being a woman is a gift

In a matter of days the Mom 2.0 Exhibit will be installed and available to see at the FotoFest gallery in Houston, Texas, even before the Mom 2.0 reception. This video was made for the show. I can say nothing more that needs to be said. The amazing Katherine Center said it all.

This is motherhood. We are living this movement everyday. We are defining it right now. This is how we love, share, worry, laugh, give up, give in and find a way to do it again, day in and day out without question, without skipping a beat, without regret.

The Mom 2.0 Summit is going to be an amazing conference. I was there last year so I know. I hope you can make it. And the exhibit (reception to be held Friday Night 2/19), will be nothing short of incredible, thanks to super-Laura Mayes, her creative team and so many of you talented, talented photographers. It has been a pleasure to work on the project and more than anything I know that what we're doing, as women, as mothers is going to be tangibly validated with every image hung, every word displayed and every person there to witness it.

I don't know about you but I know what Katherine says is true. Being a woman is a gift.

Share an ode to Womanhood today, in all Her splendor and authenticity and let's show the world what we're made of.

Capturing Memories

 

 I am drawn to the elderly like some people are drawn to babies.  Growing up, I had my great-grandmother in my life for the first 33 years until she passed away thirteen years ago at the age of 96.  At that time I was busy with my career and starting my family but now, all these years later, I wish I would have taken the time to sit with her more, ask her questions about her life, listen to her stories.  I am lucky enough though, to still have my 90 year old grandmother in my life.  As well as asking her questions and listening to her stories, I want to capture the memories as well, so I now photograph her.  Her eyes, her face, her hands…they tell their own story, too. 

A year ago in Rangefinder magazine I read a very moving article on photographer Steve Bedell and how he came to photograph the elderly in a healthcare facility that he calls ‘the forgotten generation’.  The photographs he took were then given to the family members of those that were in the facility.  What a wonderful way to help keep the memories alive for the recipients of those beautiful photographs.

We’ve all taken pictures that have moved us, maybe even enough to give them to those who we know will cherish them.  Please share the photos that move you.  We’d love to see them. 

Hanging onto our Reminders

In my office, there is a string of very random photos that trail across the windows. I call them "My Reminders."

Each photo is one that bring me back to a time or place that helped me to remember who I really am, and what really matters.

During one of the most difficult times in my life, a very beautiful family took me to their home in Italy. Prior to going I was barely making it out of bed and existing on a diet of smokes and coffee. But they rescued me and gave me this trip of a lifetime. I was surrounded by kindness, beauty, art, music, mountains, and all the magic of the Tuscan countryside. And the food! ~Lets just say I learned the art of dining and enjoying meals created with romance and with love. Impossible for me to explain my time there, but it somehow rescued me...

This was the very last photo I took. It's funny, because it was taken in the garage, just as I was getting in the car to head for the airport.

But I remembered thinking at that moment, "I cannot return to my old life.

I am committing to start living and enjoying the second half." I made that promise at that very spot.

This is one of the photos which hangs along the windows, and I find when I am entering a funk or a negative pattern of thinking, all it takes is a look at that shot, to remind me and return me to center.

Sometimes our most valued photos are not the ones that will make sense to anyone, or get any kind of attention....But those special shots carry incredible worth if they remind you what really matters in life...

I wonder if you have a photo that may not mean anything to anyone but you...

Lets keep those shots around to keep us focused on caring for our hearts. And of course, if you'd like to share it today, we'd be happy to see it.

Image and words courtesy of Jen Gray. A dear friend and a true talent.

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.

Glints and Glimmers of 2009

On the last day of the year—of the decade for that matter—we often reflect on the past. Although there is always bitter in the sweet, looking back at 2009 through a Shutter Sisters lens we can focus on the sweet stuff and celebrate our creative milestones and collective accomplishments.

As far as the big ones; the Picture Hope win was HUGE & the start of the Picture Hope journey was and will continue to be an amazing and inspired. Jen and Stephanie are rockin’ that thing and putting our collaborative efforts to good use; making such a difference in the lives they touch. And they are the first ones to say that they are reaping similar benefits just by telling the stories of these incredible women. It’s been a bright and shiny highlight here at Shutter Sisters.

And our first ever In Real Life Event was the Shutter Suite at BlogHer. Wow! It was beyond wonderful. The venue was superb, the featured brands in the Suite were stellar and the sisters (and a few bothers) that spend time with us in our Suite were of the highest caliber. It was another gem of the year and only got us more excited about making a Shutter Sisters event a reality for 2010!

Beyond that there were plenty of sisterly sparkles like being featured in The Kirtsy Book and in Artful Blogging Magazine, Kate's new book, Paige's calendar template, Sarah's presets, Andrea and Jen's Mondo Beyondo class, Tracey's involvment with The OC Daily Photo Blog and The Creative Mama, Irene's feature in Small Magazine, Maile's camera bags, tons of amazing guest posts by so many of you and adding the likes of Meredith, Kristin, Alex and Chris onto our (regular yet extraordinary) contributor list.

We say bid farewell in gratitude for a successful and satisfying year. We celebrate and appreciate this sisterhood more than we can ever express! Thank you all for such a grand 09. We can't wait to greet 2010 with you!

How about you? What pretty things are you looking back on? Send out the year by sharing your sparkles! 10, 9, 8...