Bella Kotak Photography

Print Giveaway

2012-01-29T02:42:00.003Z

Hi guys!

So as promised, here are the details of how to enter the giveaway!

I'll be giving you all the opportunity to win, not 1, not 2 but 3 prints of your choice (A4 size) and 2 books (Embarrassing youtube video - here)

So there are several ways that you can enter.

Facebook

1. Be a follower of my page

2. Comment on this post. ONCE only please. This will count as one entry.

Bonus! If you share this post it will count as another entry!

Twitter

Follow me and tweet this phrase "Entering Bella's photo giveaway at www.facebook.com/bellakotakphotography #bellakotak"

Tumblr

Simply like/reblog this post

I will be closing this in one week and will draw the names on Sunday the 5th of February.

As this is my first time holding something like this I will also be doing a bonus draw and give 5 more people who enter a chance to win a print (also A4) of their choice!

Ok so there you have it. 4 ways to enter and 6 winners!

Thank you all and Good Luck!! :)

Bella

Thank you!

2012-01-26T01:25:00.003Z

I hit over 1000 followers on my facebook page earlier today and to say that I am happy would be an understatement. It always humbles me when people deem my work worthy of a follow, leave me positive comments and go to the extra effort to send me an email or message. You're the reason I have the courage to put myself out there. (Haha cheesy I know but it's true!)

I take pictures because I love it. I don't remember a time when I haven't taken photos. From using my dad's old film Kodak to saving up and purchasing my first dSLR, I've constantly been fascinated. I used to paint on canvas and now I paint in my photos immersing myself and my subjects in a world of emotion and colour. It's personal and there's always a feeling of excitement plus a little scary when I upload a new picture. But somehow it's always ok in the end.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is THANK YOU to all of you guys whoever and wherever you are, for supporting me. If I could photograph every single one of you I would! It would be my pleasure.

To repay your support I'll be outlining a big print giveaway tomorrow. To be eligible for a chance to win any of the prices you'll have to be a follower on my page - here

Until then, thank you and goodnight!

an autumn meet up..

2012-01-17T15:25:00.001Z

in the dark she waits..

The lovely Sevgi is the model for this photo. This image was taken in October last year. God that seems a long time ago. I came across it whilst going through my albums and couldn't believe that I hadn't put it together. Doesn't she look ethereal. While I was at it I realised that I never shared the meet up we had in Hampstead Heath that day so long ago. So here it is!

I remember it was an unseasonably warm afternoon when I joined Sarah, Nizaad and Sevgi in London for a woodland ramble. We'd all met earlier in the summer when the girls visited Brighton so this time it was like meeting old friends again. We wandered deep into the woods on a ground covered with all the hues of orange until we came across this secluded and magical spot.

I didn't have any idea what type of image I wanted to make. All I had were the few pieces I'd brought with me and the use of everyone else's props and ideas.

As you can see we take photography so very seriously(!)

In any case here are a few images I caught during that afternoon.

The great thing about these meetups is that all 4 of us take self portraits so already we have that awareness of being both in front of and behind the camera . We're happy to share what we know and help each other to take better pictures, like suggesting different compositions and convincing Sev to climb that tree because the light was very pretty..

I've put links at the bottom, check out the images that the girls have uploaded from this meetup both on flickr and facebook.

Sarah in a tree and Niz photographing a submerged Sev..

Sev and Sarah

Here are 3 other self portraits I took that day with the girls..

fortune's fool

fabric..

fall..

And finally.. group shot! :)

Flickr links!

Sarah

Sevgi

Nizaad

dark whispers..

2011-12-07T16:51:00.001Z

I’m back from my week’s break in Frankfurt. It was wonderful and exactly what I needed. I’ll update more thoroughly on that later.

Lately I’ve found myself becoming completely fascinated by strange shapes discovered in geometry. I’ve begun applying what was initially a playful experimentation into something that was more deliberate and carefully applied. All of a sudden everything becomes exaggerated, from the headpiece to her expression to her arms that frame the picture. There’s an intensity that I didn’t see before.

This is an image from a new collection that I’ll upload soon. The rest of the images are ‘normal’ in comparison :)

summer's child..

