When Ada came to visit...

Not too long ago, Ada the globetrotting doll came to Leeds for a visit and I took some photos of her with my Superheadz Yellow Peace camera.


Ada in Leeds - see more photos here.


Ada at Kirkstall Abbey - see more photos here.

We had lots of fun together and luckily the sun shone whilst Ada was here too. Hurray!

Ada has really travelled, so check out her blog to see her other adventures around the world.

Camera: Superheadz Wide and Slim
Film: Kodak Gold ISO 100
Location: Leeds, England.

A rather amazing portrait...

{A portrait of me by the amazingly talented and lovely Caitlin from Hue and Hum} 

Last month, my blog friend Caitlin (who I first blogged about here featuring her amazing art) from Hue and Hum posted about accepting portrait orders and I jumped at the chance to have one of me with one of my cameras...

And here is the result. I just adore it. I love the yellow camera, all the stripes, the cute shoes and my usual outfit of a cardigan and jeans, woohoo!!

See more of Caitlin's portraits here, she is one seriously talented lady!!!


p.s. you might notice the original portrait that Caitlin has that I have an earring, I edited it out as I don't have my ears pierced... sorry Caitlin :)

How to Outsmart Tea Pirates!

If you've been following my blog for a while then you'll know that over the past three years I have made some amazing blog friends and one of the most talented (and nicest) people that I've had the privilege to get to know is Megan from Studio MME.

Over the last three years Megan has worked incredibly hard on her work and her blog to get to the stage where she is now - writing a book. And I couldn't be more thrilled for her. Read on for more details from Megan herself. 
Rhianne x
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


When I was little, I was too cool for real friends and not cool enough for imaginary ones.
 If books had counted as friends though, I would have been the most popular girl at school.  I’m embarrassed to say that I used to spend weekends organizing my bookcase.
Yep, I was that nerdy.

My favorite books included: Sabriel by Garth Nix, The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey, Imogene’s Antlers by David Small, and The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

All those years of book friending and bookcase organizing must have rubbed off on me because I’ve just written my very own book!

 

How to Outsmart Tea Pirates (and other useful sailing tips) 
contains a collection of my quirky pen and ink illustrations and my quirkier short stories.  It’s the book I wish had been on my bookshelf when I was little, but better late than never!

My fellow English majors always thought I was the weird one to write about such things as wallpaper that eats end tables, pirates with sugar tongs for hands, and the Barracollossus (the fish that eats bad boys and girls – tricycles and all).  But I love stuff like that and I know you do too!  I believe that this book can rekindle your wonder and spark your imagination.  It will have you laughing every story and wondering what would happen if the tales were real.  Would you set sail with the tea pirates and subject prisoners to high tea with pinkies up before they walk the plank?  Or would you sit in on the Court of the Gulls and help settle food disputes?  If you’re young at heart or if you’d like to add another special book to your shelf, I know you’ll enjoy my very first book!



 If you’d like to see a sneak peek chapter or hear an audio recording of a story,
you can find them HERE!

I’m having a very special pre-order until June 20th.  I love when an author signs a book so I’m signing every pre-order copy.  Plus, to make the book even more special, I’m including one extra, handwritten sailing tip!  (Just in case you’re at sea with the book.)

I’d love to know what your favorite childhood books were!

Megan

Thing's I'm afraid to tell you...

{old photo -taken with my Yashica Samurai and Lomo CN 400 film}


Last week I saw Ez from Creature Comforts mentioned on her Twitter about a 'Thing's I'm afraid to tell you' blog challenge inspired by Jess from Make Under my Life's post of the same title. 

So here are a few silly and some serious things that I'm afraid to tell you:

~  If I didn't dye my hair, it would be very grey. I like it dark though, so it stays dark. But I do hate when my roots start to show. Also why people want to dye their hair grey is beyond me... ~

~ Sometimes I think about taking on sponsors again so I could buy a really expensive handbag, but usually I change my mind quickly back again. Hangbags (or shoes) are not a good reason to have sponsors really. Also, what if no one took me up on it haha, that would be awkward. ~

~ I hate the TV show Friends ~
(you'll be amazed by how many people get upset about that) 
(really, though, I hate it!)

