archived posts
Saturday, September 8, 2012 by Guest Shutter Sister 
Christine Young shoots images like this with her Nikon CoolpixP100 and spends her weekends hiking with her dog and camera … treasure hunting for new ways of seeing and being.
You can find her on her website Christine Create.
What are you seeking out this weekend?
Todays prompt: embrace
Sundays prompt : something black
Monday, September 3, 2012 by Guest Shutter Sister 
I don’t have to venture far to find beautiful bokeh. Up a flight of steps lies my loft studio and an enchanting world of beads, bokeh, and bling. Swarovski crystals, sequins, and beads of every shape and size sit strewn across my work table. They catch morning light, splashing bedazzling, dancing glimmer in every direction.
Where do you find your daily dose of visual inspiration?
Images and words courtesy of Anna VanDemark. You can find more of her photography, bead, and quilt work on her blog, Alchemy of Art.
Today's prompt: Something Purple. Hashtag #shuttersisters
Saturday, September 1, 2012 by Guest Shutter Sister 
Today's featured image courtesy of W'Mina. She shoots images like this with her Olympus and spends her weekends kayaking, running, and exploring Austin, spending time with her family and, when no one is looking, sneaking in a nap like her dachshund. You can find her at Flickr as gottarun and on Facebook.
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Ah, the weekend. And a three day weekend for many of us living stateside. You know what that means; sleeping in, eating a leisurely breakfast, reading the morning paper or your favorite blogs. Okay, I know that might be going a little overboard. You might get a little of that but maybe your weekends look all together different. Whatever the case may be for you, you've gotta eat a little something in the morning, right? Before you either start your busy day, or curl up for a mid-morning snooze, you've got to serve up some breakfast. And that is exactly what our word is for today. Breakfast.
We've got a brand new list of One Word prompts for September. Wheeeee! But since we've got a word a day each day, there's no One Word this month. Because we're crazy like that. In other words, each day, you'll get your word to shoot for, to visually translate in any way you'd like. And since we're cutting out the One Word, we're going to go really simple and begin using #shuttersisters as our forever hashtag. It's simple, easy to remember and it's got a nice ring to it.
So, we will spend our weekends here like we used to, getting back to featuring your weekending shots or your photo essays right along side our daily word prompts. It's like photographic multitasking. If you've got something to share for our weekending series (a single shot or a photo essay) please send it over. So yes, this is a little change up of the best kind. A little rest and relaxation along side some creative encouragement. What could be better than that? Nothing really, except maybe blueberry pancakes.
Breakfast anyone?
Thursday, August 30, 2012 by Guest Shutter Sister 
When my son Max was about 7 months old I was so keenly aware of how important nap time was. Not for him, but for me. I needed Max to go take his nap so I could eat my lunch, decompress, have an hour or two dedicated to “ME TIME”. But Max didn’t get the memo. He would stare up at me and laugh and laugh while I thought about all the things I wish I was doing instead of rocking him back and forth for what felt like an eternity. I finally realized that this nap time business wasn’t going to go away. I needed a way to shift my swirling thoughts back to the present moment.
I decided to bring my iphone to bed and once he fell asleep I took a photo of the two of us in whatever position he ended up in. Seeing that first photo, I was hooked. When I saw how the light was falling on this frustrating situation my mind quieted. My heart burst open at the sight of the two if us, peaceful and content, tangled together in a compositionally pleasing snuggle. I started to notice deeper clues about our relationship that showed up within the photograph. Our closeness, and our deep connection was revealing itself to me in a way I felt inside but had never really seen in this way before. The Nap series was born.
Two years later, I am so grateful for the collection of Nap photos of the two of us that document a time in our lives that is short lived and so precious. I didn’t realize that I was trying to leave a situation that was truly incredible. What was the bigger lesson for me? Don’t leave before the miracle happens. Use the camera to shift perception from mind to soul. I remember this whenever I find myself frustrated, stressed out, or in fear. Bring it back to the present. Grab your camera and see with your heart. Creating this nap series has increased my ability to “see” in ways I didn’t expect. It continues to help me connect more deeply with the preciousness of these fleeting moments.
Photo essay and words courtesy of Catherine Just. You can view a larger portion of the nap series on Catherine's blog.
What better photo essay to share when our prompt is "bed"? Share with us how you get cozy in your bed today and tag your snuggly shots #sselevate.
Monday, August 27, 2012 by Guest Shutter Sister
From the Impassable Wilderness of Wildwood to the pristine and proper home of Miss Aunt Polly of Beldingsville, Vermont in the classic Pollyanna, our summer reading list seems to take us places. I find
myself swept away, trudging along the Pacific Crest Trail via Wild (by Cheryl Strayed) here and there as time allows, sitting poolside or as I drop into bed rivited & resonating. We don’t mind tucking into the
tent early after a full day playing in the lake when we can close our eyes and experience all that Trenton Lee Stewart has to offer by way of Nicolas Benedict in The Mysterious Benedict Series. There is an
ever changing list of opportunity and possible travel by way of a good book, but there is one book that will forever be a favorite. One kept on hand for every expedition as our faithful guide & inspiration, not
only just of the mind: the Atlas. (Road trip anyone?)
What have you been reading? Or should I say, where have you been going? Share your images of summer reading today and tag them #sselevate.
Image and words courtesy of Sarah Swanson-Dexel.