2011-11-29T14:40:00.001Z

Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of shooting a friend of mine. We'd been talking of doing something and finally one golden evening we pulled on our wellies and ventured off to play in the Oxfordshire countryside.

One photo.. 3 edits

2011-11-21T23:40:00.001Z

This sometimes happens to me. I take a photo and when it comes to editing I realise that it can go in directions that I may not have initially intended. That realisation and this unexpectedness is what makes me love what I do so much. Personal work for me an outlet to be more experimental and playful. I had planned the image above. The images below I hadn't and in this case were happy accidents. All are mine and I wanted to share what happens occasionally.

Scroll down to see a step by step instruction to how I created the image above ^^

I absolutely love the way the girl fades the closer she gets to the sky. So much so that I wanted to bring her closer..

***

Ok! Here we go. This is a step by step of the first image. I went back and took some screenshots to give you an idea as to how I work and my editing process for this particular image. I hope you find it useful and before we being I want to apologise for my ~~incredibly artistic~~ messy handwriting :)

****

Here's the original. I shot this with my 50mm f.18.

So the first thing I always do is create a square crop that would work for the composition I would like.

Using the crop tool I extended the frame, in this case to continue the road til the corners..

Road extended, check. Adding the stool, to create the illusion of a floating stool I took a separate image holding it where I wanted it.

As you can also see from the side there I work using layer masks instead of the erase tool. If there was one thing I couldn't work without in Photoshop it would be layer masks. I barely use the erase tool and this allows me to not only blend seamlessly but also to be able to correct any over enthusiastic erasing.

I then duplicated the layer with the sitting girl and navigated her to where I wanted her so that both images make sense.

And that's it we're done! Haha :P

Another thing which I would recommend and in most cases I do this is to take an 'empty' photo. That way when it comes to adding and erasing elements it's A LOT easier. I actually didn't remember to grab this shot so had to make my own empty photo combining other photos that I took. Just shows that if you don't get it's not the end of the world. Instead of one minute it'll take you 5.

So now I have the basic image but there's more..

The light was fading when I finally managed to light the smoke pellets.

Blended into the scene using layer masks!

New layer > Stamp visible (Cmd + Alt + Shift + E) > B/W

Combination of experimenting with curves, colour balance and brightness/contrast.

And that's about it! In total it took me a lot longer than it should have but I had fun learning and experimenting.

I hope this helped! Let me know what you think.

I don't mind sharing what I know and in turn if you have any suggestions for me that would be very welcome too ^_^

Rory & Jody

2011-10-27T14:16:00.002+01:00

I've known Rory for several years now. We met in our first year of university. I was in the architecture course and he in the interior architecture department but because both subjects were so closely linked everyone more or less knew each other. I knew about Jody then but as things would have it somehow with all the madness we'd never met. Years later we both got our masters and he was keeping me up to date with life and Jody, whom somehow I'd still hadn't met but felt like I'd known her for years! When Rory told me about the proposal I was literally doing the happy dance. I was so happy for them!

When I met Jody for the first time on her wedding day it was like finally meeting an old friend. It was that simple. Jody, if you're reading this let me tell you that you are amazing and you looked so beautiful!

Shooting a friend's wedding was a first for me and I admit I was a little nervous but really excited too. It was also the first wedding I've actually been invited to! Here's their invitation, look how cute it is!

They had both decided that they wanted a small and intimate wedding with just close family and friends, and when the big day rolled round, it was the perfect summer's day (which if you live in England you would know just how rare that is!) oh the location was Stunning! With a capital S.

Rory and Jody make a wonderful couple and just seeing how thoughtful and considerate they are with each other you just know these guys will go the distance.

On a side note I have to admit I had a little bit of self inflicted drama on the way there. Let's just say I won't be getting the RSVP and the venue addresses mixed up ever EVER again! Phew.. Thankfully it was a happy ending as fortunately I'd left super early and somehow got there on time (and in one piece). Lesson learnt!

So here are the photos! It was a happy day filled with fun, tears, laughter, peacock chasing, badminton playing, impromptu dancing and so much more!

But first, feed the cat, water the dog, get in your pjs, get comfortable.. yep it's a long 'un :)

Soon after the wedding, the happy couple packed up, honeymooned and moved to start a new chapter of their lives in Australia!

