The City of Love?

Recently I've had some post-Paris blues! Although it was this time last year that I returned back to the sometimes gloomy and uninspiring Carlisle, England I've always wanted to head back to the city of love and recently it's all I can think about!

Paris is such a stunning and stimulating city, I was never short on inspiration although I was only there for a few short days. While I was there I started (& have yet to finish) a number of projects; I already shared a project which I began, a typology of the infamous tour carts that litter central Paris with enthused tourists being cycled back and fourth around the countless attractions of the city. 

This is one of the projects that I was inspired to do while I was there.

M.

The Swinging 60's & The Blushing Bride

This is a lovely little personal post for you all to read about my favourite people in the world. 

My Grandparents are truly the greatest. In January 2014 it will be their 50th Wedding Anniversary. They were married in 1964 & honestly I have never known a better couple than Jennie & Arthur. They stick by each other thick & thin, & would do anything for one another. 

The other day I asked to see their wedding album as I had never seen any of their photographs (as a photographer I should have begged to see them a long time ago!) They are amazing, black & white film photographs, so I just had to share.

This is them on January 25th 1964. Obviously the real life prints don't even come close to comparing with the scanned in version but I still can't get over how beautiful they are.

I've definitely got something super special planned for these images involving their anniversary. I can't wait to share with everyone. But for now just look at how beautiful my Gran is!

M.

Experiments & Cigarettes

So, I've been wanting to share with you all what's been going on with my University work at the moment. I have been working on a few different projects here & there. Strangely enough the one I found myself most interested in doing was the one that I was feeling a 'crash & burn' scenario looming. It was so much fun and such a learning curve.

So anyone that knows me well knows that still life isn't exactly my strong suit, however it is a genre that I have wanted to develop on for a while now. I wanted to try something a little bit different with this project and experiment with new approaches to the idea of my 'studio.' I always think it's so much fun to try new things with my photography so here's what I did to achieve this image above:

I started off by making an executive decision to not use a professional photography studio, nor a still life table, (a decision which was very questionable but taught me a thing or two.)
I went to my local B&M Bargains (don't judge, there are some amazing finds there,) where I bought a very cheap roll of £2.99 wallpaper. I thought the Green colour was really odd but had some potential as far as an interesting backdrop was concerned, I loved the texture which looks pretty cool in my final prints; not to mention that there isn't anything I find more boring than a dull white backdrop in still life images.

(Stay with me, I'm nearly finished.)

I used some regular Blu-Tack to stick the wallpaper to the top of my bedroom wall and let it roll down to my chest of drawers below (which I decided to use as my still life table.) I also stuck the wallpaper to the surface of my drawers just so it didn't roll too much & rip.

For the lighting of this image I used regular table lamps (all in the name of experimental art, yeah?) something that my room seems to have in abundance! It was a real struggle at first simple because, as we all know, table lamps aren't all that adjustable but many chairs & suitcases & empty boxes, used as portable light stands later, I was actually really happy with how the images turned out.

Did I forget to mention that I didn't actually have subjects in mind so I went into my living room, picked up whatever was on the floor, & used it to photograph in my new make-shift studio! 

M.