the best moments

"The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing time… The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile." - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

As a photographer I've found out that it's essential to fully embrace what defines me and makes me unique, and work hard towards the direction of my own goals and personal dreams instead of someone else's. But what I also realized is that dreams change. All the time. And with new dreams comes the necessity to challenge what I know, step outside my comfort zone and learn new things.

When I started taking Polaroid photos I had to learn about the different cameras and films, how to slow down and mindfully craft the composition of each shot. When I started my own business as a child/family photographer I had to pull out my digital camera's manual more often than I'd like to admit and understand and establish sound business practices. Lately I've been working with non-profit organizations and learning about poverty, exclusion and how best to use my skills to help promote social change and make a difference. And most recently, as I am crawling all over the city to photograph homes for a travel website, I am learning how to shoot with a flash.

It's not always easy. Learning often comes with uncertainty, fear, frustration, and yes, mistakes. But when we cling to what we know, to our comfort zone, never addressing the things that we are afraid of or curious about, we cut ourselves off from the opportunity to find and develop new creative strengths, to discover what we can do and become who we really are.

Today tell us: what are some the big and small challenges that you’ve overcome lately and that have helped you become a better photographer? When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone? Is there something that you've always wanted to learn but were too afraid to tackle? If yes, how about taking the plunge today?

accidental tourists

The other day my family and I were graciously invited to to visit a local attraction for a small event they were hosting. It had been some time since we had visited The Aquarium of the Pacific and we were eager to get back there, looking forward to spending one of our last days of summer taking in the sights and sounds a nearby coastal city.

Who knew that a lovely morning at the Aquarium would put us in such a touristy frame of mind? After spending time experiencing all of the wonders from down under the sea, we wandered around the surrounding area as if we had never been there before. Shops, restaurants, and lots of photo ops, we we acted just like vacationers.

Looking at all the images from the day, I realized, I captured us perfectly; the accidental tourists.

I can only imagine how many photos you took this summer; of all your adventures near and far. So today, for the sake of boardwalks and salt water taffy, roller coasters and postcards, sunburns and snapshots share your quintessential tourist pictures. Everyone's got some! We want to see yours today.

dreams

"It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else."  - Erma Bombeck

As a parent, I have observed many milestones but there is something extra heartwarming about witnessing a kindred spirit's dreams coming true.  

Recently, one of my dear friends launched a custom cake business.  Looking for focus and direction, at the end of a thirty year marriage, she asked herself "Okay, what's next?"  She pulled her dreams off the shelf, blew off the cobwebs, set her intentions, and never looked back.

A month later, I am right by her side clicking away, just like a proud mother, documenting all the firsts. The first business cards.  The first clients.  The first wedding cake.  I am so proud and inspired.

Capturing the special moments in the lives of our loved ones is the best part of being a photographer. Spend some time today looking for all the dreams, big and small, that are coming true around you.  I invite you to share your images with us.

Instant vs. Instant

Whip out a Polaroid camera and the children will come running. They will surround you and look at you and this strange camera you hold as if you are from another planet. And they will ask questions. Many, many questions. How old is that thing? How does it even work? Film? What do you mean, film? A few might tell you they've actually heard their parents talk about these cameras. But to most, the concept is brand new. To take a picture with a Polaroid SX-70 and watch the faces as the image quietly appears is to experience a special brand of magic.

Adults are often just as mystified. Pull out a Polaroid camera on any street in any city in the world and someone will stop you. Someone will want to talk to you about it. They will tell you they didn't know people still shot with Polaroids and didn't they stop making the film ages ago? Then they'll get all soft in the eyes when they tell you about the Polaroid camera they grew up using. 

As a Polaroid photographer, I'm thoroughly charmed by these interactions. I really am. But every once in a while, there's a gap in the conversation. A few seconds, a pause. And I know what they want to ask, I know what they're thinking. Their bewilderment is practically palpable. Why bother with instant cameras when digital photography exists? In an age where there are phone apps that reproduce the general aesthetic of a Polaroid image in a couple of seconds, where does instant photography fit in? A digital camera in most every phone means that image sharing has never been more immediate. With apps likes instagram, I can take a picture with my iphone, choose from a variety of film-like filters and share the results immediately with the online world. How can instant photography compete with that? The answer is that it can't. It doesn't have to.

Because there's just no substitution for the real thing.

There's no sound like the zzzip and whirrr a Polaroid camera makes as it shoots a photograph out, there's no feeling like the one that comes as you hold that picture in the palm of your hand and watch as the image slowly appears. And, hard as they may try, they just can't reproduce what instant cameras and instant films do with color and light. This is not to say that I don't absolutely love my nikon DSLR. Or that I haven't (joyously) fallen down a sizable instagram rabbit hole myself. I wholeheartedly acknowledge that digital photography and iphoneography have pushed the medium in wildly exciting new directions. They're just not meant to completely replace all that has come before them. And in a world where technology seems to be pushing us all along at breakneck speed, I think we can't help but be drawn to things that force us to slow down.

When I shoot with my Polaroid camera, this is exactly what happens. I slow down. Ironically enough, the technology that so many originally associated with speed causes me to slow things down. When I look through the viewfinder of my Polaroid camera, I take my time, I think about what I'm shooting before I press that little red button. And as the camera spits the picture out, I hold my breath. 

Image and words courtesy of our newest regular contributor here at Shutter Sisters Andrea Corrona Jenkins, also know as Hula from Hula Seventy. (crowd goes wild). We are giddy to have her here!

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In honor of Andrea and all things Poloroid (Hula's trueest passion) we are offering a giveaway today! A comlimentary registration to her soon-coming teahouse workshop! Instant Magic. Sounds dreamy, doesn't it?

 Just comment here between now and Tuesday night (8/23 at midnight ESTP) with a warm welcome to Andrea to be entered to win. And feel free to share something you captured in an instant (with your camera of choice).

lazy hazy daze

camera settings: f/3.5, 1/10, ISO 200, 18mm focal length

Wall to wall carpeting invites lounging. I had forgotten this about him. Legos spread underfoot, he marks his territory in this new space. I am marking my territory too with photos tacked to walls and buddhas placed methodically. I can't blame him for spreading out, and so I learn to step gingerly while in barefeet.

We moved 1800 miles to be here. It's new and it's summer and life turns upside down fairly quickly. So we unpack and disassemble life as we knew it and walk boldly into something new and somewhat surprising. It is the blending of the old and new lives that are creasing together like a to-do list that's been shoved deep into a pocket.

These are the final days of summer. And this year, this is how we are spending our time. It might not have been how i pictured it, but in this picture I see the truth of our reality and it's perfect just how it is. For this photo I stood on a chair and shot straight down at him. The early morning sun cast a light on the bottom left frame and my iphone lit up his face while he studied a new strategy on a favorite game. What I wanted to remember was the mess, the smallness of him, the dark edges, the comfort of that old bear we use now as a floor pillow.

Life is not always what you pictured, but it's always exactly as it's supposed to be.

So tell me, how are you spending your last days of summer? Poolside? With a good book? Friends and laughter? Share with us a picture of your real everyday... because what is real, is really beautiful.