♥

Cécile & Joe

2011-10-21T18:44:00.004+01:00

Cécile and Joe are the loveliest people you could ever hope to meet. They have 2 beautiful boys and although they were already married they decided to hold a reception party gathering their nearest and dearest making it official. Cécile approached me in May, and we met for the first time over a glass of wine to discuss the itinerary for the day and the type of photos that she was looking. I love meeting clients beforehand because by the time it comes to the big day you're both familiar with each other and it makes everything flow easier.

We shot the initial photos in Wolfson College (one of the Oxford University colleges) and later they made their way via punt to Cherwell Boat House just down the river. So here are some photos of the gorgeous couple and their fabulous guests!

For the day I had 3 lenses that I used. My 50mm f1.8, 17-85mm and the 70-200mm. The 70-200mm let's me disappear into the background while still letting me capture intimate moments. It's one of my favourite lenses when it comes to weddings and events.. although as much as I love it, it comes second place to the 85mm 1.2. Now that lens makes me drool.. mmm... ok ok back to the photos!

Cécile's sister played the violin.. gotta admit it had us all nearly in tears. It was beautiful.

All in all it was a beautiful day and Cécile and Joe thank you both so much for allowing me to be a part of it.

Nicky's family

2011-09-22T02:03:00.000+01:00

Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of being contacted by Nicky who I'd met last summer at Anna's wedding where I was the photographer. She liked the photos I took of her sons so much that she wanted me to come over for a family portrait session to capture the energy and nature of her beautiful boys.

When it comes to family sessions with young kids I always recommend to my clients for it to take place somewhere familiar to the young ones. Usually for me the back garden, a nearby field, a park or even in their own home is perfect as the mood for the session is light and the idea is to have fun!

Activities are great for getting high energy shots plus it distracts the subject allowing me to get some sneaky shots where there's no barriers in expressions and it's in these moments where I know I'm capturing something special. I guess I just like to be invisible and keeping the kids playing and entertaining themselves let's me capture the moments I want as well as summing up what they enjoy in this point in their life.. plus it's fun to join in with all the fun and games :D

Anyhoo have a look at this gorgeous family and let me know what you think!

♥

Lydia and Chris Wedding

2011-08-10T17:25:00.022+01:00

Lydia and Chris got married an hour north of Malaga deep in the Spanish countryside surrounded by friends and family who'd traveled to be there from all parts of the world. It was in Spain where Chris proposed to Lydia as this place holds dear memories for the two of them.

This was my first wedding of the summer and on top of that it was also my first destination wedding and I couldn't have had more fun. I've never seen a happier family.

Thank you both for allowing me to be a part of your big day.

Feel free to check out more photos on my facebook page :)

Vinyl love..

2011-08-01T14:01:00.011+01:00

Sitting in the garden with some green tea and I can’t help smiling as I flick through and select photos from the weekend. There was a conceptual band shoot on Saturday and on Sunday I traveled into the English countryside to shoot a family portrait session (more on that laters).

I had the pleasure of shooting a Brighton based band called Heavy Dials. They contacted me through a mutual contact whose collection I shot last year and whose wedding I had the honour of shooting in Spain earlier this year. It’s amazing how effective word of mouth is, it’s how I’ve gotten the majority of my jobs and opportunities! What can I say I’ve been fortunate to have some amazing clients :)

Anyhoo we shot the images in Stanmer Park, Brighton (haha any day that I get to shoot amongst trees and moss is a good day!). There were 3 band members, 2 assistants, a dog, me and a TON of props ranging from chairs to a keyboard, a cello and even a giant glass bottle (heavy!). This is just one of the 400 and something photos we took on Saturday. The entire shoot took just over a couple of hours as a lot of the prep was done prior to and earlier that day. We’d already planned out the photos that we wanted to take so everyone knew (generally speaking) what was required for each shot. We did leave room for some randomness and I think in the end we completed 6 scenes and each one is so special because it really was a group effort.

Since I can’t share the photos for a while here’s a couple of behind the scenes shots :)

Photos by John Dryden

what's your passion?

