Blue Sky Thinking

It’s been so dreary and grey recently, that my soul seems to skip with the tiniest glimmer of blue sky amidst the frosty clouds!

So, as we have to wait for Mother Nature to bring spring in due course, until then, we’ll have to make do with some inspirational blue skies from these photographs. Enjoy – spring is almost here!

Beautiful Prague, captured by Tomas Dratnal

Sunny Southern Portugal, via me 🙂

Brela, via http://www.dalmatia.hr

Sunny San Fran, via kakabeautyblog

Fuerteventura skies, via me 🙂

Deck the Halls

With just over a week to go til the big day, I’m now properly in a Christmassy mood!

It’s called ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ for a reason 🙂 Twinkly fairy lights dotted around the house and sparkly baubles adorning chunky fir branches, all make your home feel somehow magical.

And I love the way we each all have favourite Christmas decorations – whether it’s an old & worn star we’ve had since childhood, a weathered wooden santa, or perhaps a sparkly turtle dove, there’s always at least one decoration that brings back a whole host of memories and smiles, just by looking at it 🙂

So, if you’re looking for a few last minute decoration ideas for the tree, or just love browsing Christmas ideas like I do, take a look at these seasonal treats….

Photography credits (in order)

• Exposureguide.com
• Mostlylisa.com
• LauraOrlando.co.uk
• Murakamiphotography.blogspot
• LauraOrlando.co.uk

If you’ve got a favourite decoration, or have just seen some gorgeous photos of them, please pop a comment below, I’d love to take a look 🙂

 

 

Sugar and Spice….

‘Tis the season for warm cinnamon buns & crunchy gingerbread. For piping hot chocolate & soft gooey toffee. For warm buttered toast & sweet sticky jams.

‘Tis the season to eat! And to be inspired by lots of yummy food photography – I imagine I’ll be posting quite a lot more of these images over the coming days! 🙂

Gingerbread delights, via DancingThroughSunday.com.au

Cinnamon buns, via culinarycoutureblog.com

Nutella Hot Chocolate, via cafedelights.com

Photo credit, unknown

My go-to photo backdrops

Having recently moved home, the new layout means I can no longer have a dedicated studio space, and I feared I’d be lost without my trusty backdrops. But in fact, something as simple as a roll of wallpaper has come to the rescue more than once.

I picked up 2 rolls of Ella Bella photographic wallpaper – one in a whitewash wood and the other a vintage wood. These rolls are typically wider & longer than your standard roll of wallpaper, and measure about 1.2m x 7.5m, giving plenty of surface area to shoot against. I’ve also bought damask wallpaper, multi-coloured rolls, and tile-effect. There’s loads of choice out there, and once you get them home you’ll find there’s plenty of flexibility in their usage.

I tend to shoot any food-based and lifestyle photography against the whitewash wood. I lay a large piece on the floor, arrange my items, set my lighting, and then shoot downwards. It gives me far more space to work than on my dining table or kitchen worktops, plus it’s easier to clean (ie.throw away!) if things get messy!

For portraits, any wallpaper will do, depending on the mood you’re trying to convey. I usually take little pieces of masking tape and attach the roll to any wall where the tape won’t stick/peel off underneath. Making sure it’s flush and without bubbles can take time, but it gives an effective and quick result.

The lovely Yolisa, from YoYumTum

And for children’s shots you can go to town with brighter colours and patterns to make it more fun. The beauty of wallpaper is that you can pick it up from most department stores and because a roll is only small, it won’t cause huge storage issues for you either (unless you buy half the shop, that is!)

I’m on the lookout for a realistic brick-effect at the moment, so if anyone knows of a good one, please let me know where to find it – thanks 🙂

Down to a Tee

Stuck for Christmas gift ideas for a photo-loving friend? Well, fret no more!

I’ve been scouring for some photography-themed clothing for a while, and stumbled on this ‘Tourist’ t-shirt from Don’t Feed The Bears

Am loving it, it’s perfect for those days when you’ve left your camera at home and your neck feels completely bare without a camera strap swinging from it 🙂

Wish they did a women’s fit style, but hey I’m not fussed, so consider it on my Christmas list !

There’s also this camera tee, available at Threadless and it comes in both men’s and women’s fits, result!

Plus there’s this one from RedBubble too:

And at just under £15, this evolution tee seems to have everything figured out pretty well…!

There are loads of cool photography-based designs out there at the moment, so there’s plenty of choice for treating yourself, a photo friend, or popping onto the old Christmas gift list 🙂

Seen any original designs? Got a favourite yourself? Feel free to share, would love to see what else is out there 🙂

Selfie Sensations

Like them or loathe them, you can’t go 2 seconds on social media these days without seeing a ‘selfie’ photo.

For anyone out there who doesn’t know what a selfie is, I’m actually very envious and would dearly like to know your secret!

But let’s face it, most of us will have taken at least one in our smartphone-centric lives.

