Shutter Sisters

The Giving Season

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Disclaimer: I don’t want to freak anybody out with this post. Please note—I am well aware that it is only October. However, I intend on beginning a series on taking great holiday photos for great holiday cards.

 

Did I just hear a collective gasp? Please catch your breath and let me finish.

 

I promise that my intention is not to create a pre-holiday frenzy. On the contrary. My only desire is to encourage you to actually enjoy shooting photos for your holiday cards and create something you’ll be proud of and giddy to send out to friends and family. And, one way to start out on the right photo foot is to afford yourself some extra time to play. Yes, play. Isn’t that the greatest word?

 

I figure we all spend a lot of energy, time and money on sending out our annual holiday cards so we owe it to ourselves to make it a pleasurable experience. If we’re going to do it anyway, we might as well enjoy it, right? Getting started now only makes it that much easier to have fun with it. And beyond that, wouldn’t it be amazing to have your cards done early this year? I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking YES. I just knew you’d come around. A little change of perspective makes all the difference.

 

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa…whether you have kids or pets, both or none of the above, you can create totally awe inspiring holiday cards with your photos and enjoy doing it. If there was ever a community that could do it, it’s this one. And since this is a community and we love sharing, I will be asking you to chime in on our conversation during the series with your own thoughts, tips, tricks, and photos (of course).

 

So, to properly kick off what we are calling the great greetings! series, let me begin by offering you a little something to think about. The holiday season is about giving. So, what if you considered your annual holiday card as a little gift (not an obligation or a chore)? Just imagine, you, as the amazing women, and talented photographers that you are can offer the world a little joy, love, humor, hope, and inspiration via your photographic images and a piece of mail. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.

 

So, get ready and we embark on our journey toward creating some holiday magic this season in grand Shutter Sister style.

Friday’s Featured Resource- Photojojo

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Photo who? Photojojo of course!

If the name doesn’t intrigue you enough the site itself will. Just pop over and read what they have to say for themselves. My guess is that you’ll get sucked in and sign up for their newsletter even before you pop back over here to hear me sing the Jojo praises.

Photojojo is an online treasure trove for everyday photographers (amateur and pro alike). It’s one of the most unique and creative resources out there. For those of you that are already subscribers I’m not telling your anything you don’t know. Any site that has scoured the universe for things like how to create your own photo shoes (yes, photo shoes and they are very cool),  photo m&ms (photos on chocolate-I must be in heaven), and custom fitted keyboard skins for learning photoshop is OK in my book.

Not only do they find cool products but they share super-cool ideas like this fun list of games to play with your camera and how to create inkjet image transfers, great tips like the ones for food photography and tutorials like how to imitate cross-processing in photoshop.

SERIOUSLY. Does the fun ever end? I hope not.

Kudos Jojo. This sister is a big fan.

Photo above courtesy of little Sister Julia, age 10.  Inspired by Photojojo’s Halloween photo tips.

The Great Indoors

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So, as you probably know by now, I’m all jacked up on Ali Edward’s ‘a week in the life’ project. It has giving me the perfect creative nudge I needed and now, there’s no stopping me. Since this week is still the shooting and gathering phase I’m loving it (that sounded bad). Anyway, ask me how I’m doing next week when it’s time to actually put this stuff in a book. I’m a little afraid. But, I’m choosing to live in the moment and most of my moments are enjoyed in the comfort of my own home. This means, I’m doing a lot of shooting indoors this week. In light of that (I love photo puns, don’t you?) Ali and I thought it might be fun if I shared a few hints about getting the best shots possible when shooting inside your own four walls.

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Look to the Light

-Getting to know the light of your home is the first and perhaps the best tip I can offer. It’s as easy as finding your windows and using them as your main light source for your photos. I’m not talking direct, bright sun though. I mean look for the soft, subdued light that can fill a room.

-If you’re shooting someone eating breakfast near the window in the dining room, use that window as your ‘light box’. Test out the placement of each chair to gage where the best light falls and then sit your child, husband, unsuspecting neighbor in that seat to best capture your morning. You can encourage your subjects to look into the light for a flat yet flattering effect on your subjects face or you can turn them a bit sideways to the light source to give their face a little more dimension. Each equally delightful I think.

