What’s better than baby animals in the Spring? I love the fact that nature gives us one big POW of beauty all at once. Flowers are blooming, grass is growing, eggs are hatching and baby animals are entering the world. Everything feels fresh and the earth is ready to make it all grow. Now is the time to have your camera on you at ALL times. You never know when you might come across one of these beautiful new creatures.
Share your photos of spring “newness” no matter what it may be!
Have you ever spotted a scene so bizarre and other-worldly that you couldn’t get your camera out fast enough? Your fingers fumbling with the camera settings at lightning speed, fearing that the moment might disappear. I don’t know about you, but it’s moments like these when I don’t care how ridiculous I look – on my knees with my head 3 inches from the ground. As long as I get the shot.
Or is that just me?
It’s tough to fly under the radar with a huge black camera in your hands. Once your subject feels a lens pointed in their direction they become more aware of themselves and all hopes of being a fly on the wall are shot. So I’m always thrilled when I’m able to capture a truly natural, intimate moment. The above photo was taken at a 50th anniversary party last summer. These two brothers hadn’t seen each other in over a year and the man on the left has been dealing with increasing dimentia. I snapped this photo as the groom explained “I’m Bill. I’m your brother”. It was a heartbreaking moment to watch the confusion in his eyes followed by a slight glimmer of recognition. When I look at this picture, I remember the scene like it was yesterday.
Have you ever captured a touching moment where the subjects are totally unaware of your presence?
On a recent trip to visit my dad I spotted an old 8 paned window in his garage. I remember commenting about how great it would look on a wall, or used decoratively in some way. Not surprisingly, the next time my dad took a road trip to visit, he brought the window with him and gave it to me. It sat in our garage waiting to be used until this week. I’ve been busy preparing for an upcoming Women’s Living Expo, where I’ll have my own Paige B. Photography booth. Suddenly I rediscovered the antique window and knew it would be a perfect way to display some of my photos. Each pane is about 8.5″ x 12.5″, so I ordered the photos on 10″ x 13″ paper and trimmed each one to size. Then I attached the photos to the back with masking tape. Lucky for me, I have a very handy and creative husband who made “feet” for the back to stand it up. However, I think it would look just as good leaned up against a wall or hung up. Old windows like these are often available in antique stores, estate sales or on Craigslist.com. We ended up repainting ours white because I was going for a clean look. But leaving the paint distressed would have looked nice too.
I love how my photo window turned out and can’t wait to show it off this weekend in my booth! How about you? Have you discovered any creative ways to show off your photos?
The grass is still brown and the trees are not budding yet. But there’s a buzz in the air. Easter bunnies and bright, colorful scarves and boots are appearing at every turn. Spring is coming and there’s no turning back! Not only is spring the a great time for shopping, it’s one of the best times for photography. As the color starts coming back and the days get longer I always feel a renewed sense of inspiration.
I want to see how spring is creeping into your lives. Leave us a link and show us your “early” spring photos.
I recently stumbled on a blog post titled “10 Ways to Break Photographer’s Block” on PhotoCritic.org. He’s got some really great ideas to kick start your creativity. But one in particular caught my attention and caused me to jump up and participate instantly. It’s called the 100 step challenge. The author describes it like this:
“It’s easy: Grab your camera and start walking. Count your steps. After 100 steps, stop where you are, and where you’re standing, you have to take a photograph.”
When I read this, I literally got up, grabbed my camera and started counting my steps. I headed toward the back door and ended up in my back yard. When I got to 100 steps I stopped and looked around at my options (It didn’t hurt that I had a little creature following me). This is such a great exercise because it forces you to create an interesting composition right where you stand. Turn your body 360 degrees and really look at your surroundings. Look high and low, look close and far. Find something interesting and show us what you come up with! If you aren’t able to participate today, please come back and share it with us when you can. I’ll be checking back often!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Take a minute on this day to capture the love you are celebrating. Whether you are trading gifts with your hubby, making cookies with the kids, or watching a movie with your best friend, show us how you are spending your day of love.
And in the meantime, go check out our Shutter Sisters Flickr pool for some Valentine’s Day inspiration! I’m feeling the love!
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my self-imposed creative assignment. The two requirments were to: 1) Take a picture everyday that is colorful, cozy, cheerful, or just makes me smile. 2) Do something creative with my hands 5 days a week (no computer or camera). Some of you expressed interest in joining me in this quest for creative inspiration, so I thought I would check in with all of you and update you on my progress.
I’m finding that forcing myself to take pictures every day is challenging, but really good for me. It is tough to find subject matter that fits my own requirments right now. But I am always glad when I take the time to search. I put them in a Flickr set, which helps me see my progress. The second part of the assignment is a little tougher to adhere to, but I followed through and have done some fun things. The above painting is one that I had been meaning to start for months, and this project was the perfect kick start. I have also done some smaller-scale things, like just drawing in a sketchbook or creating magazine collages. With a week left in January, I am not feeling anxious to stop doing these things. It’s been a great creative outlet and I hope to continue.
So what have you been up to? If you participated in this particular project, I’d love to see the results. Or if you’d like to share anything else that is keeping you inspired during the winter months, please do!
As I sit at my computer I can hear the freezing rain tapping on the window to my left. The wind is howling and I’m about to turn up the heat again. The view out the window might as well be a sepia toned photograph because I don’t see any color, it’s a wash of browns and grays. January tends to be a time of renewal for people. We’re all going to eat better, lose weight, spend less, and give more. But in my second year working from home, I am realizing that what I need most right now is inspiration and creative action. My creativity and my camera are pleading for a fresh start. Believe me, I am inspired daily by what I see on Flickr or while reading blogs. But being inspired by others is only half the battle, actively participating is the other. So I am giving myself a January homework assignment to lift myself out of this creative slump. And if you are feeling the same, please join me.
My self-imposed January Homework Assignment (Starting Monday):
1) Take one photo everyday until Jan. 31st that is colorful, cozy, cheerful or just makes you smile.
2) Do something creative with your hands 5 days a week. It could be drawing, painting, origami, scribbling, doodling, writing, or anything else. But it may not involve a camera or a computer. I find that doing creative things with my hands makes me more creative as a photographer and designer.
That’s it! That doesn’t seem so difficult right? I’ll let you know how it’s going for me later this month, and if you feel like participating I hope you’ll come back and fill us in on how you are doing.
I think that many of us consider ourselves to be photojournalists. We strive to capture moments as they happen, careful not to pose our subjects too much. I know that I tend to be drawn to a style that shows life in its natural state. But sometimes I think we need to give ourselves permission to do a little “styling”. I took the above shot on Thanksgiving Day, while on a hike along the river with my dad and husband. I found that big leaf on the beach and before I knew it, I was picking it up and heading for the shoreline. I gently laid it on top of the shallow water and snapped away as it started to sink. I love the end result and I’m glad I allowed myself to create a scene without any guilt.
Today’s giveaway involves two lovely items. The first is a print of your choice from Paige’s dad, Steve Geddes Artworks. She has written about his artwork on Shutter Sisters in the past. The second item is a set of 8 notecards designed by Paige using her own photographs. Click here to see what they look like. Just leave a comment here to be entered in our random drawing. One lucky winner will win both items!