I got mad skillz yo.
Laters,
P x
29 October 2011
Shooped.
Sometimes you just have to photoshop a picture of your best friend for her birthday.
I got mad skillz yo.
Laters,
P x
I got mad skillz yo.
Laters,
P x
25 October 2011
Oh eBay.
When I want to win something I never do. When I bid on something just to see if I would get outbid then don't get outbid and end up winning the auction, gets me every time. Well ok I've only done it this once. Good job I didn't try this style on one of the Hasselblads I've been eyeing up.
So I just, without really meaning to, won the following camera and kit.
Comes with the following kit:-
Carl Zeiss 28mm F2.8 Lens, Very good condition. With sky filter
Carl Zeiss 135mm F2.8 Lens, Very good condition.
Praktica Pentacon 50mm Lens, Very good condition. With sky filter
Jessop 2x Convertor
1 Hakuba polarizer filter
1 Hakuba cross screen filter
1 Lens hood
Praktica Camera Strap
Camera instruction booklet
Aluminium Case
Well according to eBay it does. Whether it does is obviously the hazard of eBay. I've never had a bad experience on eBay truth be told but there's always a first time.
I have absolutely no experience of this camera but couldn't resist for some strange reason. I think the prospect of a shiny metal case drew me in. Impulse purchasing indeed. Oh well. I've always wanted my own little camera collection.
Laters,
P x
So I just, without really meaning to, won the following camera and kit.
Comes with the following kit:-
Carl Zeiss 28mm F2.8 Lens, Very good condition. With sky filter
Carl Zeiss 135mm F2.8 Lens, Very good condition.
Praktica Pentacon 50mm Lens, Very good condition. With sky filter
Jessop 2x Convertor
1 Hakuba polarizer filter
1 Hakuba cross screen filter
1 Lens hood
Praktica Camera Strap
Camera instruction booklet
Aluminium Case
Well according to eBay it does. Whether it does is obviously the hazard of eBay. I've never had a bad experience on eBay truth be told but there's always a first time.
I have absolutely no experience of this camera but couldn't resist for some strange reason. I think the prospect of a shiny metal case drew me in. Impulse purchasing indeed. Oh well. I've always wanted my own little camera collection.
Laters,
P x
20 October 2011
Capela de Ossos
Remember when I went to Portugal and the only thing I really wanted to see was the Capela de Ossos (Chapel of Bones)?
Well I did see it. And it was frickin' awesome!
More shots of the creepily good Capela de Ossos can be seen here.
Laters,
P x
Well I did see it. And it was frickin' awesome!
More shots of the creepily good Capela de Ossos can be seen here.
Laters,
P x
Becoming a photographer.
I have this little problem. Which I'm not quite sure how to handle. I suspect quite a few people experience this as well. My mum, when the opportunity arises, presents herself as my biggest fan and sells me to other people as significantly greater than I actually am. As sweet and flattering as this is it does cause me some embarrassment.
Allow me to explain. My mum is trained supervisor and she has her own little collection of visiting students. Whatever that means. I've never understood what my mum does no matter how many times she explains it to me. Anyways one of her students is a chap called Paul, lovely Scottish guy who I found out tonight also works in the media. During tonight's session with my mum he mentioned a project he's arranging, an arts exhibition with some UK and New York based artists. After the session, mum probed him further on this because anything arts related mum thinks of me also. Well then she called me downstairs to briefly chat with Paul. He asks me the usual questions someone asks when they find out I'm studying photography. I respond with the usual answers I give. Every so often mum chips in and "sells" me as a great photographer. I'm not sure entirely where this conversation is leading but there's a hint of maybe getting me some work at ITV or BBC when my course is finished as well as getting me involved in the exhibition that Paul is organising (not to exhibit but to work at). Then he says one of my most dreaded phrases when talking about photography, "Maybe I could take a look at your work sometime."
Disaster.
You see I don't consider myself a photographer. I refuse to use that term when describing myself. I am, and probably will be for a while, a photography student. I'm still very much in the learning stages. And unfortunately those learning stages aren't going so great but I am sticking it out because giving up isn't really an option. But that's beside the point. I am not a photographer. I'll correct people if they call me that. I don't have a portfolio or a website. I don't even have a Facebook page for my photography. I've got a Flickr and that's about it. I'm not trying to sell myself as a photographer. I won't shoot your wedding or your kids portraits, that's for sure. I don't even bother taking my camera to any gigs I attend. So what kind of photographer could I possibly be?
I've always had this thing of beating myself up a little for not always carrying my camera on me, not always taking photographs at every opportunity, for not gathering this mass of photography work. What I've been teaching myself recently is that there is no need for this. I'm just not that kind of photography student. I like taking photographs when I feel like taking photographs. If I don't feel I'll be happy with the photographs I'm getting I won't shoot. It's a waste of effort and causes me frustration. And I have to stop feeling guilty over this kind of thing. It doesn't matter. I'm not here to impress anyone with my photography.
My tutor asked me recently where do I see myself when I finish my course. I actually laughed in response. Truth is I don't know. I have never known what I've wanted to do in the future from the age of 13 onwards. Be happy apparently isn't the right answer. I'm content to try my hand at different things. I don't care for grand success or wealth. They'd be nice but it's all not I'm aiming for in life. Maybe this makes me lacking in ambition. But I don't care. All I wanted to do when I signed up to this course was learn how to take better photographs. I actually don't feel like I have as of yet. I have learnt to read photographs better and appreciate the conceptual side of photography. It's opened me up to that for sure. But technically I'm no better now than I was when I started. This is no end of frustration to me. But I'm slowly getting past that as well.
As you know I've recently turned away from digital and moved to analogue because this is the photography I like. I don't want to see that a shot hasn't worked out right away then spend 5-10 minutes trying to figure it out to get it right. I want to shoot with reckless abandon then look at the results afterwards. If they've worked, fantastic. If they haven't, oh well. I can't explain to you how exciting it was to get that first roll of film back from my Olympus. To see those shots sent a thrill through me. More so than anything else I've ever shot. If I have to have a portfolio (which according to my tutor, I do) I'd rather it be built from the analogue shots I've taken. But there's still this pressure to have a technically and conceptually brilliant portfolio so I'm forced to produce work I don't really care for. My portfolio will have to contain some of the work I've produced digitally because my analogue work isn't currently strong enough to be featured. And it's unlikely to become any stronger with this next project. But then again how often will I be in situations in future when I have to show a portfolio? I'm not trying to sell myself to anyone for a job within the industry. I'm not bothered by commissions. Just give me space to do my own work.
