the burning house & London Street photography

I’ve always been fascinated by what possessions people gather and hold dear to their hearts. I love those “what’s in your handbag?” photos, so when I discovered The Burning House site, it got my head spinning. Such a simple idea, such an interesting photographic project and so enjoyable & interesting to view.
 
The idea is to photograph the things you would take with you, if your house was burning down. As Foster Hunting, the creator says “It's a conflict between what's practical, valuable and sentimental. What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. Think of it as an interview condensed into one question.”

I found curating my selection more challenging than I thought it would be, and interestingly my items were mainly sentimental, hoping to preserve all the memories I have collected.

Perhaps you could to take some time today, to consider what you would save and you could share it here or send a submission over to The Burning House.

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I’ve been counting the days and finally the London Street Photography Festival starts today. For those of you near or in London, you should check out all the incredible events organised. I’m so excited the work of Vivian Maier will be here in my city, I’ll let you know next time what I thought about this photography phenomenon, as I'll be heading there next week.

Camp Shutter Sisters

camp shuttersisters from xanthe berkeley on Vimeo.

what will you focus on?

Happy New Year everyone! All of us here at Shutter Sisters hope this first day of 2011 finds you happy, healthy and ready to begin your next chapter. New Years is like that, isn't it? A time to bid adieu to the year that has past as we welcome a brand new beginning. Now that we've stepped into January, we no longer need to look back and balance between two worlds. Instead we can look ahead, put one foot in front of the other and head into the promise and possibility that the future holds.

The first of the month always marks the One Word Project here at Shutter Sisters. It all began a few years back with inspiration from the awesome Ali Edwards and her One Little Word and since then we've dared to dream, wish, share, nurture and play. We've turned our lenses toward beauty, motion and gratitude. It's been nothing short of inspiring!

As Ali has said, "One Little Word can make a big impact on your life" and we know it to be true.

There is no time like today to find a word that will help define the year ahead for you. Have you considered what YOUR word will be this year?

To kick off the One Word Project, we want to encourage you to shoot your own word this month. Yep! It's all up to you! And because we believe that the intention set by your word can help shape/change/influence your entire year, we are putting our energies into community encouragement and accountability. Let's keep our word close this year. Let's use it to set into motion what we want this year to look like for ourselves.

If you feel like this kind of momentum might help you focus this year on your intentions, we are reccommending Ali's year long class One Little Word. Class begins today and is best explained by Ali on her class description page. Read what she's got to say. Listen to her insights and join us as we collectively use creativity (and of course photography) to fuel our hopes and dreams for 2011.

So, let's hear it...what's your word? Share it today in the comments and don't forget to add your One Word Project shots to our OWP Flickr pool. Be sure to tag them with your word so we know where your best intentions lie.

Happy New Year! It's going to be a good one. We can feel it!

an invitation to integrate

Just the thought of writing these lines to you makes me teary.  There's a way in which this conversation is so close to my heart that it's hard to offer up and to let go.  It's so personal to me that I can only tell you these things if I imagine that you are here in this tea lounge, sitting next to me so I can lean in and look you deeply in the eyes.  So, if you were here with me, this is what I would say.

What we do is not easy.

With every image we shoot and each photo we share, we reveal something about the way we see the world, something about the eyes with which we are looking.  There's an inherent vulnerability to it, and also something that compels us to pick up the camera anyway.  Something within that says that our vision matters, even in the midst of internal and external choruses that disagree.

This is why we are photographers--it's not just because we like pretty pictures, it's because our vision matters.  Even if we are only clinging to this truth by a thread.

How we are seeing is central to our work, and if we are not seeing with our whole selves, our vision is incomplete.  And here's the obstacle: life has a fragmenting nature.  From early ages we experience hurt and disappointment, and vow to protect ourselves by playing it safe.  By sweeping parts of ourselves, our voice and our vision quietly under the rug.

But playing it safe has a cost all its own.

There's a way to invite those banished parts back into the picture, and an expansiveness that follows.  There's a kind of courageous stepping out beyond your constraints that is a coming home to yourself.

Your vision matters, and when you reach for that camera I want you take hold of it with your expansive, original, and utterly courageous self.

Come. We will find the way together.

And today we also invite you to share a photo that reveals something about the way you see the world.

Image and words courtesy of the lovely and talented Jen Lee. You can get to know Jen and learn more about her Integrate Retreats on her blog.

look who's come

We've had this birdhouse for as long as I can remember. It was a wedding present, many moons ago and has hung amongst our peachtrees ever since.  Although it has caught the attention of my lens a number of times throughout the years, it's rarely been used for anything other than an accessory for our yard.

And yet, alas! Look who's come to visit this spring!

I cannot tell you how much this does my heart good. The fact that this little house might actually be used for what it was always inteneded for is such a delight. Year after year these birds come and find the most unlikely places to nest around our yard. It's amazing that even though this vacant home has been here all along, no one had moved in. It reminds me that no matter how many times we might see something, it only takes one day, a new light, a different perspective to see it differently. Somehow, this little bird saw this house as the right place this year. The perfect home.

Such is what we're going to do during the 30 days of Picture Spring; shed a new light on the same old things; capture fresh perspectives and picture the celebratory moments that occur in our everyday lives. Only a few more days left until we begin our class Picture Spring! We kick it all off on April 1st (this Thursday) so be sure to register if you haven't already. And you can follow along in the journey on our own Picture Spring featured gallery right here at Shutter Sisters. We're thrilled to be sharing a daily image from participants in the class.

I do hope to see you over there! It will be a picture perfect way to sing your creative song of spring right from the comfort of your own right place, lens poised and ready for spring's splendor! For those of you doing a 365 project, Picture Spring will give you 30 days of photo prompts which can really help when you're seeking inspiration every single day!

Anything out of the ordinary catch your eye lately? Do share you unexpected delights with us today.