Hello Summer!

This summer I'm co-hosting the Mondo Beyondo Dream Lab, an online class about rest, play and the power of kindness.  Since I knew we'd need a new collection of images to post with the lessons, I commissioned my kids (plus four or five more neighborhood friends) to help me stage a little photo shoot.  All the children involved were a little bit too grownup for bubbles (mom, we're tweens, not kids), but everyone really got into it when I showed them how the bubbles were showing up in the screenfinder.

Whoa, Mom! How did you do that?? That's cool!

I didn't do it on purpose, but I had to agree.  There was something about the combination of shooting in the golden hour, taking an extra step in and turning slightly toward the sun that took our bubble shots to a whole new level.  Add some giant circle earrings and a circle wand, and you're good to go.

So c'mon, sisters, it's summertime afterall! Bust out the bubbles and show us what you can do.  I'd love to see what other cool effects we can get with a little water, sunlight and suds. If you don't have your bubble wand in hand then show us anything that speaks to you of summer. Yes! This is yet another photo contest!!

Show us what you’ve got between now and Sunday night at midnight PST over in our OWP Flickr pool and leave a comment here with a link to your shot. Only one image per person please and only those images shared through links in the comments here will be considered. There will be one “Grand Hello” winner that will receive a 36X24 canvas (Hello!) and 2 runners up that will win a 20X24 canvas compliments of Hello Canvas, of course!

For more summer inspired photography prompts like this one, it's not too late to sign up for Picture Summer with Tracey Clark.  Class starts next week on July 1st! Hello summer!

Actions

When I first discovered Actions, I was like a kid adding toppings to a cupcake. "I want the gummy bears, oreos, M&Ms, sprinkles, peanuts..." And just like a real sugar overdose, my creation would come complete with a stomach ache at the end. Eventually you learn that less is more. And I found myself narrowing my usage to the same 4-10 ones. By far, my favorites are from Totally Rad Actions. I haven't edited a single session in six years without using them. This a little before/after from a recent session, done by increasing contrast (33%), using "Pool Party at 67%, then "Warm it Up Chris at 26%. I use this combination a lot because I love the combination of warm over cool tones. But my single favorite thing about their actions (that I think sets them apart from the rest) is "YING YANG". It gives you the ability to choose where you want your image to be lighter and darker. The flexibility is amazing.

And the awesome peeps at Totally Rad Actions have been nice enough to offer a free set of presets to one lucky person today. Just enter by commenting on this post, and the winner will be announced tomorrow. Good luck! :)

Update on Friday, April 16, 2010 by Maile Wilson

And the winner is Glenda at hzgrace2@gmail.com!! Congratulations! And thanks for all the great comments everyone! :)

give-away!

What's your latest epiphanie? Leave a comment here, and enter to win a free camera bag of your choice. Or read details here to find out how you could win a brand new Canon Mark II or a $2500 gift certficate to Southwest Air.

Have fun and good luck! :)

**UPDATE**

Chosen by random integer generator: The winner of a new camera bag of their choice is Christina from My Topography!!! Congratulations! Thank you everyone for playing! I had so much fun reading through all these really thoughtful posts. :)

Encouraging You to Soar

How many of you have dream of having your own photography business but just don’t know how or where to start, or even the confidence to do it for that matter?  Wouldn’t it be great to feel unrestrained from our own fears to take the leap to get us to where we want to be? 

Me Ra Koh, with the support of some awesome sponsors is affording 3 women to soar into their photography dreams by affording them all the necessary tools with a scholarship. The entrance for this scholarship is a 2 minute video made by you.  Watch Me Ra’s video explaining why she’s doing this and everything this scholarship has to offer.  It’s amazing! 

The deadline to enter is December 21^st and the winner will be announced January 1^st. In the meantime, Me Ra’s website is a great place for photo tips and contests and a great resource for any photographer, so be sure to check it out.  We adore her and her work! And to those who decide to apply for the scholarship, good luck to you! 

 Special thanks to Chris Sneddon for sharing this image, post and the good news with us! You rock Chris!

Fridays Featured Resource - Photoinduced takes lunch

I met the amazing Damon at an event sometime ago and was immediately impressed with his jovial spirit and his larger than life personality. It didn't hurt of course that he was so supportive of what we were doing over here at Shutter Sisters. A guy after my own heart. On top of all that, he's a fantastic photographer and the man behind Photoinduced, a great photography resource site. Tech stuff, events, contests, interviews, photo gear, expo coverage, videos, you name it, Photoinduced covers it.

Oh, and then there's the yummy contest he's are hosting over there right now. Let's do Lunchis a cleverly themed contest (love this idea) which has a charity driven focus. In other words, you enter your images of you 'doing lunch' (I told you it was clever) so you can be entered to win some pretty awesome prizes and a percentage of your entry fee goes to local food banks. With a great way to give back and a creative contest to shoot for, I told you Photoinduced is cooking up some cool stuff over there.

Today, show us how you do lunch.  And be sure to enter the contest and show 'em how us Sisters do it!