Setting myself a little challenge...

This week is the final week of Photo Meditations and honestly, I'm a little bit heartbroken about that, I feel like there is so much more I can learn from Susannah and more I can learn about myself and my photos.

I'm very glad to say that I've loved every minute and I feel like I've progressed throughout it. 

I haven't taken many photos, but the ones I have taken... here, here, and here wow. I can barely believe that they are mine.

What I didn't expect from Photo Meditations is that I would change as a person, that I would push myself to do things I never would of imagined before, that I would actually want to do things I never saw myself doing... 5 weeks doesn't seem that long, and it flew by, but I feel different, in myself and I know my photos from now will be different too.

One thing I've noticed in my photos is that I don't take many photos of people (I had to search for the ones in this post haha) and over the past 5 weeks I've seen so many amazing photos, by Susannah and other photographers on the course that all of a sudden I want to take more. Not posed photos, more moments...

 I remember being annoyed in the top photo actually that the people were behind those bikes, they were ruining the lines of the wheels and the path behind but today I'm loving the mans hat, the way hes leaning away to look at the bike properly... I love the lady behind who is watching both them and me taking my photo and the little leg on the bike on the left is killing me.



And I love this little boy, his enthusiasm to see the ducks better leading him to get in the water... he looks so determined. I love his Fathers arm reaching out for him but letting him go at the same time.

So instead of challenging myself to take more photos of people, I'm challenging myself to look at people differently, to let people into my photos, not to wait for them to walk past... to use them to enhance a photo and stop being scared that they might ruin it.

Challenging myself to capture their photo the way that I see them...

p.s. In writing this here, I have to do it - you've all seen it now.

p.p.s. Susannah just uploaded a video about Photo Meditations, you should watch it :)

Paris in film: Lomo Xpro

The last time I blogged about Paris I gushed about the Lomography X-pro Chrome film because when I love something... I really love it. But when I don't... I really don't.

And I do not like this Lomography X-pro film (not to be confused with the X-pro Chrome). In fact I'm incredibly frustrated as I really do love the composition, angle and content of these photos, yet the choice of film has really spoilt them for me. It's taken me this long to upload them onto Flickr and on here just because of the disappointment. What do you think?

I love the cross processed distortion with the sunset photos because the colours were rich and gorgeous, and as with the chrome, the blues and turquoises are lovely, yet the overall green/yellow tone in these seems sickly and insipid in comparison to me. I really want to like them... but I just can't seem too.

On another note, these photos were taken at the Le Grande Arch de la Defence, which is outside the main city of Paris in the business district and it was a massive culture shock for us after spending the week in the city. It felt like we had travelled to the future haha.

Location: Le Grande Arch de la Defense, Paris
Film: Lomography X-Pro 200
Camera: Superheadz Yellow Peace

On the first week of Christmas... closed.

Can you believe that its under a month until Christmas already? I can't!
Remember how for the last couple of years I've had giveaways to celebrate Christmas with everyone? Well, I'm doing it again!! HURRAY!!

I love Christmas and I love blogging and christmas blogging is always the most fun I have on here, so I've decided to share the love again - I hope you are as excited as I am!

First up is the amazing Hey Harriet!

 

You may know of Hey Harriet's blog for her Shadow Shot Sunday feature, but as well as having a great blog, Hey Harriet is also an amazing Etsy shop with so much choice! Whether you like the beach, flowers, birds, carnivals or still life... Hey Harriet has something for you.

 

:You could win: 4 prints of your choice from Hey Harriet. 

Yes, I said 4. 

:How to enter: Visit Hey Harriet's Etsy shop and leave a comment with the 4 prints that you would want to win.

The winner has been announced, thank you to everyone who entered.

Experimenting with F Stops...

I actually don't remember the last time I was this excited about my photos... squeeeeeeee!!

Although Photo Meditations isn't a technical photography course, I did learn something new about F stops and I realised that I had actually taken some photos with my Ricoh camera where I had changed this setting and not realised the effect it would have (here and here, being good examples) At the time of developing them I realised that they were the kind of photos that I wanted to be taking... but I didn't know how I'd even done it.

So armed with knowledge, my new to me Olympus Trip and more enthusiasm than I've ever had on a foggy day, Thomas and I went for a walk around Kirkstall Abbey (and also a delicious roast dinner...) last Sunday and here are some of my favourite results.



I was drawn to that yellow tree like a magpie to shiny things, it was a beacon in the mist and so pretty. I had to have a photo taken with it... I'm a bit sad that it's a little blurry but a lot of the photos were as I still have lots to learn.

I'm so glad that I learnt this though, most of my plastic cameras don't have this setting but two of my other film others do and it feels great to know now that I can take the type of photos that I want with a different camera and not feel limited by my equipment or knowledge.

