London Pictures - mash up

Hello Chumblies!
I have been farting around with my photographs lately, the ones I took in London on my last few trips. I absolutely flipping love editing/ processing photos. In days gone by I would lock myself away in the dark room for hours processing black and white film - one day I will do more of that again. For now I use the marvellous Pixlr O Matic and Photobucket (Pixlr O Matic is now the standard photo editing software in Photobucket - yay for me!).
I am trying to get better at uploading my photos to Photobucket before I post them here, it is so much easier...but anyway, that is making you yaaaaaawn right?

I 'mashed up' some images here, see if you can tell what they are (you get no points whatsoever for guessing Graffiti) :

 

Lush init?

So you may have read the other day that I didn't plan to get a blog post out this week due to workload - well check me out! 3 canvases made and ready for delivery tomorrow, PLUS all my GCSE marking complete. I am now off to get some well earned rest :)

What do you like to photograph?

Starry Portait DIY

Hello Starshine!
I spend an unhealthy amount of time on Picnik, so I probably broke it and that is why they are closing it. Seriously, I am practially married to it, and am not going to take the  divorce and separation well! They are closing the doors in April but until then all premium content is freeeeeeeee.

So...get down there and solar system portrait yourself with gay abandon! I recently caught a DIY of this on a blog, and had a go. I have added a few more examples of the steps needed to make it happen.
Here's how:

1. Take a picture of yourself against a white or very light background, in good strong light.

2. Upload the picture to Picnik.

3. Go to basic edits and adjust the exposure and contrast until you get it nice and dark, crop it too if you need to (you want just the liht background showing).

4. Change it to B&W.

5. Go to the 'seasonal' tab at the top, and pick 'Final Shuttle Launch'

6. Have a play with the settings in 'Space Textures'.

Try some other pictures. A different pose creates a different narrative:

Fun fun fun!

Do you use Picnik?

Which programs do you use to play with photos, I love to discover new ones.

Love, me x

The Daily Grind

Mornings aren't so bad at the moment. I kinda can't wait to get in my car and drive the same 15 minutes to work every day. The reason? Sunrise.

awesome

Do you have any favorite 'moments' during the daily grind?

Love

me x

year in Review 2011 - Photography

I took hundreds of photographs this year, and (apart from the Cambodia pictures) have collaged my favorites. I long for a new camera more than anything but until the bank balance looks healthier it's not going to happen. Instead I push my little digital-with-real-batteries crappy camera to the limit, as well as using my blackberry camera when desperate. I then go about processing them online and fiddling in Publisher until they are ready to post and share.
Here are the ones you may not have seen but I love to look back at, and am proud to have clicked:

Some comon themes are: textures, lettering, reflective surfaces, people, light and colour.

I look forward to my photography journey in 2012...

What do you like to capture through the lense?

Love, me x

Long time no Blog...

It seems like ages since I last shared any of the world with you, and even though I am utterly exhausted as I write this I wanted to bring you an update. Firstly, I am in love, well it is a Re:Love of someone I discovered a couple of years ago: Jess Chorley.
I came across her work again whilst reading the fantabulous and completely luscious Oh Comely magazine that I spotted whilst out shopping with my new creative friend Rosie.

I can only dream of making work like this, actually scrap that because I have in the past...perhaps I should dream of a day when I can make work like this again! Sometimes I miss the creative buzz of Art College...I should say ALL the time.
But guess what? I have created a little Art School community of friends who keep my ideas flowing. I love long conversations about print techniques, or new materials and processes...I am well nerdy for Art and Design.

In other news: Renegade was amazing and I got to meet the super talented Kim Smith (EEp!), and get a picture with her (as well as deliver her a little pressie from me). I went with my friend Anna and we decided that Kim's was the most creative and inspiring space on the day, lots of other things were a bit manufactured: plastics and wood. But hey, this is the first London Renegade so lots of room to grow and attract new makers. I will do a properly long post on that day and also the Knitting and Stitching show which was so inspirational...wow, I did 3 London trips in 3 days, and came home to sunny Poole each day.
Which is probably why I am so tired now.

Brick Lane was so beautiful, in an urban-messed-up kinda way. I took a bajillion photographs while poor Anna waited patiently...here are a few. I could have taken three million squillion. I was literally taking baby steps and snap snap snapping:

I adore the textures, the random placement. In fact the banner for this blog is taken rom my sketchbook, in which I worked with similar photographs in collage form. I am fascinated at how things look through the viewfinder, how I can select an area with perfect composition, out of randomness. This has always been my passion in art. All this will translate into later work.

What are you working on?

Love me x

Reflections

Refections are my favorite. At the moment we are having some unseasonably warm weather, and bright bright sunshine. Autumn sunshine seems to come in from an angle that makes photography just that bit more magical.
I have long moaned about my need for a better camera, my photography deserves one! But until I can get a new camera I will learn to cherish, adore and no doubt abuse the current crappy camera I own. At the moment I use a Pentax digital thing that has cost me more money in batteries than a Canon EOS (the coveted brand). But sometimes it does brilliant things, or the world just does brilliant things and it captures them without effing it all up.
I also use mobile cameras - my Blackberry one is so bad, and I use an old Nokia phone which has a good little camera on it and a self timer option.
I am the Queen of 'Make-Do' when it comes to most things and cameras are no exception....clearly.
Here are some pictures I took on a very sunny day in Southbourne last week:

I have taken many pictures of reflective surfaces over the last few years, I get so excited about it. On this day the light was so good I was taking a picture at almost every step!
I have always loved shop windows, displays, signage and shop lettering. I found a really cool old front style on a shop on this day too, gorgeous:



What do you like to photograph?

Me x