wish list for december

Hooray! It’s a brand new month and you know what that means. It’s time for a new word for our December One Word Project. And since it happens to be the season of holiday magic, why not Wish a little? Or a lot.

That being said, we present you a Shutter Sisters’ holiday Wish List full of cool gifts and gadgets (for every budget) for the photo enthusiast in all of us:

Stephanie is wishing for a 30mm f/1.4 lens and a Funky Camera neck strap.

Jen is wishing for The Super-Wide Conversion Lens for her Lensbaby Composer and a Polaroid Camera of any kind (with film).

Irene is wishing for a print from chocokat and one from Alicia Bock and the book Little Italy by Jenifer Altman.

Paige is wishing for a Mod camera neck strap.

Kristin is wishing for the Golden Half Green Trees Edition half frame toy camera.

Meredith is wishing for a GetReadySetGo messenger bag for gear and a mountain of film for her Kodak Brownie Hawkeye.

Maile is wishing forthe Fuji instax-camera.

Chris is wishing for the same Fuji instax-camera as Maile.

Sarah is wishing for a hand-knit, generously cushioned dSLR camera cozy in robin egg blue (know where she can find one?) and a super secret spy lens from Photojojo.

Alex is wishing for the Mona Kuhn: Native book, Polaroid 600 film & 120 film for her Holga and the Polaroid Frames from Photojojo.

Tracey is wishing for the Fisheye Optic for her Lensbaby Composer, a Camera Necklace from Urban Outfitters and the HP MediaSmart Server.

And while we’re wishing…here’s a few more wish-worthy ideas for Shutter Sisters everywhere:

The Shutter Sisters Flash Bulb Necklace (with the brand new sparkly chain!)

Maile’s new Camera Bags (a little bird told us that if you're on the mailing list, you'll be notified as soon as the holiday gift cards are available for these coveted bags. OMG!)

The Dreamy Diana lens at Photojojo

Digital Mini Case at Delight.com

Kirsty Takes a Bow (it might not be a book about photography but there are lots of amazing photos in it which is good enough for us!)

Seat Belt Camera Straps at Photojojo

Lightware Compact Flash Media Wallet

The Emma Photo Ring by Kimbra Studios

We encourage you to send the url to this post along to friends and family with the subject line ‘wishes' or 'hint hint' or some such thing. They’ll get the idea! And if you're wishing big this year and hoping to get some new photo equipment, send them to B&H Photo before the holidays. We pretty much guarantee they'll have what you're wishing for!

So, let's have it. What are you hoping to find under your tree this year? Come on, you can share your wish with us. Wishes are a wonderful thing!  B&H Photo sure thinks so and are giving away 2 gift cards (for $25 each) to 2 of you today to help your photo gear wishes come true. Isn't December starting out grand? Just leave a comment to be entered in the random drawing. Yay!

And we’ll be watching for your Wish images in our OWP Flickr Pool all month long.  If you’ve never participated in the One Word Project, we do wish you would join us! With all these wishes swirling about, some are bound to come true!

so much gratitude!

1. Untitled, 2. wonder, 3. Countertop cuteness not being knocked over (Gratitude day 28), 4. Our single Black Friday purchase (Gratitude day 27), 5. all gone, 6. warmth, 7. Gifts, 8. Happy Thanksgiving (Gratitude day 26), 9. christmas is coming., 10. anticipation 2, 11. anticipation, 12. 328/365, 13. Untitled, 14. Frolic, 15. cobweb bokeh, 16. The holiday season (Gratitude day 25), 17. crunch, crunch., 18. 24.30 ~ re-Connecting with Old Friends, 19. nostalgic warmth among strangers, 20. Random cuteness (Gratitude day 24), 21. Believe in Gratitude, 22. Believe in Gratitude, 23. 322/365, 24. treasuring these moments, 25. blue morpho, 26. thanx Dad, 27. little bear, 28. november 20: the rose bloomed, 29. At the beach, 30. Karma? Or at least reciprocity (Gratitude day 21), 31. gratitude/ day19:30, 32. gratitude/ day18:30, 33. eeking out fall color, 34. Untitled, 35. 316/365

What else to say except we have been totally inspired by all of your gestures of gratitude this month! Seriously, good stuff in our One Word Project stream. The images tell the true story of what we are all grateful for. Thank you for all of your amazing photographs!

And do share your Memolioalbums with us so we can admire your handiwork! We will soon share the Gratitude Memolio book that we are making from the images in our pool. The proceeds will be going to Tweetsgiving which is all the sweeter!

Congrats to the winners of last weeks Memolio giveaway; Claudia, Jade Sheldon, Iris, Trude and Darrah.

