Picture Fall

Mother Nature expresses herself a number of ways. The vast spectrum of the elements, her many creatures and a color pallet that no paint could ever match.

Each new season, a unique expression and however she feels, it influences everything. What we want to do, what we wear, how we feel; it all comes back to the whims of Mother Nature.

Why not let your lens lead you as the seasons shift again and we dive headlong into autumn where everything around us takes giant strides toward change and keeps our hearts aglow in gratitude and thanksgiving?

I invite you to join me from October 1- October 31 for my next photo-centric guided e-class called Picture Fall. What could be better than joining other shutter sisters for 30 days of soulful creative expression? I can't think of much.

In celebration of my coming class and the bountiful beauty of the coming months, we're giving away 3 complimentary registrations for Picture Fall. Just leave a comment here today to be entered in the random drawing between now and 9/16 at midnight EST.

And if you so choose, you can share on images boasting your favorite color from Mother Nature's fall pallet and let's get ready to Picture Fall together!

Canon Mark II give-away at Epiphanie

Today is Epiphanie's birthday. At least, that's what I'm calling it. It's the day I found the nerve to share a project that I'd been working on for two years, with the world. And by world, I mean you guys. And by you guys, I mean this amazingly warm, generous, unique community of photographer-women-friends who gather via the internet.

Whether you purchased a bag, took time out of your busy day to say nice things about us on your blog, or sent a sweet email that made our day (note: that applies to all of them), we have been overwhelmed by your kindness and support. As a thank you, we're giving away treats today! Come visit our blog for details on how you could receive 15% off your purchase and / or win a brand new Canon 5D Mark II!!

Thanks again everyone, and good luck!

And you are welcome to share a celebratory capture with us here. We love birthdays. Heck we love celebrations of any kind. Party on! 

face to face

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to New York City and meet a few of the sisters in person for the first time ever.  One in particular was a most special meeting personally for me.  Meredith, camera shy momma, and I have been online friends for years now. Long before Shutter Sisters brought us together, we had "met" and formed a bond in this crazy internet world.  She living in Texas, and I living in Maine, never afforded us any face time until this day where we would finally meet in NYC.  It was unlike any other meeting I have had before. Usually I get nervous, not this time, not one bit.  I truly felt like it was any other day where I was meeting a dear old friend.  Like we had spent many days together, though in reality we never had.  We planned a full day in the city with another friend as our guide.  We met up at 9am, hugged, laughed at the reality of it all.  Friends - 3 years - hundreds of miles - now face to face.  Armed with our cameras, kinship, and a lust for this great city we were in, we set out on our adventure.  We walked miles.  We laughed tons.  In total I have 600 images from that one day.  Many touristy shots, urban life shots, bench shots, but this one image is one of my most favorite of the day.  We had just happened upon a used record store with a crate full of old vinyl albums outside.  Of course we each picked out an album and did a fun headcover, mine a Richard Pryor album and hers a Donna Summer album.  As Meredith lowered the record from her face, I kept shooting.  She bent over laughing at the silliness of the moment. I just love this shot of her; candid, real, happy, honest, in the moment, a memory forever saved in one click.  Her face, in the flesh, right there in front of me in real life and time.  A friendship come full circle face to face.

In honor of this month's One Word, faces, share a favorite face you've captured with us today.

stories

These hands have seen many things.  These hands have held generations of babies,  held my babies.  This day they hold a child's wildflower bouquet picked just for her and I am drawn to how very gentle her hands are.  How graceful she holds each uneven stem, gathering them together to take back to her room.  Her skin is thin now and spotted by age.  I imagine she has held many a bouquet in her hands but none more important on this day.  This day belongs to these flowers alone. These hands tell stories, clap wildly to songs from her childhood in England, and hug with a fierce warmth.  These hands knew a war first hand.  These hands traveled an ocean alone to begin a new life and family, here.  She is not mine by birth, but by marriage, and I am so very blessed to know her and my children are further blessed for these years of knowing her too.  We live in different states, so when visiting I try hard to capture pieces of her but inevitably come home feeling like I did not take enough. When you are ninety two years young every moment together is a gift as are these images. Images like this one above are treasures to myself and my children.  Treasures that will help us always remember her loving hands, her stories, her.  

What stories have you captured lately?

365 moments

When I started a photo a day project last July, I thought I would only manage a month’s worth of photos, so I set myself that goal. By the end of the month, I enjoyed recalling the memories and moments so much, I decided to carry on.

Taking it a month at a time, excited by the prospect of month of gratitude, the year long project really took hold and was the tonic I needed. Finding these blessings, things to be grateful for, everyday memories and the beauty in the ordinary. This project was opening my eyes, helping me when there were difficult times in my real life and teaching me to embrace how lucky I was, to be a partner, mother, sister, friend and photographer.

Many of you reading this may be on your own 365 journey, or may have well surpassed it, or fallen off the wagon even. Yes, there are days when it's hard to find the inspiration or motivation, but believe me when you look back at your year of captured images, the body of work that has challenged you and brought you joy, it will be worth it…

You are creating your treasure, a moment that challenged you, a poignant, significant moment or a moment that makes the whole 365 project mean something to you.

What things are challenging you right now? Please share the ups and/or downs with us

And never fear, we will be announcing our brand new word for the One Word Project for July so pop back over tomorrow and be challenged (in the best way)!