blogcircle Archives - Page 4 of 14

September 30, 2019September 30, 2019

30 Minutes in the Life – September 2019 | Marwell Zoo

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So that’s another month that’s been and gone on the struggle bus! The year is fast coming to an end, and with less than 100 days to go, I already can’t wait for Christmas!

This month I’ve been busy throwing myself into a new venture, but I’m finally feeling myself reaching for my camera when the mood strikes or when the light is right. I’m not where I was with it a year ago, but as the anniversary of our sudden relocation approaches, I’m starting to feel a parting of the storm clouds (*knocks on wood*).

Way back at the beginning of this month, before the boys were back at school, we took a trip to Marwell Zoo. I remember going there with the Brownies when I must’ve been about their age, and both would’ve had school trips there but for the small matter of living in the wrong country at the time. So all that to say, it seemed like a fitting finale to our summer holiday. Turned out to be a bit of a nightmare getting in (their payment systems weren’t working and then they didn’t have change for cash purchases) but I wasn’t going to give up after driving all the way there and we made it in eventually! After all the kerfuffle I didn’t get lots of fun photos to start with, but once we calmed down (and fed the hangry 7-year old) we had a lovely time!

I love these trips because I’m not alone in trying to get the perfect shot or the best view; absolutely everyone is trying to do the same thing too. Whether they have a camera or a phone or a ipad, the vast majority of visitors wants to photograph the animals as well, and I love watching how others approach that (and then typically I try to do something completely different). But how hard is it to get a good shot?! The enclosures make it hard. The animals make it hard. Oh but boy do I love the challenge!

Any guesses which was my favourite encounter of the day? Hint: the next in line and the kid above was less than impressed, but I mean seriously, how could you not love that face?!

Lions say:

Or do they ROOOAAARRRR? (Adding this one because I love it despite its rather obvious flaw. Don’t judge me!)

Thank you for joining me again this month. Up next in the blog circle is the incredible Ivana Aleric. Please click here to visit Ivana’s blog. Want some more amazing inspiration? Keep following the circle to see what other photographers from around the world have shared this month – and don’t forget to leave a little love on their pages!

Until next time,

~Ceri

September 6, 2019September 6, 2019

Share Six Blog Circle – September 2019 | Gold

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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, so for all of September Share Six is highlighting @thegoldhopeproject to help spread awareness.

For those of you that don’t know, The Gold Hope Project is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of photographers who aim to provide free portrait sessions to families battling pediatric cancer. As photographers, we understand how truly important it is to document our children’s lives, and what better gift to give to parents going through such a tremendously difficult time. In addition to pairing young warriors with photographers, @TheGoldHopeProject also works to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. If you want to participate with us this month, here are just a few things you can consider:

1. Tag your {gold} photos with #theGoldHopeProject (to spread awareness) and #sharesix_gold2019 on Instagram. You will have a chance to be featured on one of the MANY participating hubs for the month of September, and as usual you can share you gold images to our facebook wall too.
2. Go to goldhopeproject.com and see how you can apply to be a registered photographer
3. Donate. It DOES make a difference!

This month I’m bringing to you a diverse selection of images from our recent trip to France. And when I say, diverse, I mean grasses, some livestock and two different takes on the same sunset:

And last but not least, and totally not related to our trip to France, a gorgeous 10-week old golden retriever. No, he isn’t mine, but you’re likely to see him again around here!

Thank you for joining me for another month at Share Six.

Post your {Gold} image on our Facebook page SHARE SIX or to our Instagram gallery by using #sharesix_gold2019. A new theme will be posted on 6th October.

Up next is my friend and talented photographer, Michèle Tremblay. Click here to see her images and be sure to leave her some love!

Until next time and happy Summer,

Ceri xx

August 26, 2019August 23, 2019

30 Minutes in the life Blog Circle – August 2019 | Pep Ventosa Technique

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Oh my goodness! Picking just one 30 minutes from this last month has proved really really tricky!

We spent a little over two weeks of this month relaxing and sightseeing in the French countryside. I’ve been feeling disconnected from my camera over the past (goodness) ten months due to the stresses of our relocation back to the UK, so this trip was the perfect opportunity to get reconnected and reinspired. I told myself I was going to pick up my camera every day, just like I have done for the past three years but haven’t felt compelled to do hardly at all in 2019. So as you can imagine, I have a lot of images from this trip. A. Lot.