-Before I go on a shoot at a new client’s home, I will give them the job to take a day to observe the light patterns around their home. When does the softest light flood the living room? What time of day does the light fill the new baby’s room? They can then offer a timetable to schedule our session and I am assured the light will be ample and attractive. If you can do this in your home and be mindful of when you opt to take photos around the house (of people or of still life shots) you’ll up your chances of getting better shots.

Rearrange your Routines

-Once you’ve established the light patterns around your home, every once in a while you can creative schedule a daily activity at the time and location that offers the best light. Yes, I am aware that this is a form of manipulation of your truest daily life but it’s not at all disruptive and can often make for a fun variation. When I know I am itching to get some fun shots of bath time, I will give my daughter her bath in the afternoon (instead of at night before bed) because the light in the bathroom is divine around 3pm. I know this from watching the light in the rooms of my house religiously.

-When my daughter was a baby I used to let her nap in my bed on days when I wanted to capture photos of her sleeping. The light in my room was perfect around her morning nap and I could snap away as she slept with beautiful light and perfect view free of crib bars.

Crank the ISO

-I know that many of us learn early on that a high ISO is a bad thing. Not always true. I shoot at a high ISO a lot and I’m here to tell you that it is FINE. And when shooting inside in low light, it can be a life saver. Or perhaps better said a picture saver. Changing your ISO to 800 or even 1600 indoors, in low light settings can be the difference between capturing the shot vs. missing it.

-If you’re still getting lots of blur in your shot, try to steady the camera with a makeshift tripod. Like setting the camera on the table (use one finger or book or napkin wedged in between the table and the lens to point it up a bit). Or prop your camera on something else around the house to keep it still. I’ll set my camera almost anywhere if I need to and almost never have the need for a tripod.

-And don’t be afraid of shooting blind; as in not looking through the view finder when you click the shot. Sometimes it can be tough to see through the viewfinder when your camera is on the floor. The featured photo above was shot blindly; proof that the results can be surprisingly successful.

Mellow the Yellow

-Ambient light is a beautiful thing. The glow of golden light gives a feeling of a soft and subtle moment that is undeniable. But sometimes the yellow hue that comes along with ambient light can be overwhelming and even distracting. If you’ve got a photo that tickles your fancy but is just too golden for its own good, try an easy edit in whatever photo editing software you might use to cool down the photo. This usually means that you need to add blue to the image which will help neutralize the yellow and even out the overall color of your shot. Some programs have a warm/cool slide to play with while other let you slide the color back and forth (like blues to yellows). Somewhere in the slide, you’ll find a happy place. For a before and after shot taken in the light of my dining room at our evening routine of a quick bedtime snack, check out my post at Mother May I today.

I encourage you to put these ideas to the test as you go about your life clicking the moments that make you happy. And, as always, you are welcome to post any links today where you’ve succeeded shooting indoors. Don’t be shy about it either. If you’ve got some indoor shooting secret weapons, enlighten us.

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Congratulations to Praire Poppins,  Emily,  Dr. Lyn and Joanne. They will each recieve a copy of one of Ali Edwards’ books! Thanks Ali and thank you all for your comments on our giveaway post! Woot!

Finding Love

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surprise! look what kelly rae found one early morning in oregon.

There are some days when Love greets with the morning sun;  sure and steady.

Other days Love comes bounding in with joy and hope, right when we need it most.

And some days it just whispers to us, softly, sweetly the messages that only Love can carry and that are for our ears alone.

How is it that Love finds you?

Share you words and pictures with us today so that we may discover Love together.

 

Seeing Beyond My View

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I recently wrote an article that’s up at PBS Parents about how to get kids into photography. It’s a topic near and dear to my photo mama heart. It has been such fun for me to see both of my daughters as they have grown into little shutter sisters.

I watch as my 5-year-old haphazardly shoots away at anything that catches her eye with little thought or regard of how the photo is going to come out, if it even comes out at all. She’s all about being in the moment and isn’t too concerned about the future result. It works for her. Mistakes and accidents photographically speaking can make for some pretty artistic imagery. My 10-year-old on the other hand just recently spent her own money on her own camera, and what she is doing with her handy new little red point and shoot is quite inspiring. I notice her becoming more aware of her surroundings, more mindful with her camera and how she creates a photograph. Her images are much more deliberate now and they are awesome.

While camping over the summer, she snapped this shot of me using a cool panorama feature her camera offers.

Put your hands on your hips Mom.

*click

See mom, this is MY perspective—showing the photo—Pretty cool, huh?”

