Back To Basics

Remember how it used to be when there wasn't any photo editing software and what came out of your (film) camera was pretty much it?  I miss that sometimes, just sticking with my photo straight-out-of-the-camera (also known as SOOC).  Last weekend I did a family photo shoot at the beach and as I finished up the shoot, I quickly took three or four shots of the sunset just as we were leaving. The colors were so stunning, I couldn't pass it up.  When I got home and uploaded my pictures, I decided the picture above would not be edited in anyway.  I liked it just the way it was with all the glorious colors so I left it alone.  It was a back-to-the-basics photo and that was just fine with me.

How about you? Do you ever feel the need to just leave well enough alone? Today, share your SOOC shots with us.  We'd love to see them.

Making space

1. l i g h t h o u s e., 2. 334 :: 365, 3. Magnitude, 4. DSC_4769, 5. in my rear view, 6. 1/52

From the Shutter Sisters book:

Negative space: "The space around and between the subject(s) of an image. The use of negative space, as a balance to the subject(s), gives the viewer’s eye a place to rest and is an important element to the overall composition of an image."

It also creates stunning, powerful images like the ones shown above from the Shutter Sisters Flickr pool.

When we shift focus, mindfully crafting the composition of our shots, we are given the opportunity to find a new harmony, and to fully reinvent them. Today slow down and pay more attention to the space and energy around your subjects. You might be surprised.

a winter's day

Sunlight on snow

Bare branches

Snowsuits in candy colors

Long shadows cast in blue

Rosy cheeks

Sounds of childhood

It was the perfect winter day. Hours spent sledding in the park. I looked down the hill thorugh my camera,  unfocused my lens and loved how it all seemed like a beautiful painting.

Have you ever just gone blurry on purpose? Share some beautiful blur with us today.

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.

festive reflections

Being a huge fan of reflections, I love to play around with the ornaments on our christmas tree. This shot was from last year, when I kept a christmas bauble in my pocket for shots in the snow.

I’ve been spying ornament reflections in our Flickr pool... here, there and everywhere.

Red, pink, silver, & green baubles. Everyone’s doing it!, did you know there is even a dedicated Flickr group?

Are you inspired? Why not join in the fun and find beauty in your festive reflection. You could even take the ornament off the tree and out for an adventure. I'd love to see what you capture.