a moment of dubious confidence, but I know this much to be true.

I've been thinking lately about what makes a 'real' photographer, a 'real' artful photo.

You've seen it as much as I have. Photography that's technically proficient but uninspired. Motivational poster-style. A black border and all-caps Times New Roman underneath: REACH FOR THE STARS. Generic landscapes. Posed studio portraits. Stiffness and contrivance. Photographs so self-consciously weighted with the photographer's interjection that you pause and wonder who wants this stuff?

Somebody does. I guess. People who need to be reminded to AIM HIGH.

Plenty among us are 'real' photographers. Educated, paid. Plenty more are learning as we go, halfway through courses, paid on occasion. Plenty more are simply prolific. No matter what you are, you roll in sand with hand-me-down lenses. You chase the flare of a low-hanging sun. You relish the chance to photowalk. All of it because you're passionate about capturing souls -- and it's that passion that makes you fresh. Your photographs -- so unselfconscious, so spontaneous -- make me smile. You evoke. You play and follow rather than dominate and stage.

All of you are proof.

It's not the photographer's credentials or gear that make a photograph interesting. It's the story she tells. Never mind 'real'. This community is authentic. And that makes me proud to be here, with you.

+++

Today, share with us a shutter sister that inspires you -- a woman photographer either known to us, or someone new. I've got two. Lauren Peralta's portraits are unspeakably beautiful, sexy, dignified. I'd never considered getting a tattoo -- or experimenting more with self-portraits -- until I saw hers. Sheye Rosemeyer bends light. It does as she bids it. Her photos taste like marshmallow bananas and strawberry cream. While both are vastly different from one another and from me -- in method, style, setting, and subjects (and sheer skill) -- both make me lean in to my screen and gasp how does she do that?

How about you? Share with us someone we know, or someone we don't. Tell me how they inspire you to try something different. Today, I feel like basking in righteous female clicks. Pass 'em on.

Comments

[kristin]

yes SO much inspiration out in flickr land.
one i am most smitten with these days is a newer contact/friend of mine carmen farrell
what drew me in is her 365 set. she has used the most unusual of crops. long and thin, slices of real life.
you can view the set here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63409538@N00/sets/72157623156894954/

a few of my most faves are day 7
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63409538@N00/4262107239/in/set-72157623156894954/

intimate day 20
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63409538@N00/4298371756/in/set-72157623156894954/

the simple grace of day 3
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63409538@N00/4257579754/in/set-72157623156894954/
and she is a gorgeous mama of 3 boys to boot.

i was introduced to her through Xanthe's stream, another osurce of daily inspiration to me and so many.
her blessing sets are pure inspiration.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xantheberkeley/

[Megan]

I absolutely believe that the camera (...or the academic degree or the experience etc...) do not make the photographer - I was just chatting with a fellow artisan/shutterbug yesterday about the beautiful shots we've captured with simple compacts (like my Kodak Easyshare which I swear by!) and not just our DSLRs. It is the vision, the imagination, the inspiration, the talent that makes a photographer and makes beautiful photos. One of my muses is my friend Kathy Evans; her evocative, creative, and beautiful photography and words can be found here: http://threadsoflight.blogspot.com/

[Katrina Kennedy]

My dear friend Melanie inspires me daily with her dedication to mastering her craft as she documents her family. She just sees things in such a great, real everyday way. I wish we were closer to chat and share our craft together.

http://britgirl.typepad.co.uk/sweet_nothings/

[Puna]

I found this lady on flickr and I'm absolutely enamoured by her beautiful images...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40980447@N04/

[Liz]

This shutter sister, Chelsea, inspires and motivates me with more than just her photographs. Her drive and passion for photography and the way she lives her life and loves her family is what motivates me to pick up my camera on those days when I'm having "photographer's block". She's the one who reminds me, without even having to say a word, that photography is like air to me and that it's the happy in my life. In her portraits, she has a way of capturing a person's personality and story in a quiet way and without them even knowing. And her still life images are always full of amazing color and light, the compositions always amaze me. She's not afraid to do things like sit at a bus stop for hours in downtown Seattle taking pictures of the people waiting to get where they want to go. (she really did this) And that is inspiring. She's not afraid to shoot film when it's so much easier just to shoot digital and she's not afraid to set up her own darkroom in the basement. She's awesome! She's my best friend and even though we now live on opposite sides of the country we remain close through photography and the wonderful world of flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cfisherphotography/