~ Sometimes I wonder if you are just being nice and really my photos aren't that great, I'm not really very adventurous with them, I tend to play it safe and sometimes I worry that makes them boring (and that in turn I am boring.) ~

~ I still feel like this a lot of the time when it comes to blogging, apart from 800 is actually a lot scarier!  I read through your comments on that post often which helps,
you are all incredibly amazing btw. ~

~ I'm irrationally terrified of The Hulk, but I love Mark Ruffalo - I still haven't figured out how I feel about this

(We still haven't seen the Avengers though, maybe I'll figure it out after that) ~

~ I often wonder how people manage to stay so in control, be so reserved etc. I always feel like my emotions are flying apart - I get angry quickly, little things bother me (like bad manners), I sob at movies (proper ugly crying and for ages too -  I cried for hours after watching The Brothers Bloom) but at the same time, things make me laugh easily, I'm quick to smile and I love completely. So I think there's balance... just. ~

~ I'm heartbroken about my little LC-A not working properly, more than I probably should be about a camera. ~
 

So there we go. I'm an emotional wreck, sceptical of my own abilities and I have complicated feelings about The Hulk. (Also, I don't get the hype about Zooey Deschanel... I might as well throw that out there too.) And I perhaps use brackets and exclamation points in blog posts too much.

  I think Ez's post will be up a lot later than mine (time differences and all that) but do check out her blog - there will also be some other amazing bloggers taking part in this challenge and I personally can't wait to see what everyone has written.

Ah Paris...

Just this week, Diana, Amanda and Morgan and Kim have all shared film photos from Paris... and its been great to see them and remeber, I miss it so much! So I thought I'd share a few more photos that I haven't on here, it's been a while and I want some colour and sunshine.

(Anyone else feeling remarkably uninspired by the dreary weather, where is Spring?!)

 

 Have a great weekend!! 

Camera: Superheadz Slim and Wide
Film: Lomography Xpro (very slowly growing on me...)
Location: Paris!

Gadchick Issue 2!

Today is a very exciting day! 

Today is the day that not only can I call myself a blogger, designer, cad monkey and photographer... but I can also call myself a Freelance Writer!! Um, WOW!

I've written a short post for Gadchick before, but recently Diana contacted me about writing a Gadchick Ebook for Android Photographers, testing and reviewing a variety of Android apps, and Gadchick Issue 2 contains an excerpt of that Ebook, the Ebook that I wrote, haha!!

Issue 2 of Gadchick is all about photography and contains other brilliant articles by the amazing people you see above including Meg, Chelsea, Diana and Aline, who I just love. So if you love photography, whether its digital, analogue or with your mobile then
 check it out, you won't be disappointed!!

I'd like to quickly thank Diana, Aline and Scott from Gadchick for thinking of me to do this and believing in me, I never imagined when I started blogging that this would ever be something that I would do (um, I wrote an ebook...) or that I would be part of such a great team.
I am tickled (hello kitty) pink!!


p.s. Dear android photographers, the ebook isn't available quite yet, but it will be soon and of course I'll let you know when it is. There are some pretty amazing apps available on Android at the moment and the book also contains tips from me, so it will be worth the wait, I promise.

Two exciting new shops!!

It's not very often that I blog about online shops, after permenantly putting my Etsy shop on hold, I haven't had the enthusiasm for Etsy that I used too. However, yesterday I got very excited about online shopping indeed as two of my lovely UK blog friends Elizabeth and Zoe opened their shops and now I am very excited to share them with you!

First up is Elizabeth's new shop Three Jelly Moulds and a Wardrobe...

 

If you follow Elizabeth's blog or Twitter then you know that she has been putting her shop together for a while hunting out the perfect pieces for it and I must say, her finds really are lovely. 

