Cardstock to make cards from scratch: $5

Colored pencils, pens and stickers to decorate cards: $15

Postage to overnight the cards to the messenger: $45

A chance to send hope notes to the girls of Rwanda: priceless

As many of you know, our lovely Jen is leaving to take her sweet self, her zines, blank journals, pens, hearts, these handwritten hope notes and a film to share with the girls of Rwanda. Girls who need encouragement and support more than we can ever imagine.

For those of us who remain here while Jen single handedly delivers these messages (indeed, she is a superhero of hope), the photos and videos that she captures over there will be the only way we can truly share the trip with her. But beyond that, her photographs will serve as the only recent record that one mother has of her daughters. Imagine how it would feel to see a photo of your child after 2 years of not seeing any. Two years. And then comes a day when a rare and beautiful gift is handed to you through one photograph. A single image that would surely take any mother’s breath away.

Simple truths like this remind me that when we hold our cameras, we hold incredible power. How lucky are we to shoot photo after photo of our own children, of friends and family. Each image a gift. A gift that is indeed priceless.

As we send our sister off on the journey of a lifetime, let’s honor her with links to our own priceless photographs, shall we? It’ll be our little way of showing her our Shutter Sisters support.

Safe travels Jen, we will all be eagerly awaiting stories and photos. Lots and lots of glorious, priceless photos.

If I do say so myself, I love the shot you see above.

This past weekend, my friend Dan got married to his lovely bride, Laura.  While I never shoot weddings for money (I can't handle the stress), my usual wedding present for friends is to shoot the wedding anyway, and then pull together albums as quickly as possible afterwards, so that they can have photos to look at and share while the professional photographer takes his usual 6 to 8 weeks to compile the official albums.   The result is a pretty personal gift that, when done properly*, provides a glimpse of the wedding from a guest's point of view, which can often be very different from the official photographer's perspective.

In this case, the wedding took place in the back garden of the bride's family -- her father owns a nursery, and the house is located on the nursery grounds, so the setting was positively stunning.  Throughout the ceremony,  I had my camera and was doing my thing; but after ceremony, the minister invited the congregation to have refreshments on the home's large back porch, while the wedding party remained in the garden for pictures.  Somewhat dejected, I joined everyone at the house.

I was standing on the porch speaking with my husband and another guest, when all of a sudden I heard someone say, "Oh, someone grab a camera!  He's kissing her!"  Instinctively, I grabbed my camera and scanned the garden from my vantage point through the viewfinder, until I saw them in the frame.  Without really thinking, I squeezed the shutter several times, and the result was the image you see above:  a stolen moment between bride and groom, while the professional photographer was busy  setting up a shot with other family members.  Of the several hundred shots I took that day, this is one of my favourites:  one that arose not from any sort of skill on my part, but from just dumb luck, and being at the right place at the right time.

 Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave your links of love in the comments section below,  and be sure to check out the images left by ladyviv and phizblip in the Shutter Sisters Flickr Pool for inspiration.

And may you have a stolen moment of love today.

* * * * * * * 

*  If the thought of pulling together wedding albums for your friends sounds like something you'd like to try, here are a couple of tips I've picked up along the way that you might find helpful:

1.  I generally shoot with my 70-200mm lens when I shoot weddings -- it's cumbersome and unwieldy, but it's a fabulous way to capture intimate shots without the subjects even knowing you're shooting them.  Also, with this lens, I can capture the expressions and moments of wedding guests who I don't know (which, in this case, was everyone other than the groom and my husband), without having to interrupt their conversations with friends, or whatever.  If you don't have a 70-200 mm, don't worry -- just use the longest zoom you have. 

2.  When shooting the wedding, tap into your inner photojournalist:  don't just get the kiss and the ring picture, but if you see someone sitting in the congregation with a fabulous FourWeddingsAndAFuneral hat, then take the shot when they're not looking.  Grab an image of children falling asleep as the minister drones on and on.  Snap the woman fanning herself with the program because it's just so hot.  These sorts of shots capture memories of the day, and images which the bride and groom will likely be too preoccupied to notice at the time, but will truly value after the fact.

3.   Speaking of moments the bride and groom won't notice, don't forget to shoot the guests as they're entering the church or venue where the wedding is taking place. During this time before the wedding, the professional photographer is often busy taking portrait shots of the bride in her dressing room, so often there aren't any shots of the excited anticipation of the guests, or the groom's rampant nerves.  Be sure to capture these moments.