Personally, I’m not a massive selfie-taker. Occasionally, if my husband and I have scrubbed up particularly well for a night out (rare!), I’ll grab the phone, stick my arm out so my shoulder is on the verge of dislocation, make us both smile maniacally for the camera and hope for the best! But these shots often remain deep in my phone, never to be shared, except for the sporadic changing of a profile picture here & there.

But even though I’m not a big selfie shooter, I’ll happily explore the more spectacular photographic results they can wield.

Photo copyright, Gordon Buchanan

Photo copyright, IAF

And it’s not just a simple selfie anymore. I was initially completely flummoxed by the rise of the ‘selfie stick’! “Surely the reach of our arms can do it well enough?” I cried!

But, after seeing some truly amazing shots that otherwise would’ve been completely missed, I totally see their benefit and scope.

With my fear of heights, I feel quite queezy just looking at some of these shots, let alone having the guts to venture up this high with a camera *gulp*

I’m not saying one’s gonna be top of my list for Santa this Christmas, but I’m certainly impressed (and in awe) of some shots they can deliver…

Photo copyright, Alexander Remnev

 

Photo copyright, Mike Hopkins NASA

 

If you can point me towards any amazing selfie shots out there, please share below, I’d love to see 🙂

 

Snug & Warm

The days are getting colder and crisper, and the nights are now drawing in as early as 4 o’clock.

Winter has arrived. Whilst it might be cold outside, it’s the perfect excuse to live a little more indulgently inside! It’s a time for piping-hot bowls of homemade soup, wrapping ourselves in cosy layers of wool & fleece, and for settling down with big mugs of warm cocoa.

Around this time every day, when twilight has started to make the house all shades of blue,  I light the fire in our living room and it just makes everything feel warm and homely again. There aren’t many better places to snuggle down than in front of a roaring fire, flames all ablaze with the sound  of crackling logs…..

Photo copyright, Ryan Mahle

Photo copyright, Tatiana Belova

Photo copyright, Damon Hart-Davis

Inspiration – Patrick Ecclesine

It was a few years ago that I stumbled upon the works of Patrick Ecclesine, and quite frankly, I don’t know how I possibly missed his art for such a long time prior.

Ecclesine is a thoroughbred talent, shooting ad campaigns for the likes of Vanity Fair and major Hollywood studios. But it was his voyeuristic debut book, “Faces of Sunset Boulevard: A Portrait of Los Angeles”, that jumped out and made me such a fan of his. Published in 2008, he captured a whole array of personalities living and working within Los Angeles. The photographs covered a huge scope of almost every age, ethnicity, social class, work force and culture, of everyday people living and breathing in LA.

In the book, Ecclesine powerfully combines the feeling of street photography, but juxtaposed with the production value of a high-end fashion shoot. He delivers portraits that are real and gritty, yet beautifully stylized.

This style of photography that I’m doing is cinematic. It tells a story. It’s a moment heightened by creative use of lighting. I’m emphasizing my subjects with light; I’m bringing them out of the background, dropping the background down and making my subject first and foremost. Interview for Digital Photo Pro

He captures a spectrum of human emotions – vulnerability, strength, hope, desperation, determination, ambition – the heart and soul of his subjects. Photographs include those of the homeless, cleaners, police force, beauty queens, skateboarders, writers, lawyers, single parent families and many more.

  

If you’ve not already seen this piece of work, I’d definitely recommend you taking a peek through the book. No matter what type of portraits you shoot yourself or admire, there’s something every photographer can take away…

All photographs, copyright of Patrick Ecclesine.

Flocking Together

It’s gradually getting colder for us Northern Hemisphere dwellers, and the summer wardrobe is well and truly at the back of the wardrobe now.

But with the onset of autumn and winter comes all sorts of wonderful changes in nature. It’s a time for long walks, crunching through crispy leaves underfoot, with all manner of lovely golden browns, ambers and rust reds.

And it’s of course a time for birds to up-nest and head for warmer climes.

I’ve been heading to the park a lot more recently to capture all the colours and textures (more in a later post 🙂 ) but I’ve noticed so many more flocks of birds bursting out of sparse trees as the days go by. Migration season is upon us already, and as I’m constantly wrapped in jumpers and scarves, I can’t really blame them!

So, here’s a little flock of images from a handful of photographers, who’ve captured birds in all sorts of weather and motion…

Photo copyright, Jay Maisel

 

Photo copyright, Kim Steel

 

Photo copyright, Arthur Morris

 

Photo copyright, Fabrice Geslin

 

Photo copyright, via Warren Photographic

 

Photo copyright, David Lilly

 

All beautiful shots, and all so different in the tone & feeling they convey – lovely to behold in person, but just as lovely to appreciate in a photograph …

4pm Sugar Hit

It’s that time in the afternoon again, when I’m staring vacantly at my laptop. I’ve definitely hit the wall.

It’s coming up to 4pm, the wind is lashing against the window panes, and my body is craving a sugary comforting treat.

You know the feeling.  Anything will do. A cookie, a piece of chocolate or a little scoop of frozen yoghurt.

Guess I shouldn’t be looking at these tasty photographic treats then, eh?

Photo copyright, Edward Shaw

Photo copyright, Jason Kindig

Photo copyright, Michael Ray