With a combination of vintage and retro pieces and categories such as Kitchen, Fashion, Photography and also a great £10 and under section, this vintage shop has a huge selection of delightful pieces at great prices.


Next is Zoe's new shop, Ladybird Likes...

You may recognise this shop from my last Christmas giveaway. I was very excited about Zoe's shop then and now that it's open, I am just as excited about it now.

Like Elizabeth's shop, Zoe's shop combines a lot of my favourite things - cameras, brooches, birds, dogs(!!) and photography. With beautiful necklaces, stationary, photos and postcards and a huge variety of brooches, Ladybird Likes is a fun little shop, perfect for gifts, either for your friends or just for yourself.


Having had a shop once myself, I completely understand the time and effort it takes to put one together and to show your work well. Both Elizabeth and Zoe's shops look wonderful, have amazing pieces and they are both a true testiment to their hard work and skills and
 both are definitely worth a look around, enjoy!

Guide to Toy Cameras on Shrimp Salad Circus!

Today you can find me over at Lindsay's blog - Shrimp Salad Circus as part of her Photography Month with a short and simple

Guide to Toy Cameras

As I was writing this post it made me realise that I have so much more to say about using toy cameras and 35mm cameras in general, this is really a very simple introduction into it... but I hope you like it. I'm going to try and think of a way to share more with you soon, what do you think?

Frocktober concluded...

When I last blogged about Frocktober, I had managed 11 days straight and I was pretty proud of myself...

Unfortunately, my run didn't last the whole month - however I did manage 20/31 days for Frocktober!! I'm so pleased with that! It was more than I expected to once it started getting cold and wet and I got sick (a few days were spent in PJ's...) and to begin with I never imagined I would even make the 11 days, let alone 20!! HURRAY

I'm so pleased to also announce that the AMAZING Anna, who inspired me to do this managed to wear a dress for the whole month(!) and she also raised her target of $500 AUD for her cause, isn't that wonderful.

Here are some outtakes of my dresses/outfits as well for your amusement, I believe you can still donate towards Anna's page, so if you are feeling generous, head on over.

p.s. A few things I learnt from Frocktober.... I love polka dots, especially brown ones, I am not willing to get wet feet for anything, I am not a fashion blogger or even anything near to one haha, I really like earthy colours and patterns and I am more than happy wearing jeans everyday!!

Photo Meditations...

"I learned that you do not need to be published in books or magazines, or belong to a certain association, or even earn money from your images, to call yourself a photographer. All you need do is hold a camera in your hands with the intention of creating. Recording beauty and decay. Capturing memories. Documenting a scene. Telling a story. Catching a likeness. Exploring your inner world in pixels and film." ~ Susannah Conway.


This time next week I will be starting Susannah Conway's Photo Meditations E-Course and I can not wait. I've been in a bit of a blog rut and I haven't even felt like taking as many photos lately so I'm hoping that doing this will give me the little nudge I need to find my photo and blog mojo again. Hurray!!

p.s. This is my favourite diana mini photo from Paris, the statues were either side of the stairs and I thought they belonged together somewhere instead of being apart... I'm rather proud of it.

Bloggers love Paris...

So many bloggers seem to have been to Paris lately and I have loved seeing everyones different take on Paris in my reader, so I decided to gather them together so I can make everyone else miss/want to go Paris, as much as I do...

First some pretty videos, they capture Paris so well!


paris from Olivia Rae James on Vimeo.
{By Olivia from Everyday Musings}


paris honeymoon from rachelchew on Vimeo.
{By Rachel from Elephantine}

I really wish I'd made a film of our little Paris adventure... though I was busy taking photos and I didn't really have anything to film with...

And now for other bloggers photos, they are all amazing!

