sister friends

 

I clearly remember seeing the announcement on Tracey's blog for the launch of a new site for women in all levels of photography.  Found hearts, love Thursdays, superhero challenges, all such positive vibes.  I was eager for its launch.  The images are creative and beautiful, the daily posts are informative and thought provoking, yet never did I imagine the personal impact this space would have on me.  The connections, the sisterhood has truly blown me away.

 

We all come here open and vulnerable in a way.  Posting photos, little windows into our lives, our loves, our art, our passions.  Erasing all distance and borders as if we were all gathered together sharing stories over coffee.  Here I have been blessed to meet a wonderful core of women which only grows each day.  Once strangers from all corners of the world, now friends, sister~friends.  Connections made with such ease, such familiarity as if our hearts said, "hey you, hi.  i know you.  i SEE you."   Daily we share the real, the magic, vast beauty, and family moments in this place.  The comments push me creatively, inspire me personally, warm my heart, and can make me laugh out loud.  My hope is that I give as much as I take from this gift.  I no longer click on my Shutter Sisters button for what I will see, but rather WHO I will see. 

 

The images I love.

The creativity I need.

The sisterhood I treasure.

 

So please share, tell us, what does the sisterhood mean to you?

 

Photo and words courtesy of today's Honorary Sister / Guest Blogger Kristin Zecchinelli -aka Maine Momma.

This End Up

Have you ever seen a photo that was difficult to decipher? A picture that questioned your mind’s eye and turned logic on its ear? An image full of mystery and intrigue that begged the question, what the heck is that?

The shot above was taken from street level, lens pointing straight up as I leaned against the wall of a hotel in San Francisco. The architecture is what drew me in; ornate and opulent in its detail and curves. The angle felt dizzy enough but the window’s shape and reflection was the visual component that added that little extra huh? to the image.

Have you captured something that made you question what was really happening? Something that was both compelling and confusing? Disorient us today.

I so love ISO

As a follow up to Tracey's last post, here's a bit more on ISO.

While visiting San Francisco for the BlogHer08 conference, my friend Josh Hallett, armed with his Nikon D3 and mammoth telephoto lens, suggested we shoot the Golden Gate Bridge... at night. I jumped at the chance and then remembered that I had virtually no experience shooting in the dark.

There were a few things I did know. I knew that a Flash would be useless. And I knew that I would need to use a tripod because a night shot would require a super slow shutter speed, so holding the camera steady in my hands would be impossible. I also knew enough to know that I would narrow my aperture to an f/22 because I wanted the entire scene to be in focus.

"So what's your ISO setting?" Josh asked as he deftly detached his camera from the tripod to make room for mine. 

"I don't know." I mumbled in the dark. "I've got it set to auto." Mind you, there's nothing wrong with letting your camera do some of the work, but taking control of certain settings such as aperture and ISO will make a world of difference in your ability to capture great images regardless of your lighting conditions.

The very next day, as Tracey mentioned, Me Ra Koh demystified ISO, explaining that ISO control is the digital equivalent of film speed. With your digital SLR, you can adjust your ISO setting to control the amount of light needed to capture your image. On my Nikon D80, I simply press the ISO button on the back of the camera and rotate the main command dial until it displays the setting I want (e.g., 100, 200, 320, etc.) on the control panel.

Shooting a shell on a sunny day at the beach? Set your ISO to 100 or 200. Shooting traces of a sunset at night without a tripod or your seven-year-old blowing out the candles on her birthday cake in a dim room? Set your ISO to a higher number such as 800 or 1000.  I captured the shot above with my ISO set to 1000.  Keep in mind that the higher the ISO setting, the more grain or noise you'll get in the image. If you're shooting a sunset and you do have a tripod handy to capture the serenity of the scene, you can use a low ISO setting such as 100 or 200 and just decrease your shutter speed to let more light in.  By controlling your ISO setting, you expand your ability to capture the images you want... even in the dark.

Do share your shots and tips for shooting in low light conditions in the comments. 

