The Cathedral. 31st December.

This evening I was at Peterborough Cathedral for a new years eve service, it was a great service in a really stunning building. I love Cathedrals and I think that it is amazing how so many people spent years working on a stunning piece of architecture to glorify God, this was before days of electricity and motor engines. 

It is simply stunning.

Rockingham Rapper Dancers. 30th December.

Today was my brother's 21st birthday, he decided to celebrate this by having a party! He is part of a rapper sword dance team (rockingham rapper), this dance style is commonly seen at folk festivals across the uk. He did a couple of dances with the team during the night and I think that the motion of the dance is something which is so hard to capture in just a photograph. 

The Carpark. 29th December.

As I said yesterday, I was in Lincoln today and we parked in a multi-storey car park in Lincoln. I had to photograph it as it reminded me of a scene which would fit right into a film noir style film as it was quite drab, no one was there and only every other light worked. I had to photograph it! I may have to visit it sometime in the future as I think that it would be a great location for a portrait.

I worked more on my forgotten shops project today, it was very hard to find people who would agree to be photographed. I have produced about four strong portraits from the day which I shall let you all see sometime over the next few days! I am really enjoying this project as I am meeting loads of new people and it is just very fun. I enjoy talking and interacting with people who I do not know and I think that these interactions are something which the British society is sadly starting to loose.

Eloise. 28th December.

This is Elouise, one of my ferrets! She is such a sweet little animal. Some people seem to think that ferrets are dirty or full of disease, but they really aren't, they're clean and very hygenic! I love having them as pets!

I am visiting the city of Lincoln tomorrow, I have a few photographic projects which I shall work on whilst in Lincoln. It's a great city and has quite an old-fashioned feel to it which I love. It's also quite good for shopping and I have to say that the shops shall tempt me, haha! There are loads of little individual shops and there are a couple which I am going to use for my portrait documentary, The Forgotten Shops. I think Lincoln is a great place to shoot on bits of the documentary as it shows how individual businesses can live next to multi-store businesses. 

The Robin. 27th December.

This little robin was sitting on the tree at my Boyfriend's house, I had to photograph him as I thought he was ever so cute!

I am hopefully getting back to shooting for a couple of projects over the next few days and I shall be blogging about the progress of them on here, as I've previously said I am currently coming out of relaxation mode, it's not the nicest, but Photography is the best kind of work which I can do, so I am happy with it! 

I highly reccomend Michael Kenna's book, images of the seventh day, I was given it for christmas and the print reproductions in the book are beautiful! He is a photographer that has really impacted and inspired me, I really reccomend looking at his work.

Going Back to Work. 26th December.

So, It's boxing day... the aftermath of Christmas Day.. and also the day which I realise that I should start working soon! I'm starting so sort everything out, start organizing shoots and start working on projects again. Christmas isn't fully over yet, there are still many festivities, but it's time to start preparing for working again.

Boxing Day by Relient K popped up on my facebook newsfeed today and it fits my feelings about this day very well: 

All For a King. 25th December.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, Whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, Whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town. 24th December.

So, it's Christmas eve and everyone is looking forward to the big day tomorrow! Fun, Food, Family and Festivities which are all celebrating the birth of Jesus, it has to be one of the best days of the year. So tonight is the one night of the year which parents don't have to wrestle with children to get them into bed as the faster you go to sleep the faster Santa comes! I seemed to have captured Santa flying past my home a couple of mintutes ago and I have decided that it would be quite a fitting photo for the day, so I have now uploaded it! 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Breaking Point. 23rd December.

So, today my family took the cover off the pool table and got into the competitive Christmas spirit by playing pool, a game which I am yet to master! I love how the pool balls sit so still on the green felt and the lights leave shadows of the balls on the table surface, but when they get hit they move quickly and then can settle back into stillness again. Anyway, I decided to have a little session photographing the pool table and I wanted to capture the essence of the game in one photograph, I hope this photograph does the trick!

The Field of Sunsets. 22nd December.

Today I was in a car whilst the sky was being absolutely wonderful, I decided to take my camera out and capture it.... (I shall mention that I was not driving the car!). I think that in the winter the skies always seem to be more dramatic and more photogenic, at least today it was.

Me. 21st December.

It is rare for me to produce a self-portrait, I'm a photographer and not a model... I'm so much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it. This photograph may show that side of me, I'm about to start shooting a project with the Mamiya camera so I thought it would work well in a self portrait to show how I am as a photographer. I'll let you analyse it for yourselves.

I'm hoping to start shooting for my new project within the next two weeks, and I really want to start moving my electric landscape project forward tomorrow. I now have some ideas about using darkroom processes to make the electric landscape project really become unique and impacting, so watch this space!

Eye. 20th December.

I decided to produce another abstract and slightly photoshopped photography today as last time I did one people quite liked it! Personally, this photo isn't as strong... but taking and making these photographs have inspired me to start another project possibly, but I will not say any more about it as I am only starting to consider it.

