rose-colored glasses

I headed out for a photo walk around my neighborhood today, wandering the cherry tree lined streets.  There is something about the act of walking even only a few blocks in search of photos that always shifts things for me.

When I go on these walks I feel like I put on my rose colored glasses and become a treasure hunter of beauty.  Today I find it in cherry blossoms that have fallen from the tree and their soft delicate petals.

No matter what else is going, when I make this space to wander, take pictures and look for beauty, it re-energizes me like nothing else does.   It invites me to slow down, to engage with the light and the natural world around me.  This practice of seeking beauty with my camera has been a lifeline from darkness to light.

When I first began exploring photography I was going through some drastic life changes.  I knew the way I had been living wasn’t working for me anymore.  I was living for everyone else and not for myself.

So I reverted into a cocoon for a while, craving even more time alone than my usual introvert self needed.  I wanted to be alone and figure out who I was separate from all the outside perceptions.

I went in search.  I didn’t know how to find what I needed or even that photography would lead me there.  It was just something I could do in which there was peaceful yet creative time alone.  I knew that was the first clue to finding my way back to myself and to happiness, simply because of the way it made me feel.

I went in search of beauty and when you go in search of beauty, you find it.

At times it seems like we aren’t supposed to tell our stories with rose colored glasses, muting out the rough in favor of the radiant, the flowery, the beautiful.  Yet looking for the positive, for little bits of beauty, isn’t denying that life has rough patches: that there are broken branches or muddy puddles around those gorgeous pink blossoms.  Rather, it is a way to focus on what is positive even if times are rough (especially when they are).  That doesn’t mean denying the rough patches, but rather using photography as a tool to engage with the world around us in a way that lifts us up. 

Even these years later, I’m doing the same thing I did when this creative journey began, seeking bits of beauty.

You could say that seeing the world through rose-colored glasses is what saved and transformed my life. Seeing the beauty around me helped me find my way back to happiness again and to discover the beauty within me by documenting the beauty around me.

Will you join me today in documenting some of the beauty around you?  Let’s put on our rose-colored glasses and go treasure hunting for beauty.  Be it a flower petal, a person you love, or the beauty you see in yourself today?

Image and words by guest blogger Vivienne McMaster.

24 hours makes a day

Recently we took a roadtrip to explore more of this place I call home. It's important for me to get out every now and then, to see new sights and to document them along the way. This is one day of photos, just a handful of them. And each one of these images holds power for me, each one a story. Yes, it's a simple part of my day, but to me (to all of us) it is my life as it is right now. And that fact makes these images invaluable.

Each and everyone of us goes throughout our day, sometimes lost in the tedium, sometimes excited by something new. What I'm finding as I share images online in various places, is that we are all the same. Yes, entirely different in some regards, but same in our everydayness... in our humanness... in our way of looking out at the world. We are all driven to document our days.

Today is a special day. It's A day for all of us! Today is May 15th, and you have this one day to join thousands around the world in using the power of photography to create, share and compare perspectives on daily life! Join A Day. Why? "Because you love photography. Because you have something to say. Because your life matters. Because the idea of doing something together worldwide is thrilling. Because you like the thought of saving a little something of yourself for generations to come. Because your take on daily life is part of a much bigger picture."

It's true, your life matters! Photograph what is close to you. And remember that how you see the world is unique. Share your view with the community online and you'll find that the world is that much smaller and kinder. Go ahead, sign up, join in! And be sure to leave a photo from your everydayness in the comments here too!

Now... go picture your day!

blinded by the white

We talk a lot around here about inspiration. And muses. And a million other things that spark our creative spirits. There's no telling what might strike our photo fancys from one minute to the next and what we just might discover. Maybe it's a new lens, maybe a new action or preset. It could be mobile photography or a new app. Maybe it's a Polaroid camera or even film. Whatever it is, it tends to move us forward in our craft. We challenge ourselves, we lean into learning curves, we test and try and experiement. We find sisters who are sharing our love affair of the moment, we take classes, we join communities, we ask questions and we pick up our cameras and shoot.

Currently, I'm focusing on black and white photography and I'm watching others do the same. I'm excited by the collective energy and the challenge of communicating using a monochromatic pallet.  

A recent prompt in class was to try your photographic hand in creating a high key image. Norman Phillips said,  "High key is the term used to describe photographs with white or bright backgrounds and usually with bright lighting situations that render subjects in a light tone similiar to that of the background." Who knew that this kind of photography could be so much fun to try to capture? I'm not saying it's easy. But, like with all other types, styles, ways to photograph our subjects, the more you set your mind to cracking the code, the closer you'll get to cracking it.

I don't usually shoot to achieve such a specific outcome, but in the case of high key however, I am having so much fun with it, I can't help myself! It reminds me of when I got caught up in gathering bokeh. Once you start looking, you can't stop. Nothing better or more fun than finding inspiration through our lens.

Today, won't you join us in hitting the high notes of photos that blind us with the white in the best possible way?

And, don't forget it's Best Shot Monday. Got a great shot from this week? We'd love to see it.

weekending by linda owens

Linda Owens shoots images like this with her Canon 60D and iPhone and spends her
weekends sitting out back with a cool drink, dreaming of beaches and bokeh.

You can find her at her personal blog, her collaborative blog Focusing on Life, on Flickr  and Instagram as @lgotx.

Illusions

Meet Sophie....my brother's very silly labradoodle...and Ben's bestie. The other day when we were out on our walk. The pups were playing away in the lake. I crouched down low and proceeded to snap some pics...Sophie caught eye of the phone and headed straight toward it. Click, click....

I was surprised to see the result when I arrived home. It appears as though she is walking on water. It's amazing what happens when we experiment a little with position, perspective..... etc. This was a happy accident, but it's inspired me to get a little more creative while snapping pics of the puppy dogs.

Today, share a little illusion... or perhaps a happy accident of your own. I'd love to see.