I’ve had a couple of posts pop up on my Instagram feeds today + they’ve really resonated (as I’m sure they will with everyone) + I felt it important to share xx
Keep navigating as best you can, keep on keeping on ❤️
Friday Afternoon Confessionals.....
Two weeks ago I landed in Boston, One week ago I landed back in London, when things move rapidly, all we can do is hang on and try our best to navigate the ride!
This afternoon as I write this, looking out at the sunshine, blue sky and peacefulness, I am 100% sure everyone everywhere is still feeling the surreal-ness of the situations we are adjusting to - I’m not going to harness that, instead I’m sharing my trip back to Maine, the walks I took in nature + the portraits at a distance I created + a couple of shots from my phone of the amazing colours I’m seeing on my daily walks x
So Maine, my spiritual haven, hmmm perhaps better to say my photographic haven where the photo magic first happened. A workshop back at my old school with my fabulous professor learning carbon transfer printing.
All the info I had read ahead of class told me just how tricky it was - AND IT IS!! BUT it was also really wonderful to be connecting with the photographic process and craft back in the dark room after quite a long time away. I used one of my images of one of my brides + for a first attempt it has encouraged me to experiment further when the time is right and to take this process and see where it takes me…….
This trip also enabled me to get back in to deep nature and embrace the sea air and sunsets!!! The light has always been magical in Maine and now home on my evening walks I am also seeing slithers of it here too :-)
I also had EVERY INTENTION of continuing my International Women’s Day project photographing friends and I people I knew with the theme ‘friendship’ . With lock down swift in America I respectfully kept my distance from the two ladies I had the opportunity to photograph and above is ‘Pam’ my airbnb host. When I return I’ll photograph the others I didn’t catch on this trip :-) but it was great to even capture these!!
And so to home. Just on my iphone but maybe I’m being more vigilant, a bit more aware of my surroundings but I am loving the colours that are appearing in the evenings, soft tones and hues, pastels and patches of light highlighting the landscape that would in the past not necessarily caught my attention…..maybe I brought a bit of the magic back with me…stay safe + healthy everyone!! xx
International Women's Day 2020
Celebrating ‘Friendship’
March 2020
I couldn’t let this year pass without celebrating - every year I capture portraits of women which then become an exhibition with the idea of inspiring younger generations.
This year the arts project in Croydon is taking a break + I thought it would be great to do something a little more casual with the end results being shared online during the day of International Women’s Day. I set about thinking of friends who work in central London so I could be in one spot and it wouldn’t be too tricky for them to come to me with the theme ‘friendship’ + ask them for their own interpretation, feeling, word, colour - whatever it was that resonates with them.
so Friday 6th these gorgeous ladies below swung by for chatter, tea, pictures + let me take their photo.
I also had in my mind that I’m trying something new….challenging myself + stepping out of my comfort zone to shoot in a different way, to step back slightly, to allow the images to sit together, to continue for the month of March, to include portraits where the sitter isn’t smiling - I CANNOT even BEGIN to tell you HOW HARD that was!!! + produce a lovely project + as it turned out, was a very poignant theme.
Above a screen shot of my final selection of images, Below the final cut (or so I thought!)
I loved how everyone’s response was very different.
I wanted to bring people together with this project, to share their individual interpretation of “friendship” + to create portraits where I challenged myself in the image making. I am really good at getting right up close to people and in to their space to capture their essence + to be honest this has turned in to a process of challenging normality for me, for sitting on my own hands when I wanted to move in closer or select the happiest photo in the selection + publish on socials only my finely curated selection of happy.
What transpired was me forcing myself to choose images I loved but were perhaps a little more sullen than my usual work. Not soley to challenge myself but to look at the images with a different perspective, a different vantage point. That in itself challenged me to let go and reconnect to being happy with the images myself, whichever ones I chose + trusting the ‘process’.
It’s also been about a conversation Tanya and I had about the viewers experience and ‘seeing’ as the artist or photographer was at the precise moment in time and layering on top of that what we bring in the form of our own interpretation/feelings/emotions/life events to any art at any given moment.
My normal way of working is interacting, observing, creating ease between me, my camera and my sitter, recording just the right representation that I see in any given moment that I feel is an accurate representation of them - on Friday, I stepped back, I deliberately created space to see if it impacted the images I created, if it brought something else forward. So a project based on friendship and exploring how we see.
