I should have been a….

stylist.

When I was at school I would have never have known to say to the careers advisor, would like to be a room set stylist for magazines.Who knew there was such a thing?I certainly didn’t ,living in Stevenage as a child.

But along with interior design it would have been a good career path for me.

(By the way I told a whole class of sniggering teenagers in our careers class I wanted to be a model and a make up artist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How mad was I to admit that to my peers.But I had the last laugh,I went on to get paid to do both.)

My mind thinks in room sets.What you may say????Well,everyday before I get dressed,I go through my house and garden and arrange it to my eye,as if a camera crew will arrive at any second!!!It’s just the way my mind works,sad but true.I like things to look visually right.

I think that was why I was finding photography so hard.But now I feel,I am starting to get my own style,I know what I like and I am starting to see my surroundings as part of a photos composition.Shimelle was talking about this today in her latest prompt.

I read about a fab new shop in Cambridge -CallyCo.So I made Hubby drive me there on Saturday.

It had so many things I liked..Wow indeed.

I bought some bunting,a notice board and some beautiful bird fabric and a sewing  pattern to make myself a skirt.

Plus in another shop, I found a canvas I loved for my conservatory.You may have noticed it in my sisters photo shoot.

Anyway,someone asked me today to show some of my latest's pictures of my sisters fab new kitchen.So here they are Kim…

My sister still has a long way to go.She is going to replace most of her furniture,so she has a lot of shopping to do.A  lot of the house is still in its early stages,but one room she has made a start on,is the girls playroom.

She’s going to cover one of the walls with my scrapbook layouts.So it’s nice they’ll be out of their albums for a change.

What job do you wish you’d told the careers advisor you’d like?

A* student

When I do something I always try to put my all in to it.But having three photography classes at once,is pushing it a tad.It just happened that they all fell at the same time.I won two of them and the most important one to me is Karen Russell's.I sat up at 2am to try and get  a much coveted spot on her course.

I had THREE assignments to “hand” in this week.My brain has been in constant overdrive trying to think of photo opportunities.Daughter is still in Spain.Son is at work or out.Hubby is away for the week with work.So off to my sisters I went.

For Cheryl Johnsons People Imagery assignment I had to shoot a creative group portrait and demonstrate my understanding of good and bad posing using males and females.You were supposed to just hand in 1-3 photos.

But being the A* pupil that I am,I decided to make some collages of my attempts.

 

 

 

 

 

group without props

 

 

 

 

 

group with props.

 

 

 

 

 

        good poses and angles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad poses and angles

 

 

 

 

 

Here are three other shots,from my sister’s shoot  I loved.

and this one is a bad angle for faces,but it summed the shoot up perfectly

They were a nightmare to shoot.Taya wouldn’t stay for the session.So we were down to three.

Groups are so hard to capture.It took over a 1000’s pictures to capture some I was happy with.I have some beautiful ones of Jade on her own,which I’ll share another day.

I have already shared most of  the pictures I submitted for Karen Russell's two assignments

But here is one  I may have missed sharing.

I only managed to take 2 extra photos for Shimelles Prompt 9-blues skies

Luckily,most of my other photos from Karen's and Cheryl's classes cover Shimelles prompts.I just haven’t had time to scrap anything yet.

I have another new project I want to start this week.So I’ll share another day.

It’s some sewing?????

Over the road

When I am trying to explain our place in Spain to people,they are always confused when I say the beach is just outside the apartment and that the Med beach is just over the road.They look at me as if I am mad.

But our apartment is on the Mar Menor a salty sea lagoon separated from the Mediterranean sea by La Manga, a sandbar 22km in length and which has a variable width from just 100 to 1200m.The water is like a warm bath .The clear water does not exceed 7m in depth, it is "the largest swimming pool in the world" according to the opinions of the famous swimmer and Hollywood actress Esther Williams.It is perfect for young children as there is no current or waves and you can walk out with it never going above your knees.It is also regarded as having health benefits due to its high salinity.It certainly helped me.

Maybe these photos I took from the plane will explain it better

I’m back in a sunny UK

yeah right,part of that is a lie.I have hardly seen a blue sky since I returned.