Pretty cool indeed. It’s one of my all time favorite shots from her to date.

Looking at myself (er, my bust line) surrounded by that surreal landscape among all the tents in the middle of the Amish country of upstate NY will always take me back to our summer adventure. And this particular picture reminds me of how much I don’t see. How impossible it is to see life through someone else’s eyes it and how important it is to try sometimes.

Have you been inspired lately by a photo someone else took that helped you see the world with fresh eyes? Celebrate someone else’s vision today by leading us to a photo that has moved you. It can be from a child, a friend, found on a blog or at Flickr. Any image at all that helps give you a new perspective.

And if you happen to have a little shutterbug at your house, you are encouraged to join the Flickr Group A Little Perspective—it was created just for clicks from the younger set. I’ll be hosting the Little Perspective Day this Friday at Mother May I too, if you want to join us over there.

Friday’s Featured Resource- Digital Photography School

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Darren Rowse of Problogger fame has got one awesome photo resource blog out there called Digital Photography School. I’m sure many of you already know all about the site as it is choc full of everything a photographer (or budding photographer) wants to know. Personally, I subscribe to the weekly newsletter because it recaps the week’s features for me in a handy email so I can click over at what sparks my creative interest.

Dig through the archives to find info on almost anything photo related from cleaning your lens to understanding white balance to Photoshop shortcuts. And if you’re ooking for insights on how to photograph waterfalls, fireworks or mushrooms(pictured above) DPS has got tips for all of these things and more.

What caught my eye this week was Darren’s take on curiosity as one of the traits of a good photographer. I loved his follow up post too- How to be a Curious Photographer.

I love that he encourages us to play and break the rules (a photographer after my own heart) but many of his tips also encourage asking questions, working with a buddy and learning from each other. I’m pretty hip to the community thing so I really appreciate his ideas.

Curious? I thought so. Now click on over and see for yourself why Digital Photography School is our very first* Friday’s Featured Resource.

Feel free to share any of your own curious captures with us today and we’ll see if we can figure them out.

*Yes, that means that we will be featuring more fantastic photo resources on Fridays. Got a website, blog or any other photo resource you can’t live without? Shoot an email to click at Shutter Sisters dot com and tell us about it!

Crowd Goes Wild

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It’s that time again when the children among us head off into the annual ritual of structure and routine that is school. Another year older, more articulate, confident, sure. More…grown up. I am left now reflecting on the journey and what its taken to get to here—the hard work and growing pains, the exhilaration of approaching a milestone; breathing in the goodness of the day, arms to the sky celebrating where we have been, where we are now…how far we’ve come.

I can see it in my daughter’s face as we pack her backpack for middle school. She is giddy with growing up. I thought she’d be nervous, pensive, hesitant—but she’s not. She’s thrilled! And she should be.

The same should go for us. We should mindfully create a time in our own lives to take stock; look back at the past, nod in respect and appreciate how much we’ve grown as people, as women, as wives, as mothers, as friends, as photographers. No matter where we are in the journey, we have traveled to get here and our present place (where ever that may be) is worthy of acknowledgment.

Good news often greets me with words from this community—photo milestones, projects, awards, recognition. Reasons to celebrate. That’s what we’re here for. To encourage one another in our creative work. So…I urge you all to recognize how far you’ve come. Celebrate yourselves and each other as we all raise our lenses to the infinite blue sky and bask in the accolades we so deserve. Whether it be through the recognition from the public or capturing an image that sings to our own soul, what you are all doing, the creative strides you are all making are amazing.

So, out with it. Is there anything you want to say today to take that step in giving yourself a loving and appreciative pat on the back? What about those photos? If there’s a shot you want to celebrate, post it here. Today is all about bragging rights. I can hear the roar of a collective applause already!

a gift in a gift

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At a recent gathering I was approached by a bright-eyed teen who was looking for some guidance about getting into photography. What school to go to, what classes to take, what kind of job to look for, if jobs were readily available, etc. I didn’t really know what to tell her as it has been years since I was there—the world at my feet, the endless possibilities of which road to travel down and the giddy anticipation of where to go and how to get there. Mind you, endless possibilities still exist for me now; they just look a little different at 40 than they did at 20.

