Shutter Sisters

the eyes have it

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When in doubt, I go searching for the tiny details. I turn my focus on something small, something revealing. Closer closer, let me closer into a piece of you. This has always been my way of making life look clean. Making life look neat and tidy when it is anything but. Get closer closer to crop out the distractions that keep you from the truth.

Because this is the truth of the matter: he blocks me out now, this five year old. He doesn’t allow the intrusion of lens anymore. Not as much as he used to. And I respect that of him but I find myself lonesome for this connection. He and me sandwiched between a glass lens, the most vulnerable and trusting place to be. When he grants me permission I am all tongue hanging out like a puppy eager to please, to snatch up this piece of his heart he so generously offered. And when he does, and the image is sealed in pixels or film, all our moments sitting creekside come rushing back. All the goodness and sunshine and raw emotions of the day come spilling out from behind a solitary blue iris. Perhaps because he shields himself now is why i have begun to cherish these images so much more.

So, today, because I just can’t get my fill of it… show me your eyes. Yours, his, hers, theirs. They are beautiful and full of wonder, and they are more revealing than we ever acknowledge.

And to celebrate Giveaway May leave your comment (by Thursday night at midnight Central Time) to be entered for a chance to win your choice of one 5×7 fine art print from my etsy shop!

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Congratulations to Kate S. @ Little House who won the print of her choice!

 

body type

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Let’s talk camera bodies! A few weeks ago I had a first hand experience with shutter death. It was quick (and totally unexpected… um, and not so much painless.) It left me without so much as a goodbye from my beloved Nikon. It also left my hands empty and found my heart wanting.

Well, now what am I supposed to do? How do I create without the perfection of glass and mirror? I did what my heart insisted. I started a project.

This blend of photography and words might manifest a camera. But what camera? I’ve been pouring over all the reviews… but what I really want is the opinion of fellow Shutter Sisters shooting every day just like me.

So let’s sit down and chat about camera bodies, shall we? What’s your opinion? Share it in the comments today. Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Polaroid? Let us know your favorite camera. What do you shoot with every day? What camera would you never leave home without? I want to hear your suggestions, your stories, your thoughts on what camera body you own or would love to own.

 

look who’s come to dinner

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There is a sweet spot in Texas weather. It begins when the redbuds burst forth with vibrancy and it lasts just about as long. It’s an unspoken truth that those of us who live here have about 8 weeks of spring before the temperature reaches triple digits.

So how do we enjoy our time? We’ve been eating dinner outside on our balcony. With the wind in the leaves and creaky trees for our company, we make the most of this perfect weather. Living in what feels to be a treehouse has it’s advantages, the birds become our friends! Sometimes they come to dine with us and we catch fleeting glimpses of their silly antics. It’s always fun to muse on what might be going on in their little bird brains.

“Seed for dinner again?!”

I’ll miss them when we are all closed up in our air conditioned rooms with only the view through the glass. I’m treasuring this time spent with fine feathered friends as we all enjoy the spring season.

Today share with us your love of spring, in whatever view it gives you!

 

 

 

white space

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In photography, white space (also known as negative space) is used to create a balanced and harmonious image. It is defined as “the space between elements in a composition.” What I love most is that it’s ever changing, depending on how you look at the world and move your camera. There is a certain stretching of my brain that comes with this thought, that nothing is constant. And with that is comfort in knowing everything is in relation to the edge of the image. 

There is a certain dreaminess that is achieved with composition in photography. It exists only as a place within the frame. And if you are like me, it gives you room to breathe and space to think. It comes as no surprise then, that I am drawn to white space when I look through my camera. It’s true what they say:  negative space can have a positive effect.

Annie Leibovitz was right, there is nothing wrong with white space. So, tell me, how do you view the world around you? Look for space in your photography today … and share with us what you find.

