I seek out inspiration in different forms.

Share with us today your perspective. What lies outside your photography comfort zone? How often do you attempt to shoot it? How do you begin climbing that learning curve?

 

no matter the weather

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How’s the weather where you live? Does a little rain make you cringe? Raindrops make for beautiful images and yes, sometimes soggy cameras. I try to embrace the rain as best I can and usually find myself out in it anyway, with camera in hand and a raincoat with room to stash my gear as needed.

Today share with us your rain drops, cloudy skies, and inclement weather photographs. And in the comments, let us know how you protect your gear from Mother Nature’s foul (yet aesthetically pleasing) weather.

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And remember that with your comment comes the chance to win a very special September gift; a $100 gift certificate courtesy of Paper Coterie in honor of the Everyday Storytellers and our One Word Projectthis month; story.

reflections on self

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We took a walk around a junkyard full of VW love. Rich with history, my heart felt full and happy. I was looking at the past, I was gazing at the future. On days like these, it’s easy to find beauty in the rust and decay. I think about the stories these cars could share: the miles traveled, the backseat arguments, the flat tires. These volkswagons held lives and carried them from place to place, life to life. 

I’m drawn to shiny surfaces… and this day was no different. Glass reflects my own smile, it reveals the love I see before me and the peace I feel within me. Reflections are multi-layered in their storytelling. I’m drawn to the abstractness of environment and how I can place myself into it.

Today I challenge you to reflect on your self. Find a shiny surface, a looking mirror, a window pane, a storefront display… and insert yourself into it. Let your reflection tell us your story.

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Remember that with your comment comes the chance to win a very special September gift; a $100 gift certificate courtesy of Paper Coterie in honor of the Everyday Storytellers and our One Word Project this month; story.

everyday life is sometimes messy

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Looking forward into a hurricane.
Looking back into the muck from where we grow.

Everyday life is sometimes messy, we all know this. And yet so often we try our best to clean it up. We shine it and polish it and make it presentable. We photoshop and airbrush and texturize and soften and I do all these things too because I want to see what is aesthetically pleasing and so I sweep the dust bunnies under the rug. I arrange photos to put chaos into order. Yes, I do. But what is real is what is true. And if photography is mostly optical illusion, then there’s something to be said for hidden beauty that is found in the mess. In the cluttered table top, the forward the backward dance of multi-tasking, the child hanging from the apron strings, the toys scattered after a morning of busyness.

This is the truth of how I work. Old school headphones to drown out the mess. In this moment I realized how funny this must look. And yet how important it is to recognize this time of my life. So I put myself at arms length to see my life for what it is right now: messy.

Messy is still beautiful to me.

Today I challenge you to put yourself at arms length. Take a look around you (or at yourself) and revel in your life for what it is. Chaotic, turbulent, or a peaceful oasis. Try to see the mess as the canvas, as the backdrop to the story of our life. Put it in your frame…today share with us what is real and true about your life. What is hard for you today? What are you trying to overcome? What makes you, you? I’m finding that when we share our truths and even our (gasp!) flaws, the more real and beautiful life becomes.

We are giving away one $100 Paper Coterie gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of September! Share a comment each day before midnight EST for your chance to win that day’s random drawing. Be sure to leave links to your story shots.

lazy hazy daze

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camera settings: f/3.5, 1/10, ISO 200, 18mm focal length

Wall to wall carpeting invites lounging. I had forgotten this about him. Legos spread underfoot, he marks his territory in this new space. I am marking my territory too with photos tacked to walls and buddhas placed methodically. I can’t blame him for spreading out, and so I learn to step gingerly while in barefeet.

We moved 1800 miles to be here. It’s new and it’s summer and life turns upside down fairly quickly. So we unpack and disassemble life as we knew it and walk boldly into something new and somewhat surprising. It is the blending of the old and new lives that are creasing together like a to-do list that’s been shoved deep into a pocket.

These are the final days of summer. And this year, this is how we are spending our time. It might not have been how i pictured it, but in this picture I see the truth of our reality and it’s perfect just how it is. For this photo I stood on a chair and shot straight down at him. The early morning sun cast a light on the bottom left frame and my iphone lit up his face while he studied a new strategy on a favorite game. What I wanted to remember was the mess, the smallness of him, the dark edges, the comfort of that old bear we use now as a floor pillow.

Life is not always what you pictured, but it’s always exactly as it’s supposed to be.

So tell me, how are you spending your last days of summer? Poolside? With a good book? Friends and laughter? Share with us a picture of your real everyday… because what is real, is really beautiful.

choose your own adventure

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Happy August!

The sun tilts just a bit now with golden light and long nights. Crickets chirp, dune grass holds fast. This last month of summer is upon us. Time moves too fast! With a fleeting worry of things to be done, we approach this month with great gusto. To do all we have wanted, to spend our time wisely in appreciation of the many gifts of summer.

August kicks off our month of adventure here at Shutter Sisters. Oh the things to come! Oh the excitement! With newness fresh on our lips, with our hearts full of exploration, we introduce the new One Word Prompt: Adventure!

This August I am going on my own adventure, and so it was in the heat of my Texas backyard I celebrated this newsworthy adventure with self and flowers and sunflare. So tell me, where will August lead you? What plans have you made? Share your realities and dreams with us in the comments below. And be sure to choose your own adventure this month, however big or small. And celebrate with our community in the OWP flickr pool, it’s full of inspiration!

print me

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I think all of us, in some form or fashion, grew up with the instant gratification of photography. Sometimes it was the polaroid that jumped out of the sx-70 to be developed. Most of the time, it was waiting a few days to save up babysitting money in order to pick up prints at the drugstore. And often, it was life revealing itself in the slow motion stir that came from behind the closed door of the darkroom.

I know I’ve said it before. But I’ll say it again: photography is meant to be held.

In this day of instant everything I find myself taking even more photos while I’m on the go. This means my iphone has become a great resource for documenting my everyday ordinary magical moments. The same day I took this photo with my Nikon, I also played with my iphone a bit and came up with a different perspective on the same thrifted hat. I am still loyal to my Nikon, but most days I swing towards the lightheartedness and ease of the iphone.

So, how easy is it to get your mobile images off your phones and into print? For those of you shooting with an iphone, I’ve recently discovered a great app that gets your prints in hand! Postal Pix is my new go-to instant gratification for all things iphotography related. No, they’re not paying me to say that, I simply love the fast and convenient service they provide and the quality of their prints is great too. I’ve placed quite a few orders and I’m turning on all my iphone friends to their services! If you’re on an iphone and you love prints in hand, you gotta check them out.

Today, share with us your everyday ordinary magical moments taken with a phone camera. 

home life

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One part truth :: One part fiction

This is me caught in transition. Happily holding back the walls. Embracing the wrinkled messes. Drowning in boxes as I sell all my belongings in preparation to move back to the East Coast in a few weeks.

But that’s another story. What I’m interested in today is home life. As I sort and pack my space, as I go over all the nooks and crannies, as I fall in love again with my favorite spots… I’m curious to get a peek into your home life too.

Do you have a happy place in your home? A wall of favorites, a windowsill of love? A space you’re drawn to again and again in your photography? Me? Well, I will surely miss my blue wall. But I trust it will reappear in my life at some other time as it has in the past.

Today show us a bit of your home, won’t you?