Story Time

We indeed are the lucky ones. The ones who not only have creative tools at our fingertips but the ones who use those tools to tell the stories of us. Our milestones, our struggles, our successes, our relationships, our family, our love, our joy, our daily lives, our most mundane and our most magic. We point, focus, shoot. We talk, write, share. And with it all, we are documenting what's most important to us.  We are writing the story of our lives, with every photograph, every word, every memory.

This month you are invited to join us as we honor the power, the beauty and the truth of our stories. It's definitly going to be a celebration as we join forces with the amazing folks of Paper Coterie. This month they introduce their Everyday Storytellers; some amazing women (who you may recognize) who will be sharing their stories over there in hopes to encourage you to tell your own, which is why for this very special One Word Project we have chosen the word story.

As we head into September, the summer bids us farewell, the kids get back to school and routines settle in, let's have our very own, grown-up girl, Shutter Sister Story Time!  Heck, why not make it a party! Our stories are worth all the hoop-la!

What would a party be without presents and prizes? Your heard right, we've got lots of gifts to give this month thanks to Paper Coterie. They really know how to throw a party!

Can't wait another minute to hear more? Then let us unwrap it for you...everyone who chooses to share an image with us in our One Word Project flickr pool this month will receive a special gift from Paper Coterie! Everyone! All you have to do is:

1. shoot your story (for more info about how the OWP works, check out the about page)

2. upload your image to the Shutter Sisters OWP pool on Flickr (tag it "story")

3. visit Paper Coterie on Facebook and tell them, that you shared a story with Shutter Sisters

4. graciously receive your gift

And be sure to check in each day on the OWP photo features page here at Shutter Sisters to see if your images gets featured. If it does you'll be getting a bonus gift from Paper Coterie. That's 29 story winners this month! Totally awesome!

And if that's not enough, we will be giving away one $100 gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of September (starting today) to one of YOU! All you have to do is share a comment each day before midnight EST for your chance to win that day's random drawing. Be sure to leave links to your story shots.

Can you imagine?? All this goodness just for doing something you already do? Tell your story. We just love that!

It's going to be quite a story celebration this month, isn't it? We're so glad to have you at our story time party with Paper Coterie and Everyday Storytellers. As far as we're concerned, September doesn't get better than this!

Comments

[Esther Emma]

stories are made to be told. don't we all love listening and watching stories.
last week i finished my summer story telling www.SoFoBoMo.org book. so this time i'll share with you not only one image but a bunch of it, bundled together. the reason why i want to share it here is, that it combines three interesting things together. www.SoFoBoMo.org, the www.shuttersisters.com and there book 'expressive photography' and me.
i'd like to invite you to take a look yourself. and it's up to you if it is story worth to tell. :-)
http://issuu.com/EstherEmma/docs/sofobomo2011-issue-def/1

[Marcie]

What an inspiring word for September!
My photos act - in many ways - as a visual diary..reminding me of the day and the story:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/9/1/something-new.html

[shelbi]

how exciting! i just stumbled upon the story tellers, what an amazing and inspiring group of artists. i would love to share this little story of my emma...thank you for the offering tracey........

http://www.shelbilynna.com/2011/09/emma-in-summer-light.html

[pthurmond1]

If you want everyday storytelling, it doesn't get more everyday than this! I have to attend conferences quite often. I always look around the hotel where I'm staying to see what I can click. I found the most interesting chandelier at the front desk. http://www.flickr.com/photos/50901045@N02/6098181951/in/photostream/lightbox/

[Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys]

This is absolutely gold. I wasn't expecting that I’d get so much out of reading your write up! You’ve just earned yourself a returning visitor

[Valerie]

Sometimes the stories my camera saves would be just a one-sentence anecdote if spoken aloud. But the photos capture so much more than plot -- an expression, an awkwardness, a fumbling attempt...

http://journeyleaf.typepad.com/journeyleaf/2011/08/must-have-both.html

[Debbie Ealer]

oh this is so much fun,,I think I have no ones story to tell,then I remember ,,mine!! :D
What a cool word and all that goes with it for September!!

im IN!!

[Kathryn Dyche Dechairo]

I love this, sounds like a fun filled month. I was fortunate to have an interview feature on Marcie Scudder's blog recently where people could learn more about me and my story.

http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/08/saturday-salon-feature-with-marci.html

[Linda Jacobs]

This story is from two weeks ago but it could be today's story, too. Nothing has changed except the size of the moon.

http://lindaspoetry.blogspot.com/2011/08/silence-for-one-single-impression.html

[Jill F]

http://fingerontheshutter.com/
My story for today.

[Jessie]

This is from earlier this week but I am going to really try to get a nice "story" shot every day. You see them all day long but this will force me to bring my camera with me more. Thanks :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11842226@N06/6094368192/in/photostream

[gis]

great word, great story and nice theme. I have no Facebook (yes, so it is, and I will not get it now, but will partcipate anyway: it promiss to be a lot of fun!
Over at my blog there is a photo a day in August, telling one and thirty stories!

[AnnGeeDee]

Now my head is spinning with all the story ideas I can tell. Maybe a month long story? A new story that unfolds day by day? What a fun thing!

[Amisha]

The universe must be sending a message. For the last month I have been thinking of how much fun it it is to tell a story with photography - a picture is definitely worth a thousand words. And then I was browsing through Vogue and read a birthday tribute to Grace Coddington. The tribute talked about her creative direction evokes a feeling, tells a story. And we all love stories - doesn't matter if we are all grown up. Just the word story brings a sparkle to the eye.

