the muse and the marlboro man

photo by HippyHappyHay

Flickr makes my eyes cross.

In a good way, of course. Eye-crossing world-rocking is what feeds music, art, films, literature—creatives influence enthusiasts who become creatives who influence enthusiasts, each imprinting a new twist on the original until you’re not sure where the muse left off and the student begins.

I’m immensely grateful to Pioneer Woman for her most excellent Photoshop tutorials, sitting two inches from the screen breathing with my mouth open all-like OoooohhNOWIGETIT! …But then everywhere you turn we’re all morphing into replicas, following step-by-step like an army of Verne Troyers to Ree’s Dr. Evil, complete with a chorus of mini-maniacal giggling that we all finally got our hands on the recipe for the Marlboro Man style.

It’s soul food for dry spells, and we love her for it.

But this week I was bewitched by HippyHappyHay’s portrait in our fabulous pool, and went on to admire the gorgeous tones and inventive backgrounds found in her photostream. Ethereal and washed out rather than saturated, delicately evocative rather than high-contrast and grainy. So refreshing next to the unrelenting BAM! BAM! BAM! of my intermediate photofinishing routine, the unchallenged 1-2-3 that I apply like a creature of habit.

And now I’m lit up, all hippyhappy. Still grateful for the generosity of the pioneers, but ripe for something new. So don't bust my bubble, 'kay? Don't say "DUH... that's just '#23 Low Contrast/Vintage' from Actions-R-Us..."

Let me bask in this apparent differentness.

(Come to think of it, maybe it's about time I jump on the actions bandwagon. Think so? Do you use actions for instant interestingness? And is it not a contradiction in terms to push a MAKE-IT-UNIQUE! button while everyone else does the same? Isn't adopting the latest popular pizazz like buying a Toyota—don't you then just see Toyotas everywhere? Does originality even matter, or is it all just about prettier pictures?)

I digress. Share with us: who’s taught you a thing or two? And who’s inspired you to turn it all upside-down?

Sunday School: Just Shoot It

 

Back when I used to shoot with a film SLR, I often agonized over shots before I actually took them because a) film wasn't cheap; b) decent processing/printing wasn't cheap; and c) I had no idea if my settings were capturing the shots the way I wanted to or if I was wasting my entire roll of film.  I still have deep respect for the film format, but I have to admit that I'm glad to be living in the digital age when it comes to photography.  

Since I usually carry around enough memory to shoot as many photos as I could possibly want (and then some), I like to practice what I call Just Shoot It.  Basically, that's when I devote a period of time (say, 5 minutes or so) to pressing the shutter without thinking too much about the framing, the subject, exposure, etc.  I'll walk around and go *click* *click* *click* *click* in rapid sucession, sometimes without even looking through the viewfinder.  There's no pressure to get that perfect shot during these few minutes.  There's no worrying about missing a Kodak moment.  It's actually quite freeing, especially if you are in the middle of a somewhat stressful shoot like at a wedding.  

Some folks may feel like that's just a waste of memory.  Others may feel like it's faux-art if you don't put enough thought into it or scrunch your forehead just so while you're shooting the photo.  Years ago, I probably would've agreed.   Now, however, I know that there is a particular brand of joy derived from finding a gem of a photo in post-processing that you didn't even know you had taken.   In fact, I now get excited about going over my Just Shoot It photos because I never know what I'll find. 

The photo above is an example of what I'm talking about.  It was taken during several minutes of freestyle shooting at my husband's cousin's wedding.  I fell in love with it the moment I saw it during post-processing, and I knew that I could've never taken that shot if I had been thinking too much about it. 

Do you have a favorite photo that you took without too much thinking or didn't even know you had taken?  Please share with us!

P.S.  If I could set this post to music, it would be to  Click Click Click Click by Bishop Allen.

Superhero Photo Challenge: Eyes closed

I love this photo of my friend Jonatha. I think a lot of the sweetness is in her smile but the fact that her eyes are closed adds an extra special intimacy. It feels like you're in on a little secret, a private moment or inside joke...I am surprised by how intimate photos with eyes closed can be.

