looking down

There was an air of nervous excitement in the air as the kids headed out to the field to begin their first day of band camp.  Being the high school band photographer, I accompanied them and stood back a bit, watching, waiting to snap photos here and there as I begin to document the first days of the their new season. I watched as the kids haphazardly dropped their belongings on the ground, gathering in small groups here and there.  In one group, the 'seasoned' band members talked excitedly about their upcoming junior and senior years while in another corner stood the quiet freshman, looking so serious with their 'first day' jitters.  As I moved around, I almost tripped over this gathering of items on the ground and had to smile.  In looking down, I realized the story of the day was right there in front of me: bottled water, sunblock, an instrument.  So simple, yet so telling.  

Today, share your 'looking down' photos.  Be sure to tag your images #sselevate and play along with us.

Looking Up

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.                                                                                                       ~ G. K. Chesterton

A few looking up shots from our trip to Clear Lake. There's always something to see when we stop and look up... the wide open sky, fluffy clouds, the sun, the moon, even a funky birdhouse or 2.... it rarely disappoints. Life's good that way.

Today, stop...pause...and look-up. Elevate your everyday with us. Be sure to tag your photos with #sselevate. Thanks for playing along!

Let's Eat

 

“Let’s Eat!” How many of us say those words each day, gathering our families together to share a meal? Food is such an integral part of everyday moments, it often time gets overlooked when we think about the beauty in the every day.

Yes, eating feeds our bodies, but it’s the moments beyond the food that feed our souls. Whether it is a simple chat with a friend over breakfast, or recapping the day with loved ones around the dinner table, food, eating, and connection go hand in hand.

“Let’s Eat” is the photo prompt for today. I challenge you to glance around your world, slow down, and look at your food as more than nourishment. Notice the moments while waiting for dinner to be set down on the table, a certain cute food habit someone might have, or a special treat you were able to share with someone you love. Even simple ingredients that go into our meals have a story. It’s up to you to discover that story through your own lens.

Share images inspired by today's prompt with us and be sure to tag them with #sselevate.

Image and words courtesey of food blogger extraordinaire Kristen Doyle of Dine and Dish.

something orange

Hanging in the warm summer sky over an Orange County landscape is the inimitable Orange Balloon of The Great Park. Approaching the large metropolitan park, formerly a Marine Corps Air Station, the balloon is one of the most surreal sights I have ever seen. No matter how many times I visit, I am still delighted by the beauty, enormity, and color of this curious work of whimsical art.

As we continue with our month of elevating the everyday, share with us today a pop of orange that stimulates your senses! Tag your images #sselevate and play along with us.

And because this image is taking the theme of elevate to a whole new level (literally), why not give away another copy of the book Elevate the Everyday. Leave a comment here between now and midnight on Sunday for your chance to win a copy. Marilyn won the last copy. Maybe you'll be next!

Embracing Family

 

With this month’s prompts all being inspired by Elevate the Everyday, I have been delighted by all of the images and comments you’ve shared. Obviously the contents of the book are near and dear to my heart which makes your responses that much more meaningful. Thank you so much!

Today, as you visually translate the poignant prompt of family, I am beyond excited to share with you that today’s post and prompt has even more collective energy than usual. Today, Shutter Sisters has the honor of being one of the stops along the way in the Blogust Blog Relay for Good. That means that each and every one of YOUR comments today will translate into a $20 donation to Shot@Life (also near and dear to my heart) to get vaccines to children who need them most. Yes, $20 per unique comment, up to a maximum of $200,000 to reach 10,000 children. WOW! And not only will your comment count on today’s post here, it will also count over on my personal blog as well. In other words, with 2 simple comments today (one here and one on my blog), you are inadvertently giving $40 to Shot@Life. That’s donating all of the vaccines that two children need for a shot at more family time. And that is pretty awesome!

And because we share our support, encouragement and responses through visuals around here, be sure to add the #blogust tag to your images too (in addition to #sselevate) to help show your support and spread the word so that other shutter sisters (and brothers) around town know to come participate too. The more the merrier when it comes to social good, wouldn’t you agree? And speaking of other shutter sisters, Anne Geddes is a part of the campaign as well. We're in good company.

So be sure to leave a comment today, go hug your family and take your camera with you to document it! Then tag your images and help spread the good word. We’re a part of something very special over here and we want everyone to join us! That's how we do it here...together!

To keep up in the Blogust relay, check out the calendar of bloggers so you can follow along all month long to help us reach our $200,000 goal!