choosing what to focus on

Lately it seems like all of the various projects I have been working on are all teaching me the same thing. Funny how the Universe can work like that sometimes. I'm finding that the clearer I am, the more clear this truth becomes to me. What I choose to focus on becomes my reality.

I began the year with my trusted companion Simple Abundance, a gratitude journal and a creative journal, all of which I use during my first moments of quiet time after the morning shuffle of breakfast, packing lunches, and carpool. That 20 minutes I spend focusing on creating and maintaining the life that I want has made all the difference. My life just looks better. I know it's my same old life on many levels but with the right focus on the right thing the entire picture changes.

I suppose it's a perfect photographer analogy to liken a life's focus to the sweet spot in an image.

When these dangling water drops caught the light, all I could see was beauty. Each time I walked past these new tomato plants on my kitchen counter, the water glistened; winking at me. I couldn't ignore them any longer. With my trusty macro lens and my heart and aperture wide open I focused on what I wanted to see; the light, the clarity, the camaraderie, the determination, the beauty. I chose not to focus on the dirty dishes, the remnants on the cutting board or the water spotted window. Those things are all there if you carefully decipher the blurred background. But, they are not what I wanted to focus on and sure enough, you barely see them.

Amazing how that works.

Do share what you are choosing to focus on lately? Give us your picture.

Friday's focus and a flip

Focusing is something that most of us take for granted. Our vision is vital to our daily lives and yet we rarely think about it. Until that is, it becomes compromised. I can't believe I'm even going to say this but, getting older can do that do a gal. My eyes are not what they used to be.

20 years ago when I first began my love affair with photography I used an all manual camera which of course included manual focusing. And I got really quick with that thing and I loved it, never thinking twice about the manual part and about how much I depended on not only my knowledge of the camera, of light, of my settings but of my sharp (manual) focus. Fast forward to now and I know there is no way I could get away with a manual focus. No way.

I got thinking about my eyes (and how much I need an eye exam) when I caught wind of this video contest You Gotta See This. The simple premise behind it is life is better with clearer vision. Amen.

So...if you're inspired by the importance of our focus and how we see the world (my guess is being photographers, most of you are) read all the details to the contest on the press release media sheet and if you're so inclined to enter for a chance to win $5000, go for it! And if you do enter, be sure to tag your entry with Shutter Sisters*. Why?? Because we're giving away a Flip Ultra HD video camera to someone from our community who enters the contest! Yes! Our own personal giveaway right here! Those Flips are the bees knees, let me tell ya!

We're giving you plenty of time to enter (over a month!) but the sooner you enter, the less likely you'll forget. Need I remind you that vision isn't the only thing that goes with age?

And since we're on the subject I'd love to hear your thoughts on your vision, perspective, focus and what it means to you. My guess is...everything.

* Enter theYou Gotta See This video contest between now and Nov 20, 2009 and tag your entry like this YOUR NAME_SHUTTER SISTERS for your chance to win an HD Flip from us at Shutter Sisters and your chance to win $5000 from Ilasik. The winner of our Flip will be announced before Thanksgiving.

center of attention

Much of the time when I'm composing my shots I purposefully set my subjects off center. But sometimes the symmetry of the perfectly centered subject can feel like pure poetry. With a shot like this one the artistic boost from the Lensbaby Super Wide gave it that little extra something to make this a favorite from this end of the summer afternoon.

Today, share a shot where your subject was truly the center of attention.

The Blur Between Moments

Like most of you, I often seek out my children as subjects for creative inspiration. Naturally I have a healthy dose of smiling faces, but I'm finding that the images that mean the most to me are those captured in between moments. When they've look away or shifted their focus to a place other than my lens.

I shot this image with my LensBaby Composer. What's cool about this lens is its bend-a-ability. So you grab the end of the lens (its "focus collar") and tilt it any way you like to selectively focus on a specific area of your composition. Here you can see I had it tilted towards the left and focused on my girls' eye, generating a bit of blur and distortion on the right side of the image. The lens comes with a collection of aperture disks to control the sweet spot (focus area). I used the default f/4 for this image and this wider view, making the size of the sweet spot smaller and giving me a larger blur area. Had I used a higher f/stop number (smaller aperture opening), less of the image would have been blurred.

Embracing the blur? Check this one I heart from Karen and this series of luscious blue blurs from Kate. Paige took her LensBaby for a walk here. And Tracey gave it a rest on her table here. Oh, and here's a cool one from Sarah-Ji. Show us your LensBaby Composer creations or any other images that celebrate the blur between moments.

a softer side

Way back when, in the days of shooting film, getting prints back from the lab was always a little like Christmas morning. I couldn’t wait to tear into each bag and sift through the stack of photographs. Its one of the many parts of the process of film (pun intended) that I really miss. Inadvertently, from every roll, there were at least a few shots that were totally out of focus. Working with children can do that to even the keenest of auto focus capabilities. And add to the equation low light which in turn can make for a slower shutter speed and you’ve got the set up for some blurry shots. But, it’s not the blur from motion of which I speak, I’m talking about just plain old out of focusness. The semi-technical term for something that isn’t quite sharp enough is soft. And when a shot is supposed to be in sharp focus (like maybe a traditional headshot for instance) and its soft, it’s usually edited out, which I can understand.

But, what about those images that don’t have to be (or even aren’t suppose to be) in sharp focus to translate as successful? Before even giving it a chance, I think many people might blurt out, ‘out of focus’ as they toss the photo aside. Maybe it’s because sometimes these are captured on accident. Maybe it’s because soft isn’t suppose to be good, at least in some circles.

When the delicate perfection of a soft image speaks to me (for reasons that aren’t always easy to explain or even justify to non-believers) I covet them. Yes, and show them to my clients and even boast of their beauty—beckoning them to believe—to see and appreciate the mystery and magic that these kinds of images hold.

I subscribe to the belief that a good shot is a good shot, now matter who captures it. I have said it a million times over. I also believe that a good shot is a good shot, even if it is out of focus. Not every soft photo works, but when it does, there’s nothing like it. Just gaze on the beauty that these images by aspence61 and Kate C. celebrate. It’s undeniable.

Are you a believer? Do you celebrate your own images even if they might not follow the rules? Have you secretly coveted a shot of all-over out of focusness? Do you even dare to do it on purpose? Share a thought or image with us won’t you, and tell us how you see it?