[Angela]

My story has been coming in bits and pieces it seems these days on my blog - but it's there! Love the theme this month!

http://angiephoto365.wordpress.com

[Roxanne]

Oh Shutter Sisters, I so love that you are doing this! September just got even more exciting.

[Bina]

Ok I am totally new to this, but I joined in the fun and shared my photo story on flicker :) Yay!! :)

[melody]

Delightful way to lift the spirit this month of getting back to school routine. Love the OWP choice and the gifts. Thanks!

[kristin]

amazing stuff. this month is going to be HUGE. the perfect word for what we ALL do so naturally.
love it.

[blissmamaof3]

I just posted my story image to the Flickr Shutter Sisters OWP pool, my word for 2011 is story so I have been thinking along these lines all year! Thanks for so much fun!

[Erika (gashuttergirl)]

I shared a story this morning. It is a sad one, but it is the one I have to start with. Looking forward to sharing happier stories this month. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gashuttergirl/6106474956/)

[Kat]

So wonderful! I love how photographs tell a story. I especially love when a photograph allows the viewer to tell their own story, in response to it.
http://www.kateyeview.com/2011/03/its-mystery.html

[damiec]

I am loving these stories. Here's a little one from my recent vacation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22487105@N06/6106643110/in/photostream

[Leslie F. Miller]

OK. As a writer and storyteller and photographer with so much to say all the time, This is the one I'll do.

[Ellie A]

I am beyond inspired & am happy to share My Story : http://adventurethroughmylens.blogspot.com/2011/09/story-as-i-capture-my-365.html

[Meghan @ Life Refocused]

totally fabulous!!!!

[Laura O]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauraophoto/6106139219/in/photostream My story today makes me both happy and sad.

[Jamie]

Here is a piece of a polaroid series I started to document all of the things that a little deer tick stole away from me. I keep a plastic blue deer on me all the time and he is often hidden in my photos.
http://flic.kr/p/a2Q5aT

[Becky Sue]

How fun!

This week, this is my story... http://cggrlogan.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/letting-go/

[Christina]

there are sure to be many gorgeous and expressive shots for this word.
i can't wait to see all the inspiration come about!

[cheris]

Storytime: http://www.flickr.com/photos/liffords/3269718118/in/datetaken/

[LeAnne]

Here's my big story of the summer, and I'll try to come up with some good ones this month. I'm in a story telling mood, so this will give me the extra boost I need to get to it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leanne8790/6106741349/

[Jill]

Awesome! During a presentation for a videographer, she kept commenting that a photo can capture the moment but only a video can capture the story . . . I nearly came unglued because the photo captures everything and allows us to interpret so much more. Can't wait to see how this OWP unfolds!

[peggy gatto]

I posted to the flicker group my adventure!!

[Jan]

How fun is this? wooohoooo!

[Ingrid]

I never thought I'd see my son so totally engrossed in a book!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/indigo2087/6107149695/in/pool-shuttersistersonewordproject

[georgia]

oh, sweet! i love that september's word is story... i will being sharing my story all month long in the form of lists... one per day, as my birthday is the last day of the month and i will be leaving my thirties. so i celebrate my last days of my thirties there... and will tell my story in a way. so, giving these gifts all month long just made my birthday month even better! thanks! i've just entered my first "story" photo into the pool...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567264@N05/6076130769/in/photostream/
here is the start of my story telling...
http://itsjusthowiseethings.blogspot.com/2011/09/forty-on-thirty.html

[Bonnie]

This is really fun.
This one struck me as funny, but it was a bit by accident

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bjakobsen-martin/6107868952/

[tablet]

thank you for your sharing

[Beth]

Sadly, Uncle Wally's story came to a close this week. I caught him in this pose one evening while I was talking on the phone looking out our back window.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterhuff/6102109662/in/photostream

[Deirdre]

Whoa, that's a lot of gifts! Thank you Shutter Sisters & Paper Coterie! I really love the new OWP word.

[Doris]

Thanks Shutter Sisters! I love the word "Story" it has different meaning to everyone and everyone usually has a story to share. I'm too late to be considered for today's give-away, but that's ok. I have a great story to share.

A story of a family who enjoyed and shared a wonderful, historic sound-side cottage on the Outer Banks of NC for 40 years. Sadly it was destroyed by Hurricane Irene last weekend.

http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/nags-head-memories/

[tracy]

this post is so inspiring! and so is the idea for everyday storytellers + paper coterie! thank you so much for sharing.

here is my story shot ~ with a little story behind the image... http://thefindingofme.com/?p=1141

tracy

[Cassie]

Love this idea.....my story these days is incredibly complicated...don't know where to begin!!

[jenifer]

checking it out now....their memory boxes are really lovely. thanks.

[Eden]

Here's my story! Just something that I feel so darn lucky to have and enjoy.....it's more of a verb shot....cuz I get to do things in here.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35580813@N03/6104888420/

[Flytouch]

Thanks for the useful information. Definitely something I must
look into! I know I’ve been on the website before to do a quick
look, but this time I will take a proper read as it sounds very
useful. Keep it up!

[Kathleen D]

I'm also new to this site but it looks like September will be a fun month to hang out here for awhile and learn. Thank you. I'm eager to grab my camera and job in.

[Amy E.]

What a wonderful idea for this project! They do say a picture says a thousand words. Thank you!

[Dinea de Photo]

This is so sweet!!!