winter wonderland

snow has hit Michigan.  The last few years my winters have been less than inspired and we have had far less snow than is usual, so my photography has suffered in the winter scape arena.  This year we have been blessed with some snow and sun at the same time (ideal winter shooting scenario!) and so yesterday I treated myself to a morning in the cold and snow to get some great winter shots.  This one struck me particularly as I was wandering through the wooded area in our apartment complex.  I loved how the leaves still held some colour, but were almost translucent as the sun shone through them.  The ice clinging to and around them really added some extra crispness to the feel of the image, so I was quite pleased with the results!

If you'd like to see more of my winter works, including some more from yesterday's walk, just check out this album.  Let us know what you think!

One Sweet Day

One of the things my husband 'worries' about leaving me on my own is that it's too quiet and I'll be lonely.  He often tells me to put on some music if he's leaving for awhile.  It's kind of cute.  Tonight I took his advice and opened up my iTunes to keep me company while I unpack some more boxes and put away groceries, and the first song that came on my mix brought back a wave of musical nostalgia for me.  Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day" (performed with Boyz II Men) brought me back to being 13 years old, the height of my music obsession, and the many many many memories that came along with that time in my life.  I've always loved the sound and emotion of that song, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear it again, it's been awhile!

I decided to post the image above as an interpretation of the lyrics of the song.  I actually took this photo a few years ago of my husband (then boyfriend)'s hand while we were on location shooting his music video.  We were on a short break and I was eating up the light and the shadows of the afternoon and made him model for me (with his hand) for a few shots.  The results I felt evoked a certain image of hope and welcoming.  Fitting for the song.

A Tribute

This past Sunday was a bittersweet day for my husband and I.  A couple of weeks ago, we received an email informing us that a good friend of his had been placed in hospice care and that he had requested Austin play at his memorial service.  We hadn't known Andy was sick, so the whole thing came as an extreme shock to us, and Austin took it very hard.  We spent the last couple of weeks meeting with Andy's family and friends, and preparing for the service, which was Sunday.  I have been meaning to dig up the disc containing the photos I took at the birthday party Andy hired Austin to play at several years ago, but haven't been able to locate it yet with all that's still in transition in our moving process, so instead I'm posting the image above (shot at one of the Rodeo's that came through Auburn Hills a few years ago) in tribute to Andy Cummins, one of the truest cowboys we've known.  Below is a copy of the poem that Andy wrote shortly before his death.  While his body finally gave into cancer, his spirit never did, and his legacy will live on forever.  Rest in Peace Andy, you are missed here, but we will continue to ride for the brand in your honour.

 Cowboy Up

Cancer versus the Cowboy

by A.J. Cummins

He ain't a bronc I'd choose to ride

with a 44 brand burned high on his side.

He had little pig ears and big Roman nose

but I had to ride him and see how it goes.

He was a straddle-legged Cayuse strawberry roan

he was muscled and rangy and bad to the bone.

An outlaw they said had never been rode

I had eight seconds to stick before I got throw'd.

I stepped up beside him; I had to face him alone

this was the ride that would take me home.

I checked all the leather on my judgment day throne

this wasn't the ride that I was gonna get thrown.

When I ride this ol' warrior I want him cinched up tight

there'll be no second chance on this ride tonight.

I knew with no doubt this was the ride for life

so let's get it on and see who's right.

With great fear and wonder I stepped in the leather

swung my leg over and we sat there together.

His job is to finish me one jump at a time

my job is to prove that each leap is benign.

Just when I thought this might end in the dust

I thought about you, your faith and your trust.

You said I'm a tough guy and beat this I can

that's when I felt your grip in my hand.

He went up with the moon and came down with the sun

he sure was a sunfishin' son-of-a-gun.

But we got him licked, he's startin' to tire

he's losin' his hump, he's losin' his fire.

With us in the saddle, stickin' with prayer

no doubt the outcome soon will be there.

This is the ride of my life and I'm up to the task

just stay there beside me, that's all that I ask.

Thank you for all you have done for me and my family.

"Cowboy Up"

moments of peace

Tonight on the way home my headlights caught a deer on the side of the road grazing.  This is not an overly unusual thing in Michigan, or even our part of the greater metro Detroit area, but it always makes my breath catch just a little.  I'm not entirely sure what it is about deer that I find so visually appealing, but I find that spotting one often has a very calming effect on me... interesting since they seem to be such nervous creatures (at least city deer are!)  In any case, I was pleased to see one this evening, even if it was just a quick glimpse as I drove by.

