Grand Collaborations

View from the Navy Pier in Chicago at BlogHer 2007

As I tie up loose ends and back my bags for the weekend’s festivities I am giddy. More than anything BlogHer has become a block of time to be in the true physical presence of some of my favorite women that for the most part, I only get to spend time with virtually. It’s something I look forward to all year.

This year feels extra special though.

At last year’s BlogHer I was talking up this great idea I had of a unique collaborative photo blog for women that I had planned to launch called Shutter Sisters. People would ask for details and I remember saying, I’m not exactly sure what’s it’s going to be. I just know it’s going to be amazing. And it is truly amazing. I had an idea of what I hoped it would be but little did I know the caliber of community that has come to surround and support the blog would surpass my wildest dreams. You all have helped make Shutter Sisters what it is today. And it just keeps getting better. Thank you all so very much.

This year BlogHer for me will be an even richer celebration of sisterhood and some of the contributing sisters and many of our community will be gathering, walking the streets of San Francisco, clickin’ around town together. It feels almost surreal and I eagerly look forward to Saturday’s PhotoWalk. What’s more is that, thanks to Blurb, we will be kicking off the Shutter Sisters Collaborative Book Collection! You asked for it. You got it. The book will be called ShutterWalk and it will be full of some highlights from the PhotoWalk images captured. All participants have to do is upload their PhotoWalk Photos into the ShutterWalk Flickr Group, tag them with ssphotowalk08 and our favorites will be chosen for our book.

Since there are so many of you that aren’t able to join us this weekend, we are also going to begin the process of choosing the images for our second book. Yep. That’s two. We’re pretty ambitious, aren’t we? This is so that everyone can get into the spirit of starting our library of books. It will be called The Daily Click (crowd goes wild). The photos that will be chosen for the book from our Daily Click stream will be up to you!

Between now and August 1^st it is your job to be book curator. All you have to do is click through all The Daily Clicks and comment on the ones you hope to see in our book. The photos with the most comments will be featured in our First Annual Daily Click Collection. We can’t wait to see which photos you choose!

Once the books are done, they will be available at the Blurb Bookstore. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the best cause we could think of, Jen and Odette’s Girl Power Afrcia fund.

Thank you again to all of you for being involved here and so wonderfully supportive. It means to the world to us. Especially to me. Sniff sniff.

cover shot

"Far below lay the fields green with wheat, the flat pastures grazed by horses, the darker greens of the woods." - Richard Adams, Watership Down

I'm currently reading a book called Watership Down. It was written in 1972 and somewhat of a classic (I've been meaning to read it for years). If you haven't read it, it's a fictional story about a group of rabbits roaming around the English countryside and much of the story includes detailed descriptions from the rabbits' viewpoints. It's a beautifully written book but to tell you the truth, it tends to put me to sleep quicker than most books. It's not that it's boring, but it is written in a very soft, soothing way that makes my eyes want to close. The next thing I know I'm dreaming about bunnies.

As I was editing the above photo, I immediately thought of this book. Everything about it fits perfectly with the story; the wheat (good for munching), the angle of the photo (low to the ground like a rabbit), the soft, muted colors (much like the storyline). It could be the new cover of Watership Down. I was thinking that might be a fun little project for anyone looking for a some photographic inspiration. You could choose a book and then go out and shoot the new cover. Or you could go through old photos and match it up with a book you've read. If you decide to try it leave a link to your photo and then tell us which book it belongs to. I'm curious to see what you come up with!

Beyond the Bloom

I love a garden in full bloom as much as the next photographer and yet I find myself equally compelled to capture the phases of plant life that are less about the obvious grandeur and more about the subtleties of growth and change; the various stages that celebrate the entire journey of life, from beginning to end.

Flowers in full bloom boast and brag through vibrant color and a round and robust shape, but as they wane they often leave behind curious shapes and textures. Petals soften and slowly let go. Colors change and fade as mysterious curves, curls and creases begin to appear altering the plant into something that can be even more captivating, more poetic than before.

And as flowers in their heyday boldly declare their magnificence to the world, the shrinking bloom speaks in a whisper, to only those that will listen, revealing it’s secret that the muted and understated offer an unmatched and inimitable beauty that deserves to be recognized and held in reverie.

Have you had the privilege of capturing a part of life (of a flower or otherwise) that might have normally been missed if it hadn’t been seen by your lens? Something perhaps less than perfect that murmurs softly of the unseen, proving that the delight of life can indeed be found in the journey. Do share it with us.

"mistakes"

Do you ever feel like your images are not the ones you'd envisioned? For me, they're usually better or worse. And it makes me think about the idea of expectation. We can plan out our lives and photographs, but things never play out exactly the way we think they will. I don't delete the planned photographs more than the lucky mistakes. But if they don't "turn out", there seems to be more dissapointment associated. When you step in to arrange things, you're more attached to the results. But lately, I like the "mistakes" most. They're like little glimpses of the parts I didn't know, or didn't see. And that's more exciting than what I was expecting. Do you have any lucky mistakes to share? We'd love to see them!  

from sea to shining sea

waiting patiently
beneath a blazing sun
seeking...
Lady Liberty

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I took this shot at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan last weekend. Seeing the long line of tourists eagerly await the water taxi for a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty gave me a good feeling.  I love this country. 

Do share your view of America today.