All that glitters

Sparkly things catch my eye. I don’t care whether it’s diamonds, shimmering water or broken glass. If it shines and glimmers, I am easily distracted and instantly intrigued. I’m not sure if this is due to gender or genetics, but it is certainly a trait that has been passed down to me by my mother (although her preference is for diamonds and rhinestones). Just try to get us through a department store without touching all the sparkly scarves while oohing and aahing over blinged out t-shirts. The more bedazzled the better.

So one recent summery morning I was immediately fascinated by these water droplets laced between the blades of grass in my lawn. All night long, spiders had been working on intricate webs in the grass. And then the morning dew came along and tiny drops of condensation formed in the nooks and crannies of their creations. The sun was shining at just the right height to light up the drops of water. Perfection. I grabbed my camera and macro lens and spent several minutes on my hands and knees in the wet grass. Now I have a photograph to check back on anytime I need a quick sparkle fix.

Please share your photos with us of anything that shines, sparkles, glimmers or shimmers. I know I’ll be oohing and aahing over here.

the six questions featuring Irene Suchocki

I am in constant awe of Irene Suchoki's images. The "when I’m big I want to be her" kind of admiration that encourages me to experiment, see things differently and propels me forward in my own personal journey as a photographer.

Irene has that wonderful ability that I yearn for to transcend the moments she captures, breathe life into them and create what I can only refer to as pure magic.

Irene kindly accepted to answer our Six Questions interview, and I am most happy today to share her answers with you.

1. What's the story behind this photo?

This photograph was taken in Paris, in a little alley way in the St. Germain des Prés neighborhood. Prior to my trip, I had conceived of a series of photographs that I wanted to take that would express my love of Paris as well as convey the idea of Paris as the world's capital of love. I mostly planned on taking photographs of relatively famous landmarks, but this little string of lights in this perfect little street ended up being my favorite in the series. It was taken with a Lensbaby using a heart-shaped aperture disc, which you drop into the lens itself. Such a fun little lens to play with.

2. What was it that lit your photography spark? Do you remember a particular camera, course, person, roll of film?

It was a particular photograph I took after I bought my first film camera. I was photographing a flower in the garden. I was really just fiddling around with the camera in order to learn what the various knobs, buttons and settings did. When I got the film back from the lab, I was overjoyed with the result. I was shooting with black and white film and the areas that had been in shade were almost completely black and the flower was lit perfectly to stand out against this simple background. That was the first time I experienced for myself the creative possibilities of photography and it gave me such a rush that I was hooked.

3. What's your photo philosophy? Does it reflect your life philosophy? 

My favorite quotation sums up my photography and life philosophy. And it is this: "Follow your bliss. Find where it is, and don't be afraid to follow it. If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living." (Joseph Campbell)

4. Where do you look for inspiration?

I am inspired by nature and light. That beautiful glowy light of the golden hour can make me positively weak in the knees. I am also inspired a great deal by other art forms: film, music, literature. A lyric in a song or a line in a novel can conjure up an image in my head that I then want to recreate.  I have pages and pages filled with such ideas. If only I had enough time to follow up on all of them.

5. What aspect of your photography are you constantly working on, trying to improve?

It's quite simply to slow down. When I get excited by what I'm shooting, I feel like a kid in a candy store and I want to gobble everything up with a million clicks of the shutter. Digital technology, alas, makes this all too easy. I struggle to remind myself to take a deep breath, slow down, and be patient. Perhaps I should get a large format view camera. LOL.

6. If you could go anywhere in the world for an epic, weeklong photo excursion all by your luxuriously unhurried self - regardless of money, time or childcare issues - where would you go and why?

For the longest time, I've dreamed of going to Africa. I am completely in love with the photography of Nick Brandt right now, who shoots the most incredibly beautiful images of African wildlife, and it is adding fuel to this desire of mine. I am not a wildlife photographer at all, but his photographs have such a haunting and spiritual quality about them that amplifies the emotional tug I have felt for years. Perhaps it is a very basic desire of going back to the source. There is something mythical about this place.

Thank you so much Irene!

You can see more of Irene's amazing work on her website, blog and Flickr pool.

new growth

There's nothing better than the color of new blades of grass in the spring. After months of a dry, brown yard, new grass growth can instantly change my mood. It evokes such a feeling of starting over and new life. Combine that with beautiful evening light and some bokeh and I'm in heaven. I love being able to capture a small part of that feeling in a photo. Photography has increased my sense of awareness in many aspects of life. But the details of a new season are always at the top of my list.

Do you have any uplifting spring photos to share?

elements of style

If you ever watch TLC's What Not to Wear, then you've heard Stacy and Clinton tell countless women to look for "color, texture, pattern and shine" to create stylish outfits. And although creating a trendy look is different than taking an interesting photo, some of the same principles apply. It's about mixing contrasting colors and textures to draw attention to your subject. Not only can we be on the lookout for interesting textures, colors and patterns but unique perspectives and compositions. And when these elements are used sparingly, the results can be pretty eye-catching.

Do you have any examples of a photo that includes all or some of these elements of style (color, texture, pattern and shine)?

the softness of morning

Many of us wake each day to the immediacy of morning. Alarm clocks. Children up earlier than should be legal. Burnt toast on the way out the door to work or school. It's all part of the "norm" and yet morning can be such a soft and quiet time of day when we have the luxury to listen, watch. wait; for the sun to rise, for birds to begin their songs, for the smell of a hot cup of coffee. To enjoy the calm and quiet of a world that is stirring before it begins.

And for as much commotion and dare I say chaos can come from traveling (packing, planning, trapsing, lugging) so too can come the kind of peace and serenity we only dream about. Waking with the sun when on vacation can be as delicious as sleeping in. When you wake to the softness of morning, the day is bound to follow suit.

How do you keep your mornings soft? Is there a vision of calm you can conjure up; colors, light, vignettes that start your day with the perfect peace?