I am starting to put my feet up for Christmas, so shoots are starting to slow down although I do have projects which I will be working on over the next couple of weeks! 

Not too sure about what else to say about today...

David. 19th of December.

I had my last shoot of the month for my Schools at Home project as it's Christmas time and most families are wanting to spend the time together and take time out from giving children structured lessons! The family I visited today were the Davies family, It was great spending some time with them and photographing them. In the photograph is David, he enjoys making models and he is holding a model shed he made which was quite impressive. The whole family are quite creative and I highlighted that through the photographs I took today. The project is really starting to lift off and I am excited about seeing it develop in the long term!

Abstract Lips. 18th December.

I decided to produce a little photo montage today, I saw a flower hair band and decided to photograph that and some lips and then do a little bit of photoshop work with them! I am not really an abstract photographer and never really use photoshop much, but I decided to be a little bit creative today!

The Balloon Seller. 17th December.

It's the last few days till Christmas! I am trying to get all the little bits of Christmas shopping finished now and when I was doing it I saw this lady selling balloons... so I thought this photo would capture a snippet of my day rather well! 

In other news my Church (Kingsgate Community Church) held their first Christmas service tonight, I was blown away by it, so many people were using such great talents to honour the birth of Jesus. AMAZING! There are three more services tomorrow, I'm excited!

  

Enchanted. 16th December.

I haven't yet finished my Christmas shopping which is quite bad as the shops are going to be packed over the next few days! But I will make it and it'll be ok! I got this perfume a little while ago as a Christmas present, I lost it for a while, but I just found it again and it is actually really lovely. I am not an avid perfume wearer, but I will wear this perfume!

Anyway, I have a Mamiya RZ-67 on loan over the next couple of weeks, I also have a few rolls of colour film so some landscape shooting is inevitable! Quite excited about both shooting with the camera and then seeing the results of it! 

Pinhole Tree. (5x4 Negative Scan). 15th December.

I am cheating today as I took this photograph yesterday, it is just a simple negative scan but I am printing it tomorrow! I shot this on a 5x4 pinhole camera, the camera I used has a really wide angle, it is great though and it makes the photographs really effective and interesting! I have been ill today (hence the lack of photograph-taking today) but I shall be better and taking photographs tomorrow!

Birds. 14th December.

Today I started working on a project which was inspired by Andy Sewell. There is a large country park in my city and many people use it as their escape to the country, a breathing space, a place where they can get away from pressures. This park is called Ferry Meadows, I have many fond memories of this park and I know there are many other people who do to. Through this project I am planning on taking photographs which show how the space at ferry meadows is used by people, animals, nature and anything else!

The Stephens Family. 13th December.

I had another shoot for the Schools at Home project today, I have one more left before Christmas! This shoot was great, the family was wonderful. They have a very relaxed and autonomous approach to education but encourage the children to learn by doing activities and reading etc... I am very happy with the shoot and am so excited about the fact that the project is really starting to develop and come to life! 

I am also currently working on my website, it's going to be a lot different to what it was previously, but I am developing it so it can really showcase my portfolio. I am hoping to have it done by Christmas.

The Candle. 12th December.

 I don't know why people seem to use candles more over Christmas. It might be because the days are a lot darker in England over Christmas, so candles bring a little bit more light into the world. It might be because Christmas it about Jesus's birth, which is also seen as the light of the world being born... so a candle signifies light. It might be because people just like candles! I don't know, it's just one of those funny little English traditions!

I spent some time with the Smith family today, they are a home educating family from Huntingdonshire. They are a great family and I am very happy with some of the photographs from today, this project is growing and getting stronger. Very exciting! I have a shoot with another family tomorrow, they approach Home Education in a different way to the Smith family, so it will be interesting to see what I get out of the time I spend with this family.

I also produced more photographs on my "Electric Landscapes" series today. I am going to start looking at another way to expand the project as I have now shot a series of landscapes with Pylons, I am now wanting to incorporate other forms of things relating to the subject.

Electric Landscape. 11th December.

So I shot a little bit more for my Electric Landscapes project today, it's going well and I am excited about what the finished piece of work is going to be like. I have a few more locations to shoot and I need to generate a few more ideas for the project, but it is great!

Tomorrow I am visiting another family for my Home Education / "Schools at Home" documentary. It's exciting to see this project forming as it is a subject that is really close to my heart. It is a short-term project at the moment, but I am looking into continuing it over the next year or so as I want to get a really wide range of people involved in it.

The Chippy. 10th December.

I was just walking to the local supermarket this evening to buy some chocolates for christmas presents... and I walked past the local chippy. Chip shops are so English, but I don't think I would miss them unless I went abroad. Everyone takes chip shops for granted, you get people just grabbing a snack on the way home, people who have decided to treat themselves for tea, people who going out for the evening..... all kinds of people who use these shops. This chip shop (friar tucks) has been open for as long as I can remember, I might go back and visit them again to use in my portrait documentary on local shops (the forgotten shops).

