the great wide open

There have been times when I've got my head and heart so wrapped up in something that I lose sight of everything else. Sometimes it's work related, or I'm focusing on family matters or it can even be just the drudgery of the daily grind that  can keep me down. Whatever the case, some days feel a lot less hopeful then others.

Luckily, there always comes days when with the sun I look up, and out, and past the place I've been and I can see into the great wide open. The place where hope lives and the beauty of possibility lifts my spirits and soothes my soul. Where I am content to be where I am and also energized to move forward. Why wouldn't I be? Look at that place. It's awesome!

Of course, if everyday looked like that, then I wouldn't be nearly as impressed, or spellbound or enchanted by what I see. The contrast of the not-so-great days in comparison to days that look like this make the this so much sweeter.

My guess is you know exactly what I'm talking about. That the darkness makes way for light far more beautiful than any other light you've ever seen. That coming up for air and seeing this stretch out before you feels better than you could have ever remembered. That's the thing about hope and love and beauty. You can only experience it to it's fullest when it's been gone for a while.

As we begin this week, share a image that offers a view of the great wide open, full of possibility! Let's all soak in the goodness of today...and tomorrow.

tomorrow

"Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I'm going to take tomorrow." -Imogen Cunningham

And it's true, it's so totally and completely true. It's what I love most about photography. There are always images for the taking, stories for the telling. No way of knowing what tomorrow holds, what photographs lay waiting. For this reason, I am never without a camera, never ever. Sometimes people think this is funny, sometimes they ask why. Because you never know, I tell them. You just never know. 

Are you this person too? Do you carry a camera with you everywhere you go? Do you wonder what images tomorrow holds? Are you as excited about the potential as I am? Tell us, what photographs do you look forward to taking? What images snuck up on you and took you by surprise?

an invitation to the weekend

The weekend.

There is nothing like it. A time to rest, rejuvinate, refuel. A time to wind down or wind up. A time to settle in or skip out. A time for family and friends, comfort and joy.

The weekend.

No matter how many have come and gone, as each new one approaches we look forward to it like a gift we cannot wait to open. And somehow we are surprised and delighted each and every week. As so it goes on and on.

The weekend.

For us, lovers of photography, there can be no better time to shoot. And because we want to honor not only the magic that is the weekend but also the Universal deep need to end the week and then begin it again with this sacred time of respite, we would like to invite you to share your weekends with us.

The weekend.

Starting in March we will be featuring weekend images from you here at Shutter Sisters. What does the weekend look like at your house? What moments capture the attention of your lens? What activities (or non-activities) do you hold dear at week's end? What do you create, cherish, capture when the weekend arrives yet again at your door?

Answer these questions for us in your images. Share some words if you want. Throw in a quote. Include a link. Tell us who you are and where we can find you online. Share yourself and your weekends with us and you might be featured right here in our new weekend series that will be posted each Saturday and will be featured through Sunday too. Because weekends are supposed to have two full days of goodness to enjoy.

If you would like to submit your weekend images for consideration in our weekend series, please send your shot(s) via email to us at click [at] shuttersisters [dot] com with the subject weekend. We can't wait to see how you do weekends and begin our series in March! Give us a hint in the comments today.

And above all else, enjoy. The weekend.

fulfilled

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” - Forest E. Witcraft

One goal of our new homeschooling adventure with our youngest son was to cultivate his love of science.  Allowing him to guide the curriculum is proving to be exciting.  While working on mathematics, spelling, reading, we are also exploring microbiology, chemistry, geography, photography, roman numerals, and Latin... all chosen by him.

The result is bigger smiles, a soaring self-esteem, and an unstoppable desire to learn.  Think about how happy, content and fulfilled you would be if you had been able to pursue passions meaningful to you.

What would you choose to learn?

my word

It's here again.  That time of year when I ponder my word for the year. The one word that will define everything that I want to accomplish in the next 12 months.  

Last year, I selected the word PURPOSE.  I sit here and review my list of things that I wanted to accomplish. I feel so inadequate.  All the healthy meals that I planned on making, all the practice time at my harp that did not happen, the books that I wanted to read... 

Then I shake myself off and remember... The joy of helping our oldest sons complete home-schooling and start their new lives.  The excitement of building new communities with amazing women.  The quiet times in our "almost empty" nest with just one son still at home.  It was in these moments that I found my PURPOSE and more fulfillment than I ever expected.  

As I embark on a new adventure of home-schooling our youngest son and with the knowledge of what made me the happiest, I am selecting my new word for 2012... NURTURE [nur-cher] 1. to feed and protect   2. to support and encourage   3. to bring up; train; educate.  

I am inspired by my selection and look forward to helping those around me.  Have you selected your word or did it find you?  Share with me your thoughts for the upcoming year.