Shutter Sisters

tradition

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I wish it would snow at Christmas here in London… this painted snowman in a pub window, is the closest I’ll get to seeing one this year…

Snow at Christmas is tradition, right? Not really for so much of world, yet it’s part of the tradition just like stockings, Santa, holly, presents etc…

Christmas is steeped in traditions, even when it comes to the photos we take.

Do you have a traditional photo you take each year?… sat by the tree, the table laid out, christmas lights, wrapping gifts, stockings hung… there are so many possibilities.

These photos are the memories that we take onto the next year, that’s what makes tradition… I believe in holding onto memories and I love to use photos and videos to make mini movies into Time Capsules… and this festive period gives plenty of opportunity to make some magic…

If you’d like to learn how to make your own Time Capsules, you could win a spot on my Creating Time Capsules course… please leave a comment below and you could turn your christmas fun into a Time Capsule of your own…

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cliché

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There are so many clichés in photography… so many ideas overused and done again and again.

Sometimes I don’t care… like this image above.

We’ve all seen the hands in silhouette, formed into a heart many times. But this is my image, of my moment. This is my memory of a good friend standing on a Welsh hill at sunset, it’s portrays how we were in the moment, playing, having fun and loving it all.

To cliché or not cliché… what do you say?

12.12.12

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For the past two years I’ve been involved in One Day On Earth, gathering footage from all across the world to make one feature film. I’ve had some of my footage included, but that wasn’t my main goal… the main goal was to be part of a community… and be motivated to go shoot something. As much as I recommend being part of this global project… Lately, I’ve been drawn to create my own community, just a little smaller & more imitate… so I’ve been gathering people who took part in my Creating Time Capsules Course and inviting them to use the skills they learnt in my course, to create some magic on 12.12.12…

Now I’d love to invite anyone else out there who’d like to jump on board…

For me, making a “Time Capsule” is taking photos or video, or both and packaging it up into a film that can looked back on years to come. I make films, like these… but you could get involved on 12.12.12 in any way… take a few images, blog about it, make a GIF or make a slideshow. Record some audio. You could video a segment of your day (unedited) and share it, you could shoot something on your phone or camera, edit it with your heart and put it out for others to see… or the big one…video and photograph your whole (or part of your) day and make a time capsule film. What do you think??? Shall we hang out on 12.12.12 and record our day in the life?

I’m inviting you to make your own Time Capsule. Make it your way. That’s the beauty of it. We all have our own tale to tell… Through video, photos, writing. Whatever! Let’s use this historic day of 12.12.12 to focus on being present. Really be present in the moment, recognising and acknowledging our everyday lives and deciding what we want to remember. The beauty is, you’ll then have this day in your life to look back on… I did it last year on 11.11.11 and so much has changed in a year!

Who knows what you’ll be doing next year… where you’ll be… what’s the same and what will be different. What’s interesting is choosing what you’ll shoot and then what you’ll share… If you’ve been looking to do “a day in the life” project, this might be just the time to do!

If you’d like to join my 12.12.12 community – “we are all in this together”… come on over and find us on Facebook.

Mark your calendars – 12.12.12 – it’s not long now…

you are here

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It’s so lovely you come and visit us here at Shutter sisters… we’re grateful you share your thoughts and images with us. This community means the world to us.

As you are here now…

What have you been shooting lately? please share with us below in the comments.

going underwater

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One of my highlights of Shuttersisters Oasis was playing with the Lifeproof cases… Playing with submerging my iphone in the water… (yikes)… playing with a new medium of photography… playing with light and texture… playing with a new way of seeing… and playing with chance.

It totally made me let go of chasing a “perfect” shot and made me surrender to those happy accidents you sometimes find among your camera roll.

I loved capturing people swimming and others taking photos with Lifeproof cases – you really can’t see clearly what you’re shooting under the water, so you just point the lens in the general direction and click away.

I also loved being in front of the camera and working with Kristin and others to make pretty shapes and textures in the water… we used scarves and ribbons while gliding in the water.

I can’t wait to dive in a pool and play again… that’s not going to happen for quite a while over here in the UK!… so I’m going to have to take my Lifeproof case out in the rain splashing in puddles instead.

Please share today any of your Lifeproof photos… Tell us how have you found it? What happy accidents have you created?

a californian postcard from a london girl

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It’s the quintessential shot of California… and I saw it… felt it and then captured it.

What have you been shooting lately?

The silhouette and reflection of the surfer are my favourite part… Don’t forget tomorrow’s prompt is reflection.

Happy Friday!

playing with polaroid

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A great opportunity popped up London last month – a Polaroid workshop run by Cyrus Mahboubian with the Impossible Project and Rough Trade. My friend Kirstin told me about it and today she’s sharing her experience here. The workshop offered a little bit of history of polaroid and what The Impossible Project have been up to the past few years. We looked at other polaroid artists and were shown tips on shooting – like shielding your photo as it pops out, although there was much excitement about recent the launch of the new film, but it wasn’t available at the time. Then you get given a pack of film from the Impossible Project as part of the workshop ready for a photowalk. 

20 of us headed out into the glimmering sun and dreamy blue skies, all giddy with excitement and ready to shoot. A photo can be taken at every turn of the Brick Lane area in East London, it’s so cool; a mix of bars & restaurants and market stalls, with graffiti and colour everywhere. We took photos of each other and random things found. It really was liberating knowing that we should just play and shoot our 8 frames of instant film, just experiment and learn from each other… and embrace all results, perfect or not, as part of the learning experience. It was fabulous to see what everyone shot; a mini exhibition spread across the cafe table at Rough Trade.

Here are my four favourite polaroids of the day… I’m so excited to shoot more when I’m at Oasis in a couple of weeks with the other polaroid sisters. Yay!

What have you done with your photography lately that’s different from your usual routine? Have you played and experimented with something out of your comfort zone? please share with us today.

If you’d like more information about other polaroid workshops in your city, please visit the Impossible Project calendar – there’s even another one in London next week. If you can’t take part in a workshop, why not gather some other photographers and take a photowalk of your own.

one seed

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One seed… One idea… One little bit of hope…

All it takes is a seed of an idea to spark something you can nurture and grow.

What seed do you have in your head? What creative project, practical idea, hope or dream would you like to grow. Share with us here today.

Today you could start to make it happen.

Trust the process. Make your acorn grow into a mighty oak.

be the change

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It was so interesting to read where Paige was yesterday… I’ve been feeling a tap on the shoulder from that visitor, Mister “self doubt”.

It happens every now and then, sometimes taking me by surprise and other times I can see exactly where it’s come from.

What can we do when we feel overwhelmed as artists by self doubt?.

Here are a few things I do –

  • Talk it through with someone who will just listen, not judge. (They may even have been through this feeling before)
  • If you don’t have someone to talk it through with –  write it down – the power of putting it out there is sometimes remedy enough.
  • Stand barefoot on the grass, connect with nature and feel in the moment. Breathe.

Tell me… tell others visiting here – let’s gather an arsenal of weapons/actions to blast through self doubt. What do you do? What mantras do you hold close?…what do we need to come out beaming on the other side.

magpie eye

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Magpies are European birds that have a reputation to steal shiny things. I sometimes think I have a “Magpie eye” as I’m often attracted to photograph anything shiny, sparkly, silver or gold.

Whether its a piece of jewellery or sequins on a scarf or glitter or sparkles on the water; I’m all over it with my lens. These golden stairs and handrail caught my attention, as I walked into the tube the other day.

What do you notice today that is gold or silver and sparkles & shines? Please share what your “Magpie eye” sees.