So when Paul next comes over, I don't know what I'll do. What work do I show him? The stuff I've produced for college, for which I have no passion for? Or the few analogue shots that I've taken that I love? How do you explain to someone that really you aren't bothered about becoming a professional photographer but you love photography more than anything else? That you'll work in any way that allows you to be around photography even if you're not shooting anything yourself? My ambitions for photography revolve mostly around just doing what I like, what I want, what I love. Whether that's working with models in the studio or working more conceptually to produce something more fine arts based. Heck sometimes I even like indulging in the cardinal sin of photography, taking a photograph because it makes a pretty picture.
So what kind of photographer will I be? Will I ever get to a point where I can class myself as a photographer? Do I even want to?
I often wonder if I'm on the wrong course...
Laters,
P x
Allow me to explain. My mum is trained supervisor and she has her own little collection of visiting students. Whatever that means. I've never understood what my mum does no matter how many times she explains it to me. Anyways one of her students is a chap called Paul, lovely Scottish guy who I found out tonight also works in the media. During tonight's session with my mum he mentioned a project he's arranging, an arts exhibition with some UK and New York based artists. After the session, mum probed him further on this because anything arts related mum thinks of me also. Well then she called me downstairs to briefly chat with Paul. He asks me the usual questions someone asks when they find out I'm studying photography. I respond with the usual answers I give. Every so often mum chips in and "sells" me as a great photographer. I'm not sure entirely where this conversation is leading but there's a hint of maybe getting me some work at ITV or BBC when my course is finished as well as getting me involved in the exhibition that Paul is organising (not to exhibit but to work at). Then he says one of my most dreaded phrases when talking about photography, "Maybe I could take a look at your work sometime."
Disaster.
You see I don't consider myself a photographer. I refuse to use that term when describing myself. I am, and probably will be for a while, a photography student. I'm still very much in the learning stages. And unfortunately those learning stages aren't going so great but I am sticking it out because giving up isn't really an option. But that's beside the point. I am not a photographer. I'll correct people if they call me that. I don't have a portfolio or a website. I don't even have a Facebook page for my photography. I've got a Flickr and that's about it. I'm not trying to sell myself as a photographer. I won't shoot your wedding or your kids portraits, that's for sure. I don't even bother taking my camera to any gigs I attend. So what kind of photographer could I possibly be?
I've always had this thing of beating myself up a little for not always carrying my camera on me, not always taking photographs at every opportunity, for not gathering this mass of photography work. What I've been teaching myself recently is that there is no need for this. I'm just not that kind of photography student. I like taking photographs when I feel like taking photographs. If I don't feel I'll be happy with the photographs I'm getting I won't shoot. It's a waste of effort and causes me frustration. And I have to stop feeling guilty over this kind of thing. It doesn't matter. I'm not here to impress anyone with my photography.
My tutor asked me recently where do I see myself when I finish my course. I actually laughed in response. Truth is I don't know. I have never known what I've wanted to do in the future from the age of 13 onwards. Be happy apparently isn't the right answer. I'm content to try my hand at different things. I don't care for grand success or wealth. They'd be nice but it's all not I'm aiming for in life. Maybe this makes me lacking in ambition. But I don't care. All I wanted to do when I signed up to this course was learn how to take better photographs. I actually don't feel like I have as of yet. I have learnt to read photographs better and appreciate the conceptual side of photography. It's opened me up to that for sure. But technically I'm no better now than I was when I started. This is no end of frustration to me. But I'm slowly getting past that as well.
As you know I've recently turned away from digital and moved to analogue because this is the photography I like. I don't want to see that a shot hasn't worked out right away then spend 5-10 minutes trying to figure it out to get it right. I want to shoot with reckless abandon then look at the results afterwards. If they've worked, fantastic. If they haven't, oh well. I can't explain to you how exciting it was to get that first roll of film back from my Olympus. To see those shots sent a thrill through me. More so than anything else I've ever shot. If I have to have a portfolio (which according to my tutor, I do) I'd rather it be built from the analogue shots I've taken. But there's still this pressure to have a technically and conceptually brilliant portfolio so I'm forced to produce work I don't really care for. My portfolio will have to contain some of the work I've produced digitally because my analogue work isn't currently strong enough to be featured. And it's unlikely to become any stronger with this next project. But then again how often will I be in situations in future when I have to show a portfolio? I'm not trying to sell myself to anyone for a job within the industry. I'm not bothered by commissions. Just give me space to do my own work.
So when Paul next comes over, I don't know what I'll do. What work do I show him? The stuff I've produced for college, for which I have no passion for? Or the few analogue shots that I've taken that I love? How do you explain to someone that really you aren't bothered about becoming a professional photographer but you love photography more than anything else? That you'll work in any way that allows you to be around photography even if you're not shooting anything yourself? My ambitions for photography revolve mostly around just doing what I like, what I want, what I love. Whether that's working with models in the studio or working more conceptually to produce something more fine arts based. Heck sometimes I even like indulging in the cardinal sin of photography, taking a photograph because it makes a pretty picture.
So what kind of photographer will I be? Will I ever get to a point where I can class myself as a photographer? Do I even want to?
I often wonder if I'm on the wrong course...
Laters,
P x
18 October 2011
Dublin.
Dublin is lovely. Expensive but lovely. Since some of the rolls I shot didn't come out right I think that warrants another trip there to take some better shots.
Guinness is not nice.
Probably my favourite shot.
Trippy accidental, probably lab caused double exposure.
Rest of the shots can be found in this set on my Flickr.
Laters,
P x
Guinness is not nice.
Probably my favourite shot.
Trippy accidental, probably lab caused double exposure.
Rest of the shots can be found in this set on my Flickr.
Laters,
P x
17 October 2011
Like the water I want to keep running...
Post on Dublin to come soon. Just got a few things going on in my head. Getting my films developed tomorrow. Post to follow.
11 October 2011
The results are in...
So last Thursday, along with the 11 rolls of film from my Diana F+, I handed in the first roll I put through my Olympus OM10 to the photo lab I use. I've been occasionally worrying about the results over the weekend. Scared I might not have put the film in right and all that. I was a touch nervous about collecting them today but I couldn't be happier with what it's produced.
Here's some of my favourite shots from the roll.
If you wanna check out the rest then just take a look at my Flickr.
Can't wait to work with this camera more often.
Laters,
P x
Here's some of my favourite shots from the roll.
If you wanna check out the rest then just take a look at my Flickr.
Can't wait to work with this camera more often.
Laters,
P x
8 October 2011
Oh Dolly, my Dolly
Didn't quite work out as I wanted but here's the shots I've chosen to edit and use for this Dolly series.
As you can tell, I don't go in for heavy editing. Partially because I haven't been taught much about editing but mostly because I don't especially like it.