It’s interesting that looking through the selected images of each of my friends , the versatility of their emotions and our conversation serves as a great mixture to capture slightly different feelings in each picture + the selections below are to appease my controlling mind and show the fun we had!! :-) They also work really nicely as a set of images.
I’m continuing this project and excited to capture more friends through March - over on instagram you can also hear everyone’s interpretation of ‘friendship’ . Have a fab March + enjoy x
Dreaming of Spring….
I’ve been seeing a lot of posts this last week about how January was SUCH a long year lol they’ve been making me chuckle + have proven a good distraction - I felt like I hadn’t seen the sky in forever + this week, hey presto, a blast of blue!
It lifted my heart. There’s something quite wonderful about being totally bundled up and the sun shinning, the birds singing despite a chill in the air and not having to worry about being ‘battle ready’ when you walk out the door. Fighting through the elements just to get to work or anywhere + having a change of clothes with you in case you get soaked lol
ahh typical Brit yakking on about the weather!
well now, Feb 1st I expect a blast of snow and more chilly weather ahead before spring appears but until then I’ll be enjoying the snowdrops and daffodils even if from the comfort of my couch with a hot cuppa!
Happy February everyone! Here’s to a great month x
Keeping Warm in Winter!!
Happy Tuesday everyone!!
I am SO thrilled to share this awesome session with you from just before Christmas in South Kensington, London. We had perfect photo weather!!! A little overcast meant that the light was beautifully diffused + there were no harsh shadows going on :-)
In town celebrating their anniversary, Peyton + her husband chose this gorgeous route + we had a lot of funI For #vataionphotography I work with a company called #Flytographer - such a cool concept whether with friends, couples, families, solo travellers you can choose a photographer in their destination city + your holiday destination to capture your time and memories in a favourite part of town. South Kensington is one of my favourites, it’s buzzing and pretty at amy time of year but I really love the peacefulness of Winter and the colour pops of berries or decorations against the white wall buildings.
Enjoy + have a great evening! x
“Jackie was all around amazing. She was unbelievably flexible with the weather and truly went out of her way to bring our vision to life. Our anniversary photos will be something we cherish forever and we are so thankful to have had Jackie capture those memories for us. Her eye for photography and natural light are unparalleled. We couldn’t recommend her enough!”
Friday Night Confessionals
Friday turns in to Saturday
I had every intention to post last night, to sit down and enjoy writing about the week, Andrea + Wes’s beautiful proposal + finish off Friday, sunny side up - but when it came to it, words just weren’t there and I didn’t want to half ass it.
So here I am fresh as a daisy - Saturday morning after two photo sessions in London, sun is shinning + I’m heading home to my first Xmas party of the season! I’m very excited, it’s bowling and mince pies - what’s not to love!!
I worked with Wes to pick the perfect spot for him to propose to Andrea a few weeks ahead of their trip to London. We planned our interaction, me casually offering to take a photo of them and bosh, Wes got down on one knee and Hey Presto!
Following the shock, delight and utter happiness, we continued creating engagement pictures around St.Dunstans before walking along to The Tower of London + Tower Bridge where the light was super pretty (the north side of the river is always dreamy to photograph at in good weather as the sun rises the other side).
We found lots of fun doorways and textures to mid in with the epic iconic backdrops London has to offer and had so much fun!
If you’re planning a trip to London or a proposal over Christmas, do drop me a DM or call to discuss your plans and ideas + I’ll take it from there!
Dora Maar @TATEModern
Sunday afternoon I headed down to TATE Modern to check out the recently opened ‘Dora Maar’ exhibition.
If you love old skool photography and miss the skill and delight of darkroom photography then this will get the brain firing + nostrils wishing for that chemical hit that only a darkroom can provide.
If you love a bit of ‘Surrealism’
noun
a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images.
then this is also for you! Original Photographs in all sizes from passport to A4 are displayed together enabling the viewer that intimate experience that only super tiny images can provide and ensuring you stay transfixed upon it, roving each small corner for all the details. Magazine layouts showing the final printed versions and the images on display are intriguing and fun to get close up to + figure out what was going on during their creation and perhaps how each part was layered over, printed, scratched.
There are 9 rooms in total and I literally squealed with delight in the first two rooms! Looking curiously at each image, inspired by their form and tone and technique. A few fireworks went off inside me as I referenced a personal project I’m currently working on - this was such a joy to behold.