[xanthe]

there is so much inspiration out there, it's difficult to chose. i'm honored to see SO much beautiful work out there, including you kate, that makes me try harder every day.

i watch daily -

the wonderful kristin, her images of life, love and family are an incredible source of inspiration.
she makes the world so cosy ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/4430554912/

for fun and creative gorgeousness i seek out tiffani ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/childplay/4397674516/

i love leslie's look of the world, she always delights me ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesophiephoto/sets/72157623122357544/

i'm loving carmen's wisdom to her boys ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/63409538@N00/4426496111/

and kelly captures beauty every time ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/swimknitmama/4407697332/

and my favourite flickr groups are bursting with amazing photos -
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1326891@N23/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1354234@N22/

[Hannah]

I am inspired by Maria Kallin's work: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariakallin/

[damiec]

there are so many, and quite a few whom most of the readers of this blog are already aware of so I've chosen a few of my favorites who you might not know, but I think you should:

I'm not minimalist, but sue h shows so much with so little. her work reminds me to look closer and edit.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sue_h/sets/72157602118813949/

I have a passion for vintage neon and other architectural artifacts from the middle of the 20th C. Bekinaz love these things too and she does really brilliant work on signs. Take a look http://www.flickr.com/photos/33237475@N05/3904238743/in/set-72157612235223693/

Finally, I am amazed by people who tackle a SP 365 project, aside from the fact that I prefer the camera pointed in the opposite direction, the idea of having to re-invent the same subject every day for a year truly boggles my mind. My dear flickr friend, The Big Pineapple is in the homestretch of her project, and her project is amazing. Start at the beginning and see how she's developed - both her photographic skills and her confidence in front of the camera. On top of all she's about one of the most supportive people you could find anywhere, she's got a great sense of humor which often shows up in her photos, and you might want to hate her for those killer legs http://www.flickr.com/photos/47552462@N00/4193253321/in/set-72157618891189695/ but once you see her smile http://www.flickr.com/photos/47552462@N00/4368516297/in/set-72157618891189695/ you've just got to love her.

[Lauren]

Always incpised by mainemomma: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/4434763927/

Such lovely colorful beauty and simplicity from this woman: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sakura-kame/

She makes me want to be a better pet photographer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicachuppy/

[jakki]

My goodness...where to begin...I'll begin here....

http://chookooloonks.blogphotography.com/

[Vanessa]

miss vivienne, for her special soul and how it permeates her every shot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/missvivienne/
michelle, for the sheer stunning variety of her photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/finbarro/
gkgirl, because of how far i've seen her come: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekink/

to name but a few.
<3

[lilia]

Oh...my...I'll second the inspiration that is maine momma...she takes my breath away:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/4373832524/

and also (and I've blogged here about this lovely before), jenny downer makes my heart sing:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shesawthings/4414976395/

if you haven't met Heather of one love photo yet, you're in for a treat:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31537912@N06/3041558837/

and my dear, dear friend Denise from Philly just rocks my world:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamadee/4358536238/

another Denise, that I'm sure a lot of readers know:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bohemiangirldesigns/4329697100/

That is all.

xoxo
Lilia

[Diane]

I'm most inspired by 3 different men who photograph but, of course, can't share those ones here. For 'sisters', two come immediately to mind:

Sew Fab Martha: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14756941@N08/ for her keen eye, details, and vivid colours. I often feel she sees the world as I do, yet in an entirely different environment.

Jenny Downing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenny-pics/4435019479/ for the way she sees the world.

Enjoy!

Diane
http://www.dianeschuller.com/blog

[sweetsalty kate]

Diane - I didn't mean to be limiting, although I guess I was. There's a backstory to that. :) I feel the same way about Jim Griffioen (http://www.jamesgriffioen.net/ and http://www.sweet-juniper.com/ ) and Ryan Marshall (http://pacingthepanicroom.blogspot.com/ ). Who are the three you were going to mention? I'd love to see.

