The Daily Practice

I've had a lot of cameras in my life but most of them were point-and-shoot. Right before my son was born, I decided I wanted the new Canon digital SLR.  It was really expensive and I had no photography training at all. I loved taking photos but I didn't know anything about aperture, lenses, or even the settings on an SLR. After months of pondering, I decided I was going to get it. I couldn't stop thinking about it and I knew that was a sign.

Right before I bought the camera, my husband and I went to Venice Beach with his 35mm and he taught me the basics: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. I am a computer programmer, so understanding the technical bits wasn't too hard for me. What I needed to work on is what I call the magic of photography: seeing the light and developing my eye. Over the years, I realized that I was improving but I wasn't consistent and I couldn't tell if my better  photos were due to luck or because I was getting better at photography.

This is when I started the daily practice.

For the last three years, I've been taking photos every single day. Every day. Bar none. Some days it's photos of my children or backyard and other days it's more interesting things like views of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge or the redwood trees. I'll admit that most days it's flowers. I've taken hundreds of photos of flowers. And tens of thousands of photos of my kids. And while the subject matter might be boring to others (and sometimes even for me) it's done much to improve my photography.

The daily practice means that I can notice subtle changes in light better. I take many of my photos in the same area: my house and its vicinity. So, I am quite familiar with it and I can now notice the slight changes in light due to weather, time of day, or other factors. This has helped me figure out how to pay attention to the light. What different types of light does to the photo. It's also meant that I can experiment with different shots at the same light and see what happens.

The daily practice means I can focus on the photography more. I am not just grabbing my camera when I am trying to capture an important moment. When you're trying to "catch" a moment, you don't always have time to play with the settings in your camera. You are focusing on getting the picture, not optimizing the quality of the photo. Whereas, on many days, I am taking my photos during a perfectly ordinary moment. There's no butterfly that's about to fly away. I can slow down and adjust my settings. I can play with the aperture and see the effects of depth of field. I can focus on the photography and not on getting the shot.

The daily practice means I can develop my personal style. I take a lot of photos of my kids. Every night I download these photos and go through them. I notice which shots are technically better than others. But I also notice which shots are more interesting to me. What photo stirs emotions and why. For example, through taking these shots I've discovered that I favor closeups. I like photos where my kids are looking down and there's a hint of a smile or acknowledgment of the photographer but it's not posed.  I favor the right over the left.  Small, subtle differences that make my photos mine. Seeing the pictures night after night helps me notice patterns. Notice changes. Improvements.

I know that the idea of taking photos every day might seem overwhelming and too time-consuming but, like most things, the biggest part is showing up. Just getting up and doing it. Starting the habit of carrying your camera around with you. Choosing a special time in the day to snap the photo. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing. You can do more focused efforts like choosing a month to specifically address aperture and another month to do portraits only, etc. Or you can just snap something everyday and look and learn from what you get each night. The most important part is to just do it. Grab that camera and take photographs. Again and again and again.

Until it becomes a daily practice.

On a much more personal and practical note, the daily practice has also meant that I've captured thousands of our ordinary moments. What makes us who we are and the reality of our daily life. I know that regardless of how great I get at photography, I will cherish this more than all else.

Please share with us one of those ordinary day captures from your own life as we celebrate the daily practice. And if you have any tips, tricks, or insights on keeping up with your own photography practice, let's hear them!

Image and words courtesy of Guest Blogger / Honorary Sister Karen Grunberg of Karenika.

let's talk tech

Technology has become a near seamless part of our everyday lives. From our phones to our cameras to our computers (and beyond) we not only fully accustomed to technology, we are utterly dependant on it. And we don't even think about it much anymore. Except when we can't find WiFi or we are somewhere that doesn't have good cell service (yes, there are still places like that). All this and yet, I am still blown away that many photographers now have never even shot film. They've never needed to. I'm not sure I'll ever really wrap my brain around that! I am well aware that totally gives away my age, by the way.