So there you go. Opinions welcome.
Laters,
P x
As you can tell, I don't go in for heavy editing. Partially because I haven't been taught much about editing but mostly because I don't especially like it.
So there you go. Opinions welcome.
Laters,
P x
6 October 2011
Portugal on film
Got the first batch of my Portugal Diana F+ prints back today. Some of them came out quite alright. Most of them didn't. Which does make me worry for the rest of the films, got another 10 in the lab at the moment. But ah well. It's all part of the toy camera experience.
Here's some of my favourites.
The rest of the shots are in the Portugal on film set on my Flickr.
I'll post the rest when I get them at the weekend.
Laters,
x
Here's some of my favourites.
The rest of the shots are in the Portugal on film set on my Flickr.
I'll post the rest when I get them at the weekend.
Laters,
x
4 October 2011
Dolly.
A roughly edited photograph from the dolly tea party shoot I did last Friday.
Will edit the rest when I get Photoshop working.
Laters,
P x
Will edit the rest when I get Photoshop working.
Laters,
P x
Analogue love.
As we know I am currently a student of photography here in fair Manchester. The title of my course is Photography and Digital Imaging. You see that word there? After 'and' and before 'Imaging'. Yeah that one, 'Digital', that's the word I'm talking about. Want to know a secret? I don't like that word. I don't like digital. There I said it. So why study on a digital photography course? Who bloody knows? Not me.
Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed some of what my Canon 450D has produced. We've had fun together. He's very handy sometimes. But to tell you the truth we're not the best of friends. We don't always get on. Sometimes we positively hate each other. But that's alright. It's no big deal to feel that way. What I love, what I have always loved is analogue photography. Ever since I was a kid and my stepdad put the family camera in my hands for me to play with. Then when I had my own camera and would take photos of my toys and my family. Even buying the black and white disposable cameras that Boots used to sell. I just love film. I don't currently develop my own prints but gosh I sure would love to learn how to. I should look for a course that teaches you. But handing in those little rolls of films and awaiting the results is just so exciting to me.
Now I've mentioned before how when I went to Seville I shot almost entirely on my Diana F+, a Lomography film camera. And I spoke about how much I planned to utilise my Diana F+ whilst I was in Portugal (films are still in the developing stage at the moment). I came back with 13 used rolls of film. But all the time I was there I was dreaming of owning a proper 35mm film camera. The Diana F+ is after all technically a toy camera. It's made of plastic for folks' sake. I wanted something more, I wanted something with more than 3 apertures, I wanted something without parallax.
So on Monday 26th Sept, you know the day, when I saw Harry Potter and The Boy With Tape On His Face, I took myself to The Real Camera Company. I've walked past this shop a hundred times and awed at the sheer volume of amazing cameras that they sell. So when it came to finally investing in my own proper camera there was no doubt in my mind that I would go there for help. Now I must admit I wasn't 100% sure on what I was doing. I know very little about film cameras. I only know I like them and I wanted one. I kind of had it in my head that I'd buy a Canon AE1 or AV1 since I've seen quite a few posts on other blogs from people with those cameras. And I'm technically a Canon girl. But as I was shown camera after camera by the lovely gentleman shop assistant I was overwhelmed by the choice. I explained how little I knew, how I needed something I could learn on, something that was versatile to any condition I used it in. We bandied about a few more cameras. I carefully picked them up, held them to my face and checked out how they felt mock shooting with. I wasn't instantly bonding with any of them so far. Then he popped down one last camera for me to try out.
It was an Olympus OM10. Now this is predominantly an aperture priority camera. Unless you have the manual adapter in it. Which the kindly gentleman happened to have and popped on the camera for me. I picked it up. I held it to my face. I looked through the lens. I adjusted the focus. I felt us click. I'd found it. This was the camera for me. Now the kindly gentleman shop assistant, without me even trying to haggle, talked the price down from £75 to £60. I know you can get these cameras for less online but I like to handle a camera before purchase. It's a good idea to do so. For their service, for their patience and for the camera itself £60 sounded just fine to me.
So there it is. My first proper film camera. They kindly threw in some spare batteries, a free film of my choice (I went for black and white) and an original Olympus canvas strap as seen separately above. Now here's where I'll probably show some of my true colours. Since the camera didn't come with an instruction manual I had to look up one online. Easy enough, found one straight away and downloaded it to read when I got chance. So eventually when I got chance I sat down with the instruction manual up on my laptop and my camera in hand. I had a film ready for insertion. Ooh er. But could I get the back on my camera to open? Could I balls! I don't know what was wrong with me that day but I kept looking at the instructions then looking at my camera and just couldn't work it out. How did the back open? I got so annoyed. I got so frustrated. I put the camera down on one side and stopped being its friend for a couple of days. Then I tried again. I slowly read the instructions this time. Oh ah right okay I saw it then. I actually followed the instructions this time and POP hello open back! I'm still ashamed of my impatience. But I got there in the end, back opened, film loaded, ready to go.
I have just a couple more shots to shoot and I'll have finished my first roll. Then it'll be off for development. And it'll be picking out the best to publish on here. I'll have them by the end of the week I promise.
But let's just take one last look at it shall we?
Oh I do love it.
Laters,
P x
Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed some of what my Canon 450D has produced. We've had fun together. He's very handy sometimes. But to tell you the truth we're not the best of friends. We don't always get on. Sometimes we positively hate each other. But that's alright. It's no big deal to feel that way. What I love, what I have always loved is analogue photography. Ever since I was a kid and my stepdad put the family camera in my hands for me to play with. Then when I had my own camera and would take photos of my toys and my family. Even buying the black and white disposable cameras that Boots used to sell. I just love film. I don't currently develop my own prints but gosh I sure would love to learn how to. I should look for a course that teaches you. But handing in those little rolls of films and awaiting the results is just so exciting to me.
Now I've mentioned before how when I went to Seville I shot almost entirely on my Diana F+, a Lomography film camera. And I spoke about how much I planned to utilise my Diana F+ whilst I was in Portugal (films are still in the developing stage at the moment). I came back with 13 used rolls of film. But all the time I was there I was dreaming of owning a proper 35mm film camera. The Diana F+ is after all technically a toy camera. It's made of plastic for folks' sake. I wanted something more, I wanted something with more than 3 apertures, I wanted something without parallax.
