"We take more risks.

"We take more risks.
We experiment.
We play.
We make mistakes.
We ask questions.
We encourage and support.
We strengthen our creative voices.
We expand our photographic vision." ~ Shari Miller

Marvelous post and album, Shari! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and images from your time in Alex Lapidus's "Blurs and Unsharp Photography" mentorship!

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For anyone who has read this far, consider mentoring someone else here (or more) ... some people don't even know where to start with their cameras and you could be the change they need in their lives. Even the smallest bit of knowledge can be passed on and you can create your mentorship in many different ways. Imagine the feeling of taking someone to their next level, paying forward the knowledge you've received and watching someone blossom with enthusiasm and accomplishment! Find out how you can get that feeling for yourself here → https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2AGAbjLwjUcY0ZiNHlHY2FoNlU/view?usp=sharing

Originally shared by Shari Miller

"This feels to me as if it's completely yours, with the glowing light and gentle colors, but you've taken that one last step away from reliance on a flower or wisp of grass as a subject, and simply owned the light itself." - Alex Lapidus

In May, I decided to take a dive down the rabbit hole. Alex Lapidus and Heiko Mahr had once again opened up their "Blurs & Unsharp Photography: Guided Play" mentorship through the G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers , and I was along for the ride. I had seen the work of previous participants, and I was very intrigued by the abstract beauty that they were producing. Instead of preoccupying their creative minds with the goal of tack sharp imagery, this would be an intentional journey in the opposite direction. Instead of clarity and detail, this became about light, form, color, shape, and myriad opportunities for experimentation.

With Alex Lapidus's weekly assignments and experiments in play - yes, play - we were invited to try things we might never have thought of before - or things that, perhaps, we had feared trying before: intentional camera movement, zoom blur, multiple exposure imagery, post-processing options, experiments that might be new to us in Photoshop and Lightroom, and many others - even including shooting through wine glasses or strainers from our kitchen!

Also each week, +Heiko Mahr offered up other forms of inspiration by introducing us to new photographers with links to their work and writings about their own creative philosophies. Seeing where these various strategies and techniques could lead offered much nourishment to the Muse and opened up even greater visions of what might be possible as we take these ideas and merge them with our own unique photographic styles and voice.

And then to see the work of the other participants...oh my. There is something about being in a community of like-minded creatives who are willing to experiment and share - both their work that they deem a success and their work that is still "in process" - that seems to collectively inspire and open up possibilities within all of us.

We take more risks.
We experiment.
We play.
We make mistakes.
We ask questions.
We encourage and support.
We strengthen our creative voices.
We expand our photographic vision.

And so, when +Alex Lapidus said the words that began this post, in response to my graduation image (the third photograph in the accompanying album), it is no wonder that the Muse within me was awakened once again. Because in the end, isn't the creative process about just that? Isn't it about finding a voice that is completely yours - while continually challenging ourselves to take steps away from reliance on the familiar, comfortable realm to pursue new horizons?

Thank you, +Alex Lapidus, +Heiko Mahr, and all of the participants in this wonderful mentorship from the +G+ Mentorship Program for Photographers. You inspire me.