sudden find

When I first started photoblogging, my intent was to upload a post nearly daily, to force myself to pick my camera up and fire the shutter as often as possible.  I figured that if I made myself pick up my camera frequently, my photography would naturally have to improve.

I was right.  What I didn't bargain on, however, was how difficult it would be to find subject matter to shoot on a daily basis.  In addition, by making the results of my efforts public, I was forced to not only ensure that I had an image to share, but that there was variety in what I shared.  I mean, I think my kid is the cutest thing in the world, but even she got bored of seeing herself constantly on my site.

On one particularly frustrating day this past May, I grabbed my camera and decided to go out into my garden (again) to see if there was anything interesting to shoot (again).  Our home is 50 years old and has a very mature garden -- my husband and I have contributed very little to its foliage.  On this day, I found myself going into a dark little corner I'd never investigated before ... and came upon the blossom you see above.  I'd never seen anything like it, and was thrilled with all the colour and texture that was right there before me, waiting to be captured.

These days, as we beginning counting down to a new year, it dawns on me that perhaps I should consider adopting the same approach in all aspects of my life:  maybe, as I contemplate my goals for 2009 (and beyond), achieving them might just be a matter of (a) sticking with it, and (b) daring to explore experiences and opportunities I'd never investigated before.  Hmm.

Something to think about.  Perhaps I'll keep the image above near me as a reminder.

 Today's giveaway is an 8x10 print of the image of the iris above.  Simply leave a comment on this post to be automatically entered for a chance to win!

the love of family

Kate and her husband Nigel, photographed on Maenporth beach in Cornwall, England on November 22, 2008.

As I type this, it's morning in Falmouth, Cornwall. I'm waking up in my sister-in-law Kate's house -- my husband is English, and we've been visiting his family for the past 10 days.  I love visiting his family -- they're so close, and always welcome Marcus back home like the prodigal son, with open arms.  All of Marcus' family members (and there are many!) are unabashed about showing each other pure, genuine love -- and letting me capture amazing images like the one above.

Today (and for those of you in the United States, in the spirit of family-filled Thanksgivings), I'd love for you to share images of your family members expressing their love.

friday's featured resource: family gratitude photo spinner

The words "I am not a scrapbooker" could never be more of an understatement than when they are applied to me. I mean, I'm seriously not a scrapbooker. A couple of years ago, I attempted to make a life book for my daughter, Alex, and while the final result does the trick, the craftsmanship could not be more laughable. So when I met Scrapbooker and Life Artist Extraordinaire Ali Edwards earlier this year, and I had the opportunity to turn the pages of some of her truly amazing creations, I could only smile ruefully when she said, kindly, "Karen, it's not about craftsmanship. It's about capturing memories." Easy for her to say. She "captures memories." I more imprison them.

Still, since she posted her latest project in partnership with Big Picture Scrapbooking, even I'm inspired to give it a try. The Family Gratitude Photo Spinner you see above is such a clever way of displaying photos, and as Ali says on her blog, this project is a great way to get your photographs out in the open and display them in your home -- and for those of you in America, this would even be a great centerpiece for the Thanksgiving Day dinner table.

Since my multinational family rarely celebrates Thanksgiving (and, in fact, we'll be out of the country visiting in-laws this holiday), I won't likely attempt this in the next few weeks (but you certainly should!). I do think, however, I might use this as a Christmas gift idea -- perhaps for my mom. Or maybe, I'll just do it for myself in preparation for next year.

This project can be purchased and downloaded for a mere US$ 12 here. The purchase price includes color handouts with step by step instructions, downloadable PDF templates (for transparencies and titles), full supply list with links to products, an audio message from the lovely Ali Edwards herself, a private gallery for sharing your projects with others in the class, and access to a message board for sharing thoughts and ideas as you work through the project.

Happy creating, all.  And if you make this, please upload it into the Shutter Sisters Flickr pool -- I'm sure we'd all love to see how they turn out!

love thursday: returning home

Last week I was emailing Shutter Sister Tracey (a professional photographer in her own right), discussing some ideas that I had for marketing my new business. She thought for a minute, and then responded:

"You know what, Karen?  You should reclaim Love Thursday for sure as you begin your business.  How about you move it over to Chookooloonks?  It would be the perfect time to do it."

And so, starting next week, after a wonderful stint here at Shutter Sisters, Love Thursday will return to the scene of the crime -- back to my photoblog at Chookooloonks.  I've so enjoyed reading all your passages and viewing all your wonderful images of love -- I hope you'll follow me over there and keep spreading the love.

In the meantime, Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave your links to your images of love in the comments below (or in the comments section over at Chookooloonks!).  I so look forward to continuing to share the love.

Love Thursday: Family

One day, while I was at work, a coworker walked into my office.  I had my photoblog up on my screen, and on that day, a photograph of my daughter was being featured.

"She's so lucky," my friend said, somewhat wistfully.

"Yeah?" I asked. "Why?"

"She's going to have all of these great photographs of her childhood to look back on.  She's very lucky."

There's no doubt that Alex has grown up with a camera in her face, and yes, there are thousands of photographs which show her at every day of her childhood.  But this week, as we were taking our annual family self portrait for our Christmas cards (inspired, of course, by Shutter Sister Tracey), laughing at our reflections in the mirror as we made faces and were silly, it dawned on me that these photos we take show more than just what we looked like at a particular point in time.  And I hope, when Alex is an adult, these pictures will bring back a flood of memories of how much fun we've had together as a family.

* * * * * * *

Happy Love Thursday, everyone.  Please leave your links to your images of love in the comments section, below.  And check out this great shot of a family having a whale of a time, as left in our flickr pool by {Emily}.

And may you enjoy your family today.

(And by the way, if you're interested in taking your own holiday family self-portrait, you can check out my methods here.)