~ Olivia's beautiful Paris photos to go with the lovely video ~

~ Kate's first post on her trip to Paris, I can't wait to see more already ~

~ Kate's Boyfriend Thom is also an amazing photographer (they went on photography dates in Paris too, eep) you can see his photos on his blog too ~

~ Emma from Emmadine's 'I love Paris' post ~

~ Celeste's wonderful photos of Paris, we were nearly there at the same time! ~

~Kristina from Kris Atomic Paris posts ~

~ Rachel from Elephantine's photos to support her wonderful video ~

This post is to cheer myself up really, my blog mojo has disappeared this week and I have had a sore tooth/jaw for over a week now... and my Mum and bestie are in cahoots to get me to the doctor (they finally suceeded, boo) - so I'm sulking and this is my pick me up, I hope it picks you up too.

Have a great weekend!
(I'll be sleeping)


p.s. I also did a 'Which camera would you take to Paris' post featuring some of my favourite bloggers and their cameras a while ago... if you're not bored of Paris yet :)

Frocktober continued...

Hurray! I have reached 11 days straight of wearing skirts and dresses. Can you believe that? I still can't... and I'll say right now - I do miss my jeans. A lot.

Wearing skirts and dresses, has had some interesting reactions from people and honestly, I'm not appreciating the extra attention I seem to be getting. Althought it has been nice getting the occasional compliment, I'm struggling to deal with the odd statements that are meant to be observatory but don't really seem that nice... 'Oh Rhianne, you look like a girl...' and 'Rhianne, you do look weird in skirts' being my favourites at the moment. Especially as I never felt that I didn't look like a girl before... or that I look weird in skirts. Perhaps I'm over thinking it too much.

Anyway, I knew that this month would be a challenge for me - both physically in what I will actually wear and mentally, in that I'm having to change how I look at my clothes and how I present myself and also accept that other people perhaps see me in a different way to how I thought.

Luckily, I am enjoying what I've been wearing (despite the UK's weather) and it's encouraging me to think that like Anna, I'm doing this for a good reason.

So, to support Anna and to encourage me, pop over to Anna's blog, read about her cause and perhaps even donate.

p.s. Can you believe the ridiculous difference between the first and last photo weather wise?

p.p.s. Anna has featured me, in my newest skirt, on her blog if you want to look.
I feel a bit out of place but its for a good cause right...

Che: The perfect Paris picnic...

Illustrations by Che from Indie Berries
(taken from this amazing 24 hours post)

Guest post at Down and Out Chic...

I honestly still can't believe that Christina asked me to guest post for her - I've followed her blog for as long as I've blogged (so over two years) and her attitude towards blogging and her amazing blog has definitely made her a blog hero of mine...

Check out my post about my favourite film and diana mini combination here. Yeay!

Top Bloggers Who Use Analogue Cameras... Part 1

This list was originally put together as a Lomography article (which you may have already seen here) but I love all of these blogs so I think it's only fair I share them here too!!

So here you are, in no particular order, is the first part of my favourite bloggers that use analogue cameras list...

A Polaroid magician, DJ and retronaut, Cesar’s blog is all about beautiful and inspiring photography, great music playlists, and a gnome with the ability to make you smile whenever he appears on your screen. That’s pretty much everything that you want from a blog.

Susannah has an amazing blog which expresses her passion for photography, writing and her unravelling e-courses. A self confessed Polaroid addict and very proud aunt, Susannah’s blog is the perfect balance of creativity, wisdom and instant photography.

Although Katrina’s blog is predominately a resource for web graphics, blog bling and tutorials, Pugly Pixel is also home to Katrina’s personal snapshots, which include her amazing Diana Mini photos.

Written by the lovely Anna, Much Love is a blog that celebrates everyday things through photography and the sharing of amazing finds. As well as using a number of cameras, Anna uses a variety of films that let her share her view of Australia.

Jen is a dedicated Holga fan, sharing amazing resources, fantastic interviews with other Holga users, and of course, her own gorgeous photos on her blog. A must see if you have the camera!

Everything Reminds Me of You is the personal photography blog of Elle, also of Diana Mini Love fame. As well as taking photos with her Diana Mini fame, Elle experiments with her other analogue cameras, trying out new films and capturing the details of her life around London.

Fieldguided is a collection of thoughts, inspirations, DIY projects, love letters and stunning photos that you wish you had taken. With beautiful tones and attention to detail, Anabela shares her life through her blog wonderfully.

