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Entries by Shutter Sisters (178)

Thursday
Feb162012

Her Camera

Three years ago I picked up a camera with one goal in mind. We were starting a family and was determined to avoid paying a professional photographer to take photos that I thought I could learn to achieve on on my own. I was quickly bitten by the photography bug and when we fell pregnant on Mother’s Day 2009 everything seemed to be falling into place. I was gifted a brand new Nikon d90 and upon the baby’s arrival I was confident I’d be able to capture beautiful squishy newborn portraits of our bundle of joy.

 I never expected that things would go terribly wrong.

 At our 20 week sonogram a red flags were raised and we were alarmingly referred to a high risk practice to have them investigated. The vivid memories of our trip to that high risk office will haunt me until the day I die. The technician called us back and rushed us through a series of sonogram photos. She was rough on my belly, she pressed a little to intensely, I could feel our baby kick the technician back as if staying “Stop!”. I wanted her to stop too. Finally she left. Minutes dragged on like hours.

Then, the doctor finally walked in and broke the silence with 5 little words that would change our world forever: “Your baby has multiple problems”.

Without stopping for air, he continued to spout out medical jargon about this syndrome and that syndrome. Things we had never even heard of before. He listed off the numerous organs our baby was missing one by one. So cold. So heartless. We left the office numb, dazed, and confused. That evening, as I googled every little snippet of medical jargon our doctor threw around that day I knew what was coming next.

That's when I broke down in a river of tears for the first time.

We sought a 2nd opinion at Children’s Hospital in Washington DC where a fatal diagnosis was confirmed. Our daughter Bella’s defects were 1 in 20,000. No one expects to be the 1 in 20,000, but somehow the devastating baby loss lottery struck us at 20 weeks pregnant.

Our lives were forever changed.

Bella Rose was stillborn on September 11th, 2009. When we arrived home from the hospital empty handed and broken hearted, flowers began to arrive in mass quantities. I was looking to busy my mind and my hands and I sought a way to collect the beauty of Bella’s blooms and preserve them for when I could truly appreciate them. That’s when I remembered I had her camera. The oneI  intended to be used to to take beautiful images of newborn Bella to fill our walls with canvas and framed prints in our home.

Instead, I picked up Bella’s camera after she died and used it to capture a glimpse into my fragile heart. And then, a magical thing happened.

I discovered photography to be an incredible tool in my healing and I started to shift my perspective. I uncovered small bits of beauty in my broken world. I celebrated the little accomplishments, even something a simple as getting out of bed in the morning. I made it my daily meditation to visually express gratitude for what I did still have left in my life. I blogged images and words that revealed my most private feelings of loneliness and failure after losing an unborn child. But, I also shared how photography was allowing me to experience emotions more fully, learn about myself, and heal my soul.

Do you have a special image you’ve taken that has helped you on a healing journey? I’d love it if you’d share it here today. Let’s celebrate the magical powers of photography in soothing our souls when they are hurting.

 Guest blogger, Beryl Ayn Young, serves as chief photography muse over on her personal blog and serves as teacher of the Illuminate Photography e-course, designed especially for moms who have lost a baby due to stillbirth, miscarriage, or infant loss. She believes in nourishing the soul with lifelong learning, photographic healing, & a glass half full perspective. Beryl photography classes and mentoring aimed at teaching you how to improve your camera skills and cherish life’s journey.

Thursday
Dec082011

the story of tradition

When I was growing up, our family's holiday traditions looked quite different from those of my friends. Our December revolved around lighting a menorah, eating latkes, & spinning dreidels. My friends used to express how jealous they were of me. "You get to open presents for 8 days?!!" they would enviously proclaim. But little did they know, I spent my childhood jealous of THEM and their special traditions instead. Especially their Christmas trees trimmed with sparkles, twinkles, and radiance.  I'd visit a friend's house and simply stare in awe and wonderment at their tree, standing tall and proud in their family room.  I was mesmerized by this symbol of family, faith, and love on prominent display in their home. I'd walk around and inspect each special bauble hung with care on it's branches. Each one unique. Each with a story or special meaning. I'd spend time asking where each one came from and what made it so special. 

