farnham-photographer Archives - Page 5 of 6

October 28, 2019October 28, 2019

30 Minutes in the Life – October 2019 | In My Courtyard

Some of you may know that we moved into our new-to-us home earlier this year. It needs an extension, a loft conversion, a garage conversion, and a complete overhaul in almost all other respects. You could say there weren’t many selling points, other than the potential, but there is one little corner of the house that had me mentally moved in before I’d even seen the rest of it. Admittedly you still have to use your imagination a little though! Picture a string of bulb lights zigzagging across the top, lots more lush green plants, moroccan tiles and after dinner drinks on a warm summer’s evening.

This is my special little courtyard, and this month I started work on the “lots of lush green plants” part of the project (please excuse the muddy mess I made potting up the plants)!

If you know me at all you know I don’t have much success when it comes to keep plants alive. I choose them primarily for their photogenic qualities, not their tolerance for living in a small pot, so that probably doesn’t bode well for their long-term future. But hey, I’m doing to do my best, because when I get 30 minutes alone time with one of these pots, I am happy.

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Thank you for joining me again this month, especially if you made it all the way down here! Up next in the blog circle is the incredible Caroline Liabot Photography. Please click here to visit Caroline’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

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019

Share Six Blog Circle – October 2019 | Pink

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a worldwide annual campaign taking place in October, involving thousands of organisations, to highlight the importance of breast awareness, education and research. If you’d like more info, check out Wear it Pink. And in honour of this cause, Share Six is turning our feed {pink} too!

I haven’t had my own garden for 5 years, and I’ll be honest, I am not the most green-fingered person you’re likely to meet. …I’m not green-fingered at all actually, but I do love flowers even if I’m no good at tending to them! I have enjoyed obtaining a few of my favourite plants over the past few months, and I have such grand plans for our courtyard once our house renovations are complete! There are going to be so many pots, it’s going to be lush and green, and have a string of lights zigzagging across the top and a table and chairs for breakfast alfresco and pre-dinner cocktails (….this is reminding me I must take proper before photos)!

These upcoming house renovations have meant that I’ve tried to the plant buying to a minimum. But with a gorgeous garden centre less than 3 minutes drive from our house, it was inevitable that some of my favourites would make an appearance sooner rather than later. It won’t surprise you to know that my favourites are also particularly photogenic: a hydrangea, a camilia, and a dahlia. And so today, ladies and gentlemen, the rhubarb and custard dahlia makes her debut appearance:

Next on the garden centre shopping list is a peony, and after that a magnolia for the front garden. I definitely have a type when it come to plants: big beautiful flowers!

Thank you for joining me for another month at Share Six. Post your {Pink} image on our Facebook page SHARE SIX or to our Instagram gallery by using #sharesix_pink. A new theme will be posted on 6th November.

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

Until next time,

Ceri xx

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

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