change perspective

I don't do it often, but I believe that one of the most simple and fun exercises in photography consists in looking for different perspectives to shoot your subject from. When we cling to our comfort zone, never trying new things, we cut ourselves off from the opportunity to develop our creative strengths and discover what we can do with our cameras. A simple shift of point of view can have a dramatic impact on your photos and open your eyes to a wide range of new possibilities, whatever you choose to do to change your perspective. 

What about you? Do you often find yourself lying on the floor, perched up on a bench or shooting through a window or the reflection of an unexpected mirror? If yes, please share your images with us. If not, today is a good day to try.

center stage

  

There's a small corner of my house that acts as studio and stage for many of my photographic vingnettes. Sliding glass doors to the right give me my main light source. A smaller window on the left offers a burst of fill light, or rim light (pun intended for my mug collection). Dark brown dining room table anchors my frame. A lovely pale blue wall, a china cabinet and cream colored drapes all vie for the backdrop (which I use is dictated by the subject at hand). I use this little area at home almost every day, for morning coffee, as a desk, for family dinner and of course, my photography.

My most recent muse is a loaner-mug. I actually borrowed this sweet tea mug (a la Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) from a friend so I could capture it in "the studio". It deserved a moment in the limelight. 

After capturing it in a number of different ways, it was this shot that felt just right. It's not often that I would choose a perfect centering of my subject. Centered is usually the last compositional technique I resort too. But, in this case, the light that illuminated the mug, the dark, dramatic background, the soft lines accentuated by a shallow depth of field all work together to bring the magic right to center stage.

Sometimes the only way to be is front and center.

Have you framed a shot lately that communicated the same thing? Something that left you no better choice than to reveal it as is, no apologies, smack dab in the middle of your shot? We'd love to see your center stage shots.

meant to be

I took a few dozen shots of her that late afternoon. Effortless, expressive, fun; her. 99% of them didn't look anything like this one. And even after adoring all the shots that really captured her lightness and ease, her playful spirit, it's this single image that stays with me. 

It was the first shot I snapped before I checked my manual settings and it's (obviously) about 3 stops underexposed. 

There's no telling what magic can happen when we're least prepared and not all all expecting it.

I'll admit, I took it into Lightroom and thought that maybe a little processing might "correct" my mistake but nothing I did actually improved the image. This is exactly how the image needed to be. Underexposed and unaltered. Unapologic in every way. A rare gem. A true gift. Totally real.

Share with us a rare gem of yours. Maybe it came through calculated planning, by accident or by fate. Whatever the case may be we want to see your images, exactly how they were meant to be. 

window shopping

I'm introspective by nature, so on most days you can probably find me doing some kind of soul work and pondering about art + life. On those many days, if you see me out in the streets with my camera, I probably have a faraway contemplating look, I'm starring at the horizon, and I am most desperately looking for something beautiful to catch my eye, just so I can shoot it and find some sort of relief to my longings. I know... Eeek, right?  I am proud of the fact that I try to live my life artfully, and with intention and mindfulness. On the other hand, living life (and shooting) like that can be too intense...

That is why some days are meant for window shopping! :) Shooting fun window displays has become one of my favorite pastimes. There is opportunity to explore composition, color, lighting, patterns, reflections, and the styling is already all done for us! There is no room for heaviness here, because why? Well, it's shopping, for heaven's sake! And shopping without the spending (which is even better), with the extra bonus of coming back with lovely photographs to keep. In addition, there is always the possibility to come back for more at the same exact spot, because windows change with the seasons, holidays and collections, offering the chance for a fun documenting project as well.

So who is up for some retail therapy? What do you say if we all lighten up, kick the winter blues, and share some cool window shots today?!

And if window shopping is not your thing (YET!), what do you shoot when you need to lighten up? Show us what you've got.

Also, you can probably tell I'm really digging polaroid these days, can't you? The sx70 has also helped me lighten up on gear and processing. I'm so glad there is a photography toy for every one of our moods out there ;P

Oh My Word

I am a word junky. I have inspirational word art all over our home.

A few years ago, my oldest son, Brett commented 'it's like you have subliminal messages, everywhere, Mom!' He went on to list a few of the signs around our home... 'live-love-laugh, give us this day our daily bread, laughter lives here, home sweet home, be still and know that I am God'...  He kept going.  I had no idea Brett had even noticed the signs, let alone remembered what they said. I'm not sure he was overly impressed by any of it.  But I will never forget that conversation. 

I don't think my love for words will ever fade.  They are so powerful. A simple word can truly turn your world around.  I discovered that in 2010. After reading about Ali Edward's one little word concept, a light came on. I had to pick a word. Heck, I was all about words!  In 2010 I choose the word Soar. And Soar I did. This year I have choosen the word Build. And so far so good. Build I am!

But what about the everyday words all around us? The simple messages, just waiting to inspire us? This sweet little birdie came from my friend Elk. She has a way of turning words into soft whispers of inspiration. 

'Giving...it's that simple' 

'sigh'....truly brilliant!

I love the concept of capturing 'words' within a photo. 

Here's a few little bitties to inspire. 'Happy Birthday xo', 'Wish', Ink, Live What You Love...

This month, as we continue to honor words here at Shutter Sisters, our word for the One Word Project is going to be words. In other words, since our word is words, we'll be capturing and celebrating the images that feature words, whatever those may be!

So, what words are waiting to inspire  you? We'd love to see them. And don't forget to share your shots with us in our OWP flickr pool!