To end this month of Gratitude, Memolio is offering 5 more of you a chance to win an album so leave your comment here today! And never fear, we have an awesome new word for December will be announcing in the next few days so stay tuned!

thankful

Today, on this day of giving thanks here in the states,  I wish to further honor November's one word,  gratitude, we have been so beautifully celebrating here at Shutter Sisters.  Gratitude can mean so many different things at different times.  There are the big things to be grateful for such as love, family, home, health, and peace.  Yet many times it is the little things that can mean so much.  The beauty found in the details of a day; the way a wisp of hair falls just so,  or the way a certain slant of light brings warmth and happiness to a room.  Welcoming a new day with your favorite cup of coffee, or the comfort only a favorite loved toy can bring to a child.   Simple, everyday blessings.  In the hustle of our busy lives it is easy lose sight of what is right in front of us.  Photography has given us a way to honor these little things and quiet moments that add up a beautiful whole.  The simple process of taking a photo not only allows us to see what is in front of us, but to feel it.  This quote by Karen Krakoer Kaplan says it so perfectly, "Gratitude is noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary. And then taking the nanosecond to feel it."

So today, lets give thanks together.  Slow down for just for a moment, capture a little~big thing are you grateful for, and share it with us all here.  Give the gift of this moment to yourself and really feel it.  

*Don't forget to continue to add your photos of gratitude to our One Word Project Flickr Pool.

Celebrating Gratitude

photo by Childplay (Tiffani)

Happy November (already). October was so illuminating! Thank you for participating in the One Word Project and bringing to light all the photographic wonders that the month had to offer.

Alas, it’s time we shift from the frolic of Halloween to the festivities that November boasts; family, friends and gratitude. What a great and giving season! 

Isn’t it perfect then that our word for November is gratitude? We think so!

We are giddy about it actually as we are partnering up with Epic Change and getting into the giving spirit with the ever-exciting ultimate give-back Tweetsgiving. By getting involved here in our One Word Project and submitting your images of gratitude you are helping us get the word outabout Tweetsgiving. And be sure to join the communityover there to see about other ways you can get involved. The whole wonderful scoop on Tweetsgiving can be found on their site.

And if you can believe it, there is so much more to it this month! Remember our recent write up about the adorably awesome and affordable photo books by Memolio? We thought you might. Well, the fantastic folks there are totally into making a difference too and are sponsoring this month’s One Word Project! Totally Sweet!

Here’s the plan: You submit your images of gratitude and we will work with Memolio to create a Gratitude Book featuring a collection YOUR images from our One Word Project Flickr Pool. The book will then go on sale through their site and all the proceeds from book sales will go to Tweetsgiving. Talk about full-circle awesomeness all around! To have your image(s) considered for the book you’ve got to tag them accordingly. The tags to use are OWP, November, Gratitude, Memolio AND Tweetsgiving.

And to add a finishing touch on the excitement of this project, I personally want to challenge you to create your very own Gratitude book at Memolio to share with all of us sisters and with your friends and family. Once you pop over to the site and create your book, your creation will live at Memoliowhere you can then share the link to the book with those you love (like us). Of course having your book printed as a tangible reminder of gratitude is great and and giving them as gifts is yet another fab idea! We simply cannot wait to see what you’re grateful for. Once links to books come in we’ll gather them up and do a Gratitude Book Round Up just in time for Tweetsgiving and Thanksgiving.

Each Sunday this month we’ll be giving away gift certificates for free Memolio books! It is all about giving after all.

Tweetsgiving, Memolio, Thanksgiving and an abundance of gratitude! What a month!

So...let's just dive in. I'm grateful for all of YOU. What are you grateful for?

An Illuminating October

Yep. The word for the October One Word Project is illuminate. Isn't that a great word? For me it conjures up beauty, light, hope, inspiration and so much more. 

So how did we come up with illuminate? Truth be told, we are so utterly smitten by our One Word Project partners Kirtsy that they were the inspiration for the word.

I mean, did you know that the fine editors at Kirtsy shed light on all things bright and beautiful on the web for women every day, all day? It's true. If you know Kirtsy then you already know what we're taking about but if you don't, just go check out the site! You'll never want to leave.

And did you know that they are hosting 100 FREE small business/social media classes around the country in the next few months to enlighten women just like us? I will be teaching a few in So Cal if you'd care to attend! I'd love that! 

And last but not least did you know they've got a Kirtsy book coming out (Kirtsy Takes a Bow: A Celebration of Women's Online Favorites that will not only be adorned with a number of images from the Shutter Sisters but will also be featuring almost a hundred other women of the web?

I know! Now it makes sense right? Illuminate is the perfect word!

Plus we love jack-o-lantern season.

So, sisters, show us that lovely light, that inspiration, that glow that only you all can capture and add your photos to our OWP Flickr pool. Check back daily for the featured photo...it just could be you.

Shine on!