In this one film of photos, I feel like I've pushed myself, my photos and what I can do. I've applied everything I'd already learnt combined it with new tricks and techniques and captured photos that I have been truly happy with. Although this does mean I'll be carrying even more cameras around with me now...

Location: Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds
Camera: Olympus Trip 35
Film: Expired Agfa Vista 200

This is what happens..

...when I don't take the photos of my phone for a couple of months... I digitally burst on my blog :) hahaha.

I didn't realise I took so many photos with it to be honest - I do wish that Instagram was on Android photos though - I love Vignette but it would be great to have an easier way to share my photos with people.

Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating it - I'm not going to write a list, as right now I'm thankful for everything and thats a pretty big list...

p.s. I braved the self portrait on the end for Photo Meditations... 
despite my feet it was the only photo of me on there. I was sleepy.

Paris in film: Xpro Chrome

I know I say that I love things a lot, but that is because I genuinely do... and I love this film 

(and this camera). In fact, it sometimes makes choosing which camera and film to use quite difficult to do... but I don't mind really.

Can you believe that I'm still uploading Paris photos? I guess I can, I did take a lot and 5 posts a week doesn't seem that many when there is so much to share... these photos are some of my favourites from the week. My superheadz slim and wide has relatively no pressure, you don't have to worry about focusing or the bulb setting, it takes no time to take a photo and sometimes, that is what I want and need and I love that.



I'm so glad that I tried the Lomography xpro chrome film in this camera - I expected it to look great and I wasn't let down. The colours and contrasts are so rich, especially in the Paris sunshine...

I sure do miss the Paris sunshine.

You can see the whole film set here.

Film: Lomography Xpro Chrome 100
Camera: Superheadz Wide and Slim
Location: Paris, France
 

And the camera is...

The fuji instax mini!

A fair number of you got it right and I'm so glad about that. 

{vintage chair by JMK Photos)

 

This beautiful photo by JMK Photos is the main reason that I've decided to experiment more with my instax mini recently - when I first saw it I thought it was a polaroid film of some sort, its so soft and delicate yet the contrasts are strong, I loved it straight away. Imagine my surprise when I realised it was from a fuji instax camera!

The reason I had this little quiz was really a reminder to myself what great cameras and films the instax family are.  They can be considered a bit of a gimmick and normally get a unjust negative comparison to polaroids but I think every camera is what you make of it and if you're willing to experiment a bit and believe that you can produce the results you want then with effort, you can.

You can see the rest of my recent instax mini photos here...

p.s. I normally keep the frame on my instax minis when I scan them but I'm wondering if I should remove it from some, as sometimes it feels like it detracts from the beauty and the quality of the image.

Guess the camera...

Another little quiz... though unplanned this time.

Last week, whilst taking part in Photo Meditations, I saw a photo with this camera that blew my mind.  Seriously, blew it. The light was captured beautifully, the tones were so soft and the overall result was stunning. And I thought to myself... I have that camera, why haven't I experimented with it more in varying lights...

So I did, for a week, and here are the results.. I'm completely smitten.

Which camera do you think it is?

p.s. all will be revealed tomorrow... and the mind blowing photo too :)

My first Olympus Trip roll...

I got my Olympus Trip way back in the Summer and I even used it once when we went home to Norfolk for a little bit and I haven't shared any of the photos on here, how crazy is that. 

I seriously love this camera - it looks delightful for one and the results are so rich and warm, which I'm doubly impressed with considering that I used an expired film.


{Thomas took this one of me... I like it a lot.}

I can't wait to go home to Norfolk at Christmas now, I really can't.

Have a great weekend!

Location: Wells Next the Sea, Norfolk
Camera: Olympus Trip (woo)
Film: Expired Kodak 200 (I think)

It's that time of year again...

{image by Ktelqueen}

Can you believe it? I can't quite to be honest... but here we are.

Around this time over the last two years, I've written posts about sending christmas cards and I have decided that I want to send cards out again this year (hurray)

So if anyone would like to receive a card from me then send an email to

rhiannelouise {at} gmail.com
before the 25th of November (a month before... see what I did there...) with your postal address,

and if you want my address as well, let me know!

Eep, I'm so excited, I love love love christmas
(I'm currently planning my christmas music as I type, woo)

p.s. If I've sent you a card before, its probably best to send me your address again, I'm unorganised...

Oh and if you don't celebrate christmas but still want a card from me then let me know as well!

Photo Meditation photos...

I took these during week 1 of Photo Meditations. Every day I walk the same way to work and I have taken a lot of photos of the route but this time I tried to implement what we had been taught that week and see it a bit differently. I'm really happy with the results.

The colours and light this day were so lovely and I loved how the wire seemed to follow the line of the fields so well.

Camera: 35mm Panorama - more details to come.
Film: Kodak ISO 200
Location: Leeds