As you've already guessed, this week I challenge you to take a portrait with your subject's eyes closed. Because I just recently saw the Annie Leibowitz show: A Photographer's Life and I am now convinced that she is the best portrait photographer on earth, I will share a oouple of her photos for inspiration with this theme. I also found some beautiful shots with eyes closed on Jesh De Rox's blog.

As usual, please leave a link to your photo and if you are using flickr, please tag your photo with superhero photo challenge.

growing where you're planted

“Every blade of grass has it’s angel that bends over it and whispers, ‘grow, grow’. –The Talmud

When I wake up in the morning I usually feel pretty good. There’s a lot to look forward to in the early hours, like a strong cup of coffee and a day open for possibilities. I manage to serve breakfast, pack lunches, dress, drive and drop two kids off at school to return home, still eager to sink my teeth into the hours that lie before me. Unfortunately, the clock seems to tick in double time often leaving me feeling outrun. This in turn begins the if I could just… cycle.

If I could just work on this project for a few uninterrupted days…

If I could just hire a cleaning lady…

If I could just get some time to myself…

If I could just get a little more sleep…

If I could just find a pair of matching socks…

I fixate on these ideas with some crazy notion that my life would change if I could just... Oh brother. I am evolved enough to know by now that if it weren’t this list, another would most certainly take its place.

When I spotted this little spring of grass popping up from a tiny crack in our patio, I was intrigued and inspired. If this little speck of life can muster up enough energy to emerge from a nearly impossible place, then what’s to say I can’t do the same?

How would it feel to choose contentedness over desperation? What if my daily efforts were enough (without apology)? Can I put my energy into growing right where I am planted and be happy about it? I hold the hope that I can. If I could just find that angel...

Love Thursday Featured Fotographer: Beebee Mod

"Sisters." This a photo these girls will frame and hang in their university dorm rooms.

Several years ago when I lived in London, I worked with a woman named Rebecca.  Rebecca  was young, fresh out of university and always had a twinkle in her eye that made you think that she was in on an unspoken joke. 

Soon after I met her, Rebecca's father, with whom she was very close, lost his battle with cancer.  It was the one subject about which Rebecca wasn't entirely comfortable speaking.  One day, however, I passed her desk, and found her looking at several beautiful black-and-white photos.

"God, Rebecca, those are beautiful!  What are they?"

She smiled, a mixture of bemused exasperation and wistful nostalgia.  "They're photos my dad took when I was a child," she said.  "He was always walking around with that bloody camera."

Turns out Rebecca's dad was a serious amateur shutterbug -- and his favourite subjects were the members of his family.  There were beautiful close-ups of Rebecca with her sisters, stunning ones of her beautiful young mother, even a staged self-portrait of himself and the whole family sitting around a laden lunch table, laughing, with their forks midway between their plates and their mouths.  And damned if Rebecca's twinkle wasn't in his own eyes.

"I thought I'd have them framed, and hang them in my new place," she said.  "I think he would've loved that," she added quietly.

Since that day, I find myself looking at photos of kids with family members, and when I find one that particularly moves me, I'm always quick to mention to the photographer:  "That's one your adult child will frame and hang in her home," or "Oh, he'll definitely hang that over his mantel."   Often people laugh.  "Think so?" they'll say, dismissing my comment as idle compliment. But I can't help it: because of Rebecca, I notice these things -- and it's something I always aim for when shooting my own photographs of my daughter with the people she loves.

* * * * * * *

Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave links of your images depicting love in the comments below.  Also, to shake things up a bit, I thought I'd feature a contributor to our Shutter Sisters Flickr pool every second Thursday of the month.  This month's featured Love Thursday photo is by the talented Beebee Mod (aka Jen) who also happens to have a blog.  Thanks,  Jen, for letting me use your image!

And everyone:  may the next shot you take of a child with a loved one be the image she hangs the entryway of her first home. ;-)