The image I'm sharing with you was taken a few years ago, in a very densely populated area, directly behind a bank.  I had stopped one Sunday to make a deposit at the ATM, and as I began to pull around to leave the bank, I saw these three fawns grazing in the back area.  This is *not* a part of greater metro Detroit where I would expect to see deer in broad daylight... particularly not three unsupervised (to my eyes) fawns.  I was momentarily frozen by their grace and instant attention.  Thank goodness I came to enough to remember that I had my camera in the car that particular afternoon, and so I very quietly stepped out of my vehicle and crept as close as I could (shooting all the while) until I came within about 30 feet of them.  At that point they decided I'd gotten enough shots and took off for the trees, but it was an incredible experience, with some fantastic images to show for it!

wedding bliss

I spent this morning reliving my wedding day.  Since we just got married this past September, it's all still pretty fresh in my mind, but it was wonderful to spend the morning working on our wedding album and taking in all of the special moments that were captured by our awesome photographer and our amazing friends.  The experience has put me in a really great mood, filled with love for those close to me, and filled with a renewed wonder that the man I have dedicated my life to has chosen to dedicate his life to me as well!  The photo above was taken by me, actually at a client shoot while I was waiting for my clients to arrive.  Our wedding was an outdoorsy fall theme, so I thought this would capture that and still be able to post my own work ;o)

What memories do you have of someone dear to you?  Not necessarily a spouse (since unfortunately not everyone has that legal right in today's day and age) but someone who you carry always in your heart.  Tell us about your partner, your best friend, your soul mate!

this post brought to you by OOH SHINY!

   I am currently working on edits for a client album while *supposedly* watching a movie with my wonderful husband.  He came home from his gig tonight (he's a musician) and we decided that a good way to spend some time together while I worked was to choose a movie we could both enjoy.  We have started and stopped about 6 since we sat down with this mission.  It's been about 45 minutes.
   The constant changing is due to my husbands seemingly uncontrollable boredom.  We get about 5-6 minutes past the opening credits and he stops the movie and picks another (thank God for streaming Netflix for Wii!)  Speaking as someone who can only remember having bailed on a movie *maybe* three times in her life (I'm a movie nut and even if it's bad, I watch it all the way through, just in case it gets better, or so I can at least speak intelligently about how bad it is) it's driving me a little nutsoid, and not in a good way.  If I weren't splitting my attention between the movie and my editing, I may actually be much more than mildly annoyed.
   I decided to try and turn it into a positive, and drew inspiration to break from the editing long enough to share this image with you.  I often use the phrase "ooh, shiny!" to describe a specific personality trait, and my incredibly wonderful husband, whom I adore, it currently exhibiting that behaviour (though he *may* have now settled on G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra... *maybe*) and so I am sharing a shiny photo with you.
   This photo was taken in Brussels, Belgium (one of my all time favourite cities in the world!!)  It is a structure called the Atomium, which Austin and I visited on our Eurotrip back in 2008.  The trip to see it was a whole story in and of itself, but I wanted to share the photo as an expression of an "ooh shiny" moment.  What images come to mind for y'all when you think of "OOH SHINY!!" or what imaged portray distraction to you?

transitioning fall

  I *love* fall.  I love the smells, the colours, the flavours, the fluctuating temperatures, the glorious afternoon suns... I *love fall.  I was so excited that I got to have a fall wedding because it meant I was in fall mode through the entire planning process, designing our invitations, the decor, everything!  What I didn't realise, was that getting to stay in fall mode for a year meant I would get cheated out of the actual season this year.  Due to a laughable influx of really crappy life events immediately visiting my husband and I upon our return from our honeymoon, I barely even got to celebrate Halloween, one of my all time favourite holidays.
  As I sit here in my office, the cold winds are ripping the last of the leaves from our trees and it feels as though winter is well on it's way.  Having never been really into Thanksgiving, I find myself reflecting on the fact that this year it is my last chance at truly enjoying my precious season.  All of these things played a role in my photo choice to share with you for today.  The muted colours reflect my sadness and frustration I've dealt with these past few months, the shadows emphasise the patches of light and dark that make up our lives, and the pumpkins themselves are an expression of hope that I can cling to what little is left of this fall beauty before entering into winter (which holds it's own beauty, but is often quickly overshadowed by slush... my arch nemesis)
  What season do you love?  What inspirations do you pull from the seasons?  Share your inspirations with us, and please feel free to post any work you'd like to share that you feel connects you with this posting!

foggy comfort

This photo was taken in Nova Scotia, Canada where my husband and I recently enjoyed our honeymoon.  We had stopped along the lighthouse route to take some photos of the ocean when I spotted a little lake on the other side of the road, beautifully covered in a light fog.  Usually fog evokes feelings of aloneness for me, but this image makes me feel comforted for some reason.  How does it make you feel?  What images evoke comfort or aloneness for you?

a fresh start

Welcome to the new (and hopefully improved) Shutterbug Portraits & Design blog!  For those of you transitioning from our old blog, thanks for tagging along!  For those of you new to this blog, we sure hope you like it!  :o)

I am hoping this blog will turn into a place where we can not only share some of our work with you, but where you can also connect with us and share your work, where we can discuss ideas and the emotions that go along with photography.  Photography is truly an art, and as such I find it has the ability to really grab me emotionally.

I intend to use this blog as a space for sharing with you what is going on with Shutterbug Portraits & Design as a business, sharing some of our products, but more so sharing some of our work and passion to hopefully inspire you on occasion!  As always, if you have comments or suggestions we're glad to review them!  If one of our posts inspires you or reminds you of some of your own work, please share it!  If you are looking for something specific let us know!

I am not going to make any commitments to frequency of posts at this point as I find when I do that it has a tendency to compromise the quality of the posts, so I will post as I feel inspired to do so.  Please do the same!