Eat Pray Love and Take Pictures

 

As I join Elizabeth Gilbert on her journey to India, the epiphanies come fast and furious. That may seem a little un-Yogic of me but I think I’m just wired that way. The first few pages have my mind racing as I read the lines that seem to speak to me directly (not to mention everyone else who has read and revered this best seller). It only takes a few paragraphs for me to acknowledge that I LOVE Yoga more than any other practice I have attempted, for one. And secondly, that my passion for photography equals, if not supersedes my love of Yoga. Here comes the Light Bulb Moment. Could it be that my zeal for both of these disciplines stem from the same inner desire? I think it’s quite possible. Hear me out.

I have read and reread the early part of the 38^th Chapter (or Tale as Mr. Gilbert considers it) and have nodded that indeed, what she writes about Yoga is all very true in my experience and is precisely why I love it as much as I do. Of course I don’t practice like I could but this isn’t the time to rehash that old story. What I find fascinating is that there is more to here that perhaps I realize. I was astounded to discover that when I replace the word Yoga with Photography, the text still makes perfect sense to me.

Disclaimer—A note to Ms. Gilbert—I do not wish to offend you or anyone else here and only take these liberties to illustrate my point.

I read these lines out loud to myself, “[Photography] is about…the dedicated effort to haul your attention away from your endless brooding over the past and your nonstop worrying about the future so that you can seek, instead, a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise.” Exhale.

Here’s what I am longing to hear—do any of you find yourself on a similar quest? Are you seeking “a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise?" and if so can you find that place using photography as your Guru? Too far fetched?  Well, more simply, do you have any images you've captured that as that shutter clicked, helped you to “haul your attention away” from all distraction so that you could focus on something divine in yourself or the world around you?  I would really love to see some of those photographs. Are you willing to enlighten us?

Om.

The Absence of Color

I’m a big fan of black and white photography. Perhaps it’s the poignancy that captivates me. Or maybe the nostalgia factor. Whatever the reason, there is something about the absence of color that draws me in.

My tendency towards the monochromatic runs deeper than just photography and is often visible in my wardrobe choices as well as my dinner plate. I have a habit of wearing tan and tan and this uncanny way of cooking up (literally) an entire meal of one solitary hue. Despite what my husband might say, it’s totally unplanned. But, there’s got to be something to it, right? I only ask because I often find myself shooting photographs in much of the same way. There’s something compelling about capturing a color image that is washed so completely in a single shade, that you might question whether it is a color shot at all.

Is it just me or you ever find yourself curiously looking at a monochromatic palette through your viewfinder?  Care to share?

One Sweet Shot - February 2008

Hooray, it's our very first One Sweet Shot post! I've been so looking forward to this. To kick it off, I am featuring my nomination as the main photo today. I find this shot by Amy McMullen (dear friend and sister of the shutter) to be irresistible. Hi Amy!  I won't go on and on because there are a lot of other incredible shots that you all nominated so I will leave you to your clicking. Enjoy!

Sarah Ji nominated this shot by quixoticpixels

Krystyn nominated this shot by thrivestyle

Irene nominated this shot by tae**co

Kate nominated this shot by sweet juniper *

Paige nominated this shot by cherieyost

Andrea nominated this shot by Officially a Mom

Nicky Thomas nominated this series by Schneiderlotte

Give it a Try nominated this shot at Lisas Chaos

Danielle nominated this shot at all things DB

Michelle nominated this shot by Carissa

Princess Granola nominated this shot by Emily S .

Meg nominated this shot by PutYourFlareOn

She Saw Things nominated this shot by pumpkinlittle

gemkathleen nominated this shot at centricphotography (fourth from the top)

socalmom nominated this shot by drumsnwhistles

saramoon nominated this shot by sheyerosemeyer

sheri reed nominated this shot by camerashymomma

camerashymomma nominated this shot by costalgirlimage

beebee mod nominated this shot by ashleymcnamaraphotography

jennifer hunter nominated this shot by raquita

leslie nominated this shot by soul sparkle spirit  

lemony webbles nominated this pair by liza-bean  &

maile nominated this shot at Put Your Flare On.

......................................

*congrats to Jim - a.k.a. Dutch of Sweet Juniper - for being the very first male to be

featured here on the Sisters site. Kate has dubbed you our first

official 'Shudder Brudder' (that's toddlerese). We hope you're cool with that Dutch.

THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING!

One Sweet Shot is Coming

Just a quick reminder--Our first One Sweet Shot post will be on Sunday. If you have a shot that you'd like to nominate, please send the link to the image to us and we'll be sure to add it to the list. Pop over HERE for details.

The Dance

 

For quite some time I had been admiring the rich dimension of photographs bejeweled with texture. Not knowing at all how the technique was achieved, I sat in wonder, content that the question ‘how on earth do they do that?’ was just adding to their mysterious charm. Plus, I know how these things go with me and another all-consuming obsession was nothing I needed. But then, alas, the invitation came to join this lovely Flickr group and the rest is slowly becoming history. I am hopelessly hooked and although my inexperience and genuine don’t-know-how could have continued to keep me at arms length, this texture thing is far too alluring for me to resist.

Diving in blindly with one of Melissa’s free textures, I experiment and test and I enjoy the process of discovering what I can do. I begin to figure it out, make sense of it (layers and opacities, contrast and fill light) and as I start a slow and steady waltz I find myself tripping over my own feet, getting tangled in the steps I haven’t learned yet. I am reminded then of what I can’t do--the frustration sets in, I get distracted and I stumble.

My entire journey with photography has been as such. I walk and explore and discover. I get caught up in the music; add a shuffle, a twist, a spin. But it never fails, no matter how fluid the dance may seem, eventually I collide with a wall of my limitations. Although I continue to pick myself up and forge ahead, my technical confines continue to trip me up. Learning new moves takes…well…learning. But like Sarah, I don’t do well with manuals or dry how-tos. I need to get involved, feel the rhythm for myself, and test things out on my own in order to be willingly pushed into the fancy foot work of technical accomplishment.

I know I am not alone. I can hear the collective feminine voice agreeing, “yes, yes, me too”. So, I would like to hear from all of you on the subject. What is it that helps you learn and grow in your photographic endeavors? What inspires you to bust through the technical walls? What approach do you take? And how can we do more of it here at Shutter Sisters?

Come on, let’s dance.