story of place

I live where the sea shapes the landscape. Place is easily identified by weathered clapboard shingles, stacks of lobster traps, and croppings of tangled wild sea roses. Wild and weathered, the stories of long harsh winters and achingly beautiful autumns. A place where tradition and nature are closely intertwined.

Today show us a story of place with one of your images.

Are you surorunded by wide open spaces, or perhaps concrete urban landscapes?

What speaks "home" to you?

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*Don't forget to leave a comment here for a chance at our daily $100.00 gift giveaway sponsored by Paper Coterie,  and keep on shooting and sharing your 'story' 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.  2 chances to win each day!  Names of our Everyday Giveaway winners are posted in our sidenotes section each day.

Day Off

This weekend, we ran away from home, if only for a day.  It was not a day to worry about what we were missing online, on television or what was still lingering on our to-do lists.  Rather, it was a day to give ourselves a break from responsibilities, spend time together as a family and indulge in our favorite activities.

Without the distractions, we focused on the simple joys of life.  And for our family, nothing soothes our tired spirits like visiting the ranch, playing with farm animals and walking the docks of the local fish camp.  We returned home relaxed and refocused.

Today, I invite you to share some images of your favorite activities. What do you like to do when you need to escape the day?

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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.  Be sure to leave links to your story shots.  

His Story

"I am loved and wanted and cherished beyond belief.

My mom and dad hoped, prayed and anxiously awaited my arrival and I did not disappoint. My entrance into the world was fast and chaotic, but beautiful all the same. I don't know much about this place yet or what lies ahead in life. But I can already tell that everyone is cheering me on. And that feels nice."

This is my son's story, which is simple and brief at this point in his life. But all too soon, he will grow up and experience the complexities of the world. He will make good choices and mistakes, see beautiful and ugly around him, and feel joy and sorrow. But I hope he remembers how his story began, because that will never change.

How do you think the story of your beginning influenced the person you have become?

We are giving away one $100 Paper Coterie gift card EVERY SINGLE DAY of September! Share a comment each day before midnight EST for your chance to win that day's random drawing. Be sure to leave links to your story shots.

story people

"They came to sit and dangle their feet off the edge of the world & after awhile they forgot everything but the good & true things they would do someday." ~story people

Do you ever spy on strangers with your camera? (Please tell me i am not alone here.)  I promise I am not at  all creepy, strange maybe, creepy no. I just find people fascinating. I love observing interactions, diversity, perhaps a touch, or an emotion. Fleeting moments that catch my eye. I have always loved to people watch, my camera just takes my people watching up a notch. Now I don't just watch, I click. Some times they are fully aware of my camera, other times I hide behind a telephoto lens. Each time there is something I am drawn to that makes me point my lens in their direction. Some times I get home and load my photos and imagine a story for the subjects in my photo. (overactive imagination, check.) Sometimes a simple quote helps tells the story of a photo.  Some of my favorite quotes to play with are story people quotes. Lines full of whimsy. Little stories in their own right.

Maybe one day I will no longer feel the need to create stories for my strangers. Maybe one day I will walk right up and just ask them to tell me their story. But for now, I click and imagine.

Have you captured any strangers in your lenses lately?  What story did you find there?

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***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.  2 chances to win each day! 

Update:  Names of our Everyday Giveaway winners are now being posted in our sidenotes section each day. So remember to look for your name there and keep checking your inboxes for your winning notification. Keep the comments coming for your chance to win each day.