 

static on the line

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“I wish that you could see me when I’m flying in my dreams. The way I laugh there way up high. The way I look when I fly. The way I live… the way I fly.” ~ Patty Griffin

It’s winter. There’s static in the air … it buzzes across phone lines that stretch the 1535 miles that divide us. Through cities .. across fields .. over state lines: this silence is heavy. It comes from conversations gone limp, from all the summer and fall conversations. From all the talk of life and death and the space that lingers in between us buzzing with nothing but static.

When it’s all been said, there is little left to say. But we keep reaching out in our disconnect, just to know we are each on the other end of this line. You don’t always understand me these days. And so to fill your silences and mute this static, I ramble about the birds flying overhead and how they reminded me of that one time, you remember? When I was little and you carried me through Boston? Remember my son is that age now, and I seldom carry him anymore but when I do I think of you and how strong you were. And the birds… oh, the birds were soaring overhead so gracefully awaiting spring much like we are now … landing and taking flight again, lifting off from the phone lines that connect us now with all this static.

It’s March now. I’m feeling the silence of our winter. Mourning the disconnection. Hushing the static. And finding the beauty of birds in flight.

Care to ramble just to keep us connected? Have you done any bird watching lately?

time well spent

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How often do we get the chance to share the most real version of ourselves with our children? Not the wiping noses, bums, and tears. Not the goodnight kisses that carry us through the long nights. I’m talking about the passion, the individual passion we each have in our own hearts. {whatever that may be.} In some of us it looks like photography, cooking, designing, fortune 500’s, or running a triathalon. These important bits of ourselves are unique to us, and they shine through the daily life, even if on somedays it feels they don’t. These bits are pieces of the puzzle that make us real.

And when our children get to witness this? These unique pieces of us? Well, it makes their eyes sparkle.

This week my focus was firmly set on Friday. This is when I’ll be attending the Mom 2.0 Exhibit reception at the Fotofest Art Gallery. However, yesterday a holiday provided my son and I with an entire day to spend together. I dreamed up a roadtrip to Houston, because I felt a very strong need to hold my son’s hand in that very space I would stand this coming Friday night.

What I wanted most was to share this piece of my life with him. To put my feet next to his on the hardwood floor, to sit and laugh and relax with him by my side, seeing these bits of me all around us. All I really want is to give him a gift, an experience that just might tuck itself into the folds of his memory.

This was time well spent.

I feel like I carried the sisterhood there with me. All of you so far away. All of you in my heart, and those of you who I carry with me in my pocket. I carried this sisterhood in through the entrance, side by side with my own motherhood. As well as my own individual dream {for what it means to me.}

My intent was to share it with my son. But I came away wanting to share it with the sisterhood as well because the energy there was undeniably strong. And to think it all began with a fistful of maps and a tank full of gas.

Take a moment to view the slideshow of our journey to Houston that delivered us to this most amazing gallery. It’s truly an amazing space of light and wood … walls covered with beauty all familiar.

On Friday this room will come alive with voices. But yesterday, in all its silence, this exhibit was very much a living breathing creation.

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What is it you most want to share with your children? What inner passion in you is waiting to be revealed?

shadow play

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“Every man casts a shadow; not his body only, but his imperfectly mingled spirit.”  
                                              ~ Henry David Thoreau

Shadows play and dance. They stretch and mingle; catching light ~ bouncing laughter. Shadows, to me, resemble a sort of freedom of spirit. Shadows sometimes have a mind of their own. Perhaps this is why i love them so.

Today, in the United States and Canada, we celebrate Groundhog Day. What a quirky little tradition! It’s one steeped in folklore. A holiday of childhood mittens and snowboots. A holiday that really is no holiday other than giving communities the chance to gather and talk of weather, hope, and patience during this… the longest winter month. It has always seemed to be a day of playfulness.

As the story goes, a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this very day! If it fails to see its shadow it will leave its home signifying that Spring is just around the corner. If the groundhog sees its shadow; however, it scurries back in its burrow to wait out six more weeks of Winter.