My message to her in a nutshell was there are no right or wrong answers to her questions. She said wasn’t convinced that a career in photography was her end goal but that it was something she loved doing and knew it could be a career if she choose to pursue it. Indeed. Of course, I encouraged her to take classes and learn as much as she could as she explored her options. It certainly can’t hurt. No matter which way her path leads her, spending time developing her photography skills is something she’ll never regret and most likely always use. This is true for anyone with a passion for the medium.

If there is one thing I have heard affirmed here at Shutter Sisters in post after post and comment after comment is that photography is a creative gift where the satisfaction of distilling a single fleeting moment in a picture is reward enough to keep us clicking, creating, learning and growing as photographers, paid or otherwise. There is a gift to be had by being behind the camera. And at the same time there is a gift we are offering our subjects through the photos we take.

I shot the image featured today this past weekend of a family that I have had the pleasure of working with since before their youngest son (far right) was even born. That I have had the honor of getting to know them and to watch and photograph these children as they grow with each passing year is a gift to me for certain. And I know that what I offer via their annual portraits is also a gift…a gift to this family. There is no question because their mother (a client whom I now call friend) tells me again and again.

Every minute I have spent in my life shooting photos, learning more, pushing myself creatively for work or for play has been time and energy well spent and there is simply nothing more gratifying than that.

which way to go

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I am still fairly new to digital photography. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I was a film girl through and through for years. When I started out there was no other choice. Who knew that when digital became a choice I could make, it would only open up about a gazillion more choices.

 

As I first cracked open the door to the digital world, I hesitated; resisting the urge to tweak my images mostly I guess because I thought that by manipulating my photos, I would lose what was real, what was true. But, as I slowly walked through that door, and began to really take a good look around at what this new world had to offer, there was no turning back. Like many digital photographers, I cannot imagine my work–my art–without my artist’s pallet at my disposal. Sitting at my computer, processing my images can be as fun and rewarding as the initial capture (depending on my mood of course).

 

For the most part now, I have learned to move through Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (my main tool of choice) at a fairly rapid pace, a little shift here, a little shift there, breezing through picture after picture giving something extra to what I’ve carried in with my camera. I don’t often agonize about which treatment looks better on a particular picture or what a photo needs to enhance it. I have found that the images themselves often dictate how they would like to be treated. It’s just a matter of letting the image speak and following its lead. I don’t know, that might sound a little out there but just as I let my intuition guide me as I shoot, so do I let the muse work it’s magic in the digital darkroom.

 

Every once in a while however, I get tripped up. I find that a photo is equally as compelling in bright vibrant color as it is in black and white. Or that an antique wash can be just as delightful as a modern twinge of blue on the exact same photo. Do you ever find yourself stumped with which way to go in your processing? Is there a rule of thumb you use when working on your images? Share your insights and help us walk a while in your boots.

 

sunday school : dragging the shutter

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I don’t hide the fact that I absolutely love and cherish my self-timer. In fact, I’ve come to realize that when I am in self-timer mode (pun definitely intended) my antics are a pretty good source of entertainment too. Even my photographer friends get a good laugh watching my moves—limbs flailing every which way as I balance the camera on the nearest makeshift tripod, er, tree stump, pile of rocks, parked car, get ready, get set and then run as fast as I can to get into the frame before the final beeeeeep and click. Hey, whatever it takes to get the shot and have a little fun while I’m at it.

I use the timer often, to ensure I make it into a family picture or a group shot of friends. And then there are the ever elusive self-portraits. In the case of the above image, it was surreal motion I was after. I’ve only got the Manzanita magic to thank for the golden glow of this otherworldly landscape.

The ghostly gesture comes from and intentional technique called dragging the shutter where your shutter stays open long enough to capture the movement of the subject in the shot. But when you only want some of the shot in motion (while other elements in the image stay sharp) you have to either use a flash or a tripod otherwise the movement of your own hands will cause the shot to be blurry and in this case, it won’t give you the desired results. I used a massive hunk of driftwood to prop my camera (aka my tripod) and had the ISO at 100 (even in this low light) to be sure I could really slow down the shutter enough to get an effective stream of motion. My settings were set manually- f8, .8/sec –that’s so slow you can hear the shutter open and close with a delay in between. I ran into the frame and when i heard the shutter open i moved my arms ever so slightly to get the flapping effect. Wheeeee. I’m flying!

It’s a fun thing to experiment with for sure. Just try different increments of shutter speeds until you get what you’re looking for. Do any of you drag your shutters now and again? Got any tried and true draggin’ tips? Be sure to show us what moves you.