Now I have my work cut out for me,with the light now I am home.Taking part in THREE photography classes all at once is quite a feat.Plus keeping up with three forums is very time consuming.

In Spain the light was fantastic .I mean checkout this sunset during the World Cup  half time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are all straight out of the camera.Imagine taking something like this in the UK.Impossible.These luckily covered one of the prompts from Shimelle to take a picture of the sky.

Well,today I tried to catch up with some of Shimelles class.So today I dug out my tripod and took a couple of shots of myself in a favourite outfit,along with one of  my new shoes.One of four pairs of shoes I bought on holiday!!!

I couldn’t include my face,well hair really.I hadn’t had my roots done for weeks.

It wasn’t attractive.

It was so nice to get into some clothes for a change.I had lived in the same two outfits for my entire holiday?????

I then set out to catch some depth of field pictures,including some flowers which was another two of Shimelles prompts covered.

and of course I couldn’t resist a depth of field,with some catch lights of my lover ,Teddy.He’s obsessed with leaves and spends hours catching them in the wind.

Ah,who couldn’t love this mad bundle of ginger fluff…….

Viva Las Vegas

Whilst we were away our son was having a boys holiday in Las Vegas.

Six lads from the UK had rented a suite at The Bellagio.

This trip was all VIP and black AMEX cards.With the black cards benefit of a 24hr concierge,who booked them VIP at all the best clubs and tables.

He had lots of tales to tell on our return.

He hung out with an idol of his Nelly

an England World Cup player,Aaron Lennon

(This picture says it all about the arrogance of our England players.)

But the award for best celebrity without a doubt goes to the boxer Floyd Mayweather.He is regarded as one of the best boxers of all times.

and he gave these boys a night to remember.He got the CEO of Mowtown’s son and his security to take them,in his pimped out car,to the best club in town.Where he had them taken in the VIP entrance to a top table next to him.

So big brownie points to him.Its good to hear about people with money and a celebrity status thinking about the “little people”.

Money and success don't change people; they merely amplify what is already there.-Will Smith

SPAIN to WIN

I am sat in the thick of it in  bar.

Surrounded by Spanish World Cup supporters.To say its tense is an understatement.I’m on the edge of my seat and its a bloody bar stool!!!!

I’m on my own,as the rest decided to watch the match on the comfy sofas upstairs.

But I couldn't resisit the free internet and the match with locals.

Everyone is glued to a TV set here.I wish I had sound for you,I am going to be deaf by the end of this.

Spanish are very passionate about their football.

I have my small Canon camera ready for some video when and if they score…………..

Reading material

whilst on holiday,is very important to me……….

I grab magazines and newspapers at the airport.And then I try and get a daily newspaper to while away some time on the beach.

Plus I catch up on my scrapbook magazines.

 

 

 

 

 

These are my books for the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are Craig's and Tasmins for their fortnight,plus a few more.

And unfortunately this is  Hubbys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If only………….He sits all day bored stiff…………..

Do you like to read on holiday or are you like Hubby? ………………………….

teenagers alert

What is it with teenagers and tidiness?

I have always been anal.In fact my clothes were even numbered when I was a teenager.To make it easier to work out what my sister had sneaked out to wear.

Tasmin has well and truly put her mark on her bedroom here.God knows what the apartment will look like over the next two weeks after we’ve left.She has truly met her match with her boyfriend Craig.They are both,as messy as each other.

At Easter she was walking over the detritus that is his bedroom floor,and heard something crack.When she dared look she found it to be an Easter egg???

We enjoyed a day at the La Manga Club beach and pool today.Digital cameras are so fantastic .I took 855 photos today!!!!! In the olden days can you imagine the film and processing costs.remember those days when you got your prints out of the envelope and out of 24 prints there was usually only one good one.It was always a disappointment.

 

 

They were out snorkelling today looking for the octopus Hubby claims he saw last time.This time I heard stories of the hundreds of sea anemones on the rocks below them,and how big the fish were.

 

 

Weight Watchers isn’t going to well at the moment.This is breakfast,then its bread and crisps for lunch,always followed by chocolate with almonds.I have eaten a family size bar everyday.Mmmmmm

I’m off for a siesta after all those calories……………………