Saturday, 29 February 2020

A Photo a Day 2020 #60

Paul


I've copped out here as this is a re-post of a photo from 2017, but I liked this one quite a lot even though it's kind of Photoshop 101!

It's interesting to see how February's theme of 'Circles' has meant more close focus photography as opposed to landscapes which was the most common choice for Jan's 'Shades of Grey'. None of this is planned, it is the beauty of the project-- I never know what the results will end up being!

March theme revealed tomorrow...

Wednesday, 26 February 2020

A Photo a Day 2020 #57

Foam


Today's photo was a happy accident. As I near the end of February and have to think on my feet a bit in terms of content, I'm finding myself taking pictures of very mundane things. Finding a different way of presenting the everyday is something that interests me a lot.

A cup of coffee has become a welcome treat after a tiring day at work (before the evening workload commences!) I actually shot this with my phone camera because I was too keen to enjoy my coffee. Luckily it paid off better than my attempts at using my macro lens last week when I was not satisfied with the outcome and abandoned the photos I took. Then I was mucking about with editing features and thought this looked very pop art!


Tuesday, 25 February 2020

A Photo a Day 2020 #56

Spools
I couldn't post this until I'd properly edited it and I was happy with the perspective as the original was at a bit of an angle. I'm getting back into using Photoshop again which is a learning process as I'm self-taught and I forgot a lot of what I learned a few years ago; Picmonkey is amazing and I use it for a lot of my editing, but it is a lazier approach and can be limiting at times. 

This cassette tape is actually one from my youth and it is one of about five tapes that I have recently reclaimed and listened to on the 'walkman' that I got for Christmas. There are some pretty embarrassing recordings amongst these tapes, including some very ropy guitar practice that I did aged about fifteen that seems to go on for ages. Also featuring on another tape is a French project a friend and I did at school, pretending we had been exploring the jungle. Among our reportage (en Francais, bien sur!) can be heard Sash's classic 'Equador' and some character acting in the role of Jean-Luc-- a fictional French camera man who was bitten by a spider and shouted "Ooh la la!" and 'Oh de don!' at regular intervals.

This was the format of my first foray into owning music back in the 90s. I then progressed to CDs, and now it's vinyl that I'm collecting. These cassette tapes weren't practical in the slightest. They got chewed up and worn out and twisted up and the batteries ran out in your tape player and then it played really slow like a depressing remix of the original song. But they are nostalgic and you could create your own mix tapes and radio shows with ease. In fact, these things were as much a rite of passage for 90s kids as getting a Snapchat account nowadays. But way cooler!

Monday, 24 February 2020

A Photo a Day 2020 #55

Plaques

Another V&A photo today: these plaques are on the walls in the Medieval and Renaissance Gallery (one of the large open halls). I don't know much about them, but I was drawn to their colour and the creepy, life-like carvings.


Sunday, 23 February 2020

A Photo a Day 2020 #54

Globe

Another shot from the V&A today, but this time a modern piece. This globe was installed in 2015 as a nod to the themes of the Enlightenment. The light and shadow worked well as a black and white photo.


Skincare Sunday #7 Dewy Skin


Dewy skin is that quenched-looking, plump skin with some sheen in all the right places. To achieve this healthy, youthful appearance diet and lifestyle obviously plays a big part. But what can you do to cheat your way to dewy skin, even when a stressful lifestyle leaves you looking less radiant than you would like?

Friday, 21 February 2020

A Photo a Day 2020 #52

Ripples

Look at this Tufted Duck- what a chap. I liked his yellow eye against his monochrome feathers and then his slicked back hairstyle! This was taken the day after Storm Dennis hit the UK recently. You can see blue sky reflected in the pond of St. James' Park. I would have got a clearer image with a different lens, but this was all I had.