Sunday, October 3, 2010

I Love the Shutter Sisters


I'm a little behind in so many ways. One of the things I've been missing is regular Shutter Sister's posts. I remember when I first found the Shutter Sisters blog. They post a short inspirational couple of paragraphs, then invite readers to share their own work in response to the post. Each post teaches a little about photograph or some personal insight or how it feels to be a woman looking at the world through your lens. I love the blog.


Here's a recent quote....

What happens when you choose once and for all to put what matters to you in the viewfinder, regardless of who approves or understands?

What happens when you claim your craft, your art, your expertise and stop asking anyone more established or proficient or experienced to say it's good enough?

What happens when you throw away the rule book and all the measuring sticks and just say what you were afraid to say all along?

Sometimes, I find it hard to feel that my shots are good enough. I always wish there was just a bit more sharpness and I don't know if it's because of my middle age eyesight or my starter-girl camera - is it my lack of skill or my equipment?? More importantly, why do I worry about it? Whom am I comparing myself to and what is the point? I shot what I see - my photos say what I want them to say. And sometimes I catch something and I think, holy crap, I did it! Few endeavors have given me as much joy as photography has and I'm learning all the time. Maybe someday I'll be able to capture that sharpness that I'm looking for - I know that I will never stop trying.

Another Shutter Sisters post was from a man who described a trip where a whole group of photographers were focused on a single view - a lake at sunrise. He shot the lake, but there was a ripple that ruined the glassy-mirror look and he decided to turn his camera to other things - colorful leaves and frost. He said that the other photographers looked at him as if they didn't understand what he was doing.



I connected to this post because I like to try to see some new detail with my camera. I shot things that other people say "eww" about - spiders, insects, webs - and I like to get down low, all the way, laying on my belly, trying to catch the edge of grass, leaves, whatever as I shoot. I will be the first to admit that I don't technically know what I'm doing, but getting low, shooting the details, it's teaching me how to focus and how to use the light, how to compose a shot in a way that isn't traditional or expected. It's a lot of fun and that's why I pick up the camera in the first place.

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