The hesitation in writing steps in now because I left rather flattened. Here’s why - I LOVED the first rooms, I loved seeing hand crafted, considered pieces of photography and reading about Dora Maars life was fascinating yet I stalled at room 6 + 7 - I’m not sure if that’s the curators intention.
In these rooms the exhibitions and my attention turned to Picasso.
Because of this interjection I’m afraid my concentration on the beautiful work I’d seen in rooms 1 through 5 slithered away + became diluted. MY NOTE TO TATE Modern - Picasso was obviously an important part of Dora’s life BUT it seems a little unjust to dedicate some of the rooms to his work and her inspiration on him - as if a house hold name would ‘pad things out’ when that was the last thing that was needed. **The exhibition up until this point had been full and robust, inspiring in its freshness and the inclusion of the solarised image which inspired ManRay was sublime.
As a female photographer myself I applaud the ever growing inclusion of female photographers being displayed now because I remember a time in the not too distant past, when my photography history programme wouldn’t include even 1. + yes I realise that in fact makes me sound ancient - I’m not!!! However, I felt the reference to their relationship : single/complicated/married wasn’t needed, it didn’t add to the validity of her work and his work then overshadowed hers because it felt so off piste + random to have two rooms dedicated to it..
If you absolutely needed to, just perhaps one image representative of his painting of Dora during their time together would have sufficed, remove the fact she was having an affair with him and the huge image depicting the painting of both of the women in his life and we would have a gorgeous collection of images, inspiring the viewer to learn more about Surrealism/Photography/Dora.
I felt confused as to what you felt these rooms brought to the viewing experience aside from confusion and a peppering of annoyance?
The following 2 rooms of her return to painting was both textural and fluid although in part also looked like she was thoroughly pissed off their relationship had ended + in all honesty was how I felt that so much of his work had been included. I didn’t go to see Picasso, I went to see a little known female photographer and artist in a celebration of her contribution to the Surrealist movement. Step it up TATE, the work speaks for itself.
**Perhaps the exhibition’s natural ending was in room 5 with a last room (6) full of her sojourns in to painting, her development + experimentation in to this area along with her return to the darkroom + lifting Picasso from his bereft dessert because the exhibition up until this point had been full and robust, inspiring in its freshness and the inclusion of the solarised image which inspired ManRay was sublime.
Friday Night Confessionals.....
OOhhhhh Back at it!!
Right after Joe + Joanna’s wedding I took some time off to recharge and celebrate my birthday - a complete treat + such fun :-) I ate cake, saw photography exhibitions and got super inspired, hung out with friends, disconnected from work + hit the gym in an invigorating, right back at it kinda way - it felt amazing + refreshing. I swam in warm outdoor pools, pondered life in sizzling hot sauna’s and slowed down enough to regain that sense of presence, It was such bliss and set me up perfectly for getting back in to work for the last few weeks of the year and Winter.
Mum makes an epic cake + this beauty was totally #Vegan! She even made vegan lemon curd for the filing!!
Duffy at Mottisfont Abbey! An amazing and inspiring exhibition to catch on the last day :-)
Yes there’s no escape lol there’s frost on my car right now + for once I’m hybernating on a Friday night tonight cooking yummy food and delighted to be in out of the cold!
This week I have been chatting over on instagram about getting the most out of your session in WInter and Top Tips on ‘What to Wear’. Not only does this time of year make bright colours pop a little bit more it also can create long shadows + soft golden hours at each end of the day - just like D’s session above as we rambled around London to celebrate her 10 year wedding anniversary!
More on both of these to follow this week!
Have a super weekend everyone x
About yesterday.....
I learnt (as an observer) a new game “Gin?” or “No Gin?”
The wedding party seemed to love it!!
(If it had been tequila I would have been right in there lol)
Moments of great fun and moments of calm……I’m so excited to edit yesterday’s wedding!!!
oh the chuckles.......
FUN!!! Oh….My….Goodness……
Powering up during our session is essential - either with laughter, that’s always amazing!! OR a healthy snack!! :-)
SO Max arrived + well any intention to capture quiet newborn pictures went right out the window - we LAUGHED so hard and so much through this session, the calm was there but the laughter took over + isn’t that such a great feeling + what it’s all about!! Going with the flow, adjusting and being responsive to the moment. The joy + inquisitiveness of your new older sister, the happiness of parents, the wide eyed “just arrived” feeling.