In other news, I have started shooting a little bit more for my "Electric Landscapes" project, I am really happy with where I am taking it by using a digital camera. I do love film and it's qualities, but I think that digital will work really well with the topic of this project. 

The Geese. 9th December.

I was in a local country park today doing a recce for a fine art piece inspired by a piece of work called "The Heath" by Andy Sewell, it shows how open green spaces within the city are used, I recommend you check it out, it's great!

I took this photograph on my mobile phone, it's amazing how mobile phones can contain such great cameras... I believe that mobile phones are going to slowly limit the need for people to use simple point and shoot cameras, because phones are point and shoot cameras!

Kitchen Flowers. 8th December.

Every kitchen, at some time in its history, has had a bunch of flowers in it. I don't really know why flowers seem to be found in the kitchen, maybe it's because they are seen as refreshing and relaxing items which may relieve a little bit of the chore that cooking could be to some people, maybe it's just practical and the fact is that the flowers are near to the water tap so they can be easily refreshed, maybe it's just because they might be a nice table decoration when there is no food on the table... it's not a life changing question, but it's a little quirky way which we choose to live our life in the British culture.

In other news, I developed the film from my Electric Landscape project today, I was doing a test shoot with my Holga camera, I was not impressed with the results so I am currently working out what will be the best way to move this project forward. I might stay with 6x6 square landscapes and shoot with a Bronica, or I might go totally opposite and shoot Digitally as this would give a fine art twist to the project show how I as a photographer rely on the electricity which the pylons bring to fuel what I do. I have much deliberating and more research to do until I decide how to move the project forward.

Mr.Elephant. 7th December.

Today I photographed a random elephant teddy bear, to be honest there is no fancy meaning behind it or anything... it's just a toy elephant which I have owned for a number of years... I used to have far to many teddies as a child, but I loved them all individually, whenever I lost one or one got broke I would be sad as it was like loosing a little friend or pet. I guess, when you are a child toys come alive to you and they are one thing that will always say exactly what you want it to and will always comfort you without having to do anything.

Electric Landscapes. 6th December.

I started shooting for me "Electric Landscapes" project, I'm taking a series of photographs which are going to show how our need for electricity has now impacted our landscapes. We take pylons for granted and can now ignore them, but I want the project to highlight their presence. I'm shooting it with my trusty Holga, I love the photographs which a Holga can produce and I am really excited about this project!

On the Rocks with a Twist. 5th December.

I was working on a little project today and yesterday, I had seen some amazing photographs of flowers in Ice and I was inspired by them. So yesterday I bought a few different things (flowers, fruit....) and froze them in blocks of Ice, today I spent the morning in the studio shooting the blocks of Ice. It's not something which I normally photograph, but I really enjoyed it and might have a go at working on it even more to produce even stronger images. More photos can be found here: Facebook

Inside on the Outside. 4th December.

I am starting a new fine-art based project, I'm not really a fine-art photographer, but it's a challenge which I am excited to accept. This photograph is a slight test shot for what I want to do, I want to produce a series of images which show how people showcase their personalities through their appearance and what they wear. I am not going to include people in this, but I am going to base the project on people who I come across and how they like to portray themselves!

I am also shooting a studio piece tomorrow, I won't say much about it...but I will say that it is rather chilly!

The Pearsons. 3rd December.

I had a shoot with the Person family for my Schools in the Home documentary where I am producing portraits of families who home educate. It was a great shoot and I am looking forward to my next shoot on tuesday! Exciting times!

In other news, I passed my Driving Test today, this is going to be a massive help for me as it will enable me to be able to photographs things and people which I couldn't have done by relying on public transport. 

It's been a good day!

An English Moroccan Christmas. 2nd December.

I was in my local city today, Peterborough, and it was the first time I had properly seen all the Christmas lights! They have a Moroccan style market in the main square selling things which would be good as gifts, it is not traditionally British and was made Christmassey by a few decorations on the stall! It shows how commercial Christmas is now becoming, what happened to the good old stalls selling Mulled wine and Mince pies?! The square does have a great feel to it and there is some really nice stuff being sold, but I miss the traditional aspect of Christmas and feel a little bit disappointed that it has not been represented!

Anyway, tomorrow is going to be a fun day... so you better be looking forward to the blog post!

The Countdown Begins! 1st December.

I apologise that this blog is quite simple today, been busybusybusy with projects today, starting to develop ideas for a new fine art documentary project too! Today was special, it's the 1st of December, meaning that I got to eat a chocolate before breakfast, my boyfriend bought me an amazing Lindt calender and it is sooo yummy! Christmas is a great season, full of festivity, friends, family, fun, and celebration! I love it!