A Photo a Day #121

Sunday Roast

Macabre, I know, but I'll explain.

I had a lovely Easter meal at a local farm shop/ cafe recently- not my personal choice, but appreciated nevertheless. What was a little unsettling was that they were serving up roast lamb whilst the newborns were innocently grazing in the fields right outside the window. The irony of the moment was simultaneously unpalatable and delicious. Needless to say, I opted for the turkey.

A Photo a Day #120

In the Gallery 2

As promised, another shot taken playing around with the concept of viewing people as art. 

It's really enjoyable to be creating these 'mini series' of photos within my A Photo a Day challenge. I'm finding that it's really helping me to establish specific areas of interest as a photographer. My project has been encouraging me to experiment and develop interesting concepts, often by happy accident. On days devoted to photography, I am tending to take around 100-200 snaps which then gives me plenty to work with. These two photos entitled In the Gallery turned out nicely I think.

A Photo a Day #119

In the Gallery 1

Art galleries are ripe for portrait photography and I love to see people interact with art. This was my cowardly, yet ingenious way of capturing this concept. Another to come tomorrow.

A Photo a Day #118

Camden Lock, April 2017

A contrast to the last few days' black and white shots, this was taken on a stroll around Camden recently. I wanted to bring out the red of the bus and managed to play up the reflections. I liked the dated colouring I achieved by playing around with the curves feature on Photoshop.

A Photo a Day #117

Retirement

A fallen tree in the grounds of Knole House

A Photo a Day #116

Gradient

A simple one today, but I loved the curves and subtle gradient on the lamp.

A Photo a Day #115

Let There Be Light

  



Another photo taken in the Tate Britain last week.

A Photo a Day #114

Portrait Profile 2

The Tate Britain and another portrait in profile- in fact numerous profiles here.

Vinyl Collection, April 2017

I grew up with vinyl around me as my parents had a collection between them. I also had a player as a young kid and can remember playing 'Pinky and Perky' and also, strangely a Kylie Minogue 45. Then of course cassettes (and later CDs) were the thing and I loved the thrill of going to Woolworths or Our Price to buy a single of the latest pop band; even better would be if you could get something in the bargain bucket, sans sleeve. 

Funny how things come full circle. I now have a modest collection of vinyls that I've been accumulating over recent months. My CD collection is really quite big and I still love the story it tells of my teen years into my twenties, however, nowadays I tend only to buy albums on CD of artists I really love or after some 'research' over itunes and Youtube. 

My vinyl collection is where I put thought into what I want to own in all its glory- albums I've either treasured as CDs over the years, or curiosity items. Here is my collection so far:

A Photo a Day #113

Perseus & Medusa

Back inside the orangery at Knole House today- this statue of Perseus shows him defeating the gorgon, Medusa. The Clash of the Titans, 1981 Medusa always scared me as a child.

                                 

A Photo a Day #112

Trophy

A curious tradition 

A Photo a Day #111

Portrait Profile 1

A photo of my brother taken at Knole House in Sevenoaks, Kent. This was taken inside the orangery where the orange trees were just starting to bear little green fruits. He stands next to the Buzalgo stove which is a heater from the 18th century. This room is very light as there are many windows, some with stained glass inserts.

A Photo a Day #110

A Pity

From bargain bucket cassette tape albums to the finest Pick 'n Mix selection, Woolworths holds a place in many people's hearts in the UK. This Tonbridge branch closed down many years ago now and was replaced with a generic pound shop. Even that has now disappeared. Whatever doomed retailer that comes next will never be Woolworths. That iconic tiling and the branded signage show that classics live on, even when they're technically 'dead'. 

A Photo a Day #109

A Room with a View

Taken inside the orangery at Knole House in Sevenoaks- more photos to come later this week.

                                                                                     

A Photo a Day #108

If You Need Us

It's my birthday today. I took this photo a few days ago at the Conservation Centre at Knowle Park in Sevenoaks. Very Labyrinthine, don't you think? I had to use this one for today as it is a nod to my favourite film.

                                                                             

Limited Edition: Byredo Bibliotheque Eau de Parfum Review

Byredo is a Swedish fragrance brand which is very popular amongst lovers of niche perfume. The Bibliotheque candle has been standing pride of place by my bedside bookshelf for months and I have just recently started to burn it. At a premium price tag, Byredo is a brand of pure indulgence; the fragrances are generally unique although having sampled quite a few scents, I feel that Byredo has some notes that it uses across many of its perfumes, giving the brand somewhat of a signature scent that runs through the line. 

Bibliotheque is the most popular candle, therefore it has been made into a 'Collector's Edition' fragrance available in 100ml only. I wanted to talk through the reasons why I decided to spend out on the perfume and how it translates on the skin, at least from my own experience.

A Photo a Day #107

Expendable

The green algae looks striking and the shipwrecked boats make this a curious scene. I wonder who owned the boats and when they were left to rot.

A Photo a Day #106

Contemplation

This photo needed already had a lovely muted colour to it, but I brought up the saturation on the figure and dog a little to highlight them. It's such a peaceful scene and the two look happy to be in each other's company. Interestingly, the actual owner of the dog isn't in the image.

Review: Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Nude Kate

Charlotte Tilbury's K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipsticks are moisturising and comfortable to wear. 

Nude Kate is a really versatile colour. It is a light, warm peachy-brown which would suit most skintones. It is bound to be a shade you might find cheaper in another brand although I own nothing else like it. 

The packaging really makes this special and it was lovely to receive this as a Christmas gift from my brother a few years ago.

The colour payoff is decent, but, like any creamy lip product, it will not last too many hours, especially if you are eating and drinking. 

A Photo a Day #105

Blue Flowers & Castle

I'm not sure what flowers these are, but they looked lovely in the grounds outside of Porchester castle.

A Photo a Day #104

Purple Haze

I asked my partner to name this one! I like the blur of the figure, but the trees could be crisper. I new a tripod. This was taken at Porchester Castle. It's a lovely place for a walk by the water and you can walk around the castle grounds.

                                                                   

A Photo a Day #103

Girl of the Castle

A beautiful ginger cat looking proud of his estate

A Photo a Day #102

Boat Watching

Taken using my portrait lens to let in plenty of light, this was a shot I took on an evening walk at Porchester.

Flowerbomb Vs. Flowerbomb Bloom

If you've read my recent post, 5 Iconic Beauty Products, I mention Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb as my iconic fragrance pick. I recently decided to splurge my Boots Advantage card points on 30ml of Flowerbomb Bloom as it sounded marvellous and when I tried it and walked around for a few hours with it on my skin, I couldn't resist. To help people who own the original and are considering Bloom, or those who can't decide between which to buy, here are my thoughts.

A Photo a Day #101

Evening Constitutional

A nice evening stroll by Porchester castle in Hampshire

A Photo a Day #100

Twist and Shout

Clarence Pier's Twister ride. They've actually done this area up a little bit recently, but it does still have a retro feel about it as all British seaside resorts tend to do. A Mr Bean episode was filmed here (the one with the baby!)

5 Iconic Beauty Products

Sali Hughes shares a wide range of her top iconic products in the follow up to her beauty manual Pretty Honest, Pretty Iconic. It's a beautiful book to flip through, not only to celebrate iconic brands such as Chanel and Max Factor, but she also recommends some new products to try.

Taking inspiration from Hughes, I thought I'd post about my own top 5 iconic products- items that I have used for a long time and always go back to time and time again.

A Photo a Day #99

By the Sea

Southsea beach: Midday sun last weekend