Looking Up

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.                                                                                                       ~ G. K. Chesterton

A few looking up shots from our trip to Clear Lake. There's always something to see when we stop and look up... the wide open sky, fluffy clouds, the sun, the moon, even a funky birdhouse or 2.... it rarely disappoints. Life's good that way.

Today, stop...pause...and look-up. Elevate your everyday with us. Be sure to tag your photos with #sselevate. Thanks for playing along!

Two (or more) Is Better Than One

There were six of us, all of us friends since high school, living like pampered royalty for three glorious days in a fabulous home on the coast, no husbands, kids or troubles allowed.  It was a photographer's dream being there and my camera, along with the requisite glass of wine or cocktail, was always just a reach away. I took so many photos but just one photo alone couldn't begin to tell the story of our time together, so I chose the 4 photos that summed up the weekend the most and put it together in this collage/dyptych.  Just one look and my girlfriends and I are taken right back to a weekend that I know we will cherish and remember forever.

How about you? Have you ever made a collage or dyptych? Please share with us today your photo stories.  We'd love to see them.

state of being, state of spring

A longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two distinct cerebral hemispheres, connected by the corpus callosum. The sides resemble each other and each hemisphere's structure is generally mirrored by the other side. Yet despite the strong similarities, the functions of each cortical hemisphere are different...

On the left side--the side of my head dominated by a cubicle farm--stuff's getting lined up to get done. Woken up from what had to have been the worst case of cold-weather despair I've felt in years, my left brain is ready to kick some manuscript butt, some income butt, some tax butt, and some photographic butt. My left brain is tough-loving itself. My left brain is ready for stumps and puddles.

On the right side--the side of my head dominated by a grassy meadow--stuff's getting let go. Stuff that was turning my green, sun-washed open space into a black-clouded tangle. All the self-inflicted agony and doubt and thumbtack shoes, as much a part of the human condition as capillaries and pancreas. Fear and shame and all those stories about how I'm fraudulent and no good. It's irreconcilable stuff. And so rather than trying to convince it away I self-soothe, a mama to myself: Now, now, tangle. Sleep for a bit.

You know what happens when you let go? You make space. Space for the left side to organize the picnic, pitch the tents, and hang the paper lanterns. Space for new things to happen.

It's spring. May as well abandon all that thinking in favour of some good, simple doing. Roses on cheeks.

What's your state of mind? Patch together old or new photography to interpret your left and your right, right now.

get ready, get set... go!

"This is how you make the ball catch on fire!" He's matter of fact (and breathless in laughter) while swinging his arm madly around in circles. We are both so full of life and joy in this moment of a mother and son game of catch. I swing my camera around and shoot a series of photos from the hip as he demonstrates his technique.

Hours later, when I saw that I had caught the ball with these shots, I was all smiles again.

I take some photos with the clear intention of using them together in series. I often do this by creating diptypchs or triptychs, then with a bit of imagination in post processing I sew them seamlessly together. The result is typically a really fun moment that was best captured in series.

There are many ways to tell a story with photography. By sewing your own photos together, you can create a scene, a display, a mood, or a breathtaking optical illusion.

Today think in series. Play with your own photos and see what comes together to tell a story. Check out the shutter sisters pool (and some other fun groups) for inspiration. And don't forget to leave your creations in the comments below.

Get ready, get set, go have fun!

two sides

The end of the year is coming fast and furious, and most of us plotting and planning what our New Year might look like. We're picking words for our best intentions and at the same time we're looking back at the year behind us; reflecting on our proudest moments as well as those we let slip through our fingers.

I feel myself a little in limbo as I am looking both back and forward. I want to give the past year it's due respect; to fully honor it and make a mental note of how far I've come. And yet I am starting to plan for what is next as January 1 is such a strong symbol of the next chapter; I want to be really ready for it.

With all that, I am recalling all the many seemingly two-sided debates we wrestle with in our daily lives.

What about you? Do you grapple with two sides of the story? Or two choices? Now, later? Empty, full? Sunrise, sunset? Inside, outside? Before, after? Chocolate, vanilla?

Whatever your angle, share today your tale of two sides. Or if you prefer, a happy medium or a meeting in the middle. Maybe these choices are less about conflict and more about striking a harmonious balance.

 However you choose to look at things today: we want to see it.