Thanks everyone - I've been clicking through and love all this new inspiration. xo

[kristin]

oh i have another...
i find photographers that are so different from my "style" fascinating.
so here is donna.
she weaves the darkness and light like magic.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/donnaspics/
plus she rocks the blacks and whites which i truly struggle with. inspires me to try more.

[Beth Coulton]

The lady who has inspired me from day one and who, across the miles and maybe unbeknownst to her, has made me a much better gal behind the camera. I love the way she captures the everyday every day.

http://www.leciawphinney.com/

[Wendy]

Emotion! I believe what makes a photographer professional is the emotion that they are able to capture. I want to be able to look at a photo and read the emotion that it depicts!

One photographer (although she considers herself only to be a hobbiest) that I think you should check out is Donna Tomlin. http://donnatomlin.com/ She has an amazing ability to create art using her camera and a little Photoshop!

[Steph W]

Thank you for this encouraging post!

[georgia]

oh, goodness, i feel this way about so many of the photographers in my blog roll. but probably mostly about these few:
http://todayispretty.wordpress.com/
http://ketchupjars.com/
http://aliandsethinthecity.blogspot.com/

i appreciate this post. i recently had a comment left on my blog that was meant as an insult to my photography. someone left it anonymously and said, "where have all the good photographs gone?" even though i know it was inconsiderate, it made me think a lot about my photography and start to really question why i take pics. i know my photos are not great. i know there is so much i don't know. i know there is so much for me to learn. i know my equipment is so limited. but i enjoy it. and i am moved by some of the photos i take and so many of the photos others take. so i keep it up. it's posts like these that encourage me to keep going and keep learning.

and i will always be a fan of s.s. for including amateurs like me from time to time, as well as featuring so much of the amazing photography that is out there... not just that of the contributors on s.s.

it's truly an inspiring site!

[Kate.S @ Little House]

SO many amazing woman inspire me, from streams I follow regularly, to a photo here and there that draws me in.

In particular the amazing Sarah-ji blows my mind every time. I've commented so many times I'm beginning to feel like a groupie :)

http://www.sarah-ji.com/home/

[Crystal]

My daughter is so wonderful at capturing daily moments with her little ones. She's taken a couple of great courses and her work with light inspires me often.

http://heathermoll.typepad.com/photo_a_day/

I love all the suggestions from everyone :)

[Hay]

I don't spend as much time as I'd like on Flickr these days, but, after kristin, the two streams I love are Heidi's (LaundryGirlPhotog)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wantuhere/
Especially the food pics, OMG!

And Johanna aka mun kuiva
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mun_kuvia/

They are both beautiful, inspirational ladies, who capture beautiful, REAL moments.

[Heather]

I have always been inspired by my real life shutter sister - Heather. I think you might be too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/htekmo/4433983314/

[Kiley]

I made the author of the last post my sister instead of me...i need computer help as much as inspiration.

[AnnGeeDee]

I found a photographer in Chicago that amazed me with her talent for catching her subjects eyes. Of course, I found her shortly after we had LEFT Chicago so I never got the privilage of hiring her. I am so pleased to see that she's once again updating her blog. And even more pleasantly surprised to see her link to the Mom 2.0 video. It is such a small world... Here she is: http://dawnm.com/blog/

[Wendy Tienken]

oh what a wonderful post! any guesses as to what i'll be doing tonight?? i love finding new people that inspire me. as mentioned above, krisitn (mainemomma) is always a delight.

i really love xanthe's images. especially how she is capturing her life with her boys. this one in particular:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xantheberkeley/4408940133/

i love the realness of erika's stream (and MAN is she funny):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreplease/

gonzomama is lovely:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/

and tiffani's images are so fun and beautiful:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/childplay/

i could go on forever.

i can't not include these:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/firstyallplay/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rowaszaj/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35374947@N04/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27982366@N06/

they all capture their reality and it is beautiful.

[faith]

My friend Belinda's photos never cease to amaze me. http://www.flickr.com/photos/belinspics/

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