Play along with me today, celebrating shadows on this Groundhog Day. Show me your shadow, whether it will be an early Spring or a long Winter, let your shadow self play and rejoice in the sun today.

landscape envy

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This is the optical illusion of space. This is me belly down in the wet grass. The fog and rain hugging me as I search for what feels like home. I walked away from here muddy-kneed and happy.

When I was twenty I packed up my belongings and moved myself across the country. A part of me has felt landlocked ever since. A part of me wonders if I will ever be happy until I live once again where the sand meets the sea.

On days when I miss the seagulls cry, when I miss the salty air … I do my best to recreate what it is I’m looking for.

This is that illusion. This equals staring off into a vast open space, the facade of solitude and quiet. This is where I go to find myself, ground myself, feel connected again and again.

Today, please share with us some of your surroundings, your landscape, what you see, and where you go. Today for a moment, let us live vicariously through each other’s landscapes.

keeping it light

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My feet are good at keeping me grounded. I plant them firmly and move forward one step at a time when life gets heavy. Sometimes I’m so focused on putting one foot infront of the other {busying myself with stepping around the weight and rocks} that I forget there is a lighthearted side to life.

My mom keeps an umbrella in the side pocket of the driver’s side door {just like me} I made a mental note of it on one of our excursions together during my visit home. It’s not too often that I use props with photography. In fact, the opposite is quite true as most of my photography comes about like spontaneous combustion. I glance again at the umbrella and think to myself, “hmm. That could be fun.” 

It was windy that day, and bitter cold at the edge of the earth. {Have you ever tried holding a travel size umbrella on a blustery day?} My prop umbrella had turned inside out twice already from the gusts of wind and I was starting to turn into that 3 year old stompy child version of myself that shows herself periodically. I was becoming increasingly unhappy with my mock photo session by the sea, things were not going as planned. Then for some reason I randomly started jumping with my remote in hand.

My laughter was contagious and my mom began laughing too, just watching me be a silly goof like the kid I always was before life got so heavy. I jumped and jumped like a six foot leprechaun clicking her heels. The sun seemed to shine brighter with our laughter. We kept laughing all the way home.

This photo still makes me laugh.

Keep it light today, will you? Something silly, something contagiously funny, a well timed jump, or just a priceless expression will do the trick. What makes you laugh?

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And speaking of light hearted fun: be sure to check out the latest addition to our Shutter Sister featured photo list! {Click on 365 to explore daily features from the Shutter Sister 365 flickr group} Yay! 

light into darkness

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“Beautiful light is born of darkness”  ~ R. Turnbull

I stand under this tree, his hand in mine… we spin ourselves dizzy. It’s an Austin tradition, and one I do with thousands of others each year because I secretly hope I can spin my wish into reality. As if a string of bokeh lights can make a single wish come true.

He laughs and I stumble and I lose track of who is adult and who is child.

Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are spinning slowly… tick tock… into the darkness and lengthening of day. Soon we will come to rest softly in the cold of Midwinter; but until we do, we find ourselves with more dark than we know what to do with.

As I think about the upcoming solstice, I think about what it means to stand still and accept the lack of sunlight. I think about the darkness that comes before dinner, the early mornings void of sunshine. I think of hibernation and cups of tea to warm my hands. It makes me seek light, almost where there is none. It makes me step outside my natural light comfort zone.

Where in all of this do you find light? I know it’s out there, hiding in the nooks and crannies of shorter days, it’s waiting to be discovered by you. Today, share with us what you find and we will be overcome with love by the light created from thin air.  We’ll see the future and a world of catchlight through a set of new eyes.  We’ll hush the silence that reflects light in the quiet stillness of dark.  We’ll count the thousand points of light as if they are trees in a forest.  And we’ll gasp in joy at the lights of your city.  

Today, won’t you join me in my search for light? Share with us the light that is revealed to you in darkness.