Fast forward 20 years where I've married into a blended family who is now crafting our own special holiday traditions. It came as no surprise to my husband that during our very first holiday season together,  I insisted that we go out and purchase a tree with all the trimmings. During that same year, our "Annual Ornament Hunt" was born.  As a family we take time to reflect on the year that's unfolded and we choose an ornament for our tree that represents the path we've traveled together. A way to package up our year's history into one beautiful, tiny hanging symbol. 

2004: The brick building with the glowing light in the window from the year we bought our first home together.

2006: The letter 'Y' studded with diamonds from the year we were married. 

2009: The little white angel from the year we needed to embrace the memory of our Bella, our first daughter, stillborn at 20 weeks pregnant.

2010:  The pink newborn bundle from the year we welcomed our now 15 month daughter Brielle and celebrated her entering this world healthy, happy, and inquisitive. 

Our tree is the timeline of our life and our family. Our beginnings. Our celebrations. Our challenges. Our suffering. Our moments. Our joy. To us, that tree is an annual symbol of peace, beauty, reflection and renewal. It's our story documented and on display as we conclude another year together.

Do your holiday traditions have a story to tell? What special ways do you make holiday magic with your family?

Image and words courtesy of Guest Blogger Beryl Ayn Young. For more information about her transformative and healing work, visit the Illuminate blog.

Thursday
Nov172011

Interview with Christine Mason Miller

With the launch of her soon-coming book Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World, we thought it would be an excellent time to catch up with our friend Christine Mason Miller. We asked her a few questions and thought you'd enjoy her answers.

What is the one-sentence elevator pitch for Desire to Inspire?

Desire to Inspire is a beautiful, full-color book that explores different aspects of creating a meaningful life as shared by twenty astounding contributors – artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and more.

Where did you get the idea for the book?

I have long been fascinated by the fact that so many women I know – particularly creative entrepreneurs – have a deep desire to inspire others. I held a retreat for nine of these women in 2006, and during this retreat we all talked about our work – what we were doing, wanted to do, and loved to do. Every single one of these women talked about this desire to inspire, and that is when my curiosity about this topic was first sparked. I found it fascinating that even though we did different types of work, our underlying mission was the same – to be a force of good in the world.

Where did your desire to inspire come from?

At its essence, it comes from gratitude – for the fact that I have been able to create and build a creative career, for my health, my family, for all the large and small circumstances that have made it possible for me to do what I love. Getting to live the life I live, I can’t help but want to give back.

Share an experience where creative passion – either yours or someone else’s – transformed your world.

That is actually an easy answer – it was when I was in graduate school and working in Columbia, Missouri for a summer internship. I majored in Art as an undergrad, and always knew I wanted to be an artist. But I have an incredibly practical streak in me, so decided to earn a Master’s degree in Adult Education as my fall back plan. As much as I loved grad school, I went through it with plans of pursuing an art career even though I had no idea what that might look like.

Then right in the middle of my program, my college roommate sent me a copy of SARK’s first book – Creative Companion. I opened the package in front of the building where I worked on the campus of Stephens College, and my entire world shifted. Reading SARK’s words and holding such a unique book in my hands gave me the exact spark of inspiration I needed. Creative Companion showed me the way. It was then and there that I decided I wanted to create art that would inspire others to follow their dreams. It was a moment I will never forget – when SARK’s creative passion transformed my world, and just a few years later I launched Swirly.

What if someone isn’t necessarily interested in transforming the world? Do all creative passions and endeavors need to be so grand?

When I talk about transforming the world, I am actually talking about very small actions, because it is in the smallest of actions that change happens. I am not talking about lunging a giant boulder into the water in order to create immediate, giant waves of transformation; I am talking about tossing small pebbles in, one by one, and seeing how the ripples they create travel far and wide. Someone who has inspired me throughout my entire life is my grandma. She never set out to “transform the world” and loved nothing more than to spend hours in her garden. She was very crafty, worked for most of entire life, was practical, independent, funny, and kind. In other words, she just lived a “normal” life, never wanting to make too much fuss about it. She inspired me to work hard and create a meaningful life just by being herself – just by living her life in the best way she could.

My point is that the simple act of living a life that is meaningful to you is going to create a positive example for others to follow. Yes, there are countless artists and authors and filmmakers and other transformative figures in the world that have inspired me, but it is the smaller, day-to-day examples I see that really stick with me.

And then it goes like this – I am inspired to create a meaningful life, then others close to me, perhaps, are inspired to do the same, and then everyone close to those people can be inspired, and on and on it goes. That is the kind of transformation I am passionate about – the kind that gives one person after another after another the example they need to create a joy-full life.