Friday Night Confessionals...humble reflection
Sooooo, I’m sitting here Friday August 2nd…
A special day, My mum’s birthday - we went to the beach for fresh sea air, ate fish n chips (then vegan ice cream when we got home - have you tried the Vegan Magnum?? OMG!!) and I feel blessed we had a sunny day - we went to Goodwood one year and the heavens opened and we got drenched!
AND I’m beaming because I’m also thoroughly delighted the short film I worked on in April in Dublin had a screening this week, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get back to Dublin for it BUT I was most definitely there in spirit :-) + I’ve been made up that the poster is a combination of two of the images I took as ‘Stills Photographer’ - I can’t wait to get my hand’s on an actual paper copy too - I’m going to pin it up in my office, I might even frame it!
Patricia wrote, produced + directed this film and what a talent to be able to do all three! She + I met in 2000 on set of a feature film in the depths of Dublin, it was an ‘experience’ and firm friendships were definitely formed, the kinds were an event bonds people and that shared hilarity/crazyness/dancing/cocktail experience means those friendships even if not seen every day, still remain and make you smile when you see that person or people again.
I remember Patricia constantly writing back in the day and so you know when you are just beyond thrilled to witness their journey and see the process unfold, it’s such a blessing to cheer them on and working alongside Patricia again was wonderful. I’m pinching myself in fact because even though 19 years ago I clearly remember the ‘professional’ photographer coming on set to take the pictures for the poster, DVD case etc…..Now full circle I was taking those shots.
I guess it means more when you circle back to where it all began and a bold move + sense I had to make a change, trusting my heart that it’s whispering ‘you need to do this’ even when I couldn’t see how it was going to turn out - but letting it unfold at it’s own pace, ended up changing my entire life.
So I’m chuffed to pieces for Patricia + super chuffed to have captured the stills for her + see them take on new life in the form of the poster + I’m excited to see where this goes x
So I know, acknowledging our achievements, actually sitting with them for longer than a couple of minutes, doesn’t always happen. We are pleased, we smile, we rush to the next job, piece of work, we perhaps feel bashful (imposter syndrome kicks in and in our minds we’re delighted but don’t want to appear gloating or show off-y) and as a way of ensuring that doesn’t happen we move along quickly. Well, I’m celebrating these journey’s tonight for longer than 2 seconds, I’m letting it sit and soak in. However big or small an achievement, take more than a few breaths, smile, beam and then carry on :-)
Friday Afternoon Confessionals - Friday Vibes
This week I’m sharing an adventurous, fearless, wild, brave spirit with a cheeky, compassionate soul.
‘Ellen the Adventurer’ (my new nik name for her). There was no tree un-climbed, no stretch of sand un touched as we rambled our way around Frensham Little Pond in Surrey a couple of late Monday evenings ago with two gorgeous dogs and fabulous Mum Maria in tow..
I recognise the tom boy spirit, that energy of youth + the props collected along the way came in VERY handy a little later on. We laughed, danced, ran + waded into the pond in the hope of capturing an awesome shot and not getting nibbled by the giant carp that inhabit the area.
The light, that summer light, later in the day, was divine and enriched colours + skin tones……bliss x
funnies + out takes……..
there are always funny moments, serious moments, moments of mania, dancing usually and lots of laughter and I am smiling sharing these moments in particular, the dancing and then the leggings rolled up to my knees in the water to get the shot because as we were walking I just in a split second saw a frame and knew if I ignored it I would regret it. The only way to get it was in the water too and hilariously Maria caught it! I am so pleased, I love behind the scenes ‘action’ pictures!! Thanks so much Maria xx
freedom feels like……….
CAKE!!!!!!! Grab a cuppa, it's afternoon tea time :-)
Cake Smash Central!!
Poppy turned one a couple of weeks ago + we had so much fun creating pictures of her to celebrate her 1st birthday with Mum + Dad and older brother Leo - who’s cake smash also involved a million hundreds and thousands lol
What a super cute family and where on earth does time go?? I feel like two seconds ago I photographed Mum, Dad + Leo for his 1st birthday and hey presto! Poppy is one and we spent a fun Sunday afternoon capturing fun pictures to celebrate Poppy - I AM IN LOVE with her tutu and REALLY want an adult version!!
