Shutter Sisters

nestled all snug in their beds

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Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

Christmas Eve is often a day full of anticipation. Whether it’s a child imagining Santa loading up the sleigh for his long flight, or adults planning and waiting for the cheerful celebration to come. We may have expectations and visions of what the holiday will hold for us. So this Christmas Eve, take a moment to breathe, relax and soak in the moment for what it is, rather than what you may have imagined it to be.

Grab your camera and snap away at what surrounds you. And as always, share the love with all of us!

twinkle

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There’s a constant twinkle in his eye that speaks volumes. It says “I’m up for anything and loving life”. He is learning fast and exploring constantly. As he grows, I am right there watching him watch the world. This is our first Christmas as a family of three and I look forward to starting new traditions that will carry us through a lifetime. And even though he doesn’t understand the signifigance of the holiday season, it’s more important than ever for me to document it through photographs. I’m sure the spirit of the season will only brighten the twinkle in his eye and I plan to capture it as much as I can this month.

Do you know someone who lights up a room? Share your photos with us!

 

bokeh love

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This is the perfect time of year to experiment with those beautiful fuzzy orbs of light we call bokeh. A string of Christmas lights is the ideal tool for creating bokeh in the background. For this photo, I setup a backdrop with strings of lights draped over top of a cream colored blanket. Then I placed my cute little subject about 10 feet in front of the backdrop and set my aperture as low as I could (f2.5 in this case). What resulted was a soft, creamy glow of bokeh in the background.

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday twinkle lights are going up, get out there and play around with boheh! Show us your results, past and present so we can all get in the spirit of the season!

 

2012 Photo Calendar

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As Shutter Sisters, we automatically have a wonderful gift to give others. Our perspective of the world is reflected in our photography and should be shared with others. Women tend to be more thoughtful and emotional than our male counterpart (I’m being completely stereotypical) and as photographers we express ourselves creatively with our images. The combination means that we need to be sharing our talents with the ones we love.

So in order to help you share your gift with others, I’d like to share this photo calendar template with you. This cute little calendar has become somewhat of a tradition around here and it’s always a big hit during the holidays.

CLICK HERE to dowload the files.

The files include basic instructions for creating your custom calendar pages in Photoshop. Then just print them on some photo paper or cardstock and cut them out.

These templates are sized to fit in a cd jewel case, but they can also be fastened together with a binder clip and hung on the wall. If you choose to use a cd jewel case, you’ll just need to carefully take apart the case and put it back together so that it stands up like the photo above.

Enjoy! And please let us know how you plan to use these cute little calendars!

walk with gratitude

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My experience this past week at Camp Shutter Sisters was extraordinary and inspiring beyond words. The memories are floating around in my head all jumbled and overlapping as I attempt to drift back into everyday life. And as much as I fight it, I will eventually become fully immersed into my routine again.

We all have days when the drudgery of life gets in the way of our lens. These are the moments when the space around us seems less than beautiful, possibly even ugly. However, thanks to Tracey Clark and the other amazing women I have just met, I am now armed with the reminder to “walk with gratitude” as I hold my camera and view my surroundings. It’s amazing how those words transformed me. It’s a simple suggestion but one that lingers in my mind. The idea is less about composition or f-stops, and more about allowing the feeling of gratitude to pour through our eyes and ultimately our lens.

Make a point today to walk with gratitude with or without a camera. If it inspires you to capture your surroundings, please share your images with us below.

Graphic Nature

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My two worlds are colliding as I stare at this photo of a bug-chewed leaf. The graphic designer in me is enamored with the pattern of organic white-ringed shapes and the veins that connect them. Meanwhile my photographer’s eye is studying the depth of field, contrast and saturated colors. In fact, photography and graphic design are intertwined in many ways. The same elements that I studied as a college design student can be applied to photography as well. Balance, contrast and movement are important for any form of visual art and the lines between artistic mediums can often be blurred.

Today, please share your photos with distinctly graphic qualities and stand back as I am blown away with visual stimulation.

tunnel vision

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I’m feeling pretty unfocused these days. It’s a busy time of year and I am being pulled in many different directions. And yet, I haven’t said ‘no’ to any new commitments. So I have nobody to blame but myself for feeling overextended. When I start to feel scatterbrained and flustered, I have to force myself to compartmentalize and focus on one thing at a time. There needs to be a balance between seeing the big picture and zeroing in on the task at hand. The photo above seems like a pretty acurate representation of that balance. My eye is drawn to the end of the walkway, and yet I still notice some small details along the way.

Do you have any photo representation of the way you’d like to be operating right now? It could be calm, joyful, organized, motivated or slow-paced.

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We are giving away one $100 Paper Coterie gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of September to one of YOU! All you have to do is share a comment each day before midnight EST for your chance to win that day’s random drawing. And be sure to keep shooting your own stories and adding them to the OWP Pool on Flickr where you have a second chance at winning one of those $100 Paper Coterie giveaways.

His Story

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“I am loved and wanted and cherished beyond belief.

My mom and dad hoped, prayed and anxiously awaited my arrival and I did not disappoint. My entrance into the world was fast and chaotic, but beautiful all the same. I don’t know much about this place yet or what lies ahead in life. But I can already tell that everyone is cheering me on. And that feels nice.”

This is my son’s story, which is simple and brief at this point in his life. But all too soon, he will grow up and experience the complexities of the world. He will make good choices and mistakes, see beautiful and ugly around him, and feel joy and sorrow. But I hope he remembers how his story began, because that will never change.

How do you think the story of your beginning influenced the person you have become?

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.

rediscovery

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There’s no better way to feel inspired and renewed than to view the world through the eyes of a child. Watching my little guy discover the world is already exciting and he’s still so young. I look forward to watching his gears turn as he experiences new things. And I can only imagine how often I will be right there with my camera, capturing the look on his face and rediscovering it all for myself.

We can all benefit from acting like a kid again. Show us something you’ve recently rediscovered. 

 

summer nights

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Nothing compares to the feeling of a warm summer night spent outside amongst good company, live music and great food. It can be a challenge to capture the ambiance and mood of a setting like this. But placing the camera on a solid surface combined with a slow shutter speed provides the ultimate opportunity to showcase the scene. That way the glow of neon lights and unassuming signs are presented in all their glory.

Have you captured any casual summer ambiance lately? Share your images with us.