And so for a trip that was about reconnecting and getting inspired, it seems fitting that I share with you my go-to technique for getting myself out of a rut: trying something new!

I’ve wanted to attempt the Pep Ventosa Technique for a long time, but the time and the inclination and the subject haven’t ever aligned. Until now! One morning in France everything came together and this is the result:

It was 6.30am and my bladder decided I should get up. A quick trip to the bathroom and I thought I’d be straight back to bed. But before I made it back into the dark of my bedroom (thank you shutters) I caught a glimpse through another room out to the garden and field beyond. The sun was just rising and the land was awash with gold. I knew instantly what I had to do. Still in my pyjamas, I grabbed my camera and my crocs and stomped down the garden to the maple tree bathed in golden light.

For those of you who don’t know, the Pep Ventosa Technique is taking photos from every side of your subject and then compiling them images in Photoshop. In this case I used approximately 60 images layered together with varying degrees of opacity to create one single image. The result is almost like that of an impressionist painting. The techniques I usually use and that have become my “style” are exclusively done in-camera, so sharing this on-the-ground leg work and post-production manipulation is a little outside my comfort zone. But the reason I use those in-camera techniques is to create a dream-like, impressionist or abstract look and feel. So I feel bizarrely comfortable and complete out of control all at the same time! I have expanded my box of tricks and I certainly plan on using the technique over and over and over until I master it!

I took a few more pictures before I headed back inside. Not many, but the light was too gorgeous to just leave.

This last one is actually one of the 60+ frames for the Pep image, but the flare is too gorgeous to not share on its own in its own right.

It took me another 15 minutes to wind down after I went back inside. I did some crochet while I looked out at the view. And then I went back to bed. It was a pretty glorious way to start the day!

Thank you for joining me again this month. Up next in the blog circle is the very lovely Kim Sidwell Photography. Please click here to visit Kim’s page. Want some more amazing inspiration? Keep following the circle to see what other photographers from around the world have shared this month – and don’t forget to leave a little love on their pages!

Until next time,

~Ceri

August 6, 2019July 25, 2019

Share Six Blog Circle – August 2019 | Summer Days

August at Share Six is all about {Summer Days). At the time of writing our summer has barely begun; we’re literally only a few hours in (and already the kids are bickering and asking for food constantly). However at the time of posting I am sunning it up in the French countryside! {Summer Days} are here again!

When we lived in Arizona, it felt like summer for about 85% of the year, at least it did to us Brits. Here in the UK we have to make the most of any good weather we get (and complain about it when it is too good…like today! Boy, 30C is too hot for no AC). In Arizona we had a pool and it was glorious; as soon as the weather got a little bit nice here we realised we hadn’t owned (or hadn’t needed to own) a paddling pool for five years, so quick as a flash, I made a mad dash to the local garden centre to get one!

The dog even joined in. Not through choice mind you, but she seemed to rather enjoy it once she was in!

Summer days wouldn’t be complete without a bit more of our Scottsdale-in-England lifestyle: reading a good book, lounging on the hammock.

Thank you for joining me for another month at Share Six.

Post your {Summer Days} image on our Facebook page SHARE SIX or to our Instagram gallery by using #sharesix_summerdays. A new theme will be posted on 6th September.

Up next is my friend and talented photographer, Sharleen of Sharleen Stuart Photography. Click here to see her images and be sure to leave her some love!

Until next time and happy Summer,

Ceri xx

July 29, 2019July 23, 2019

30 Minutes in the Life – July 2019 | Hunstanton Beach

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For this month’s 30 Minutes I’m taking you back to June and our trip to Norfolk.

A friend recently posted a question on Facebook: mountains or beach? For me the answer is easy. The sea calls me. All. The. Time. The distant horizon, the ginormous sky, that vast sense of nothing, that anything is possible, the sound of swaying water and the freshness of the breeze in the air: I want to be there as often as I can for as long as I can. Perhaps I am the British version of Moana?!

This is the beach at Hunstanton with it’s sweeping views over The Wash and striking reddish stratified carrstone, limestone and chalk cliffs. We didn’t have all that long to explore (thank you pay n display parking) so you’re seeing pretty much everything I captured in the order I captured it, even the sulking 9-year old (he got over it soon enough…I tell you, the sea fixes everything). It’s quite a long scroll. Enjoy!

Until next time,

~Ceri