Shutter Sisters

How Do You Measure A Day?

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Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments so Dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure – Measure A Year?
In Daylights – In Sunsets
In Midnights – In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches – In Miles
In Laughter – In Strife

How About Love?

 from RENT (the musical)

 

I have always loved the intro to this song. I have been humming today as I tried to think of what I might do to measure my day today. It seems that today, the twelfth day, of the twelfth month of the year two thousand and twelve, we are being given many invitations and opportunities to mark the significance of this date in our own personal histories. People are documenting their days at 12.12.12. It’s interesting because it is just one day…just one day that will never happen again. And so goes our lives right? A collection of days that will not ever happen again. I started thinking how I could mark the date for myself, what will place on the “date”?One friend has chosen to step into a lifelong commitment with her partner. It’s thrilling for them to know that the significance of this day will be historical.

What about the rest of us? What about those of us that will not be touched in such a way that seems important? We will wake up, make tea, drink tea, brush our teeth, shower, put our hair in a braid, a little lip gloss, a cozy t-shirt, a warm sweater, some slacks and off we go… What could be our measure today, how can we create an opportunity to honor ourselves in a way today that is significant, not for any other reason but that TODAY is a date that will not be repeated. I have decided to check in with myself at twelve minutes past the hour, every hour. Yes, it’s true, I’ve set my phone alarm to twelve minutes past the hour for every hour that I anticipate being awake. At that time I will stop, take a photo of myself and ask myself ” in this moment, how do I feel, am I to being loving and kind to myself; do I feel anything in my body that feels tense or uncomfortable”. I am going to attempt to measure my day in love. How loving can I be to me? This will be a good exercise for me to consider how much time I spend not in the flow of self-love. I will use this day to observe and learn and step into active choice of measuring my own story, my own way.

What about you? How will you measure your day today?

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Comfort and Joy

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It’s that time of year again. You know the one: holiday photo time.  One thing I’ve learned is that the more relaxed and comfortable I am during a shoot, the people I’m photographing will be the same way.  I give direction but I like to have fun, too and I tell them to do the same.  I use humor during my shoots, always.  If I can make them laugh, that’s half the battle, and once that starts, everyone involved is having a good time, myself included.  I love it even more when it shows in my photos, like the one above.  

When the boys and their dad sat down for this photo, I snapped a few ‘proper’ photos and then told them to have fun and to do whatever they wanted.  Before the boys could do anything, dad reached around and covered their mouths, his expression -and theirs – priceless.  Nothing brings me more joy than knowing that they were comfortable enough to ‘let go’ and just have a good time.  What a gift, for  both myself and them.  

Today, share with us those photos that bring you joy.  And if you haven’t already, please join our mailing list! 

 

for the love of processing

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I love taking pictures….. and I love processing. In fact, I would say it’s a LOVE-LOVE scenario. 

It’s a process for me. I imagine a photo, set up the ‘scene’, click the pic….then off to my computer to finish the vision. I may do just a few tweaks, or I might take it even further….edit, effect, texture, and even type. This is my way of making art…without using my paints and brushes.

I dove into photography and photoshop at the same time. I took my first few photos, then moved immediately into photoshop. I wanted to apply textures to my images. In fact it was because of the textured images I was admiring online that I picked up my camera in the first place. It seems a little backwards when I think of it now. Eventually I began to learn the other pieces of photoshop and grew to love everything about processing.

A few years later, along came Lightroom! It’s been life-changing… at least creatively speaking. I often wonder what I ever did without it. Thanks to Lightroom’s catalog feature my images are now organized and easily accessible; something I thought may never happen. I can crop, edit and so much more; quickly and efficiently on several images at once. It’s quick, painless and completely non-destructive. Lightroom also works beautifully with photoshop/elements. It really is an incredible program. 

Where do YOU fit in all of this? Lightroom, Photoshop, another editing program….or no thank you; editings not for me? Share with us today.

Today we are giving away a space in my new Lightroom class, Round Trip – from Lightroom to Photoshop and back again. The next session begins on January 15th. To enter, simply leave a comment under this post before Thursday at midnight EST for your chance to win a complimentary space in the Round Trip Class. Even better, double your chances by joining our mailing list. The winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

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?

right behind

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That’s my boy. Racing down a steep hill toward the edge of an even steeper hill, giggling all the way.

I want to give him his space to explore, but it’s also my job to keep him safe and (mostly) injury-free. So there I am, following behind but always looking ahead for danger. I’m sure it’s a struggle that most parents face. How do we encourage exploration while setting some boundaries? But all we can do is try our best to find the right balance for our individual children.

On this particular day, I was hoping to get a few family photos. You know, the kind where we all stand still and smile at the camera? And while we did manage to get a couple of posed shots, it’s this image that makes me smile. I’m so glad my husband snapped this photo when he did because it perfectly symbolizes this stage of our lives. We are watching a baby become a boy and explore his independence, we are just along for the ride.

signs

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“Life is one big road with lost of signs.” – Bob Marley

Today’s one word prompt is sign. For fun I did a little experiment and went to my photo stream on Flickr and did a search for “sign”.  I was actually surprised by how many signs I have photographed through the last few years. Many of them really speak of where I live.  I might not have to give you an exact location at all, but  by looking at my photos I bet you could easily put a place to the signs.  I like that, how the signs around me speak of “home” and place.  My place in this big world. My signs mostly wooden & weathered by time and the sea. 