This blog is a delight and although not well known (yet), Michelle’s severe case of wanderlust, her addiction to film photography and romance with books are a wonderful read. Sharing her amazing photos of Singapore and other places she has visited, Michelle experiments with different cameras and films and documents it perfectly.

Here Comes the Sun is the online scrapbook of inspiration of Amanda Thomas, which focuses on film photography, everything vintage, handmade products and fashion. She also documents her adventures with her Husband, who also shares her love for analogue photography.

A fun, great blog by Ana, a 20-something super geek and engineer who loves taking photographs and has a silly Boston terrier and wiggly French bulldog. Whether posting her digital or analogue photos, Ana’s shots are fun and delightful with a passion and spark for life that shine through her entire blog.

Aren't they great, I feel so inspired reading them!
I'll be sharing part two soon too...

Oh my...

Dane from Tornadoes and Tigers posted about these amazing little paper camera templates from Mel Stringer's Lil' shop...

and all I can think is that they would make the most amazing wedding favour boxes! Cute!!

{All photos from Mel Stringer's shop}

Wendy just changed my life...

I actually have to share this here - I've tweeted about it all afternoon but if you read blogs and you've found that you're bored of seeing posts in your google reader and that you don't visit blogs or comment any where near as much as you you would like to, or perhaps used to - then visit Wendy's blog and see how your blog life can be changed too.

Seriously, my little blog mind is happily blown and I'm a happy blog reader once again,

I insist.

p.s. the photo isn't at all relevant, I just like it :) silly kitty.

Method Press

During my first photoswap I met the lovely Katie from A Sense of Place Photography. As well as being a blogger, Katie is also a part of the Female Photographer of Etsy Team (you can see her lovely etsy shop here) and now she has started a magazine as part of that team. Here is what she has to say about it on the fpoe blog.

"For the last four months, a handful of fPOE members have been working behind the scenes to present you with the debut issue of a new independent publication, Method Press.

This magazine works to celebrate low-fi thinkers & art in the making. It has a current emphasis on female artists and photography, but is interested in all mediums & genders, tracking down art as it moans to record its history in progress."

I've had a quick look through and it looks amazing, I can't wait to read it in more detail!

You can find out more here

:: Method Press Blog ::

And see the first issue of Method Press here

:: Method Press Publication ::

The Wiebners...

You may or may not know that I have a degree in Interior Design and although I don't do much designing (at the moment) my heart still skips a beat when I'm reading amazing design blogs and I see interiors that are just beautiful.

So, I'm incredibly excited to be sharing this discovery with you - I want to live in this shop! Unfortunately its in the wrong Lancaster (its in US not UK, boo)

Joel and Rita Wiebner are a husband and wife photography team who have been photographing together for over 12 years and they love everything photography related... and as well as having a store, they also have an Etsy shop and a photography business where they shoot weddings and portraits.

Here is what Joel had to say about their store.

"My wife and I are photographers and this store is our selfish little indulgence. We stock the store with items that we love ourselves. The entire store is photo themed from frames to vintage cameras to vintage photography and all kinds of other goodies"

Isn't it amazing?! I love it!

Do you live near here? You should go visit and say Hi for me!

All photos taken by Joel and Rita Wiebner and borrowed from this post where you can read more about their shop.

'Why do you shoot film?' blog series...

Yesterday Shokoofeh posted about a blog series that she was taking part in... and as soon as I saw it, I honestly couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it before.

Astrid from Hei Astrid has the most amazing collection of over 60 photographers taking part in her blog series
'Why do you shoot film?'

With each photographer giving their reasons with a supporting photo and I am completely smitten.

Here are a few of my favourite photos and quotes from the series so far. I still haven't looked through them all yet...

{Click on the individual photos to go to the flickr page or blog of each photographer}

I can relate to every single photographer and I love how film affects everyone differently!

Wouldn't these make the most amazing book?

See more of Astrid's series here.