For as much as I enjoy shooting the simple stuff...breakfast,  bubble blowing, bath time, etc...I love capturing slivers of technology. Everything from Wii remotes, iPods, DS's to our new family iPad can be just as charming as any other "prop" from daily life.

Today, in honor of the brand new tech resource site, Cool Mom Tech (yet another brainchild of the clever gals behind Cool Mom Picks) we want to see images expressing your relationship with the technology in your life. Show us what you got and how you work it, technically speaking.

Hello Daddy!

 My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me. ~Jim Valvano

It's time to give the father in your life a gift to remember this Father's Day. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, it's the perfect start. There's still time to order a canvas of your favorite fatherhood photograph from Hello Canvas! You've got until June 14th to order to get your canvas delivered in time for Father's Day.

In celebration of all the dads in our lives, we're hosting another mini photo contest. You guessed it; Hello Daddy. Show us your best Daddy shots for a chance to win. You’ve got between now and Sunday night at midnight PST over in our OWP Flickr pool and leave a comment here with a link to your shot. Only one image per person and only those images shared through links in the comments here will be considered. There will be one “Grand Hello” winner that will receive a 36X24 canvas (Hello!) and 2 runners up will win a 20X24 canvas compliments of Hello Canvas, of course! Come on, tug on our heart strings, it's almost Father's Day afterall. 

everyday memories

It’s the everyday moments that strike a chord with me and that why I’ve loved this month's One Word Project.

I’ve been observing.....

Waiting, swimming, laughter, watching, television.

The toys, realities, and supermarket trips.

Your bed, your sink, hanging out, the kisses, hugs, and more hugs.

Your sofa, the sharing, being with friends, painting, and drawing.

I love capturing everyday memories also. Recently, I started a series of family portraits with our two boys, just us doing the everyday things, like going to the supermarket, the library, wheels, hanging in the park.  They are our real life, our everyday and something I will treasure and look back on in the future.

Why don’t you try this today, put down your camera where ever you are, doing whatever, with whoever. Using your timer or remote, capture “your everyday”..... a moment in your day and create a memory. We’d love to see it as we send off the month of everyday and welcome a brand new word tomorrow.

Image and words courtesy of our brand new regular contributor here at Shutter Sisters the lovely and talented Xanthe Berkeley. We are so happy to have her here regularly now! YAY!

love and giving

Several christmases ago, my daughter learned to give. I caught her one day, wrapping tiny found objects to give to all her school friends. Any little thing that caught her eye was snatched up and lovingly wrapped with scraps of tissue paper and dirty bits of scotch tape. This included the cracked half of a pink plastic bead she found on the floor at the thrift store, the arm of a barbie, half of a pencil eraser. I didn't have the heart to tell her that her classmates might not see the beauty in these things. And while I was thrilled to see her focus on giving, I was crazy nervous about the kind of reactions her school friends might have. What if they laughed? What if they totally rejected her gifts? I could not stand the thought.

I remember the morning she took them to school. How she stood in the doorway, little red packages cupped in her hands. She held them as if they were jewels, her eyes shone with pride. She couldn't wait to get to school and give them out. I looked at the mess of packages just then, each one clumsily taped together and my heart broke a little. I prayed that her friends would somehow see the love behind each gift. I prayed really really hard.

On the way home from school that day, she told me she had given out all her presents. Then she looked out the window and said nothing else. Of course, this worried me but I did not pry. A few days later, we had lunch with her at school to celebrate the grand opening of the new cafeteria. As we sat eating macaroni and cheese and fruit cocktail, a little boy eyed me from across the table. He was working up the courage to say something, I could feel it. And then finally: "Ava gave ME a present." The happy came pouring out of him then and he smiled. Ava smiled too-- a smile as wide and as open as the whole of the sun.

Image and words by Andrea Jenkins or as she's lovingly known in many circles, Hula.

We are thrilled that she is helping celebrate Giveaway May by giving one lucky reader a copy of her poloroid print Love Always Wins. Swoon. Just leave a comment here between now and Monday at midnight.

Congrats to Jen at Cabin Fever for winning the print. YAY!