Blog Circles Archives - Page 6 of 21

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020

30 Minutes in the Life – 2020 | In the Kitchen

Ceri-Herd-Photography-Documentary-in-the-kitchen

Welcome to another month of 30 Minutes in the Life!

I admit, I’m cheating a little with my 30 Minutes this month. These minutes aren’t continuous but they represent a space and a time I want to be able to look back on. What better way to do that than to document the little moments.

Despite the lockdown, we recently heard that we had our planning permission approved. We can’t wait to get started turning our home into something to be proud of! We love this place, for the bones and the feels, for the memories already created, the safety and security it offers after turbulent times, and the potential, but it’s not exactly picture perfect right now!

Our kitchen, as it currently stands, is a corridor from the bedrooms at the front of the house to the lounge at the back and the “front door” (which is actually a garage door) at the side. It is a space we use because we have to, not because we want to, and very rarely for any length of time. I love to cook and to bake, but these surroundings are not inspiring!

When this space undergoes it’s transformation it’ll become the dining room and heart of the home, so I wanted to take a moment to unashamedly appreciate it for what it is now. A mishmash ugly mess with nowhere near enough storage!

Someone managed to accidentally order 45 rolls of toilet paper. That “someone” would be me.

Thanks for stopping by! Up next in the blog circle is the incredible Stacey Markel Photography. Please click here to visit Stacey’s blog.

Until next time,

~Ceri

May 6, 2020May 5, 2020

Share Six Blog Circle – May 2020 | Simplicity

Ceri-Herd-Photography-Tulip-Lensbaby-Omni

This month’s Share Six theme is {simplicity}.

As I sit down to prepare this blog, we are hearing reports that the UK is now the worst hit country in Europe, in terms of deaths due to COVID-19. We’ve been at home now for over 6 weeks, only leaving the house for dog walks and to get essential supplies. Although it seemed daunting at first, we are in fact living a simpler life and I definitely have a newfound appreciation for the simple things.

I planted tulips in my garden last October. It being our first year in this house, I had no idea what other flowers were going to appear this Spring, but tulips are my absolute favourite and I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to have some as soon as possible. When I planted them, little did I know how much energy I would invest in watching them grow, diligently waiting for the right time to study them with my camera.

It’s amazing to me that I can find such joy from one flower. I have spent the last 18 months feeling uninspired, looking further and further afield to create something that I felt worthy of sharing. But now I see it. In the right light, with the right tools, there is magic in this little corner of my garden. It was right in front of me, just waiting for me to be ready to see it.

Take a step back from the rat race. Appreciate what you have.

Thanks for joining us again this month. Don’t forget, post your {simplicity} images on our Facebook page SHARE SIX or to our Instagram gallery by using #sharesix_simplicity. A new theme will be posted on 6th June.

Up next in our blog circle is my lovely friend and extremely talented photographer, Lynne Grant. Click here to see her images and be sure to leave her some love!

Until next time, stay safe,

Ceri xx

April 6, 2020April 6, 2020

Share Six Blog Circle – April 2020 | Imperfection

Ceri Herd Photography Imperfection Pelican at Birdworld

I am so excited for this month’s {imperfection} theme! In March I was lucky enough to have one of my images on display at the Click Away conference in the Imperfection category. This one image alone has caused me a lot of reflection these past few weeks. I submitted “Preening” on somewhat of a whim, it was an afterthought and a wild card, but I love it because of its imperfections, not in spite of them: in composition, the limb chops, and even the pelican is showing off the imperfections in his feathers.

All that said, inspiration came to me in a completely different form these past few days. We’re living in an imperfect world right now, and as society unravels and then builds back up again, we will start to see and appreciate more and more of the layers and complexity of our society.

Thanks for joining us again this month. Don’t forget, post your {imperfection} images on our Facebook page SHARE SIX or to our Instagram gallery by using #sharesix_imperfection. A new theme will be posted on 6th May.

Up next in our blog circle is my lovely friend and extremely talented photographer, Janet Douglas. Click here to see her images and be sure to leave her some love!

Until next time, stay safe,

Ceri xx

March 30, 2020March 30, 2020

30 Minutes in the Life – March 2020 | Portchester Castle

Ceri-Herd-Photography-Portchester-Castle

These times are tough the whole world over, but rather than dwell on the present, I want to look back just a few weeks to when life was…normal.

March is my birthday month! As a gift, I asked for a day trip. I didn’t mind where, I just wanted to have a day that let me focus on my hobby. I wanted to be able to document the day, and that was all. I’m (relatively) easily pleased!

The littlest member of our family has been studying the Romans at school this term, so a visit to Portchester Castle seemed like the perfect choice!

Portchester Castle stands in a commanding position at the north end of Portsmouth Harbour. The Romans built a huge fort here, which remains the best preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. After the Norman Conquest a castle was built in one corner of the fort, which grew into an impressive royal residence. From 1665 Portchester was frequently used to house foreign prisoners of war, most notably during the wars with France between 1793 and 1815. [from the English Heritage website].

Hope you enjoy my images this month. Sorry for the long scroll……..!

Up next in the blog circle is the incredible April White Photography. Please click here to visit April’s blog.

March 6, 2020March 5, 2020

Share Six Blog Circle – March 2020 | Morning

I am not, nor will I ever be, a morning person. The struggle I had to find {morning} images for our new Share Six theme is testament to that alone! Although the majority of these images are from last year, I hadn’t processed them until today, but I knew each one of them was sitting there waiting for an opportunity to see the light of day, rising like the sun each morning! I hope you enjoy them.

This is what “I’m ready to go for my morning walk so I’m going to sit here in the rain and wait patiently for you get your shoes so you go get your shoes now please” looks like:

We’ve almost been in our house for a year so we’re finally coming full circle but I’m still learning how the light works through each season. It turns out light only comes through this window in the deepest darkest depths of December. On the one sunny day we had this past December, I saw it…just for a fleeting moment:

Early morning on a rainy day:

When the patient dog finally gets taken on her morning walk, I’ll often take my camera and sometimes the light will inspire me to try some creative. This image is from one of those times. Sunlight poking through the trees, autumnal colours of the bracken, it was asking for a play on tone:

This next image (or rather 30 images layered together) is another one from last year. I’m grateful to my lovely Share Six colleagues for giving me the reason and the motivation to get my images off the hard drive and to breathe life into them:

Last summer we took Nerys camping by the sea. She enjoyed relaxing in the sea mist that rolled in each morning. Here she is ready to put the kettle on:

When I think of mornings I instantly think of my two favorite morning people. Every single morning they get themselves up, they get themselves breakfast and they start their day together. It’s a time I haven’t ever really documented at home (shame on me), but I did one morning in France last year.

Thanks for joining us again this month. Don’t forget, post your {morning} images on our Facebook page SHARE SIX or to our Instagram gallery by using #sharesix_morning. A new theme will be posted on 6th April.

Up next in our blog circle is my lovely friend and extremely talented photographer, Liz of It’s Still Life Photography. Click here to see her images and be sure to leave her some love!

Until next time,

Ceri xx