some wonderful alignment of events

"I often think of that rare fulfilling joy, when I am in the presence of some wonderful alignment of events. Where the light, the colour, the shapes and the balance all interlock so beautifully that I feel truly overwhelmed by the wonder of it." - Charlie Waite

It may not be your best shot, nor a technically perfect one. But you knew when you saw it. The wonderful alignment of events.

Today share it with us.

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We are giving away one $100 Paper Coterie gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of September to one of YOU! All you have to do is share a comment each day before midnight EST for your chance to win that day's random drawing. And be sure to keep shooting your own stories and adding them to the OWP Pool on Flickr where you have a second chance at winning one of those $100 Paper Coterie giveaways.

light/dark

You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in.

~ Arlo Guthrie

Show us your light today - and if possible, your dark, all in the same frame.

***Don't forget to leave a comment here for a chance at our daily $100.00 gift giveaway fabulously sponsored by Paper Coterie, and keep on shooting and sharing your stories in the Shutter Sisters One Word Project Pool on Flickr for an opportunity to be chosen as the One Word of the day for a second chance at $100.00 from Paper Coterie. SO FUN!

shine your light

We are all good at shining the light on others. Singing praises, commenting on the beauty of everyone else's art, photos, and lives. Why do we forget that our own light is so very precious and needs to be nurtured and deserves to be praised? As women are we just so busy taking care of others that we forget to stand in our own light? Or do we buy into the belief that such behavior is boastful and prideful, rather than brave and confident? Have we been conditioned to hide our own light? Do those dreadful words, 'who do you think you are?' ring in your ears? I am guilty of this. Someone praises my photography, or something I wrote, and I can feel the heat rising in my face,  I actually get a physical response to it. Forget about tooting my own horn, ugh, no way. But why not? If I cannot believe I am worthy than who will? Allowing myself to stand in my own light is something I am truly working on.  Just when I needed it, a very special gift came my way. A locket, a keeper of treasures and sacred things, worn near my heart. Inside, a whisper to my soul... "Stand in your light". Four little words that speak big to my heart.

We each have our own special gifts to share with the world, rather than being shy or embarrassed by that, why not shout it out instead!  Today shine the light on YOU. Have you done something new or exciting with your photography?  Perhaps a gallery showing, a first photoshoot, opened a shop, entered a contest, been published, taken a class, printed one of your own photos and had it framed just for you? Perhaps there is just a certain photo you are SO.VERY.PROUD.OF.  Go ahead, tell us! Show us! Celebrate it! Whatever it may be, share it with us here today.  Say yes to you and your light.

Like the locket says, stand in your light, you deserve to feel the warmth it holds.

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As extra incentive to shine your light with us, the multitalented artist Liz Lamoreux, creator of the beautiful locket above, is gifting one simple soul mantra locket necklace to one lucky commenter here today. Liz's shop, soul mantras and other stories, is filled with beautiful pieces each imprinted with special words that speak straight to the heart and soul. Perhaps there is a message your soul is in need of right now. Just leave a comment here by midnight PST to be entered in today's giveaway.

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GIVEAWAY UPDATE: congrats to Amy, the winner of the simple soul mantra locket giveaway. xo Amy!

lingering light

"The sky broke like an egg into full sunset and the water caught fire." -Pamela Hansford Johnson

The few extra hours of sunlight of this season are such a gift don't you agree?  I love the magical time of sunset just before dusk comes. Everything bathed in gold. Objects become silhouetted in darkness. I click and click away as the sun sinks deeper into the horizon and the light dances on the water. Goodnight sun. Soon seasons will change and the light will shift and I will miss these long summer nights. Have you captured some late day magic of your own lately? Do you find yourself lingering longer than usual to soak up those few extra minutes of light? 

Share some of your own golden goodness with us here today. 

the moments in between

My friends had just finished a soccer game in the gloaming, and we had been taking "team" photos in the fading light of this merry band of futbol players. While I think the posed shots were a ton of fun, I have to say that my heart is drawn to the candids in between the "formal" shots. To me, that's where my favorite stories are in photography--those moments in between people's awareness of the camera, those moments in between the subject's consciously exhibiting the persona that they want the camera to capture, those moments in between the awkwardness for those who are uncomfortable in front of a lens.

I love the light in this photo, that light in between day and night, that last glimmer of sun fading into the darkness. I love the chaos in this photo, everybody doing their own thing or trying to spell the letters AMC [for Allied Media Conference which was where we were at] before the photographers yell at everyone to get in position and to hold still. I love that I can still feel the love and joy and magic of this moment, even now...

Share with us today your images of those "moments in between," however you want to interpret that.