shadow play

Summer, or any day with good sun or light, is an opportunity to play with shadows. Shadows can bring out such a wide range of feelings and emotions. For example, shadows can be all about fun. I remember being a kid and playing “shadow tag,” a game like regular tag except the person who was “it” had to tag the next person by touching her shadow rather than touching her body. It was great fun to try and get your shadow away from the person who was it! Shadows can also be mysterious or distorted, full of curiosity and intrigue. Think about the dark and almost scary mood a shadow can invoke, particularly shadows cast from streetlights at night. There’s much room for play and creativity when shooting shadows.

While taking our regular evening walk the other night, I was struck by the shadow of my family in the street. The golden light of the late day made the sidewalk and street a beautiful orangish-yellow, and the low-hanging sun made our shadows long (check out our legs!). I loved the profile of our pup, Parker, and the way his leash was slack in my partner’s hand. I wanted to remember this moment, so I grabbed my iPhone and captured this shadow portrait of my family, elevating the very everyday walk we take together. 

Today, seek out some shadow play with your lens. Elevate your everyday and share it with us. Don't forget to tag your shots with #sselevate. 

Image and words courtesy of Meghan Davidson of Life Refocused at www.meghandavidson.com 

Let's Eat

 

“Let’s Eat!” How many of us say those words each day, gathering our families together to share a meal? Food is such an integral part of everyday moments, it often time gets overlooked when we think about the beauty in the every day.

Yes, eating feeds our bodies, but it’s the moments beyond the food that feed our souls. Whether it is a simple chat with a friend over breakfast, or recapping the day with loved ones around the dinner table, food, eating, and connection go hand in hand.

“Let’s Eat” is the photo prompt for today. I challenge you to glance around your world, slow down, and look at your food as more than nourishment. Notice the moments while waiting for dinner to be set down on the table, a certain cute food habit someone might have, or a special treat you were able to share with someone you love. Even simple ingredients that go into our meals have a story. It’s up to you to discover that story through your own lens.

Share images inspired by today's prompt with us and be sure to tag them with #sselevate.

Image and words courtesey of food blogger extraordinaire Kristen Doyle of Dine and Dish.

Birthday celebration

We celebrated my oldest son's seventh birthday this past spring.  For him, it was friends and family and cupcakes and gifts.  For me, it was remembering the light that he brought with him when he came into my world. 

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Words and photo essay by the lovely Melissa Talbert.  You can find more of her photography on her blog and on Flickr. 

We're loving the new photo essays feature here at Shutter Sisters! If you have a collection of 6 images you'd like to see featured here as a photo essay, give us a shout. We love hearing from you and showcasing your work.

On finding your own way

 

In my bio you won’t find the words “I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was a child.” You won’t find the words “I’ve been an artist all my life.”

Because I haven’t.

At school I couldn’t draw or paint or stitch and if you’d asked me three years ago, when I was still working as a stockbroker, I would have told you that I wasn’t creative in the slightest. So when I decided, at the age of 32, to quit my job and go to art school to study photography it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to everyone around me.

But something was calling to me. Quietly at first, and then insistently. I was being drawn towards something that I couldn’t yet understand.

I adored being an art student, but I felt like a fraud. Still, I would try my best and hope for the extraordinary to happen. And happen it did.

One day, while sitting in the library pouring over late 19th century children’s book illustrations and lamenting my lack of ability to produce anything as wonderful, I began to wonder if I could create my own “photo illustrations.” Why couldn’t I use my camera to tell imaginary stories? Stories that had no beginning or end, but just a middle. Just a moment frozen in time, leaving the viewer to put the story in context, to create their own story.

This was the moment my series, “Tales from the Moors Country,” came into being. I took as my starting point the local myths and legends of Northern England and I created a series of silent and still stories that I submitted as my final portfolio piece.

They were all self portraits because I found that I just worked better when there was no one else around. Something I’d been waiting my whole life to share was finding its way to the surface and I couldn’t explain it to anyone else. But, more than that, I didn’t want to share it. It was such an incredible release of energy and I wanted to absorb every second of it.

Although my tutors found the work fascinating, I really think that they didn’t know what to do with me. No one could give me any advice on what to do with my work beyond suggesting I might try fashion photography, which was not an avenue I felt confident pursuing.

So I just started selling prints of my work at a local artists market. And then I added a line of greetings cards. Uplifted by the joy of seeing people respond to my work, I gained confidence and approached some local galleries. Then I tried entering some juried shows. And now, before I really know how it happened, I am a self portrait photographer.

That’s not something that any school careers counsellor would have recommended and it’s not something I could have chosen for myself when I quit my financial services career. It’s one of those magical things that happens when you just let go and allow the story to have an ending you didn’t envision.

So believe in happy endings. Believe in magic. Believe in hard work, dedication and the delicious joy of finding that thing you can’t not do. Believe in your dream. Because If a hopeless “non-creative” like me can find her own way, then I promise you, so can you.

Let's all share images today that remind us to believe in all these things and more....

Words and images courtesy of special guest Nicola Taylor. She can be found at www.nicolataylorphotographer.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter as @ZennicPhoto

weekending by jessica new fuselier

Jessica New Fuselier shoots images like this with her iPhone and spends her weekends seeking magic.

Jesscia can be found at DisneySisters, at Fresh Angeles, on Facebook or on instagram at @jessicafuselier & @disneysisters. 

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What magic are you making this weekend? Share with us (and email your shot) and we'll feature you here.