tradition

I wish it would snow at Christmas here in London… this painted snowman in a pub window, is the closest I'll get to seeing one this year…

Snow at Christmas is tradition, right? Not really for so much of world, yet it's part of the tradition just like stockings, Santa, holly, presents etc…

Christmas is steeped in traditions, even when it comes to the photos we take.

Do you have a traditional photo you take each year?… sat by the tree, the table laid out, christmas lights, wrapping gifts, stockings hung… there are so many possibilities.

These photos are the memories that we take onto the next year, that's what makes tradition… I believe in holding onto memories and I love to use photos and videos to make mini movies into Time Capsules… and this festive period gives plenty of opportunity to make some magic…

If you'd like to learn how to make your own Time Capsules, you could win a spot on my Creating Time Capsules course… please leave a comment below and you could turn your christmas fun into a Time Capsule of your own…

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for the love of processing

I love taking pictures….. and I love processing. In fact, I would say it's a LOVE-LOVE scenario. 

It's a process for me. I imagine a photo, set up the 'scene', click the pic….then off to my computer to finish the vision. I may do just a few tweaks, or I might take it even further….edit, effect, texture, and even type. This is my way of making art…without using my paints and brushes.

I dove into photography and photoshop at the same time. I took my first few photos, then moved immediately into photoshop. I wanted to apply textures to my images. In fact it was because of the textured images I was admiring online that I picked up my camera in the first place. It seems a little backwards when I think of it now. Eventually I began to learn the other pieces of photoshop and grew to love everything about processing.

A few years later, along came Lightroom! It's been life-changing... at least creatively speaking. I often wonder what I ever did without it. Thanks to Lightroom's catalog feature my images are now organized and easily accessible; something I thought may never happen. I can crop, edit and so much more; quickly and efficiently on several images at once. It's quick, painless and completely non-destructive. Lightroom also works beautifully with photoshop/elements. It really is an incredible program. 

Where do YOU fit in all of this? Lightroom, Photoshop, another editing program….or no thank you; editings not for me? Share with us today.

Today we are giving away a space in my new Lightroom class, Round Trip - from Lightroom to Photoshop and back again. The next session begins on January 15th. To enter, simply leave a comment under this post before Thursday at midnight EST for your chance to win a complimentary space in the Round Trip Class. Even better, double your chances by joining our mailing list. The winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

Upping Our Game

 

On a recent trip to the beach, I purposely left my DSLR behind. I do it more and more these days as I fall back on knowing that I’ve always got my iPhone. In this instance I was doing a photo shoot, but instead of doing the shooting, I was being shot. I figured taking the camera wasn’t necessary since it wasn’t really the plan for me to shoot.

Did I mention it was right after a storm and it was golden hour?

We get to the beach and it’s gorgeous. Not just any gorgeous. The gorgeous that doesn’t come along every day. And there I was, without my camera. But, I chose not to dwell on that little detail. Instead I was heightened to the experience. To the way the sky was perfectly covered with clouds, like paint on a canvas; each stroke, highlight and shadow placed by the artist’s brush. To the reflection of light and color on the water’s surface. To the cool, moist air blowing in my hair and across my skin. I didn’t want to forget everything I was seeing and feeling. I was photographing it in my mind.

And then I reached for my iPhone. How could I ever do this landscape justice with a mobile phone? Although I love what my iPhone does, I do know that there are limitations. For some reason I doubted that anything I captured in those few minutes could ever rival that of my DSLR or better yet, of my own eyes. But, I was determined to try my best. To capture the light and texture and water and sand. To paint the scene with my camera, as simple and small as it seemed, I took the time, and made the effort to up my game.

I am in love with the dozen or so images I captured that evening. Each one represents a shot I had etched in my mind. Because I could only rely on what I had with me, I used it to the best of its ability. It was intentional and I pushed myself not only to see things more clearly but to document them like that as well.

Are there times when you feel you’ve had to up your game? What was that like for you?

And speaking of upping your game; today we are giving away a spot in my soon-coming class The Art of Composition. All you need to do is leave a comment here on this post before Thursday at midnight EST for your chance to win a complementary registration to the Standard Version of the class, which begins on Jan 3rd. YAY! Winner will be announced on Friday. Good luck!

CONGRATS TO ALISON! SHE WON! Thanks everyone for your comments.

Todays prompt: sky

2013 photo calendar templates

These mini calendars always get such a positive response, so I'm excited to share the Photoshop template with the Shutter Sisters community once again! They are perfect for personalized holiday gifts or just as a special gift to yourself. Many of us don't take the time to print our photos, so this is a wonderful way to have physical evidence of our passion for photography all year long.

Download the files HERE.

The files include basic instructions for creating your custom calendar pages in Photoshop. Then just print them on photo paper or cardstock and cut them out.

These templates are sized to fit in a cd jewel case, but they can also be fastened together with a binder clip and hung on the wall. If you choose to use a cd jewel case, you'll just need to carefully take apart the case and put it back together so that it stands up like the photo above.

Enjoy! And please let us know how you plan to use these cute little calendars!

Lens on Life: A Book Giveaway for Your Documentary Moment

I'm not sure when that fear began to subside. That crazy grip of motherhood that clings so tightly it nearly refuses to let go. Because what if she falls? What if he gets stuck? What if she can't find her way? What if he forgets how to stop? What if she lets go? What if he doesn't come back?

"What goes up, must come down," I whisper and let her go.

In the spirit of my excitement around meeting so many of you at Oasis next week, I'm giving away a copy of my latest book, Lens on Life: Documenting Your World Through Photography today!

Just leave a comment with a link to one of your favorite documentary moments before tomorrow's post appears here on Shutter Sisters and I'll award a signed copy of the book to my favorite.

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Congratulations to Amy Gillard documentary moment winner of the book Lens on Life: Documenting Your World Through Photography by Stephanie Calabrese Roberts. Thanks for all of your submissions!