So on Monday 26th Sept, you know the day, when I saw Harry Potter and The Boy With Tape On His Face, I took myself to The Real Camera Company. I've walked past this shop a hundred times and awed at the sheer volume of amazing cameras that they sell. So when it came to finally investing in my own proper camera there was no doubt in my mind that I would go there for help. Now I must admit I wasn't 100% sure on what I was doing. I know very little about film cameras. I only know I like them and I wanted one. I kind of had it in my head that I'd buy a Canon AE1 or AV1 since I've seen quite a few posts on other blogs from people with those cameras. And I'm technically a Canon girl. But as I was shown camera after camera by the lovely gentleman shop assistant I was overwhelmed by the choice. I explained how little I knew, how I needed something I could learn on, something that was versatile to any condition I used it in. We bandied about a few more cameras. I carefully picked them up, held them to my face and checked out how they felt mock shooting with. I wasn't instantly bonding with any of them so far. Then he popped down one last camera for me to try out.
It was an Olympus OM10. Now this is predominantly an aperture priority camera. Unless you have the manual adapter in it. Which the kindly gentleman happened to have and popped on the camera for me. I picked it up. I held it to my face. I looked through the lens. I adjusted the focus. I felt us click. I'd found it. This was the camera for me. Now the kindly gentleman shop assistant, without me even trying to haggle, talked the price down from £75 to £60. I know you can get these cameras for less online but I like to handle a camera before purchase. It's a good idea to do so. For their service, for their patience and for the camera itself £60 sounded just fine to me.
So there it is. My first proper film camera. They kindly threw in some spare batteries, a free film of my choice (I went for black and white) and an original Olympus canvas strap as seen separately above. Now here's where I'll probably show some of my true colours. Since the camera didn't come with an instruction manual I had to look up one online. Easy enough, found one straight away and downloaded it to read when I got chance. So eventually when I got chance I sat down with the instruction manual up on my laptop and my camera in hand. I had a film ready for insertion. Ooh er. But could I get the back on my camera to open? Could I balls! I don't know what was wrong with me that day but I kept looking at the instructions then looking at my camera and just couldn't work it out. How did the back open? I got so annoyed. I got so frustrated. I put the camera down on one side and stopped being its friend for a couple of days. Then I tried again. I slowly read the instructions this time. Oh ah right okay I saw it then. I actually followed the instructions this time and POP hello open back! I'm still ashamed of my impatience. But I got there in the end, back opened, film loaded, ready to go.
I have just a couple more shots to shoot and I'll have finished my first roll. Then it'll be off for development. And it'll be picking out the best to publish on here. I'll have them by the end of the week I promise.
But let's just take one last look at it shall we?
Oh I do love it.
Laters,
P x
2 October 2011
The Boy With Tape On His Face
This is a little review of a show I went to.
Whilst I was in Portugal I happened to catch a little bit of the Edinburgh Fringe programming and in particular saw this one act who stuck with me. I didn't catch the name of the act but as I was getting closer to coming home I got an email from The Lowry telling me what shows were coming up. Low and behold there was a face I recognised! It was the chap from the Edinburgh Fringe show I'd seen, the one whose name I didn't know, the one whose name is dead obvious when you think about it. The Boy With Tape On His Face.
Can you see why his name is so obvious now? He literally has tape on his face. Look at it. On his face. Tape. Yup.
So from this email I saw that this The Boy With Tape On His Face would be doing a show at the Lowry. Now with me being all "LIVE YOUR LIFE, DO ALL THE THINGS" mental right now I thought I should take myself on a date to see this show. I like comedy. I like laughing. The two tend to go together so what isn't to like? So I booked myself a ticket and after a very busy morning, I went to see The Boy With Tape On His Face.
A quick word about the venue, I really like The Lowry as a venue. It's contemporary, it's colourful, it's comfortable. I've seen Laura Marling and Simon Amstell there (separately, what a combination that would be though). It's a good venue. And best of all I get to take the Metrolink to go there. I love going on the Metrolink. There's something fun about it. It's still novel to me despite my numerous rides on it. I can't wait for the new lines to open but I digress.
So there I was, on my lonesome at a comedy show. Now The Boy With Tape On His Face was in the Studio part of the Lowry, a part I've never been in before. It is tiny. 5 rows for the front and maybe about 7 rows for the back. It is intimate. As I walked in I saw that The Boy With Tape On His Face was actually sat on stage watching us all enter. He kept eyeing the crowd and I kept doing that thing of catching his eye then looking away like I had some sort of crush on him. Which I do. Then once everyone was in he stood up, gave us all one last eyeballing then walked off stage.
Now I know you're asking me how funny can a chap who doesn't speak be? Well take yourself back to silent films and the great comedic stars of those such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Well The Boy With Tape On His Face is just like that. Except a lot more contemporary and interactive. Yeah the most terrifying part of his show is that he involves the audience but it works brilliantly. I think the best way to showcase him is to include a video. Please watch.
Now he only did an hour which is a pretty short show but it was the best £10 I've spent in a while. I came out smiling which was a challenge considering my earlier activities in the day. If you watched the video you'll see it isn't all slapstick comedy and there are some rather clever moments that just appeal right to my sense of humour.
I'm pretty sure he's still touring so check out what dates he's doing and if he happens to be playing near you and there are still tickets available then I utterly urge you to go. You won't regret it. Unless you don't like laughing. You weirdo.
Check out his website here!
As a side note, I'm pretty convinced he's my perfect man. He's mostly silent but makes me laugh loads. And even if he did talk, he's a New Zealander so he's got that adorable accent going for him. And he'd probably still make me laugh. That's pretty much all I need in a man.
Laters,
P x
Whilst I was in Portugal I happened to catch a little bit of the Edinburgh Fringe programming and in particular saw this one act who stuck with me. I didn't catch the name of the act but as I was getting closer to coming home I got an email from The Lowry telling me what shows were coming up. Low and behold there was a face I recognised! It was the chap from the Edinburgh Fringe show I'd seen, the one whose name I didn't know, the one whose name is dead obvious when you think about it. The Boy With Tape On His Face.
Can you see why his name is so obvious now? He literally has tape on his face. Look at it. On his face. Tape. Yup.
So from this email I saw that this The Boy With Tape On His Face would be doing a show at the Lowry. Now with me being all "LIVE YOUR LIFE, DO ALL THE THINGS" mental right now I thought I should take myself on a date to see this show. I like comedy. I like laughing. The two tend to go together so what isn't to like? So I booked myself a ticket and after a very busy morning, I went to see The Boy With Tape On His Face.
A quick word about the venue, I really like The Lowry as a venue. It's contemporary, it's colourful, it's comfortable. I've seen Laura Marling and Simon Amstell there (separately, what a combination that would be though). It's a good venue. And best of all I get to take the Metrolink to go there. I love going on the Metrolink. There's something fun about it. It's still novel to me despite my numerous rides on it. I can't wait for the new lines to open but I digress.