Keeping the consistency with the backdrop so images could be matched along side each other when displayed at home, I also found out the fun black chalk board style box from Leo’s session to use too!
Much hilarity and chuckles ensued and hundreds and thousands ran everywhere <3
and two years ago……such a cutie!!
Sunday Morning confessionals......Venice Biennale......
ahhhhhhh…..Venezia!
There’s some magic in Venice..
I haven’t visited since 1998 when I was living in Milan and caught the train over for the ‘Carnivale’ in deepest darkest February with my fellow room mates + stayed up ALL night because as students we had no money + just thought we’d wing it. It was epic + even sheltering in a ‘Banco-mart’ adds to the memories and stories along with finally finding a cafe open at 5am and being told the photographers were in St.Marks square taking postcard pictures - as we zipped out the door and around the corner, mist rising off the lagoon, there sure enough were photographers eagerly capturing the ‘official’ postcards images of those costumed in their most elaborate finery.
I have fond memories but it had been a long time and now this week I was returning for an entirely different reason and with accommodation booked lol no sleeping in a ‘banco-mart’ for me!
My friends and fellow photographer ‘Jackie Neale’ is exhibiting at the Biennale and I went over to support her and well have a couple days of art immersion and hopefully some sunshine. This trip blew my mind. Great art, super food, amazing meetings of minds AND catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in FAR TOO LONG.
Jackie’s opening was Thursday + Friday evening at the European Cultural Centre and her work is based on Immigration. She has created beautiful, etherial LARGE cyanotypes which measure 5 feet x 7 feet and for their size hold a delicate beauty.
As I looked out of the window next to her work, the courtyard was full of people as was the two terraces , the air was full of an electric, excited but very cool energy - I was in Italy after all and they sure know how to do an opening!
Friday afternoon I met Jackie to listen to her artist talk and discussion on her work (+ take a selfie) + also re-look at some of the artworks which had been near impossible to get close to the night before. One of my absolute favourites was by an artist called ‘Maxim Wakultcshik ‘who created two portraits from coloured tooth picks!!!!!!!!!!! There are not enough exclamation marks to get across just how sublime and entrancing this was so I have included pictures below :-)
Friday night I met fellow photographer Marta Buso who lives in Venice and post art opening, took me for a delicious beer at a pretty secluded spot off the Grand Canal with fun view of the Rialto Bridge….my phone camera doesn’t do it justice but the light was pretty special!
OH + the chance to have my picture taken against the most beautiful textured wall…turns out I just laugh when a camera is pointed in my direction lol there is no hope! LOL
AND THEN SATURDAY! MAMA MIA!
21 years ago I met these two amazing, kind, lovely ladies when we studied at NABA in Milan, it’s been 15 years since I have seen Harriet (right) + 12 years since seeing Irene (left picture). OH MY GOODNESS, SO SO SO GREAT to see them, they both travelled from Bologna + Milan to Venice on Saturday for our little reunion and well, it was as if no time had passed and we spent the whole day chatting + laughing + remembering all the funnies, it was so special to see them both again!! (we even checked out St, Marks Square for good measure too)
It’s been the most inspiring, heart filling few days + I’m off to get a new phone that can take a half decent, ok fully decent picture when I don’t have my camera with me lol + just let the glow of Venice remain with me for as long as possible :-)
Have an amazing week everyone xx
Little People.......an afternoon of giggles....
So now….this little cheeky chap…..he TOTALLY rocked our session and TOTALLY knew how to work the camera lol Blowing kisses, flashing a cheeky grin as he dashed across the grass to a snack, making mummy laugh + effortlessly bringing his ‘A’ game :-) So much fun in Crystal Palace Park last week, his mummy + I needed a tea to soothe our aches ribs from laughing so much!!
Friday Night Confessionals.......a week bursting with love x
Amy & John marry in September……I’m SO excited for their wedding!
It’s been a week of adventure, of love, fun, laughter, new places, beautiful golden hours, little people sass + checking out angles on a site visit ahead of next weeks commercial photo shoot for an amazing lovely client!!!
So!! This week!! last Saturday I met Amy & John at Kensington Gardens Cafe to explore the Italian Gardens and create pre wedding, engagement pictures for them - they marry in September + I can’t wait!! Our ‘pre-wedding’ sessions give us the opportunity to become a little more familiar with each other, with me directing you + also standing back letting you both be cheeky to each other and chat away as if I wasn’t there + it’s also great for you guys to be together in front of the camera. .
