Search
Categories
"photo essay" #hdmoment #shuttersisters #sscolormonth #ssdecember #sselevate #ssmoment #thewrittenwords abstract adventure aperture archives art autumn babies beauty black and white blur bokeh books business camera bags camera gear cameras camp shutter sisters celebration, change childhood children cityscapes classes color community updates composition contests crafts creativity creatures details diptychs discovery documentary documentary dreams elevate equipment events events events everyday exposure expressive photography fall family fashion featured products film flare flash focus food found words found words framing fun gallery exhibitions gather giveaway giving gratitude guest blogger healing heart holidays holidays holidays home inspiration instant interviews interviews introspection iphoneography iso jump kitchen landscape landscapes laughter leap lenses life light love love macro mantra medium moment moments moments, mood motherhood motion muse nature nature negative space night photography Oasis one word project patterns perspective pets photo essay photo prompts photo walk, picture hope place places play poetry polaroid portraiture pov pregnancy presets printing process processing processing project 365 reflections savor self self-portraits sepia series shadow shop shutter speed simplicity sisterhood skyscapes soul spaces sponsors sports spring step still life stillness stillness story storytelling, inspiration style styling summer sun table texture thankful time tips tips, togetherness travel truths tutorial urban, video vignettes vintage vintage effects visual poetry water weather weddings weekend weekending windows winter words workflow you

archived posts

Entries in family (79)

Thursday
Dec302010

crimbo limbo

Here we are in “Crimbo Limbo” - the period between Christmas and New Year. Full of all the goodness that the Christmas festivities brought, reflecting on 2010 and waiting for the celebrations and the New Year to begin.

I’ve been enjoying time with my family, catching up with friends, playing games, cooking & eating food, and generally relaxing. All the while photographing the memories of festivities, spying the decorations and capturing the friendly faces surrounding me and the people I love.

I’m grateful. For the pleasures of life and for this time. Being in “Limbo” has been good.

How about you? What does this time between celebrations mean and bring to you? I'd love to see what you've been up to.


Friday
Dec242010

'Twas the night before Christmas

Christmas Eve is magical, and I am looking forward to this time next year. At that point my husband and I will be sharing the holiday with our new child and developing traditions for our family. We each have wonderful Christmas memories from our childhood and will truly enjoy passing that on to our little one.

What are some Christmas Eve traditions you grew up with or have since started with your family?

Tuesday
Sep072010

for the love of prints

I hold the photo up to the webcam and there's silence as my entire family gathers in the kitchen 1500 miles away from where I now sit. At first there's silence and then everyone bursts into chatter all at the same time as their eyes adjust to the image on the screen. "Where did you find that?" ...  "Look at how young she is!" ... "That looks like you!" ...

We, as photographers, are keepers of treasures.

I have an obsession. And I know I am in good company here. We all take tons of photos. (The above is a recent stack of 200+ prints from a three day weekend spent in NYC) I am an everyday shooter, as are many of you. This means alot of hard drive, alot of archives, alot of backup, and hopefully alot of prints. 

My love in real life is in the texture of a photograph in my hands, something I can actually hold. 

As photographers, we are the family documentarians. How has the digital age changed the role of the photographer? I take this job seriously. My brothers used to joke me about it, but now everytime I show up with an image, a memory, a 2x2 inch square of photobooth paper; they realize my deep photo love and they appreciate it even more because I am bringing the past to light for them to enjoy as well. An image in hand can touch your heart more deeply than an image on a computer screen. Printed photographs are gifts.

We've talked storage before. But what I want to know is: do you print your photos like in the days before digital? Do you have a shoebox, an album, a wall of photos? What I want to provide for my son is what I find in my own parents home now as a grown woman. Yes, albums of our lives documented. Yes, milestones and favorites framed on the wall. But the biggest gift to me is the side table. The drawer in the upstairs office that is crammed with photos all randomly tossed in there. Photos mailed from lives in other states, photos carried to nursing homes and back from funerals, photos of lives spent in day to day beauty. It's a treasure chest to me. I grab handfuls of photographs everytime I go visit, I sit down with a lap full of faces and memories and outtakes. And each time I do, I find something new. All equally important. All coming into my life at the most important juncture. When pictures speak more than a thousand words, these scraps of kodak paper float down on me like dreams.

Many of us have a memory lane. Do you? Some of us come to see our parents and generations before them with an entire set of new eyes. Show me today, great basement finds, a favorite oldie, or even the photograph you took just last month that you keep telling yourself you'll print up someday. And think about making that someday today, your future self will thank you. 

Sunday
Jun132010

my best friend from kindergarden

"She's the one I call to whine about the extra fat around my waist, update my portfolio, or when I am faced with the decision of whether or not to let my boys meet my long estranged father. The one I've been through puberty, hair disasters, and the breastmilk vs. formula debate with. After nearly 30 years she's still the one I like to embarrass in public places, disagree with on many things yet very few important matters, and whose couch I love to fall asleep in.

She's my running partner, the wind beneath my wings, my best friend from kindergarten."

Today, show us the ones who wholeheartedly laugh at your silly jokes, always give a hand, and listen quietly. The ones who "get" you, shake their heads in disagreement, let you borrow shoes and faith, love you for who you are and somehow make you a better person. Today, share with us images of your friends.

----

And remember, submit your best Daddy shots before midnight PST over in our OWP Flickr pool and on this post for a chance to win a canvas from Hello Canvas. And Happy Father's Day!

Friday
Jun112010

Hello Daddy!

 My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me. ~Jim Valvano

It's time to give the father in your life a gift to remember this Father's Day. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, it's the perfect start. There's still time to order a canvas of your favorite fatherhood photograph from Hello Canvas! You've got until June 14th to order to get your canvas delivered in time for Father's Day.

In celebration of all the dads in our lives, we're hosting another mini photo contest. You guessed it; Hello Daddy. Show us your best Daddy shots for a chance to win. 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 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 will win a 20X24 canvas compliments of Hello Canvas, of course! Come on, tug on our heart strings, it's almost Father's Day afterall.