2011-07-16T00:28:00.004+01:00

Can’t believe it’s been a year since this photo! It’s funny how 2011 has thrown a lot of different photography work my way (despite all the uni stress). I’ve shot architectural photos for a company in Birmingham, been flown to cover a wedding in Spain, organised some personal shoots that I will show soon and later in the month I’ll be shooting promotional photos for a band in Brighton and have a couple more weddings lined up..phew! It’s all fun and experience. Wedding are a big deal, each time I come away feeling humbled that the couple picked me to record possibly the biggest day of their lives to date! These people that place their trust in my vision give me the confidence to push myself harder and to believe in myself that little bit more.

Photography for me was there ever since I was a child, as the oldest of three my Dad would entrust me with with the camera (and actually who would blame him, I have two younger brothers and I still don’t trust them with my camera!) I think because no one else in our family would really use it or record anything at some point I became obsessed with taking pictures, I think I was about 8. Suddenly I realised that in the 8 years I was alive there were only 2 albums that summed up our lives and all the memories and stories outside the photos in those albums had slipped away.

I guess since then I’ve nearly always had a camera on me, to be honest most of the photos don’t get seen by anyone else but me but that’s ok. Photography for me particularly after I bought a dSLR, opened up a world where I meet people and through that there are more opportunities. I’m a yes person. I’ll always say yes to every thing that comes my way. Right now I’m at a cross roads but I know that whatever I choose for whatever reason, photography for me isn’t going to go away any time soon and that’s kinda comforting.

So I’m curious, what’s your passion? What interest has always been there in your life?

B

Unspoken..

2011-05-31T19:13:00.006+01:00

It's been 7 years since I began my Architecture course in the autumn of 2004. The years were the longest and most challenging yet. I made wonderful friends along the way, moved out of home and learnt a lot about myself. Although I do enjoy the subject, photography for me began as an escapism from it all, architecture and my life. Last week was a big week, after countless sleepless nights (and cups of coffee) I handed in my last ever piece of coursework. A few days later I learnt I passed (yay!!) it seems I'll be graduating with a Masters in Architecture after all!

Now that I'm at the end of this road I feel nostalgic for all the memories and the strange little bubble I was in. I feel as though I'm at a crossroads.. having to choose between something I've worked so long and hard for and my passion. I've given myself the summer to travel, work and decide or .. not decide and just see where the road takes me..

Treasure Dress shoot

2011-02-06T01:19:00.013Z

The blog post for this is long overdue! I was commissioned by TreasureDress (a gorgeous online boutique) to shoot 3 stories for their launch. This photo is from the Enchantment series. Megan (the model) was a pleasure to work with and so was her friend Kelsey. I had a great team whom I'd worked with a few weeks before so felt secure in the knowledge that no matter what happened that day three heads would definitely be better than one :)

All the photos were shot in Brighton. Initially we started at the seafront and later moved to Stanmer Park. I was a little worried about that as I didn't have a chance to scout it before and was going on Vicky's recommendation. It turned out to be perfect.

Equipment wise I was using my Canon 450d and my 17-85mm Canon lens as well as my trusty 50mm f1.8 and used natural light for all the shots.

Right from the morning to when we finished in the evening there was lots of laughter, silliness and fun! Here are some of the photos from the day.. the rest can be seen on my website under commissions and also on my facebook page :)

Model - Megan Waters & Kelsey Birchmore

Hair & Makeup by Lydia Pankhurst

Styling by Vicky Smith

Clothes from TreasureDress

and.. the outtakes :D

Haha Megan's face!

nothing's gonna bring me down..

2011-01-11T02:12:00.004Z

This is a photo of one of a very close friend! We have lots of fun together and keep each other sane in the madness that is doing a Masters of Architecture :s

I actually regularly ask myself why on earth I am putting myself through this course when it's clearly not something that I can see myself doing in the future and I've come to the realisation that it's probably because I'm stubborn. I've put myself through 3 crap years of undergrad and a year working in a practice I wasn't happy in and getting this qualification means that it was all worthwhile even if it is a little pointless in the grand scheme of things :p

I have learnt that if I can do this! Then I can do anything! I'm stronger because of it, learnt that I can take knocks and get up again and mainly the importance of having good friends! What can I say the pain of architecture has brought us all together..