It’s TOTALLY NORMAL to feel hesitant, to even hate having your photo taken, although please don’t say that too loudly or I’ll ask for a pound (£1 - if I had a pound every time someone said that…I should have started collecting them when I first started taking pictures…I’d be sipping cocktails, retired in Aruba by now lol) so it’s my job to help ease away those suspicions and feelings and help you enjoy the whole process so that when it comes to your wedding day you know what to expect and you feel more relaxed….I’ll be posting a separate blog post on Amy & John’s whole engagement + all the sessions mentioned here in the coming weeks :-)
On Sunday I met Bindi & Maarten (who marry in June!!!! + This is going to such a super special wedding!!!) at The Pergola at Hampstead Heath, it was an overcast afternoon and so luscious light and I just had to share this wide angle dramatic shot because I just love how you can see the structure yet to much of the greenery surrounding it feels as if it’s cushioning + hugging the building…..
Monday evening in Greenwich with Joanna & Joe….these guys!!! So late December I photographed Joanna on her new adventure + chapter arriving in London to pursue her acting career + telling me about this guy she’d met - well, hey presto!! They got engaged and Monday we captured their engagement pictures!!!! We also had a celebratory vino afterwards too!! :-)
Post engagement session celebratory drinks……..
Tuesday it was time to catch up with Flynn Austen, 15months young for his one year plus pictures. Crystal Palace Park was our destination + again the light was just gorgeous!! There was A LOT of laughter + A LOT of cheekiness from this gorgeous prince. He’s gotten so tall and just started walking so I’m sure by the next time I see him he’ll be running around all over the place!! :-)
Post session selfie….I’m getting in to this lol
Giggling mummy
and…so Thursday was a prep day, well it was an editing and prep day for this gorgeous shoot next week….I get to spend the afternoon picture taking in this very special and spectacular venue…..+ I’m super excited!!
Friday Morning….Kensington Palace……waiting for my family client to arrive I admired the flower beds with the spectacular tulips!!
Friday afternoon at RIBA photographing their graduation ceremony…my 5th consecutive year + loving the inspiration from their key speaker
I do feel truly blessed as I start my journey with lovely Amy, John, Bindi & Maarten and continue it with Joanna + Joe, Amy + Flynn, it really is magical and looking back on this it’s been pretty busy but it’s been epically amazing to connect with all this awesome souls and visit all the different venues - Heres’s to an awesome long weekend!!! Happy FRIYAY * SATURYAY & SUNDAY oh hold MONYAY too lol that doesn’t quite work lol Have a fab weekend + Thank you for allowing me to share and capture your journey and new chapters xx
Never work with Children OR Animals....PAH!
BRING…IT…..ON…..!
Well now…who hasn’t heard that age old saying about never working with animals AND children, I have busted that line out and laughed about it a few times myself in the middle of photo sessions with clients BUT the truth is I love it! What is not to love?
Unpredictability, chuckles, laughter, inquisitiveness….the list actually goes on and..ummm.. it’s fun. In what other realm is it possible to revert back to being a child yourself or act like a looney in order to get a great shot or just do your job….I’m sure in any other environment I’d get fired for blowing raspberries at my clients lol BUT this last week I worked with both and I just had to share these out takes !!
If I didn’t know I was playing ‘Peek - A - Boo’ with Henry I could totally read that as him being exasperated by me lol + ‘Whiskey’ here totally laughing at my jokes….I am very funny lol :-) Have a super Afternoon everyone!!
Friday Night confessionals....Dublin + once home, a trip to A&E.......
On set at the beach in Ireland
Well now, it’s been a week and I really could start with “Well now Universe, enough playing around, this year you’re really whipping up a storm”….and just like one of those books you can get where there are two or three story lines you get to decide upon which ending you’d like - I feel like it would be possible to write that out, although that would be rather dramatic.
Last Thursday (I skipped last weeks confessional as I was standing in the rain in Dublin, merrily working on a film set) so last Thursday I flew in to Dublin for work. My friend Patricia who I met 19 years ago on a feature film had written a short film and hired me to take the stills photos for it so off I went.
I was full of excitement to head home, a city I had lived in for 2 years, where I met + made the most amazing friends, created an awesome life for myself, fell in love + discovered photography was my thing.