So there I was, on my lonesome at a comedy show. Now The Boy With Tape On His Face was in the Studio part of the Lowry, a part I've never been in before. It is tiny. 5 rows for the front and maybe about 7 rows for the back. It is intimate. As I walked in I saw that The Boy With Tape On His Face was actually sat on stage watching us all enter. He kept eyeing the crowd and I kept doing that thing of catching his eye then looking away like I had some sort of crush on him. Which I do. Then once everyone was in he stood up, gave us all one last eyeballing then walked off stage.
Now I know you're asking me how funny can a chap who doesn't speak be? Well take yourself back to silent films and the great comedic stars of those such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Well The Boy With Tape On His Face is just like that. Except a lot more contemporary and interactive. Yeah the most terrifying part of his show is that he involves the audience but it works brilliantly. I think the best way to showcase him is to include a video. Please watch.
Now he only did an hour which is a pretty short show but it was the best £10 I've spent in a while. I came out smiling which was a challenge considering my earlier activities in the day. If you watched the video you'll see it isn't all slapstick comedy and there are some rather clever moments that just appeal right to my sense of humour.
I'm pretty sure he's still touring so check out what dates he's doing and if he happens to be playing near you and there are still tickets available then I utterly urge you to go. You won't regret it. Unless you don't like laughing. You weirdo.
Check out his website here!
As a side note, I'm pretty convinced he's my perfect man. He's mostly silent but makes me laugh loads. And even if he did talk, he's a New Zealander so he's got that adorable accent going for him. And he'd probably still make me laugh. That's pretty much all I need in a man.
Laters,
P x
The end of my childhood...
I couldn't do an epic post spam without talking about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. I left for Portugal just before the film came out which was intentional as I wasn't ready to face the end of Harry Potter before I went away.
So gosh. It's all over. The original plan was for me to go see HP & DH pt2 the week I got back from Portugal but my friend had to reschedule then it wasn't showing late enough then something else and another thing and it turned out I just didn't get round to seeing it. I began to tell myself it didn't matter if I didn't see it in the cinema. I could get the dvd when it was released and have a marathon. But the geek in me stated screaming about how that wouldn't be right. I had to honour Harry Potter. I had to go to the cinema. So I planned to have a busy day. One long day full of everything. And that day would be Monday 26th September. I already had a date with The Boy With Tape On His Face that evening so I thought well in the day I'll see HP & Dh pt2 AND buy myself a proper film camera. A most fulfilling day I'm sure you'll agree.
So as planned, on Monday 26th September, I got up early. I showered. I dressed. I put on my waterproof mascara. I packed some tissues. I began my journey into the city centre. All good so far. When I arrived I treated myself to a gingerbread latte from Costa. Then I advanced to the cinema to buy my ticket...in advance.
One student ticket for Harry Potter please. Thank you.
I had 3 hours to waste before my screening. Time to buy my proper film camera. Details of which will be covered in a separate post.
3 hours later I returned to the cinema, ticket in hand. I bought my standard cinema going experience food, a foot long hotdog. I have an unhealthy love of hotdogs. I took my seat. I looked at my hotdog. He looked as sad as I felt. Just as I finished my hotdog my friend Mike appeared. By pure coincidence he'd decided to come see Harry Potter that day and at that time as well. I was no longer alone in my sorrow.
Then the film began.
Wow. You've all probably seen it by now so I don't have to go into detail. What I can tell you is that my heart was in my throat the entire time. It felt like having a mild heart attack for 2 and a half hours. I can't claim that Harry Potter means as much to me as it does some of my friends but it is a very important factor of who I am. I love Harry Potter. Unashamedly adore the books and the films. I see them as separate entities but I love them equally. I wasn't a fan from the first book, I think I got into them around book 4, The Goblet of Fire. But I was there all the way with the films. They just became part of my life. And watching HP & DH pt2 I just couldn't believe it was all ending. Amazingly I only cried once during the film. If I'd been on my own I may well have cried a whole lot more. But I was so nervous for every moment. Knowing the book, knowing the story, knowing what happens, knowing it's ending was killing me the whole way through. Knowing after this scene comes that scene then comes the next scene and it just hurt. That's the best way I can describe it. It hurt to watch it. I was watching a huge part of my life finally end. And it made me ache. It was similar to knowing a relationship is about to end when you don't want it to but it has to. It was incredibly sad to go through that.
I'll always love Harry Potter and I can't wait to own whatever big, magical boxset they release for all the films. I'll have annual Harry Potter marathons and when I have kids I'll get to share the magic with them. I'm so excited to introduce my eventual children to the world JK Rowling created.
For now well I guess it's finally over for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and every other fantastical character from that world. In the future, if anyone should ask if I still love Harry Potter even now, my answer will be always.
Laters,
P x
So gosh. It's all over. The original plan was for me to go see HP & DH pt2 the week I got back from Portugal but my friend had to reschedule then it wasn't showing late enough then something else and another thing and it turned out I just didn't get round to seeing it. I began to tell myself it didn't matter if I didn't see it in the cinema. I could get the dvd when it was released and have a marathon. But the geek in me stated screaming about how that wouldn't be right. I had to honour Harry Potter. I had to go to the cinema. So I planned to have a busy day. One long day full of everything. And that day would be Monday 26th September. I already had a date with The Boy With Tape On His Face that evening so I thought well in the day I'll see HP & Dh pt2 AND buy myself a proper film camera. A most fulfilling day I'm sure you'll agree.
So as planned, on Monday 26th September, I got up early. I showered. I dressed. I put on my waterproof mascara. I packed some tissues. I began my journey into the city centre. All good so far. When I arrived I treated myself to a gingerbread latte from Costa. Then I advanced to the cinema to buy my ticket...in advance.
One student ticket for Harry Potter please. Thank you.
I had 3 hours to waste before my screening. Time to buy my proper film camera. Details of which will be covered in a separate post.
3 hours later I returned to the cinema, ticket in hand. I bought my standard cinema going experience food, a foot long hotdog. I have an unhealthy love of hotdogs. I took my seat. I looked at my hotdog. He looked as sad as I felt. Just as I finished my hotdog my friend Mike appeared. By pure coincidence he'd decided to come see Harry Potter that day and at that time as well. I was no longer alone in my sorrow.
Then the film began.
