The Nap Series

 

When my son Max was about 7 months old I was so keenly aware of how important nap time was. Not for him, but for me. I needed Max to go take his nap so I could eat my lunch, decompress, have an hour or two dedicated to “ME TIME”. But Max didn’t get the memo. He would stare up at me and laugh and laugh while I thought about all the things I wish I was doing instead of rocking him back and forth for what felt like an eternity. I finally realized that this nap time business wasn’t going to go away. I needed a way to shift my swirling thoughts back to the present moment.

I decided to bring my iphone to bed and once he fell asleep I took a photo of the two of us in whatever position he ended up in. Seeing that first photo, I was hooked.  When I saw how the light was falling on this frustrating situation my mind quieted. My heart burst open at the sight of the two if us, peaceful and content, tangled together in a compositionally pleasing snuggle. I started to notice deeper clues about our relationship that showed up within the photograph. Our closeness, and our deep connection was revealing itself to me in a way I felt inside but had never really seen in this way before.  The Nap series was born.

Two years later, I am so grateful for the collection of Nap photos of the two of us that document a time in our lives that is short lived and so precious.  I didn’t realize that I was trying to leave a situation that was truly incredible. What was the bigger lesson for me? Don’t leave before the miracle happens. Use the camera to shift perception from mind to soul. I remember this whenever I find myself frustrated, stressed out, or in fear. Bring it back to the present. Grab your camera and see with your heart.  Creating this nap series has increased my ability to “see” in ways I didn’t expect. It continues to help me connect more deeply with the preciousness of these fleeting moments.

Photo essay and words courtesy of Catherine Just. You can view a larger portion of the nap series on Catherine's blog.

What better photo essay to share when our prompt is "bed"? Share with us how you get cozy in your bed today and tag your snuggly shots #sselevate.

the great outdoors

After five well-deserved, care-free days on a family camping trip, it was too much of a challenge to pick a single image that summed it all up. The great outdoors has so too much to offer; especially when time in this kind of picturesque locale comes only once in a while.

The thing about a trip like this is the simplicity of it all. There's nothing required except the ability to take it all in; one deep breath in and one breathtaking view at a time.

With summer still fresh in our minds (and hearts) my guess is you've got some lovely images in your recent archives you can share today. Or perhaps you're communing with nature as we speak. Whatever the case may be, today we are celebrating the great outdoors. Share your shots with us and tag them #sselevate.

the colorful month of june

The above rainbow photos shared via Instagram
from top left: @batteredsuitcase @bal93 @kellykardos @magnetisedbylife

Oh my! The month of June was made spectacular thanks to all of you ladies! The world was awash in color each and every single day this past month (and for that my heart is happy!) To see the OWP flickr pool overflow with color and creativity was a feast for our eyes... but you know what we found ourselves instantly in love with?! The community that was created through the #sscolormonth hashtag over on Instagram! Wowzers. The beauty you can find there is something very special. And the art that is created through iphoneography is simply amazing.

Be sure to find us there on Instagram! We are @shuttersisters and we'd love to connect with you. Our feed is dedicated to showcase you! Afterall, you are the sisterhood that is the heart of our online community. It's been so fun playing with color this month, and we look forward to having even more fun connecting now that July is here. We are thrilled to see the friendships grow over there on Instagram.

Before we wrap up our SS Color Month for June and share the winner of the Epiphane giveaway, we wanted to share a glorious collection of photos! Photos you took of your colorful world all month long! Thank you.

The above images shared via Instagram
(red) @smallroots @debmedmb @elke1403 @magnetisedbylife
(yellow orange) @garlinjake @godaona @debdidit @dcw805
(lime green) @bal93 @katmcdknits @siobhanwolf @leslieradams
(aqua) @michelle_gd @wilburandfern @texturejunkie @kellykardos

The above images shared via Instagram
(orange) @jennhaakenson @beautifulnothing @meghandavidson @leslieradams
(grass green) @miansiena @dcw805 @colorlush @batteredsuitcase
(black) @lizbehm @beautifulnothing @marina_sorr @chereap
(white) @lucyloomis @debdidit @lyahle @rnstar43

Thank you all for rocking our world with color! It was simply amazing to play along, to find old friends and see new ones pop up in our community... and to reconnect in that way we all crave. I simply love that we find our tribe through photography. The winner of the Epiphanie camera bag giveaway: Pancakemama/Ani!

Tracey returns tomorrow with the announcement of our new One Word for July.  Can't wait to tell you all about it!

weekending by Karen Gehrke

Karen Gehrke shoots images like this with her iPhone and spends her weekends relaxing, finding interesting things to do and see, grilling out, and generally just enjoying not having to be at work!

You can find Karen om Instagram as @KarenMarie63 or on Flickr.

Find anything interesting this weekend? Share your shots with us.

sky blue

After days of rain, the sun appeared. We hiked to the top of the ridge and took in the view of the valley below. Home sweet home; with my feet on the ground, and my head in the clouds.... it was the perfect compliment of colors. I captured this shot on my iphone before we hiked back down the mountain, a little bit lighter for the view that embraced us.

When I'm not shooting down at ground level, I have my eye on the sky. Today share with us what it looks like in your part of the world. Seek out something sky blue for #sscolormonth! Be sure to add your photos to our OWP flickr pool and hashtag it on instagram too.