Working with Patricia again felt like I had come full circle and wandering around Dublin between being on set enabled me to take trips down memory lane, to ponder how life had gone over the last 19 years and see how Dublin had changed, evolved and like old friends we had catching up to do.
Seeking out The Gallery of Photography I smiled so broadly!! (It hadn’t changed a bit) It was here I would bring my rolls of film to develop and make contact sheets and then prints of the film I worked on and cut my teeth on. The film that propelled me in to a new career, a new direction + an enormous amount of opportunities I never imagined existed. 2000-2002 was a time of growth and change in Ireland + everyone was so friendly + helpful. I love that I can walk around now and have such fond memories, I can see where shops have changed and new ones take their place or the old ones exist + have weathered the storms of the past years. Breathing through the kinks of some memories, I set some of my own ghosts free.
The BEST place for an ‘Irish Black Russian’
Ahhh Captain Americas!!! A wonderful accompaniment to a Thursday evening :-) + a good place to start a night out! The MOST epic cocktail ever circa 2002 was The Irish Black Russian
Part Kalhua, Tia Maria + Vodka, 4/5ths cola + a smash of Guinness - well worth trying!!! :-)
So back to the film…..A wonderful two days photographing the stills for a great film with an amazing cast + crew and being back in the thick of it all was great fun.
Now, what started as a cough tickle on Thursday went full blown by the time I got home on Sunday evening and by 10pm after calling 111 three paramedics were on my doorstep. I’d had difficulty breathing and called 111 to ask for some advice, by the time I was chatting, well I’d like to say I was chatting but the fact is I was drawing heavily for breath + in quite a lot of pain by the time I spoke to “Katie” the lovely call handler - she was great + could hear I was in trouble, I always feel like I’m making a fuss or wasting their time so must have apologised about 15 times before she said she was sending out the troops.
It was a bit scary, they ran tests when they arrived and asked me to pack a bag as they were running me in to hospital for extra checks. After a series of blood tests + an ECG I was allowed home + diagnosed with a Viral lung infection - delicious! Not delicious. I discovered this week, even when really sick I am a rubbish patient and for two days was fighting with myself and my virus until Wednesday when I finally gave in, lay down and slept. I’ve been reading, colouring (a new one on me) + drinking so much juice, squash + tea it’s amazing I’m not just a puddle right now. Anyways, it’s been a week of delights and leaning in to being ill, giving up and surrendering and waiting and allowing whatever is next to come along. I feel so blessed to have been part of the film crew in Ireland and I am excited to see how it develops and what the future holds for it over the coming months. As for me, I’m off to lie down again and read, hoping that this virus disappears very quickly!
Have an amazing Friday everyone + super weekend!! xx
Tuesday turned in to Wednesday
and whilst I was in the zone + flying with productivity, I started a blog post and by 7pm was custard lol I had to step away + eat + get some fresh air :-)
This morning I’ve taught a yoga class + worked out, fuelled up on beans on toast and caught hold of the day! So now, I’m sharing a few favourites from the super cute wedding a couple weeks ago - I love the drama of Black & White images and these make me smile :-)
Happy HUMP DAY everyone! Enjoy the laughter + love below x
Sunday Sass
Katharine Street, Croydon - The Ladies First exhibition up until May
Just for this week, Friday night confessional moved to Sunday Sass!
Whoooo-eeeee I’m sitting here, Sunday night, Mothers Day, full of delight at having spent a fun, laughter filled day with my parents. Sunday roast, a little trip out around the countryside and a nap when I got home lol well, I did do a ‘Blaze’ class this morning before all this exuberance and I am feeling it tonight :-)
This past week has been full of family photo sessions mostly in London and with gorgeous families with teenagers (as opposed to teeny people) + the energy of London mixed in with young adults really sets you up to have perky, energised interactions and days - up in a super fun way!
On Friday after a session near London Bridge I caught the overland down to Croydon to say Good Luck to Jack at Lives Not Knives. He has been such an amazing influence within the charity with all his work on the schools roadshows and mentoring young people + is leaving to pursue other interests which I just know he’ll be amazing at!!
Whilst in Croydon AND with it being sunny I took advantage of the visit to swing past Katharine Street and check out the Ladies First exhibition opposite the Library. It looks fabulous! and I made a little video for instagram which I’ve shared above :-)
Happy Sunday everyone, Happy Mothers Day + have an amazing week ahead!!
