take me away

No matter how much I am trying to stay present in this moment of enjoying our summer right here at home, there are days when my heart and soul longs to fly away. To explore and discover the places dreams ar made of. We've been lucky enough to have these sorts of summer adventures for the past few years and on days like this, I can't help but sift through my archives to relive our vacations.

Share with us today the place your heart can soar...a Secret Beach (where this shot was taken on Kauai, circa 2006), a mountain top with a view from heaven, a landscape that sweeps you off your feet...you get the idea. Past or present, take us away to a magical place for the days when only thoughts of escaping will do.

feeling nostalgic

There are a number of reasons I choose to live in Southern California. This is one of them.

I will admit that we don't usually get defined billowy clouds here which is exactly why I took my camera out with me the day I shot this from the pier. Although this landscape shot looked lovely straight out of the camera, it is the vintage postcard processing that makes me fall in love with my surroundings all over again.

I have noticed so many of you creating your own magic with nostalgic processing techniques. Swoon.

If you've got some photo editing handwork of the antique kind that you'd like to share please do. Let's take a trip back in time.

walked in fields of gold

Everything is just so beautiful around here right now. And the leaves on the trees haven't even changed yet. But when they do I fear my head may explode from beauty overload. We bought a house a couple of months ago and while I wouldn't say it is in the country, it is the closest to the country I have ever lived. There are corn fields and soy bean fields less than a mile from our house and the golden colors they produce are unreal. Sometimes I stand on our deck and see swatches of colors between the neighbors houses that look like they must have been painted on. But today I drove by a combine that had just swallowed an entire field of corn and my heart sank. I know it's necessary, but don't these farmers know what they are doing to me?! They're taking away these gorgeous fields of gold and soon I'll be left with nothing but fields of gray.

What kind of colors are you seeing right now?

eyes on the road

Nothing beats the slow pace of a summer road trip. Meandering highways, sweeping landscapes, vast skylines, and expansive roads that seem to lead to nowhere make for not only picturesque views but also breathtaking photos. When you’re able to take it all in from the passenger seat with either a soundtrack to match your surroundings or the beauty of silence, your camera can help translate your scenic backdrop into a visual language that is universal.

As we follow the road to the end of this season of warmth and welcoming, share with us the stirrings of simplicity that fill your summer lungs with wanderlust.

Season Speak

Winters in Southern California are mild to say the least. The weather we experience is but a breeze in the howling wind of what true seasonal weather should be. Mind you, it’s totally fine by me and one of the reasons I can’t imagine leaving my native California. This season, although still fairly temperate, we have had some weather. Storm systems have been flying through here like they’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Like another state perhaps where they can really wreak havoc. But as they race past they leave a lingering trail of the visual delights that So Cal photographers like myself rarely witness.

This morning as I set out on my daily rounds, the landscape here was luminous. With the air washed clean of the normal daily haze, the earth glowed a saturated green and the clouds looked like something from a dream. A tumultuous storm brewed over the mountains and a rainbow playfully danced in and out of my rearview mirror. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being romanced by my surroundings. Winter here can do that for you. It can tenderly remind you that everyday isn’t just like the one that came before it. Receiving a gift of perspective like that is invigorating. Each day is indeed a new day that begins fresh and clean and the possibilities are endless. Sometimes you can see it in the sky. It’s no wonder I’ve been carrying my camera with me everywhere I go.

I love to see how you translate the season with your cameras. I've been intoxicated by the images in our Flickr pool like those from  joannerim, strawberrygoldie, monsoonaz3 , carol brown and tonyapool.  Wow. Just plain wow. Keep them coming ladies. I feel a deep cleansing breath coming on and I like it.

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Now onto some Shutter Sisters business—

First, our apologies to everyone for the inability to subscribe to our feed. We are thrilled that you are so eager to get us into your readers! Just so you know, we are aware of the problem and promise that you all will be the first to know when we’ve got it worked out so hold tight!

And on a more fun note, we are pleased to announce that we will be kicking off our very first photo contest next week. Are you are ready to get down and dirty for this one? We thought we’d give you a week to get a jump start on shooting some pix to submit for the CleanWell Moments Photo Contest so get clickin’! Get the nitty gritty at ‘click with us'.