universal language

Perhaps I could have tilted my camera a bit higher to get this couples’ heads in the shot. Honestly, though, they were strangers, and what I REALLY wanted to convey through this image was the feelings evoked by witnessing the simple act of someone putting their hand on a loved one’s shoulder. There was something so comfortable and familiar about this woman’s casual display of affection that I couldn’t help but smile.

The people, places and memories we capture in our photographs are as unique as we each are. However, the emotions evoked by seeing such images are often universal, whether we are the photographer who witnessed it first or a viewer of the photo seeing it through the photographer’s lens.

Today, share with us your images that speak a universal language that we can all understand and communicate.

show us your superpower

I've always had a particular fondness for night photography. It's only natural, considering I am nocturnal to the extreme. In fact, I consider this my superpower, being able to harness mere moonlight to create an image that looks like it was taken during the day.

What about you? What's your photographic superpower? Perhaps it's collecting dreamy flare. Or capturing little people in motion. Maybe you have extra creative post-processing skillz. Whatever it is, go ahead; don't be shy. Show us your superpower in action!

Update on Sunday, January 16, 2011 by Shutter Sisters

About the photo, that really was taken in moonlight by Dempster Street Beach in Evanston, a suburb just north of Chicago, where they do not have the bright orange street lights like in the city. I placed the camera on a park bench, put it on self-timer (to eliminate camera shake from pressing the shutter) and used a 6 second exposure at f/5.0 and ISO 400 to get that flare from the distant light source. Try it out the next time you're bathed in moonlight!

what i see when i see myself

"Cadence, tell your mom it's okay for her to have her picture taken sometimes..." (spoken by my wise and dear friend Gabo before I surrendered the camera for this shot)

You never did like having your picture taken. I think that's one of the reasons you became a photographer, so that you can hide behind your camera, so that you could be the one in control of whose photo gets taken and when. Those days are over now because you have fallen into a circle of friends who love to take your camera out of your hands and turn the lens on you for a change, friends who have welcomed and embraced you and gently pried your fingers away from your eyes as they became your mirror, reflecting back to you who you really are.

So tell me. What do you see in yourself, now that the scales have fallen away from your eyes? Yes, I know it's hard to admit, it feels strange to say it, but go ahead. No one's judging you here.

I...am...torn, but mending...hurt, but healing...broken, but being made whole...In fact, I'm strong...fierce, even...full of love...full of joy...full of hope...

Yes, that's a start. Keep going, don't stop now.

I...think I might be...kinda awesome?

You think?! Own it, sister!

OK...I AM pretty flippin' awesome. I have a beauty that is unique and my own. I am worthy of being loved and cherished...I am worthy of being known.

Ah, yes, that's better...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As we start a brand new year, turn your eyes (and your lens) towards yourself. What do you see, when you look deep inside and see yourself as you really are?

Looking Back

It had been a long day; the neighborhood arts festival kept the crowds coming through the restaurant steady and hungry, and Susie stayed on her feet, cooking and serving. Finally, it was closing time, and she got a chance to sit and eat her dinner as she watched a bit of television, her spoon traveling absentmindedly from the bowl to her mouth and back again.

I remember walking by the storefront and stumbling upon this scene. I was moved by how beautifully mundane this image was, and I've often thought of what I saw that night over the next several months.

We are quickly approaching the end of 2010, and now is a good time to look back on the past year of photos you've taken and take an inventory of the images that have remained in your heart over the months. Please share with us a link to one of those images and why it has stayed with you all this time.

Shutterbuddies

It's the other side of midnight, my favorite hour to explore the city with my camera. Normally, I would venture out on my own, enjoying the solitude and my quality time with Chicago's beautiful dark side. Tonight, however, I have company. My friends DM and Brett, fellow D90 users, are my co-conspirators on this particular night photo adventure. 

We shoot for a couple hours together in the cold, and I have to say that I enjoy the cameraderie and the freedom to linger here and there. My companions don't rush me or start tapping their feet when they're ready to move on because they too understand that sometimes you absolutely need to take 20 shots of your shoe. By the end of the shoot, we're starving, freezing and tired, but it was totally worth it for me. I feel grateful to have found fellow photographers who are night owls like myself.

Do you have shutterbuddies who insire and energize you? Please share any stories and images you have of such collaborative photo adventures.