Magenta

I never thought I would be a part of the Pink Sisterhood but on May 24 of 2011 diagnosed with Stage 3A breast cancer, I joined the club.  A sore left breast and a swollen lymph node led to 2 needle biopsies, a lumpectomy, 8 wicked chemo treatments, 5days a week for 7 weeks of radiation and a lot of photos.

I have been told many times that I am not your typical breast cancer patient and I think that’s true.  I didn’t let the word Cancer or being sick beat me. I attacked it head on with my camera in hand!  My camera has been my partner in crime since I was a child and it's always helped me through the ups and downs life throws at me. My passion for photography is what helped me through this journey and what will continue to help me. 

I never thought pink was my color until my diagnoses but since then, I have been wearing more pink and playing with pink in my images. The stencil art on 7th Avenue in Manhattan stated exactly what I feel; "Art is my Weapon".  Photography is my weapon. I added a pink color tint to it to really represent me right now. My photography has helped me heal and will continue to do so.  As long as I can continue to take photos I will do so as my weapon against the bad stuff in life.  

Let’s make a statement today with bright, bold, beautiful pink and shoot images featuring the brilliant shade called Magenta! Don't forget to tag your photos with #sscolormonth. and add them to the OWP pool on Flickr. 

Image and words by our guest blogger, the courageous Darlene Cannup. 

weekending by Jeanne McGlinchey

Jeanne McGlinchey shoots images like this with her iPhone or her Nikon, whichever is closer at hand, and spends her weekends playing with friends and family, creating new recipes and listening to NPR and pandora. 

You can find her on her blog.

What little surprises might you have in store this weekend? We'd love to see your weekending shots!

self-discovery

Last month I traveled to Haiti with a non-profit organization to document the re-opening of two primary schools that were devastated by the 2010 earthquake. I knew that the experience would be somewhat extraordinary. That as soon as I would land the fears that had been keeping me awake for many many nights would disappear. That I would learn, and hopefully thrive as a photographer. And delight in the discovery of a new culture.

And although my understanding for this country has shifted, and I now have a much better sense of appreciation for life, and respect for photographers who are in the field serving the stories of those in front of the lens, I am mostly grateful for the way this experience has uncovered many layers of my personal story, and helped me discover what I am capable of, what I'm passionate about, and who I truly am. 

Today share with us. What did photography make you discover about yourself?

stolen moments

Just when I thought my night was ready to wind down, my son tells me he has nothing for breakfast the next morning and that we're out of bread to make sandwiches for his school lunch.  To say that I was not pleased about having to go the store at 9 p.m. is an understatement.  I grabbed my keys and purse and stomped out of the house while grumbling all the way to the car. 

Once I arrived at the store, I grabbed a basket and continude my grumbling as I headed out for the items I needed.  Of course the items I need are on both ends of the store.  First I grabbed a loaf of bread on one side and then stomped my way to the other side of the store to the cereal aisle.  I located the requested box of Fruity Pebbles and tossed the box into my cart.  As I prepared to move on, in front of me was a couple, both easily in their 80s.  With their basket sitting in the middle of the aisle, they stood there arguing about which cereal to get and just listening to them made me smile.  

Now I have tell you, I have a thing for the elderly.  I mean, I really do.  If I had a choice of sitting in a room of my peers or a room of senior citizens, seniors win, hands down.  I want to sit with them and soak in as many life lessons from them as I can.  I miss my grandparents tremendously which is why I think I tend to gravitate to seniors so much.  Being near this couple made me miss them even more.   

As I stood there in the company of this sweet couple, my irritation instantly disappeared.  I grabbed my phone and took this photo as they finally decided on their cereal choice and made their way slowly down the aisle. It was my little gift to myself, a stolen moment just for me and I reminded myself that life is too short to sweat the small stuff, fruity pebbles and all.

Today, share your photos of stolen moment with us and let us have a peek inside, too. 

The Doing

"But the biggest mistake I made is one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less."

-Anna Quindlen

I often find myself pushing onto the next thing. Dinner, bath, book, bed. Or now that my kids are a little older-- homework, dinner, shower, bed. Seems like it's my job to keep things running at an even pace, to make sure things get done. There's a rhythm to this sort of living and all too often, we lock into it and POOF. Another day, week, month, gone. The truth is that mindful living takes some practice. Photography helps. But only if our minds are in the right place. It's easy to fire off a hundred shots and think: Done. Moment sufficiently captured. The key is to shoot thoughtfully, mindfully. To know when to pick the camera up and when to put it down. To drink in the whole scene while you're shooting, not just the visuals.

I'm not going to lie, friends. I'm guilty of mindless shooting. But I'm working on it, I am always working in it. When I shoot mindfully, the images I come away with feel like so much more than just images. I look at this photograph of my son Ezra and I remember everything about that day, that night. I remember how we laid on the trampoline, looked up at the sky and talked about the moon. I remember the way the evergreen trees looked, how the air smelled sweet like pine needles. I remember how our hair stood up on end from the trampoline's static electricity, I remember the way he laughed. I remember how the light changed from gold to blue, how he grabbed my hand as we walked back inside. I remember the mexican we had for dinner that night, the smudge of salsa on his cheek. I look at this photograph and I remember everything.

Which photograph of yours captures a moment just the way it was? And when you look at it, how much do you remember? Please, do share an image and a few words with us today.