lighting the way

 "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened.  Happiness never decreases by being shared."  - Buddha

As 2011 fast approaches I find myself reflecting on this past year.  Taking a mental inventory of what i am ready to leave behind and what i want to carry forward into the new year. Do you find yourself doing the same? A new year always feels full of hope to me.  The endless possibilities of the unknown. 

2010 proved a tough year for so many, yet through our photography we shared, we hoped, we loved. We cried, we grieved, we celebrated, we got small, and bore witness. We honored the everyday, were brave, had faith, captured connections and found new friends.  In doing so we came together in our oneness. 

Today lets celebrate hopefulness together.  I lit this candle for all of us, to celebrate the sisterhood and all we openly shared here in 2010.  What beauty awaits us all in 2011?  Share an image of hope and possibility in the comments here today.  Let's make our way into the new year full of light and love. 

we're focused on you

Can you believe that the first Shutter Sisters post marked the start of this community almost exactly three years ago? Gosh, we've grown so much since then and we're truly thankful that you've found a home in this sisterhood. As we look ahead to 2011, we've got some exciting new ideas to share! But before we get knee-deep in planning, we want to focus on you, your interests, and your hopes for this sisterhood. So, we've got some questions for you!

Please take our brief survey now (just 15 quick questions) to share your thoughts with us and we'll enter your email address in our drawing to win a fabulous Epiphanie camera bag courtesy of Epiphanie creator and Shutter Sister Maile Wilson. You've got until December 31, 2010, 11:59pm to be eligable for the drawing on January 1, 2011. We can't wait to hear from you!

Shutterbuddies

It's the other side of midnight, my favorite hour to explore the city with my camera. Normally, I would venture out on my own, enjoying the solitude and my quality time with Chicago's beautiful dark side. Tonight, however, I have company. My friends DM and Brett, fellow D90 users, are my co-conspirators on this particular night photo adventure. 

We shoot for a couple hours together in the cold, and I have to say that I enjoy the cameraderie and the freedom to linger here and there. My companions don't rush me or start tapping their feet when they're ready to move on because they too understand that sometimes you absolutely need to take 20 shots of your shoe. By the end of the shoot, we're starving, freezing and tired, but it was totally worth it for me. I feel grateful to have found fellow photographers who are night owls like myself.

Do you have shutterbuddies who insire and energize you? Please share any stories and images you have of such collaborative photo adventures.

Keeper of Hearts: Another Bel Kai Necklace for the Capture Collection

 I can't believe this year is almost over.  It's been a good year for me in the sense that I've made a concerted effort to be more 'in the moment' and to make a point to 'listen with my heart' more often.  I even shared my heart, trusting those who love me to be a keeper of my heart when I needed it the most.  Because of this, I've had some really great opportunities come my way and have connected with some great women that I don't think would have occured had I not let my heart guide me and for that, I am so very thankful.

How fitting then, that I am sharing my Bel Kai Designs necklace, the latest addition to the Capture Collection of Shutter Sisters photographic jewelry.  To celebrate, today we are giving one away.  Just leave a comment here by midnight PST and please, show us what your heart is telling you. 

(Cross posted at Everyday Heartbeats)

Update on Friday, December 3, 2010 by Chris Sneddon

I cannot begin to tell you all how touched I am by all your wonderful comments.  You are all truly beautiful souls.  Never stop listening to your heart!  Congrats to Melody, the 31st commentor, on winning the necklace. Thank you all for participating!

Give Epic Thanks

It's not often enough that we take the time to pause and embrace gratitude – to reflect on all that we are and all that we have at this moment. To set aside the wants and wishes of tomorrow and focus on the gifts that sustain us today. Love. Joy. Trust. Courage. Compassion. Peace. Hope. Gifts found within each of us and intended to be shared with others.

This young girl in Nepal was sent away from her home to work and earn a place to live and food to eat out of necessity. When I met her that day, she was eager to share her gifts of joy, peace, trust, and courage with me. I watched her laugh with her friends while she washed dishes outside the restaurant and peeked over my shoulder to admire images of herself. She trusted me to make her image. And I felt the strength of her courage as she moved confidently in her surroundings. But I'm most grateful to have shared this moment with her. She gave me a good look at hope. A hopeful heart is not always connected to a smiling face. Embedded deep within hope you'll find longing. A longing that just might propel you in ways you never dreamed possible one day.

I'm beginning to realize that the best way to help keep the light of hope thriving in a child is to give them an opportunity to learn. To support the work of changemakers like Subhash Ghimire, founder of Sarswati Peace School in Nepal, and Mama Lucy Kamptoni, founder of Shepherds Junior School in Tanzania.

Shutter Sisters, I hope you will join us in supporting EpicThanks today – a global celebration of gratitude and giving that honors inspirational changemakers (including Subhash and Mama Lucy) who create hope in our world. No gift is too small. We're grateful for you.