Wow. You've all probably seen it by now so I don't have to go into detail. What I can tell you is that my heart was in my throat the entire time. It felt like having a mild heart attack for 2 and a half hours. I can't claim that Harry Potter means as much to me as it does some of my friends but it is a very important factor of who I am. I love Harry Potter. Unashamedly adore the books and the films. I see them as separate entities but I love them equally. I wasn't a fan from the first book, I think I got into them around book 4, The Goblet of Fire. But I was there all the way with the films. They just became part of my life. And watching HP & DH pt2 I just couldn't believe it was all ending. Amazingly I only cried once during the film. If I'd been on my own I may well have cried a whole lot more. But I was so nervous for every moment. Knowing the book, knowing the story, knowing what happens, knowing it's ending was killing me the whole way through. Knowing after this scene comes that scene then comes the next scene and it just hurt. That's the best way I can describe it. It hurt to watch it. I was watching a huge part of my life finally end. And it made me ache. It was similar to knowing a relationship is about to end when you don't want it to but it has to. It was incredibly sad to go through that.
I'll always love Harry Potter and I can't wait to own whatever big, magical boxset they release for all the films. I'll have annual Harry Potter marathons and when I have kids I'll get to share the magic with them. I'm so excited to introduce my eventual children to the world JK Rowling created.
For now well I guess it's finally over for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and every other fantastical character from that world. In the future, if anyone should ask if I still love Harry Potter even now, my answer will be always.
Laters,
P x
Simon Roberts
Our next guest speaker was the adorable Simon Roberts. I know when booking guest speakers our tutor doesn't go off looks but if he did Simon would be a winner. Well at least in my eyes. I mean come on look at that beard!
Sadly he came sans beard so I was a little disappointed. Simon Roberts is a vastly different photographer to Ellen Rogers. He's mainly editorial. Which for those of you who aren't too sure that means he photographs images to accompany stories of interest. It's related to photojournalism but isn't as focused on the news, it's more those quieter stories you get in the supplements that come with the Guardian or The Times at the weekend. He had a successful career working for various newspapers and magazines but his more celebrated work are the three big personal projects that Simon undertook:- Motherland, We English and The Election Project. I'll quickly go over each project to give you an idea of his work.
Motherland was Simon's first big project in which he took himself off to Russia for a year. His plan was to capture what hadn't been seen before of Russia, how the people related to their landscape and how life after communism was. He wanted to photograph the patriotism of the Russians and show the reality of the country as a place of growing optimism rather than of devastating poverty. Here's one of my favourite photographs from the book.
I just adore the tone of this photograph and it also rather randomly features my tutor's name as the name of the ship. Like Ellen, Simon utilises analogue photography for his work and shot this using a lens that gave a "as the eye sees" perspective. He told us that he refrained from angling his camera as he wanted to capture the shot as we would look at it straight on in real life. I think this was a pretty wise move on his part as it makes the shots that touch more relatable to look at.
Inspired by the patriotism seen in Russia, when Simon returned to England he decided to do a similar project in his homeland and created We English. Packing up his family into a motorhome he travelled around the country with his large format camera. Now there's a few things that are quite interesting about this particular project. Supported by The Times, Simon published a photo each week of the area he'd been staying in which allowed for readers to not only follow his journey but to make suggestions to him about what to see in the next place he was due to travel to. This was the beginning of Simon utilising the general public in his work. It also built up an audience for the final product of his travels. He also found a new perspective to shoot by taking his camera on the roof of his motorhome and shooting his chosen scene from there. This I think is a great idea. More often than not photographs are taken from the same level as the subject matter so by rising himself up Simon gave his photographs an entirely new look.
If you didn't know Simon worked on film it'd be so easy to believe this shot had been photoshopped. It's a fantastic capture and shows one of my favourite things about England, just how damn green it can be. Simon spoke about how he wanted to make sure his photographs captured a particular time. In one of his shots he's photographed an elderly couple sat enjoying the view from a hill and included in the shot is the couples' car. Now most photographers would find a way to avoid featuring the car but Simon purposely included it as it dated the photograph. He didn't want his work to appear timeless, he wanted them to be dated so people would could at them and know when they were shot purely from the subjects featured. I love the idea of this.
Now his most noted accomplishment is probably being the chosen photographer for the 2010 general election for the Guardian. With this he created The Election Project. Taking a similar approach to this work as he did We English, Simon boarded his motorhome and having thoroughly research the candidates spent the election weeks capturing each of his chosen candidates. Again he shot from the top of his motorhome giving the scenes a fuller story in the photograph. Much like he utilised the general public for We English, Simon invited people to submit their own photos of the hullabaloo surrounding the election in their area. He wasn't bothered by quality and people submitted photos from all sorts of cameras including camera phones. At the end of the election when it came to putting together the exhibition he included all the submitted photographs from the general public as one big display.
The above photograph captures the moment prior to the Duffygate scandal, you remember the one, when after meeting with local resident Gillian Duffy a baffled Gordon Brown resorted to calling her a bigot. I think it's a brilliant shot as there is just so much going on in it. It really lets you see so much more of the scene of that moment. Which is why I think Simon's idea to shoot above the crowd is a genius idea.
Now I know a few of my classmates found Simon to be a less than interesting speaker but I actually took away a lot from his talk. His advice for doing editorial work was I found particularly inspiring, in that you should work to be the author of your own words rather than the illustrator of someone else's. I'm encouraged to practice my portraiture work as I think working editorials would be a satisfying way to earn money for funding my own personal projects. I've included the links for each of Simon's main projects within this entry and whilst it might not be to everyone's taste I suggest taking a look, especially of Motherland and We English. It's fascinating to see the difference in patriotism in Russia and England.
I know I for one am looking forward to seeing Simon's next project.
Laters,
P x
Sadly he came sans beard so I was a little disappointed. Simon Roberts is a vastly different photographer to Ellen Rogers. He's mainly editorial. Which for those of you who aren't too sure that means he photographs images to accompany stories of interest. It's related to photojournalism but isn't as focused on the news, it's more those quieter stories you get in the supplements that come with the Guardian or The Times at the weekend. He had a successful career working for various newspapers and magazines but his more celebrated work are the three big personal projects that Simon undertook:- Motherland, We English and The Election Project. I'll quickly go over each project to give you an idea of his work.
Motherland was Simon's first big project in which he took himself off to Russia for a year. His plan was to capture what hadn't been seen before of Russia, how the people related to their landscape and how life after communism was. He wanted to photograph the patriotism of the Russians and show the reality of the country as a place of growing optimism rather than of devastating poverty. Here's one of my favourite photographs from the book.
I just adore the tone of this photograph and it also rather randomly features my tutor's name as the name of the ship. Like Ellen, Simon utilises analogue photography for his work and shot this using a lens that gave a "as the eye sees" perspective. He told us that he refrained from angling his camera as he wanted to capture the shot as we would look at it straight on in real life. I think this was a pretty wise move on his part as it makes the shots that touch more relatable to look at.
