Shutter Sisters

universal language

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Perhaps I could have tilted my camera a bit higher to get this couples’ heads in the shot. Honestly, though, they were strangers, and what I REALLY wanted to convey through this image was the feelings evoked by witnessing the simple act of someone putting their hand on a loved one’s shoulder. There was something so comfortable and familiar about this woman’s casual display of affection that I couldn’t help but smile.

The people, places and memories we capture in our photographs are as unique as we each are. However, the emotions evoked by seeing such images are often universal, whether we are the photographer who witnessed it first or a viewer of the photo seeing it through the photographer’s lens.

Today, share with us your images that speak a universal language that we can all understand and communicate.

show us your superpower

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I’ve always had a particular fondness for night photography. It’s only natural, considering I am nocturnal to the extreme. In fact, I consider this my superpower, being able to harness mere moonlight to create an image that looks like it was taken during the day.

What about you? What’s your photographic superpower? Perhaps it’s collecting dreamy flare. Or capturing little people in motion. Maybe you have extra creative post-processing skillz. Whatever it is, go ahead; don’t be shy. Show us your superpower in action!

what i see when i see myself

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“Cadence, tell your mom it’s okay for her to have her picture taken sometimes…” (spoken by my wise and dear friend Gabo before I surrendered the camera for this shot)

You never did like having your picture taken. I think that’s one of the reasons you became a photographer, so that you can hide behind your camera, so that you could be the one in control of whose photo gets taken and when. Those days are over now because you have fallen into a circle of friends who love to take your camera out of your hands and turn the lens on you for a change, friends who have welcomed and embraced you and gently pried your fingers away from your eyes as they became your mirror, reflecting back to you who you really are.

So tell me. What do you see in yourself, now that the scales have fallen away from your eyes? Yes, I know it’s hard to admit, it feels strange to say it, but go ahead. No one’s judging you here.

I…am…torn, but mending…hurt, but healing…broken, but being made whole…In fact, I’m strong…fierce, even…full of love…full of joy…full of hope…

Yes, that’s a start. Keep going, don’t stop now.

I…think I might be…kinda awesome?

You think?! Own it, sister!

OK…I AM pretty flippin’ awesome. I have a beauty that is unique and my own. I am worthy of being loved and cherished…I am worthy of being known.

Ah, yes, that’s better…

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As we start a brand new year, turn your eyes (and your lens) towards yourself. What do you see, when you look deep inside and see yourself as you really are?

Looking Back

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It had been a long day; the neighborhood arts festival kept the crowds coming through the restaurant steady and hungry, and Susie stayed on her feet, cooking and serving. Finally, it was closing time, and she got a chance to sit and eat her dinner as she watched a bit of television, her spoon traveling absentmindedly from the bowl to her mouth and back again.

I remember walking by the storefront and stumbling upon this scene. I was moved by how beautifully mundane this image was, and I’ve often thought of what I saw that night over the next several months.

We are quickly approaching the end of 2010, and now is a good time to look back on the past year of photos you’ve taken and take an inventory of the images that have remained in your heart over the months. Please share with us a link to one of those images and why it has stayed with you all this time.

Shutterbuddies

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It’s the other side of midnight, my favorite hour to explore the city with my camera. Normally, I would venture out on my own, enjoying the solitude and my quality time with Chicago’s beautiful dark side. Tonight, however, I have company. My friends DM and Brett, fellow D90 users, are my co-conspirators on this particular night photo adventure. 

We shoot for a couple hours together in the cold, and I have to say that I enjoy the cameraderie and the freedom to linger here and there. My companions don’t rush me or start tapping their feet when they’re ready to move on because they too understand that sometimes you absolutely need to take 20 shots of your shoe. By the end of the shoot, we’re starving, freezing and tired, but it was totally worth it for me. I feel grateful to have found fellow photographers who are night owls like myself.

Do you have shutterbuddies who insire and energize you? Please share any stories and images you have of such collaborative photo adventures.

sunday school: mirror on the wall

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Whenever I am on a photo assignment, one of the first things I look for in a space to get my creative juices flowing is a reflection of some sort.  In this case, I got lucky, and there was a long mirror that actors could use while getting ready for the show. I was able to frame the shot so that the actor and her reflection in the mirror were not only both in the photo but were also positioned in a way that balanced each other out.

What are some creative ways in which you have used mirrors in your photography? Please share with us links to your images so that we can be inspired!

What I Need Now

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A mug of hot tea sounds just about right at the moment. The nights in Chicago have turned cold, and I would love a cup to hold and warm my hands.

How about you? What do you need? Show us with your images!

Different Focus

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When I first took this picture, I have to admit that I didn’t mean to focus on the flowers. My aim was at the men sitting against the wall, but I missed.  I retook the shot, with the focus being on the men themselves instead of the flowers, but for some reason, I found myself drawn to this version of the shot because there was a more compelling story that was emerging from this image.  Perhaps the inability to identify who these men actually were emphasized the common struggle that we all face these days.

Please share with us today images in which the object of or your choice of focus helped to shape the story you wanted to convey behind your photo.

 

Sunday School: The Most Important Lessons Cannot Be Taught

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I can explain to you pretty much what I did to get this image. I can talk about how I had to up the ISO to compensate for the aperture and shutter speed I wanted to use. I can discuss how I got that fabulous flare. I can mention that I shot through a mesh fence to create texture and framing. Those technical details, however, cannot convey WHY this image is meaningful to me, or the sense of pride and hope I felt as I shot it watching a community come together to protest injustice and take direct action for positive change.

Beyond technique and tips, there are some very important lessons that we each have to figure out for ourselves. One of them is discovering what it is exactly that fuels our photographic fire. What motivates you to lug that camera everywhere, or to take it out of your bag or purse at all? What puts you in “that zone,”–you know that place, right? When you become momentarily oblivious to your companion’s pleas to keep up? Or when you have that gut feeling that tells you to be ready for a shot?

Maybe it’s a compulsion to document your life story or to collect whimsical ephemera in the form of images. Maybe it’s because you’re on a journey of self-discovery through the images that speak to your heart so emphatically that they demand to be captured for posterity.  Maybe you enjoy seeing yourself and your loved ones change over the years via your photographs.

I can’t teach you where to look for that fire, that passion. Sometimes it’s not so easy to find. Anyone can take a generically good picture. Taking a photograph that YOU find meaningful and can get passionate about, however, is another story, and it just so happens to be the story that matters. Fortunately, there is no right or wrong; just what’s authentic.

Please share with us today what lights your fire as a photographer or about your journey in discovering that spark.

this means i love you

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Dear Chicago,

You have a convincing way of coaxing me into grabbing my camera to rendezvous with you when the sun has long disappeared, and you’ve created your own constellations out of twinkle lights and neon signs.  We wander arm in arm as you tell stories and whisper sweet nuthin’s to my camera, and I wonder how I ever got so lucky to be here in this very moment, to bear witness to the beauty that is you enveloped in the unexpected light of night. I have snubbed sleep and forgotten my need for food to be here with you, and not just tonight but on many other nights. Surely this must mean that I love you. And I can’t help but think that you love me, too.

xoxo,

Sarah-Ji

P.S. I know I often prattle on and on about Pacific NW beauties like Seattle and Portland and the Olympic peninsula, but rest assured that you are my first and true love.

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Today, express your love via your images, be they for specific people, a place, a thought, or the whole universe. And if you want to write a little love letter, don’t hold back.