4.  As much as possible, shoot with available light, and forego the flash, for a couple of reasons: (a) flash tends to make people more self-conscious (and you can't sneak around taking stealth shots as readily as you can without it) and (b) you really don't want to do anything that might ruin the professional photographer's shots -- after all, she's getting paid to take these shots, so she will rightfully resent anything you do that makes her job more difficult.   Also, while we're on the subject, it's generally a good idea to stay out of the photographer's way (the zoom lens will help you do that) -- stay behind the photographer as much as possible, and it doesn't hurt to let her know that you don't mind if she needs to tell you directly to get out of her way.  Besides, I often find that some of my favourite shots are the "shots between the shots" -- the shots of the group primping and getting ready while the photographer poses them, that sort of thing.

Finally, relax and have fun with it.  It's a wonderful way to really start appreciating the couple's big day, keeping your eyes open  for stolen moments, and looking out for instances where people let down their guards.  The result will be a very intimate view of one of the most memorable days of the couple's lives, and they'll likely appreciate the gift for years to come.

(To see more Dan and Laura's big weekend, click here.) 

Last night after falling in love with a photo of a beautiful mother and her son, I was led to reading Jen Lemen’s post (when I posted this the site was down but it will be back up again soon) which then in turn took me to Meg’s and then to Belle’s (you all know how it goes) and I was reminded of what the mother in that photo is enduring right now. Jen Ballantyne is one of us—a sister among our vibrant, creative, passionate community. She’s a mother, a photographer, a blogger. Authentic, honest and hopeful. She’s much like you and much like me with a substantial difference; Jen has stage 4 colon cancer.

As I was reading her story again and going over the details of the auction that is happening in her honor, I was inspired to think of something to include to help raise the funds she needs to better take care of herself as she continues her journey as well as what her sons need now and in the future. And then it hit me, of course… I’ll send a photograph! And before I could even decide which I would have printed up, I had an even grander thought—What if other sisters would do the same? What if the Shutter Sisters community pulled together to support one of their own through photographs?

Well? What if? I’ve seen what ya’ll got and there is some money to be raised, let me tell you! In the true spirit of sisterhood, let’s prove there’s more than one way to capture hope through photography.

If you would like to participate in the auction by offering a printed photo that you took to be auctioned off, please email weloveyoujen@gmail.com for instructions ASAP. And be sure to mention that you’re a sister. Thank you in advance for your help.

Whether I am arranging the shelves in my living room or the pictures on my wall, I find that the casual grouping of items together is what makes my little vignettes aesthetically pleasing to me. As I move things around, I let my instincts guide me.

Oh, this color looks lovely against this color and this shape is wonderful next to this one.

A little higher… a little lower…wait, higher—there! That’s it!

I can’t always explain why I am doing what I’m doing, but I know what I like when I see it. I know this about myself-- that I enjoy pairing things up, gathering them just so and tenderly composing each arrangement. I guess it’s no wonder then that when it comes to my photographs I have these same kinds of tendencies. I’m not sure I’ve ever really thought about it until I really looked at this shot of our tulip tree buds and I was struck by how much it looks like a little family, affectionately gathered together.

It got me thinking about a number of other images I have captured that seem to have similar, almost human qualities; a loving gesture, a coupling, a birth, a family. As I race through one after the next, almost in disbelief, I see it again and again. I am delighted by my discovery.

I encourage you to look again at your photographs; really look. Set out to rediscover them. See them in a new light. Do you find any elements working together that speak to you of tenderness, nurturing, and love? Do they convey what is important to you in some abstract way that you may not have noticed before? Something tells me if you look close enough, they just might.

Bob Schneider's dreamy voice is floating through the loft and outside we can hear the wind and rain adding its own aural interpretation to the track. For a brief moment I close my eyes and take it all in. The way he smells... the way he breathes... the way his hair tickles my face. Like he's reading my mind he turns to kiss my cheek and says nothing.

And in this moment, everything is as it should be.

What is your favorite song? What memories or visuals come to mind when you hear it? Why not create an image inspired by that song? It can be literal or conceptual. Just follow your heart.

Or, if you're looking for a little inspiration, download 'The World Exploded In Love All Around Me' (2.6mb)