Love Thursday: February 7th, 2008

While I certain can appreciate a well-put together outfit and I admire women who have an innate sense of style, I have to admit that I'm personally too lazy to cultivate much fashion or style in my life.  I mean, I'm not a slob or anything:  for example, I do try to wear at least a little lipstick when I go out in public; however, I wear my hair the same way every day, I keep my nails short because I really couldn't be bothered with a manicure, and not a day goes by when I don't thank God my eyebrows are relatively thin, because there's no way in hell I'm spending precious moments plucking them.    

But really, I'm not a slob.  Ahem.

Anyway, my laziness extends to my jewelry choices as well -- I don't wear earrings, and I tend to wear the same necklace for months on end.  I love my wedding rings not just because I think they're pretty, but also because I don't have to think about what to wear on my left hand every day.  The thing is, though, I  do like rings, and my right hand feels naked without them; however, toward the end of last year I realized I'd amassed a large enough assortment of rings that I spent far too much time each day (in my opinion) being overwhelmed by the choices.  So when Marcus asked me what I wanted for Christmas, my answer was quick:

 "Well," I said, "I think I'd like a ring for my right hand.  I don't want anything fancy or expensive, but I think that if you gave it to me for Christmas, it would me a lot to me, and I wouldn't want to take it off."

Marcus smiled.  "Okay.  But you pick it out.  That way you'll get something you like."

So I did.  It was a sweet little ring, a wide silver band, very simple.  Marcus ordered it, and come Christmas morning, I opened it gratefully.

But then I noticed another box.  "That's the second one I ordered," Marcus said.

The second one, it turned out, is the ring you see above -- a thin silver band with the words "I love you forever" engraved on one side.  It's a ring Marcus picked out without my input, and it fits perfectly against the band I chose.   I wear them together, keeping the words hidden between the bands.  The set means more to me than I can express.  I never take them off.

 Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave your links to your images of love in the comments, below (for inspiration:  the beautiful images left by HipMomma, freakparade and beebee mod in the Shutter Sisters Flickr pool). 

And may you reflect on those symbols of the love in your life today.

(Update:  Because some of you have asked, you can find the ring in the Sundance Jewelry catalog.  That particular ring  -- showing what's on the other side -- can be found here.)

SHOOT! :)

I went to Tampa a few weeks ago for the DWF Convention. Besides having a great time, and realizing that I don't want to shoot weddings, I learned a few things. One of them was at a seminar given by Greg Gibson. Maybe you've heard of him, maybe not. He's a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and his portfolio is astounding. He's covered everything from the Persian Gulf war, to Presidential campaigns, to the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

In his seminar, he said the biggest mistake that photographers make, is not taking enough pictures. It impressed me because I always felt like there was something "wrong" with that. Mostly because you never hear photographers talking about their out-takes. But he did, and it was refreshing.

So, TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES PEOPLE! When you think you've exhausted your creativity or perspective, shoot a few more frames. Sometimes, my favorite shots of the whole session are the last ones that almost didn't happen. And if a Pulitzer Prize winner is saying that he takes a lot of photographs to capture that one, AIN'T NO SHAME IN YOUR GAME!

*Here is one of my favorite shots ever. And there were about 50 images deleted before this one. Do you have a diamond-in-the-rough example? If so, please share the love.

A Little Glitch on the Homefront

Apologies for our hiccup! We've remedied the issue and all things will be full steam ahead very soon. Exhale.

Get Dirty and Get Clean

 

Big news! Our very first photo contest starts today. I know I promised details so let me get down to the nitty gritty- literally.

We’re hosting a CleanWell Moments Photo Contest here at Shutter Sisters in honor of women who aren’t afraid to get dirty. Something tell me that includes many of you! Am I right?

From today until Feb. 29th we will be accepting your contest submissions at the CleanWell Moments Flickr Pool. You are invited to add them to our Shutter Sisters pool as well but we will be judging the photos from the CleanWell pool so you must join that group to officially enter over there. Just be sure that YOU shot the photo (and therefore the copyright belongs to you). It’s as simple as that.

The object is to creatively capture your life at it’s messiest!

Here are the categories-

1. outdoor adventures

2. in the kitchen

3. arts and crafts

4. family life

**You may enter up to THREE photos for the contest.

We will be awarding one winner per category and will be naming honorable mentions too.

Our four big winners will be showered with a plethora of the all natural products in the CleanWell motherload pack. OK, it’s really called the Hand Hygiene Pack but it’s got it ALL in there. And take it from me, the stuff rocks. The winners will be announced on March 4^th and will be featured here at Shutter Sisters AND later in the CleanWell Moments slideshow. Yay!

It’s a dirty world. Go out and enjoy it. Oh, and don’t forget your camera!

macro

A newborn fern reaches, twists to bask in the single beam of sun that penetrates the rainforest canopy, a spotlight.

Dew on leaf and nectar supped by butterfly. Sweat on the glass brim of a summer martini. With the macro lens on my 1970s-era Pentax I was dwarfed by worlds within worlds, transported hands-first into shimmering giantness, enveloped. Wrapped in more life and light and vividness than I’d ever known existed—that which could only be discerned by getting really. close. up.

Happily engulfed by the otherworld inside a macro lens, the big outside mattered less.

++++++

I don’t have so much diversity to offer these days. Not what's botanical and artistic and profound aside from what lives and dances and giggles inside these four walls, this small house on the edge of a seasalty coast, these two boys, this mama’s life.

So week after week it’s the first kid, then the second. Then the first, then the second. And I’m sorry for that and feel entirely humbled by all of you and the gorgeousness in the pool but 1) there is an ice-storm outside, oppressive and bone-chilling and not so welcoming for baby-laden photo excursions; and 2) in the effort of capturing my boys I find the same vividness, the same meditation as before.

These days, I’m macro-less. But camera pointed at these faces, the wonder returns.

Wishing I could crawl in between those eyelashes, turn around and see from his vantage point how the world looks, as he studies it.

You don’t mind, do you?

++++++

This week, I’d love to see your favourite macro shots. Tide me over until light and weather and childcare and disposable income and a good deal on a lens conspire to set me loose among the dewy ferns again.

Gimme a dose, willya?