Anyhoo this photo was taken on the beach in Brighton and it summed up the fun Friday we had. From now on we're gonna make every Friday a Fun Friday.

ps. I now have a twitter :)

Hope you're all well!

Inspirations

2010-11-21T17:17:00.004Z

Iain Crawford is a beauty and fashion photographer based in London. His images are beyond beautiful. Enjoy :)

my other world..

2010-11-04T00:14:00.003Z

I was asked to asked to write a few words of my course and experience for the university website. Here's the link if anyone's interested in seeing a glimpse into my other world ;)

dancing inside..

2010-11-03T12:24:00.001Z

I finally have a website!!! It's designed and created by me through wix.com (would definitely recommend). Let me know what you think!

This shot was taken in the summer in Brighton. We just don't get enough hot sunny days in this country! I had a great team and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed paddling about in the sea :D I definitely get a lot more excited about working with other people than I used to. It's when you find a dynamic that works and you're all inspiring each other and then the magic happens :)

Print exchange fun!

2010-10-19T16:46:00.002+01:00

Pipo and I decided to do a print exchange. I had no idea how happy and excited I would get when his card came through the post! Thanks Pipo, you made my day! :)

Check out his stream. He's one talented guy - SuperPipo2010

Outtake

2010-10-19T00:07:00.003+01:00

It's shamelessly out of focus but I don't care. It's a happy pic :)

Hope you all have a wonderful week! x

Something I wanted to share..

2010-10-08T00:37:00.006+01:00

So in order to escape from the chains of being back at uni and swallowed by the world of 'Masters in Architecture' (so painful..), a friend and I have started a tumblr! As we already used to send each other lots of little things that both interested and amused us we figured why not share our funny little tastes with the rest of the world :)

So check it out, enjoy and of course, here's the link.. http://spyowls.tumblr.com/

And now enough procrastinating and back to work!

The Amazing Li Wei..

2010-10-07T22:24:00.004+01:00

XuanXuan 8

Li Wei is an artist from Beijing, China. His work is a mixture of performance art and photography. He says that it is not the result of computer montages but rather he creates this gravity defying poses through the use of props such as mirrors, metal wires and scaffolding. Such a cool dude!

Balloons 2

Life at the high place 2

Love meets 22m

Life at the high place 1

Love at the high place 1

29 levels of freedom

Liwei falls to the Earth

More of his inspirational work on his website - http://www.liweiart.com/

Pet Cloud..

2010-10-06T10:47:00.003+01:00

An example of imagination and execution.. I love stuff like this :)

Pet Cloud - Michael Casker

live free..

2010-10-04T00:58:00.001+01:00

Location: Ovingdean, Brighton

Model: Megan Waters

Styling: Vicky Smith

Make-up and Hair Stylist: Lydia Pankhurst

Photography: Me

sweet light..

2010-09-29T15:01:00.002+01:00

A delayed post. This was an outtake shot from a shoot I did a few weeks ago with a lovely team for an online boutique that will be launched soon. Once that's up and going I'll be able to upload the rest of the shots which I'm very excited about!

Jodphur- the blue city

2010-09-24T14:02:00.009+01:00

And this was our final leg of the trip. We'd done Udaipur and Jaisalmer but I think it was Jodphur that stole our hearts.

Mehrangarh Fort

Hmm.. ;)

This actually felt like a very Tim Walker scene to me!

Such a beautiful child!

Her siblings were adorable too!

Kids playing marbles..

This poor child.

Watching a master at work..

We visited some Bishnoi villages on the outskirts of Jodphur. This man is filtering opium..

His wife was making us millet chapattis.

Carpet makers Roopraj durries.

Some lovely colourful ladies..

Camels posing for the camera!

The end!

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

2010-09-23T14:50:00.006+01:00

Patwa-ki-Haveli.. so beautiful. It's like the buildings are made of lace!

Lake Gadi Sagar

Walking about the fort

The rest of Udaipur..

2010-09-22T23:46:00.006+01:00

For reasons I can't fathom people were so happy to have their picture taken. Wish I could give them a copy..

This guy in the middle is working it!

Adventures in Rajasthan..

