Shutter Sisters

What Catches the Eye

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It’s no suprise that I move through the day with my iPhone camera in my hand. Sometimes I use it to make calls, but mostly, it’s a magic device for collecting moments that catch my eye. I shot this image with the Cameramatic app and processed it with Snapseed on my iPhone 4S. Two of my favorite apps.

If you’re looking to expand your creativity with mobile photography, join me a host of talented mobile photographers for a day of iPhoneography at the annual MacWorld / iWorld event on January 30, 2013 at Moscone Conference Center in San Francisco, CA.

Lens on Life: A Book Giveaway for Your Documentary Moment

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I’m not sure when that fear began to subside. That crazy grip of motherhood that clings so tightly it nearly refuses to let go. Because what if she falls? What if he gets stuck? What if she can’t find her way? What if he forgets how to stop? What if she lets go? What if he doesn’t come back?

“What goes up, must come down,” I whisper and let her go.

In the spirit of my excitement around meeting so many of you at Oasis next week, I’m giving away a copy of my latest book, Lens on Life: Documenting Your World Through Photography today!

Just leave a comment with a link to one of your favorite documentary moments before tomorrow’s post appears here on Shutter Sisters and I’ll award a signed copy of the book to my favorite.

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Congratulations to Amy Gillard documentary moment winner of the book Lens on Life: Documenting Your World Through Photography by Stephanie Calabrese Roberts. Thanks for all of your submissions!

Every Child Deserves a Shot@Life

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Today marks the launch of the United Nation Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign. Tracey and I are excited to support Shot@Life and their mission to provide much-needed vaccines to children around the world.

I think about my own children and the relative ease I have here in the United States to get the vaccines I need to protect them from preventable diseases. I’m aware of the options and can access information about vaccines to make an informed decision on behalf of my children. I can afford the costs of vaccines. I have a pediatrician I trust. And I have the means to transport my children to obtain the vaccines we need. This is privilege. One in five children around the world don’t have access to life-saving vaccines in developing countries, so they need our help. For just $5, you can protect a child from polio and measles. For just $20 you can help give a child a lifetime of immunity to protect him or her from pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and polio. To help give a child a Shot@Life, I hope you’ll join us here.

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An added note from Tracey:

Thanks to all of you who are using your photography to support Shot at Life! The collection of images for our #shot4shot project is awesome. Take a peek here and keep up the amazing work! You are appreciated.

Should I?

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Should I… let myself step beyond the boundary of known and dare to assume that there is joy waiting patiently in that place called destiny? Should I take a few steps back and race toward it? No. I’ll stand there for hours, that stretch into days, that stretch into months, and even years. I’ll study the horizon and assess the weather. I’ll trace the waves, take ease in the calm, and reach for the water to test its strength. I won’t see through it. Should I let myself feel the softness of sand when I reach the bottom? Should I trust that it will hold the weight of my fears and swallow an unspoken suffering? Should I trust that I will see the light through an opaque tomorrow? And should I grant my heart permission to carry me toward it. Should I lie on my back with closed eyes and float on the gentle rock of waves toward a destination with no name? Dare I smile at the thought of that?

I should.

 

Shot with the Cameramatic app on my iPhone 4s and processed with Snapseed.

Life Source

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A group of iPhoneographers and I have been asked to participate in a iPhoneography exhibition to be hosted at Odapark in Venlo, Holland, March 4 through May 1. The theme of the show is centered around nature, which posed a bit of a challenge for me as a documentary photographer. While I’m thoroughly inspired by the intricate beauty, layers of complexity, and infinite alure of our natural environment, I am not as moved to recreate it with my camera unless there’s evidence of humanity present.

As I scanned through my iPhoneography archive seeking signs of nature, I was actually pleasantly surprised to discover a recurring point of focus and fascination with… water. What’s interesting is that I haven’t been shooting water specifically; I’ve been drawn to it more subconsciously. When you open yourself up to capture visuals that move you on a near daily basis, recurring visuals or themes will likely emerge as you look back through your image archive.

What elements of nature move you most?

Only Love

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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

In honor of the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today, may we focus on light and love.

When It Rains

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It’s been raining for days. There have been moments of pause, but they’ve been gray and mostly wet. Sloshing through puddles and damp air, the sky offers a dim setting. She reaches for her polka dot boots and red rain coat. My black umbrella. I focus on my girl and desaturate the image, thankful for the evidence of motion. There is warmth and light tucked beneath that umbrella. Sun waiting on the rain.

What do you see in the rain?

I shot this image with my iPhone 4 and processed it initially using Photo fx and Instagram. Using Aperture on my desktop, I reduced highlights, decreased saturation and added a slight vignette.

Hustle and Bustle

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I’m feeling a bit rebellious these days. Not in a Scrooge kind of way as I truly love the holiday season, but giving myself permission to linger in moments of norm like the hustle and bustle of my boy on the basketball court or retracing the curve of a cursive capital “G” for my girl. Maybe it’s a way of balancing my emotions and keeping memories at bay, or a way of grounding myself in truths that remain long after I’ve boxed up the sparkly ornaments, happy family portraits, and faux garland. I feel this urge to remain centered during this “most wonderful time of the year” and to keep my footing on what’s true in the midst of so much hype and commotion. The level of intensity doesn’t last. I study their moves and anticipate the contrast of pause.

How do you keep your footing?

Just in Time

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I had planned to sell my Nikon D90 after I upgraded to the D3s last year. The camera had been out of sight in a deep drawer within my office and out of mind until my eleven-year-old son discovered it just a couple of weeks ago. “Can that be my camera?” he asked. I don’t know why it hadn’t dawned on me to keep the camera for my children. Maybe it seemed too expensive or complicated for small hands. Or maybe I just needed one of them to discover it on their own. To ask for it. I tightened up the camera strap, showed him the basics, and placed it around his neck just in time for the sun to begin its decline. “Come with me,” he said.

When did you discover photography?

The Wonder of It All

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I’ve been quiet for quite some time. Carefully selecting thoughts and turning them over. Over again in my mind. Wondering. Seeking. Questioning. Flattened by hard rains. And strengthening bit by bit. I’ve been tracing the paths of tiny veins to see where they start, how they divide and connect. Where they end. I’ve been peeking out at the distant sun beneath an extended autumn. A time when colors fade and fall. When the wind blows and sends this evidence of life into a swirling state of flux. It scratches the concrete and chills my fingertips. I miss the green.

When it warms, I’ll look up and see the wonder of it all.

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Tell me how you are?