Inspired by the patriotism seen in Russia, when Simon returned to England he decided to do a similar project in his homeland and created We English. Packing up his family into a motorhome he travelled around the country with his large format camera. Now there's a few things that are quite interesting about this particular project. Supported by The Times, Simon published a photo each week of the area he'd been staying in which allowed for readers to not only follow his journey but to make suggestions to him about what to see in the next place he was due to travel to. This was the beginning of Simon utilising the general public in his work. It also built up an audience for the final product of his travels. He also found a new perspective to shoot by taking his camera on the roof of his motorhome and shooting his chosen scene from there. This I think is a great idea. More often than not photographs are taken from the same level as the subject matter so by rising himself up Simon gave his photographs an entirely new look.
If you didn't know Simon worked on film it'd be so easy to believe this shot had been photoshopped. It's a fantastic capture and shows one of my favourite things about England, just how damn green it can be. Simon spoke about how he wanted to make sure his photographs captured a particular time. In one of his shots he's photographed an elderly couple sat enjoying the view from a hill and included in the shot is the couples' car. Now most photographers would find a way to avoid featuring the car but Simon purposely included it as it dated the photograph. He didn't want his work to appear timeless, he wanted them to be dated so people would could at them and know when they were shot purely from the subjects featured. I love the idea of this.
Now his most noted accomplishment is probably being the chosen photographer for the 2010 general election for the Guardian. With this he created The Election Project. Taking a similar approach to this work as he did We English, Simon boarded his motorhome and having thoroughly research the candidates spent the election weeks capturing each of his chosen candidates. Again he shot from the top of his motorhome giving the scenes a fuller story in the photograph. Much like he utilised the general public for We English, Simon invited people to submit their own photos of the hullabaloo surrounding the election in their area. He wasn't bothered by quality and people submitted photos from all sorts of cameras including camera phones. At the end of the election when it came to putting together the exhibition he included all the submitted photographs from the general public as one big display.
The above photograph captures the moment prior to the Duffygate scandal, you remember the one, when after meeting with local resident Gillian Duffy a baffled Gordon Brown resorted to calling her a bigot. I think it's a brilliant shot as there is just so much going on in it. It really lets you see so much more of the scene of that moment. Which is why I think Simon's idea to shoot above the crowd is a genius idea.
Now I know a few of my classmates found Simon to be a less than interesting speaker but I actually took away a lot from his talk. His advice for doing editorial work was I found particularly inspiring, in that you should work to be the author of your own words rather than the illustrator of someone else's. I'm encouraged to practice my portraiture work as I think working editorials would be a satisfying way to earn money for funding my own personal projects. I've included the links for each of Simon's main projects within this entry and whilst it might not be to everyone's taste I suggest taking a look, especially of Motherland and We English. It's fascinating to see the difference in patriotism in Russia and England.
I know I for one am looking forward to seeing Simon's next project.
Laters,
P x
Ellen Rogers
Despite having Jillian Lochner set us a mini brief for a photoshoot, my college tutor Dan thought it'd be a terrific idea to book two guests speakers to come in for our first proper week back at college. Thankfully both of them were very interesting in their own individual ways so I couldn't begrudge the lost work time too much.
The first of these was the delightful Ellen Rogers.
In her own words Ellen is an all analogue fashion photographer. However she does work on more personal projects as well, again all with analogue photography. Her work is pretty unique on the market not only from her use of film but from the whole style she adopts in her photography. It's not likely to crop up on the pages of Vogue but you would probably catch some of her shots in Vice. I'll post a couple of examples for you to nosey at.
As you can see she has this really unique and beautiful style. I simply love her work. Funnily enough I did have the idea of trying to hand tint my own photographs for an experimental project at some point. Ellen doesn't hand tint in the way I'm thinking, with pens, but instead uses some very complicated processes of which she would tell us nothing about. She's very secretive like that. But when you have such a particular look to your work and need to ensure originality then you wouldn't go around telling everyone you meet how to recreate your work would you?
Now she doesn't solely work on fashion photography, I imagine like a lot of photographers who work commercially she takes commissions in order to fund the projects she's really interested in. Being interested in the Occult and generally strange things Ellen's more personal work has a deeper, mystical sense to it. It doesn't always completely differ to her fashion work but there are certain photographs of her that have a very strong, almost disturbed feel to them.
Not that I imagine she'll ever read this but I hope Ellen wouldn't mind me sharing this particular photograph and the accompanying history behind it with you.
If I remember rightly approximately a year ago Ellen's mother passed away which is naturally a very distressing and upsetting time for anyone. Following her mother's funeral Ellen wanted to capture on camera the flowers around her mother's grave but each time she visited she couldn't get her camera to work. Growing more and more distressed by the possibility of missing out on this photograph Ellen made the decision to take the flowers from her mother's grave home with her (she'd been previously told this wasn't allowed so she was technically stealing). She promptly arranged for a model and surrounded the girl with these dying flowers and began shooting. One of the resulting photographs is the one you see above. Now even without that story the photograph gives off a deathly but peaceful feel to it, like the young girl has passed away but has done so calmly and without fear. When you know the story behind the photograph you see just how personal an image it is and for Ellen it was a therapeutic process to finally capture these flowers and the emotions that undoubtedly come along with losing a parent. I think it makes for a beautiful and haunting photograph, it's definitely amongst my favourites of her work.
For the most part of the day Ellen talked us through some of her projects and gave us some advice for working in the fashion photography industry. Which may not quite be my chosen path but was good to know nonetheless. She was a great guest speaker and for the second half of the day she kindly gave her opinions on the work of my classmates who were brave enough to show it. I've taken some influence from her work and seeing her commitment to working entirely on film over digital has given me the confidence to continue with my own explorations with analogue photography.
I highly recommend that you check out her website, Ellen Rogers or even her Flickr. If you happen to have some spare cash then I'd say invest in her book, Abberant Necroplis, as it's a beautiful photography book to own. I may well treat myself to a copy as it's just gorgeous.
So there you have it, the wonderful Ellen Rogers. Check her out.
Laters,
P x
The first of these was the delightful Ellen Rogers.
In her own words Ellen is an all analogue fashion photographer. However she does work on more personal projects as well, again all with analogue photography. Her work is pretty unique on the market not only from her use of film but from the whole style she adopts in her photography. It's not likely to crop up on the pages of Vogue but you would probably catch some of her shots in Vice. I'll post a couple of examples for you to nosey at.
As you can see she has this really unique and beautiful style. I simply love her work. Funnily enough I did have the idea of trying to hand tint my own photographs for an experimental project at some point. Ellen doesn't hand tint in the way I'm thinking, with pens, but instead uses some very complicated processes of which she would tell us nothing about. She's very secretive like that. But when you have such a particular look to your work and need to ensure originality then you wouldn't go around telling everyone you meet how to recreate your work would you?