What “signs” do you see?

Share a sign with us all today.

Don’t forget our new one word hashtag #ssdecember. 

 

in gratitude

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November was a dark month. Here in New England, it feels like the slippery slope leading down down down into the darkness of short days and long nights. November is the hardest for me. Others might argue that February is hardest here in the north country but I would disagree (having only had one under my belt, ahem!) February for us is a busy time filled with birthdays and a visual expression of pulling oneself up into light with each day growing longer by the minute and the ever elusive Springtime always just around the corner. Yes, February is easier for me to swallow with birthday cakes and ice cream.

November was another story.
And thus, a gratitude project was born.
last year it was what carried me through.
It’s a great practice in daily mindfulness.

This past month I found myself thankful for:

  • reclusive artists and the partnership that flows between.
  • radical acts of love
  • laughing children, hide and seek, and cornfield picnics.
  • photography and the inspiration that comes with the first snow of the season.
  • the nights my mom visits me in my dreams, even though it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
  • this colorful world.
  • this messy life and the lessons we learn together.
  • sunday drives that lead us to thrifted bliss.
  • this art of juggling, crazy as it makes me.
  • for technology that allows these conversations that float through this very sky connecting maine to london and canada. thankful for these connections, these women, this laughter.
  • strangely, grateful for the broken washing machine… it gave me this day in town with my loves.
  • for sunshine and friendship
  • this boy who made me a momma.
  • this day. this moment. this life.
  • the little things like hanging curtains in our new bedroom yurt.
  • this epic day of gatherings and blended families, thanksgiving feasts. this is the reminder that our past does not define us, it simply brought us to where we are now… which is as amazing. 
  • my love, my partner, and an impromptu date night in portland.
  • this day to finish my work week, this laughter to finish the month, and true smiles that come with real life.

So, while I was silent in blogland I was shooting images every day with my iphone because that little device often acts as a lifeline and keeps me present in the moment of everyday photography. Have you done a gratitude project? If so we’d love to see it! Do you prefer your smartphone or your dslr for everyday shooting?

What have you been grateful for? Please leave your words (and images!) in the comments below.

Upping Our Game

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On a recent trip to the beach, I purposely left my DSLR behind. I do it more and more these days as I fall back on knowing that I’ve always got my iPhone. In this instance I was doing a photo shoot, but instead of doing the shooting, I was being shot. I figured taking the camera wasn’t necessary since it wasn’t really the plan for me to shoot.

Did I mention it was right after a storm and it was golden hour?

We get to the beach and it’s gorgeous. Not just any gorgeous. The gorgeous that doesn’t come along every day. And there I was, without my camera. But, I chose not to dwell on that little detail. Instead I was heightened to the experience. To the way the sky was perfectly covered with clouds, like paint on a canvas; each stroke, highlight and shadow placed by the artist’s brush. To the reflection of light and color on the water’s surface. To the cool, moist air blowing in my hair and across my skin. I didn’t want to forget everything I was seeing and feeling. I was photographing it in my mind.

And then I reached for my iPhone. How could I ever do this landscape justice with a mobile phone? Although I love what my iPhone does, I do know that there are limitations. For some reason I doubted that anything I captured in those few minutes could ever rival that of my DSLR or better yet, of my own eyes. But, I was determined to try my best. To capture the light and texture and water and sand. To paint the scene with my camera, as simple and small as it seemed, I took the time, and made the effort to up my game.

I am in love with the dozen or so images I captured that evening. Each one represents a shot I had etched in my mind. Because I could only rely on what I had with me, I used it to the best of its ability. It was intentional and I pushed myself not only to see things more clearly but to document them like that as well.

Are there times when you feel you’ve had to up your game? What was that like for you?

And speaking of upping your game; today we are giving away a spot in my soon-coming class The Art of Composition. All you need to do is leave a comment here on this post before Thursday at midnight EST for your chance to win a complementary registration to the Standard Version of the class, which begins on Jan 3rd. YAY! Winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

CONGRATS TO ALISON! SHE WON! Thanks everyone for your comments.

Todays prompt: sky

weekending

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Weekends seem to come and go in the blink of an eye. Often it’s the only time we have to take care of the responsibilities that we don’t have time for during the week. But it’s also important to spend some time relaxing and gathering with the ones we love. Last weekend I traveled home to visit my family and enjoyed the ability to relax and forget about anything else. It was nice to spend a little time wandering around in my dad’s yard with no agenda other than photographing the beautiful view. I was immediately struck by the bright green grass contrasting with the brown, bare trees in the background. I wish all my weekends could be spent wandering outside and shooting beautiful scenes like this.

We are putting out the call once more with An invitation to your weekends.

If you would like to submit your weekend images for consideration in our weekend series, please send your shot(s) via email to us at click [at] shuttersisters [dot] com with the subject: weekending. We love sharing your weekend stories and photos and can’t wait to see them!