2010-09-21T17:45:00.015+01:00

And so here are some photos from my trip away. It was for 2 weeks yet in some ways it felt as though I was away for longer.

I went to India for the first time and shared that experience with a very close school friend of mine. We visited Rajasthan and saw Delhi, Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. Of them all I'd say my favourites were Jaisalmer and Jodphur. Both incredibly beautiful cities and in the coming days I'll upload a few more shots and also some stories about the wonderfully friendly people we met along the way.

It's taken me about 3 days to get used to being back in England. It's grey and cold here but I've got lots of work to keep me busy! Am shooting my first wedding this weekend after all!

Enjoy...

Delhi- Humanyun's Tomb

Udaipur

The view from our table at Ambrai Restuarant - Udaipur

City Palace. There are trees on the 4th floor and where are the roots? Behind the facade it's still a mountain.

Indian girl in India...

2010-09-11T17:15:00.003+01:00

Hey all,

Sorry to have disappeared for sooooooooooooooo long! I'm in India!

Getting online hasn't been so easy and getting some photos online has been almost impossible. It's been one heck of an experience so far.

I'm out here with a friend and it's been a week so far. Lots of shots as you can imagine! :D

Have met a ton of friendly and really interesting people of far. Will get shots and various stories up here once I'm back.

x

golden breeze

2010-09-02T13:41:00.003+01:00

Caught in a wave..

2010-08-25T01:43:00.004+01:00

The power of three and some thoughts..

2010-08-23T01:17:00.003+01:00

I don't really know where this road of photography is taking me. it's been one year since I began shooting with a dslr and I feel like I've come so far and have met so many inspiring and lovely people along the way.

I have flickr to thank for that. If it wasn't for the flickr support and advice I wouldn't have kept up with my 365 for as long as I did. That was my foundation which I can now apply when shooting others. All I know is that with each new photo I want to be better..

Pastel princess..

2010-08-22T00:06:00.005+01:00

Gorgeous photo! Plus I totally want her head piece..

Traveller..

2010-08-21T01:04:00.012+01:00

Location: Ovingdean, Brighton

Model: Megan Waters

Styling: Vicky Smith

Make-up and Hair Stylist: Lydia Pankhurst

Photography: Me

And here we are! One of the shots from yesterday's shoot. It was an incredible experience, the weather was the best we've had all week and there was a good choice of light available. We had clouds, gloomy, wind and sunny intervals! I haven't had such a fun day in ages. The ladies I worked with for this are based in Brighton and we had good communication when it came to the preparation of this shoot.

I'm learning to work with other people and it's so much fun. I'm so in love with what I do that when a beautiful scene comes together and I capture the "moment" I forget all the trials that may have taken place and am in this bizarre happiness bubble. I know I know.. so corny! But so true :p

The lenses I used for this shoot were: Canon - 100mm, 50mm f1.8 and 10-20mm

And now some behind the scenes!

Getting ready in my kitchen!

On location..

xxx

Little people..

2010-08-19T00:19:00.002+01:00

What brings us together and what keeps us apart

I'm a massive fan of street artist Slinkachu. He set's up (little) scenes that tell a story of what it's like to live in a city. All his 'little people' have a life that draws you in and sometimes makes you laugh! Definitely check out his blog - little-people.blogspot.com

Inspiration post

2010-08-17T16:54:00.005+01:00

Karolina Kurkova

Gisele Bundchen

A few images for I have a shoot coming later this week. The clothes will be long and full of motion and we're using the English sea/ cliffs as a backdrop. I love the unexpectedness of the first shot and the pure energy in the second.

Sun is shining..

2010-08-15T13:37:00.015+01:00

A mash up of summer filled days in Oxford and Brighton..

There's no way I'd ever go on this ride! -The one in the sky not the carousel! ;)

Lots of lovely days by the sea..

And of course there has been lots of baking! :)

And then there is my beautiful little Coco..

It's spring time..

2010-04-17T16:01:00.007+01:00

I can't believe my last post was in Feb! I've been truly rubbish at keeping this blog. Note to self - be better!!

Lots of things have happened since Feb. Spring arrived (woo!), my birthday came and went and with it lots of partaying with favourite people, I had a visit from my friend in Belgium and have adopted a little kitten (I don't get him for a few weeks yet as he's still very small aw)

Here are some shots..