Now she doesn't solely work on fashion photography, I imagine like a lot of photographers who work commercially she takes commissions in order to fund the projects she's really interested in. Being interested in the Occult and generally strange things Ellen's more personal work has a deeper, mystical sense to it. It doesn't always completely differ to her fashion work but there are certain photographs of her that have a very strong, almost disturbed feel to them.
Not that I imagine she'll ever read this but I hope Ellen wouldn't mind me sharing this particular photograph and the accompanying history behind it with you.
If I remember rightly approximately a year ago Ellen's mother passed away which is naturally a very distressing and upsetting time for anyone. Following her mother's funeral Ellen wanted to capture on camera the flowers around her mother's grave but each time she visited she couldn't get her camera to work. Growing more and more distressed by the possibility of missing out on this photograph Ellen made the decision to take the flowers from her mother's grave home with her (she'd been previously told this wasn't allowed so she was technically stealing). She promptly arranged for a model and surrounded the girl with these dying flowers and began shooting. One of the resulting photographs is the one you see above. Now even without that story the photograph gives off a deathly but peaceful feel to it, like the young girl has passed away but has done so calmly and without fear. When you know the story behind the photograph you see just how personal an image it is and for Ellen it was a therapeutic process to finally capture these flowers and the emotions that undoubtedly come along with losing a parent. I think it makes for a beautiful and haunting photograph, it's definitely amongst my favourites of her work.
For the most part of the day Ellen talked us through some of her projects and gave us some advice for working in the fashion photography industry. Which may not quite be my chosen path but was good to know nonetheless. She was a great guest speaker and for the second half of the day she kindly gave her opinions on the work of my classmates who were brave enough to show it. I've taken some influence from her work and seeing her commitment to working entirely on film over digital has given me the confidence to continue with my own explorations with analogue photography.
I highly recommend that you check out her website, Ellen Rogers or even her Flickr. If you happen to have some spare cash then I'd say invest in her book, Abberant Necroplis, as it's a beautiful photography book to own. I may well treat myself to a copy as it's just gorgeous.
So there you have it, the wonderful Ellen Rogers. Check her out.
Laters,
P x
A small warning.
I've been back at college for just a little over a week now and I'm due to update my blog regarding all that so I'm giving a little warning to expect a fair few posts tonight.
So when I last wrote I was up at ridiculous o'clock ahead of going back to college to enrol again. Due to the excitement of seeing everyone again I didn't feel tired until I got home afterwards. But it was so good to see everyone. There were a few staff and course changes. Our beloved Lee Garland of Lee Garland Photography has sadly left the staff as he is simply far too busy with his actual career. This genuinely upsets me as Lee is a cracking guy and a lot of fun to have around. He's pretty stylin' too and can't resist jumping in front of the camera himself if he gets chance. But he has said he'll come back to visit us at some point. Plus he usually takes on a few students as assistants for shoots so I'll have to pop him an email soon time to remind him how great I am. He's yet to be replaced on the course but as far as I'm aware the plan is to have Jim Naughten come in for two days a month to work with us. He came with us to Seville back in April and our tutor has just spent a month with him in Africa so he's quite the friend of the course really. It'll certainly be interesting to have someone of his calibre to come in and give us advice. We've also lost our dry as a bone graphics tutor Max Gattie. He's no big name but he sure leaves an impression.
As for my class mates, well one of my best friends Jack has deferred for a year in order to focus on his assistant job. Of course I'm gutted about this but I think Jack has made the right decision. He'll get much further with his own career if he spends this time assisting than at college. He'll be deeply missed but thankfully I can always text him and call him a gimp whenever I want.
As for the rest of my class, well they're all the same really. I've missed the amount of laughing our class does. I imagine our tutors are torn between loving and hating us. We always get our work done but in our own time with a whole heap of laughing throughout. We haven't really been set any proper unit briefs yet though. We knew before we returned that we had to plan and produce a photoshoot of our own choosing. So that was the main thing we've worked on this week. But I'll write up on that later.
It feels good to be back at college. I still thankfully get my 4 day weekends as my schedule is full days Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I'm so glad the schedule was worked out like this rather than with silly half days here and there. It works out so much better for everyone like this. I already feel that bit happier having those 3 days at college a week. It doesn't seem much but being around so much laughter really helps.
I have a few more posts to write up about what else we've been doing this week but I'll do each separately. For now I'll leave you with this photograph. Says quite a bit about our class really.
Laters,
P x
So when I last wrote I was up at ridiculous o'clock ahead of going back to college to enrol again. Due to the excitement of seeing everyone again I didn't feel tired until I got home afterwards. But it was so good to see everyone. There were a few staff and course changes. Our beloved Lee Garland of Lee Garland Photography has sadly left the staff as he is simply far too busy with his actual career. This genuinely upsets me as Lee is a cracking guy and a lot of fun to have around. He's pretty stylin' too and can't resist jumping in front of the camera himself if he gets chance. But he has said he'll come back to visit us at some point. Plus he usually takes on a few students as assistants for shoots so I'll have to pop him an email soon time to remind him how great I am. He's yet to be replaced on the course but as far as I'm aware the plan is to have Jim Naughten come in for two days a month to work with us. He came with us to Seville back in April and our tutor has just spent a month with him in Africa so he's quite the friend of the course really. It'll certainly be interesting to have someone of his calibre to come in and give us advice. We've also lost our dry as a bone graphics tutor Max Gattie. He's no big name but he sure leaves an impression.
As for my class mates, well one of my best friends Jack has deferred for a year in order to focus on his assistant job. Of course I'm gutted about this but I think Jack has made the right decision. He'll get much further with his own career if he spends this time assisting than at college. He'll be deeply missed but thankfully I can always text him and call him a gimp whenever I want.
As for the rest of my class, well they're all the same really. I've missed the amount of laughing our class does. I imagine our tutors are torn between loving and hating us. We always get our work done but in our own time with a whole heap of laughing throughout. We haven't really been set any proper unit briefs yet though. We knew before we returned that we had to plan and produce a photoshoot of our own choosing. So that was the main thing we've worked on this week. But I'll write up on that later.
It feels good to be back at college. I still thankfully get my 4 day weekends as my schedule is full days Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I'm so glad the schedule was worked out like this rather than with silly half days here and there. It works out so much better for everyone like this. I already feel that bit happier having those 3 days at college a week. It doesn't seem much but being around so much laughter really helps.
I have a few more posts to write up about what else we've been doing this week but I'll do each separately. For now I'll leave you with this photograph. Says quite a bit about our class really.
Laters,
P x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)