Can you imagine what the world would look like if we all had this kind of encouragement?

Christine Mason Miller is a Santa Monica-based artist, writer, and explorer. Her next book – Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World – begins shipping later this month! Follow her adventures on www.christinemasonmiller.com. Featured photo courtesey of Tracey Clark. Insert photo of book cover.

Leave you comment here between now and Friday night 11/18 at midnight EST for a chance to win a copy of Desire to Inspire!

 

Monday
Nov072011

Connection in Community

There are these ties that bind us to our outside world. Sometimes they're tangible. Like a phone call from a friend or an unexpected visit from a family member. All straight-forward events, rather predictable. But there are other bonds, less obvious ones, connecting us in an invisible web of community stretching far from our homes. Take this one for example. You are more than likely reading this blog because of your love of photography, but if you're like me, you return again and again for the special glimpses we get into one another's lives through the daily posts and the various theme groups…and of course the thrill and chance of having your photo featured.

But I've found that there's something more, something bigger, something exciting that takes place when we go from just visiting a group anonymously to engaging with it fully. When we take one little step in its direction, magic begins to happen. You see, I've found that by reaching out, even when it seemed uncomfortable or strange or weird, that my world expanded growing in unimaginable directions. It certainly didn't happen overnight, but slowly I've found myself with a new circle of friends, female photography friends, which as we all know aren't necessarily living down the street. And as my circle increased, something unexpected happened, I found my confidence in my photography grew stronger, my focus deepened, and I found a calm within myself that hadn't existed before. The energy we shared collectively seemed to augment one another's skills. And sometimes, someone who'd seemed unapproachable to me, because they were further along in a journey I wished to emulate, would be willing to respond if I took the time to reach out to them.

Over the past year, I've been able to shift my community out of cyberspace and into face-to-face encounters with these incredible women. From Frankfurt, Germany to Monterey, CA from to New York City to my hometown of Philadelphia, I've been fortunate enough to attend several meetups that a year ago I could never have imagined. I've gone from meeting these women in person to shoving up against one another while barefoot on the beach to get just the right shot…from where we stood! But that's just what has happened. I felt honored and delighted at my reception, and a little amazed at how it all unfolded. And all because I reached out, taking one, little tippy toe step at a time.

How about you? Have you felt the magic of community? What relationships and bonds have you formed lately? Today, share with us your images of connection.

Image (shot with a Lensbaby) and post courtesy of the awesome Holly Clark, who many of us know and love as Soupatraveler.

Wednesday
Nov022011

thankful for the path

 We are delighted to welcome November with its spirit of deep gratitude and thanksgiving. Can you already feel it in the air? We sure can. There is no better time to use our creative tools (whatever camera suits your fancy) to shoot in gratitude.

This month we are celebrating our One Word Project with the help of HelloCanvas as we use the word  thankful to inspire us.

Among a multitude of other things, we are thankful for photography. For our sisterhood. For being together. For friends and for family. For our creative path. For coffee in the morning and tea at night. For the color of the leaves. For the sun in they sky and frost on the ground. For warm fires. For music. For food on the table and for our many countless blessings!

We are also thankful for HelloCanvas as they remind us to not only shoot with gratitude but to celebrate what we capture through our lenses. Creating a canvas print of something you are thankful for is a perfect way to honor what we are most grateful for. We are excited to be offering a month full of free canvas prints courtesy of HelloCanvas.

Here's what you can look forward to this month:

Each Friday of November we will host a mini-photo contest. The theme? Various creative twists on this season of gratitude, of course! The prize? A 20x24inch print from HelloCanvas.

And if that's not amazing enough, they will give away a stunning 36x48inch canvas print as a grand prize to one thankful winner from our OWP Flickr Pool at the end of November! Plus, 4 honorable mentions for the month will win 20x24 inch canvas prints as well. 

To be included in the Novemeber OWP contest:

Please enter your thankful images to the OWP Flickr pool.

Please tag your images "thankful" & "hellocanvas" so we can find your images.

Please show hellocanvas how thankful we are for them by visiting them on Facebook and Twitter

Winners will be announced the first week of December.

So, let's starting seeking out all the things we're thankful for. We can't wait to hear what's on your heart and in front of you lens. Do share! 

 

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