(Image and words by Stephanie Roberts -- uploaded by Karen)

**Please note that Tracey got her highs and lows mixed up in yesterdays post...indeed, the higher the ISO number, the MORE noise you will encounter. Ooops! Didn't mean to confuse anyone!! She vows to proof read her post next time! : )

Confessions

Stephanie and friends, San Francisco

Sarah-Ji’s ‘break the rules’ post last Sunday was a stroke of serious serendipity and what she encouraged was exactly what I did at the Shutter Sisters / BlogHer PhotoWalk and it’s been on my mind ever since.

Many of us had the privilege of spending a little time with Me Ra Koh during her photography session at the conference. I think I speak for everyone in attendance when I say WOW! She was authentic, adorable, sincere and so photo-articulate (in the most relaxed and approachable way). Her willingness to share her knowledge was inspiring and what’s more, what she shared was so refreshing and enlightening. She is a true Shutter Sister through and through.

As she spoke I got a lot of looks and whispers from Karen and Stephanie, pssst, did you know that? I nodded yes on a number of points but I most certainly did learn a thing or two. One point that shed some light (pun intended) was the way she explained ISO. I know that ISO is virtually your film speed (without the film part) and that by shooting with a high ISO your images will have MORE grain or noise. What I failed to truly understand is that there’s more to it than that.

I confess proudly that I’m a 400-800 ISO girl just as I was a 400-1600 film girl. It makes it so much easier and fun shooting in low light with a higher ISO and so, I do it. Because I like easy and fun. Well, come to find out, you actually get the optimum color saturation when you shoot a Canon or Sony at 100 ISO or a Nikon at 200 ISO. WHO KNEW? Me Ra did. And now I do too. And so do you, if you didn’t already. To put it to the test and I decided to try it out on the PhotoWalk. I won’t lie, it’s not going to be easy getting used to not having the ability to shoot in super-low light while hand-holding my camera but since we were outside, it was a perfect place to break my own ISO rule and give it a go.

Jury is still out on whether or not I see a difference in my images…I need a little more experimentation time to figure it out. None the less, trying something new, breaking my own rules while shooting was as exhilarating as the cool, crisp air of San Francisco.

If you are so inclined, share your own photo confessions with us in the comments and if there’s a photo that goes along with it, we’d love to see it. And by all means if you are breaking some rules, do share! The fun part is along with your comment you will be entered to win today’s random drawing for one of Me Ra’s awesome educational DVD’s. One lucky winner will win Refuse to Say Cheese and another will win Beyond the Green Box. You have until Monday at midnight EST to leave your comment.

A special thanks to Me Ra for sharing her DVDs with us! You’re going to love them!  And if you haven't already, pop over and visit her blog at www.merakohblog.com.

old school vs. new school

How many of you remember getting your high school senior portraits taken (if you opted to at all)? Most stories I hear from people my age or older include stuffy studios, older male photographers, hideous wicker props, or an item of clothing that was forced upon them. My experience wasn't bad, but it wasn't fun either. I remember one particularly uncomfortable pose on a fake column that had been laid on it's side on the floor. And then there was the ugly black sweater that I hated but the photographer made me put on. My husband told me that his senior photographer put a clip on the back of his shirt collar so it would open up more in the front. But what he didn't realize is that he also clipped the back of my husband's neck. As a shy, polite teenager he didn't say anything and spent half the session with a clip on his neck.

It seems like seniors and their parents are looking for more these days. They want photos that show their true personalities. It's not always easy to get natural, candid shots right off the bat with adults (as Kate just talked about), but once we both loosen up, they shine through. With me, they have lisence to be as serious or goofy as they want. You want to throw on a hoodie and a pair of ridiculously huge sunglasses? Go for it. You want to bring your Hello Kitty guitar and rock out on a park bench? Absolutely. I want these kids to walk away feeling beautiful and empowered. I want them to have an experience that they can talk about positively 10 years from now. This is a wonderful, fun, difficult and strange time in their lives and maybe these photos will help them remember it in the future. 

I would love to hear your memories of your high school senior photo session–good or bad . And a picture of it would be a bonus!