One fine day..

2010-02-09T21:57:00.003Z

It was a beautiful day and at some point since we were both in town, my housemate and I decided to pop down to the sea front for some photo taking frolics.. here are some of the results from our efforts :)

This is the West Pier in Brighton, it burnt down in 2003 and it's become almost an icon for the city. It's quite beautiful when you see it in real life.

An outtake from the photo which I uploaded on Flickr :)

My fabulous housemate :D

All in all a good day!

thoughts

2010-02-08T01:55:00.002Z

I find it very difficult to focus my full attention to one thing.. I'm so easily distracted and fluttering from one thing to another. It's taken me 3 days to complete a drawing that really ought to have been done in half that time! Instead I'm still drawing (nearly finished!) and have discovered several new blogs and beautiful words on this wonder that is the internet. How was life before all these people and their words, music, art, photos, videos, thoughts came into our lives? There is literally so much creativity and beauty and it makes me feel so small. These people that I will possible never meet have touched me and made me feel so much..

Life without the internet would be interesting but life with the internet makes me feel like I'm not alone. There is someone on the other side and we are all the same.

2009-11-27T02:25:00.000Z

I miss summer.

From across the pond..

2009-11-25T20:06:00.006Z

So I haven't been updating as much as I've wanted to! There's just the small issue regarding lack of time..

Earlier this year I flew across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. I went to visit my Aunt in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and from there I later made my way to Chicago and New York. Here are a few photos I took along the way :)

Lake Michigan

Santiago Calatrava's Milwaukee Art Museum.. I'm a big fan of Calatrava!

Cloud maker...

The secret world of squirrels and sparrows...

Whenever I see this image I can't help but think of the cages we humans make for ourselves.

I'll be posting more uploads like this from my random trips abroad :)

Malley and his keeper

2009-10-28T21:31:00.005Z

This is my best friend's cat. He's so friendly and joined in on the spontaneous photo shoot I had with Kirsten. So much fun :D

These photos were taken in the last days of summer. It was a lovely balmy afternoon and we were just hanging out in her garden. I always try to have my camera close to me as you never know what you can capture. In these photos I think I was just trying to capture the sheer beauty of K.. something she will completely disagree with :)

I want her boots!

Long way from home series..

2009-10-18T01:10:00.003+01:00

These were taken just nearly a month ago now. Autumn was just beginning to tease the green leaves into submission and I had the opportunity to work with not one but two gorgeous girls!

It was an interesting shoot, not least because it really was a case of 3 girls trudging through fields with a lovely black (and incredibly docile) horse but because I really had no idea how allergic I was to horse hair! It was a painful lesson to learn but once I went through the photos I had to admit that it was totally worth it. I'm still learning about the art of a good photo. I guess it really is a matter of try and try again. One day I will get there :)

Sorry, it's a bit of a photo spurge.. (which is precisely why I got a blog!)

Cam and her horse :)

2009-10-09T01:32:00.004+01:00

An outtake :)

Today was an interesting day. For the last few days I've been pressed to get 6 hours sleep and last night took the biscuit. I was up until 4.30am getting some work done and after finally drifting off to sleep was rudely awakened at 8.30am by my alarm and let me tell you.. it was painful. For some reason creativity and work drive shifts into gear after 12am. What on earth is WRONG with me?!

This shot was taken against a beautiful autumnal evident wall in my university car park. I got some very strange looks whilst I was taking this.. I think I'm getting used to making a public spectacle of myself. Is that a good thing?

This made me laugh so much!

Mon & Zulu

2009-10-07T00:20:00.003+01:00

Ooh this is exciting.. my first post. I'm not sure how good I'll be at this or how long it will last... but like most things, I'll take this one step (or post!) at a time :)

The best thing about it is that I get to post loads of photos at a time (woo!)

Anyway a few weeks a go a friend approached me for a mini photo shoot of her cat. Being the random loving friend that I am I promptly took over, put her in a mini dress, shoved an umbrella in her hand and asked her to take the cat for a "walk". In all honesty we didn't really have much control.. don't let its size fool you. That little kitty took us for a walk instead :)

So cute!!