the muse of connection

1. wildflowers and sunshine via instagram, 2. flare me. first iphone selfie. this is a whole new learning curve!, 3. 横顔, 4. Ghost leaf, 5. Open the doors...., 6. green, 7. Bad mother alert, 8. Untitled, 9. Watching Monsters Inc, 10. Paper thin, 11. Fresh cut peonies, 12. sunflower

A few weeks ago I went right out and got myself an iphone. It wasn’t exactly that simple or that easy. It came after months—ok years—of deliberating, debating and planning. And after all that, I still hesitated. Until one day, I didn’t.  And then, it was that easy. I walked right in and got myself an iphone.

I cannot claim it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me, but I will say, it’s pretty great. The ironic thing is, it has absolutely nothing to do with the phone. As you can probably guess, it has everything to do with the camera. But not just any camera. The camera that gets transformed by the apps.

I’m not a gadget and gear girl nor a techie so I haven’t taken much time to load up on igoods. But what I have found are some of the super-fun photo apps that I had only dreamed of using.  Enter Instagram; my new favorite photo toy.

Yes, I am having a blast with it. The whole world looks like a photo to me now (even more so than usual) but in a totally different light.  I am seeing all the things I want to share. I am compelled to capture all the stories I want to tell. Because the most compelling part of Instagram is its instant connection to the rest of the world. Sure, it comes with and easy and awesome 1-click edit tool that turns your snap into a little work of art. But the fact that almost immediately after you shoot, your image is shared. And—just like that—you’re connected. Your image is shared. Your vision is expressed. Your story is told.

I am fascinated by this new wave of creative connection. Of sharing without saying a word. Of shooting exactly what we want to share, when you want to share it. It’s empowering, it’s liberating and it’s really fun.

In the name of our many muses and the many ways we connect with each other, let’s share some of our favorite visual stories and let's comment! Let’s click around today and really see each other for who we are; sisters who find joy, strength, encouragement and inspiration through our connections.

Share your links, comment, tweet, facebook, flickr, instagram; let’s talk today in all of these places. Let’s show each other how much our connection means! If you want to hashtag it, use #ssconnect. It will be like our own secret handshake. I can’t wait to see you out there connecting!

Oh, and please, come find me on Instagram! I’m traceyclark (how totally original of me). See you there!

details

Spring has finally arrived and I find myself once more belly down in the soft grasses searching for tiny details through the lens of my camera.  Point of view, is something I love to play around with.  Getting down low is probably my favorite.  Some call it a worm's eye view.  If you could see me I am often with muddy wet knees or grass sticking in my hair from getting shots just like this one.  I think getting a little dirty is all part of the fun.  I feel like a kid exploring the world at my feet.

Today lets have some fun, grab your camera and go play in the grass.  Get low.  Get muddy.  Have fun!

Then share your worm's eye view with us here.   What beautiful little details can you find today?

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What better word to use for our June's One Word Project than details? With this season, full of activity and warming weather, details are revealing themselves everywhere. This month, it's your job to discover them with your lens. Join us all month long as we see and celebrate life's details.

ablazed with color

Color is everywhere! Have you noticed? Have you captured it through your lens? My guess is you have. It's that time of year after all when the world is waking from the last few months of cool slumber.

In honor of the season and all things colorful, we are giving away 2 complimentary class registrations to Picture Color. Leave a comment here between now and Friday, 5/27 at midnight EST to be entered in a random drawing. And for another chance to win, visit Mortal Muses. Those girls rock! Oh, and the gals at Write.Click.Scrapbook? Yep, they are awesome too and are giving away some Picture Color spots in the next few days so head over there too! See what I mean? Color IS everywhere!

And with that in mind, let us celebrate the coming colors together. Show us blazing, beautiful color today!

photobooth love

I've been a fan of Photobooth Friday for a long time, marveling at how insanely creative and fun those strips are and enjoying the delightful stories they unfold in four or less shots. Yet it is only recently that I gathered up the courage to go to one of the only eight booths left in my city, enough change in my pocket and my heart full of expectations.

And I loved every second of it.

The two young girls before me who couldn't stop giggling. The tourist couple waiting in line with trepidation. My turn (I blinked, of course I blinked). And how the whole experience reclaimed my playful self, and helped me discover a new way of being that I can now share with my kids.

How about you? Do you love photobooths as much as I do? What do you like about them? Maybe you even have old strips stored in boxes? Today, please share your photobooth love with us. And if you haven't taken the plunge yet, you can browse the photobooth locator to find one near you. Who knows? Today might be the day.

Note: No photobooths around? Try the Photo Booth application on your computer. There are also a lot of free apps for iPhones and Androids.

cheers!

I am a sucker for a theme day.  Sometimes a theme to shoot for provides inspiration and a simple focus. Flickr is FULL of fun themes for each day of the week.

Monday Blues

Tipsy Tuesday

Bokeh Wednesday

Things I Love Thursdays

Fence Friday

Just to name a few.

So in honor of today, Tuesday, CHEERS! cin cin, and bottoms up to Tipsy Tuesday.  Share a toast with us here today won't you? Salud!   :)