Specialist practise week!! - University upload!!

Okay so my university blog/journal failed me so i decided that i wanted to upload the photographs from specialist week here. They won't make a whole lot of sense without the university text so i'll do a note overview for anyone else looking in :)

Basically Specialist practise week is a week in my university where photographers; artists and professionals related to the field come in and run lectures workshops etc... with us students.

This one was a workshop with a visiting artist entitled 'Rebel without a Camera'. So basically lens-less photography - pin hole cameras and rayograms. I choose colour rayograms since i had used both techniques before and really wanted to get to grip with the colour darkrooms. - note guys the colour darkrooms are pitch black not even red lights are allowed in here...

So at first my prints came out ALL black... But again i can't load photo's so ill tell you the story and place them in all at once...

Once i managed to actually get prints i started experimenting with colours - from here i moved onto specific items (a feather mask) and focused on detail;sharpness and colour again. Overall had a pretty fun time in this workshop!!

Random objects and colour experimentation:)

Pinning down the art of colour setting.

My favourite from the masks - i love the red one too but that one won't load sorry guys!!

My mask colour changing efforts!!

EVERYTHING - note the black ones the laya photographs etc...

I'm pretty happy and looking forward to more time in the colour darkroom - hopefully - very soon.

Holiday Sun

I've fianally developed just a few of my holiday photographs and i thought i'd show you guys a sneek peek of the highlights - view wise - before i do the chronological blogs for you... so sit back and enjoy the photographs...

The first full day in spain (third of holiday) had us travelling to the market at the next town over, Blanes, the market was lovely but after one stroll down someone got a little anxious so we took a seat and admired the view (very briefly we're not the sitting down type) and then went to explore just a little before heading back; here's one of the harbour shots i snapped during our little rest.



The Wednesday had us travelling two hours the the picturesque town of Cadaques, the birth place of Salvatore Dali, a beautiful place and even though we arrived during the spanish fiesta - which meant a lot of shops were shut, we still had a great time. We grabbed a bite to each, some kickass pizza for me of course, who doesn't love a pizza with a view like this...

Anyway after our delicious food, and my ice-cream! we set off walking the rest of the bay which allowed for even more beautiful landscape shots, so much fun. Oh and did i mention the cliff drive of what must be one of the most winding roads around to get into the little town.

Hope you've had half as much fun looking at the photographs as i've had taking them.

All shot with my Nikon D5000 and various lenses: Tameron 10-24mm; Nikon 18-55mm and my Tameron 70-300mm

Emergency Room...

A few weeks go i got a shock call, my boyfriend slipped using a grinder - yes a grider! and gouged his index finger. Of course i freaked and we rushed to the emergency room to find him covered in blood (which makes me faint - i didn't so i think i handled it well all things considered). He was given some heavy meds and x-rayed so i snapped a quick photo of that when we were alone - only had my phone for all of post so no judgements please, and as such i havn't bothered to develop any. 

As you can guess i was a complete and utter wreck - no use for anything, other than frantic pacing and well a freak out melt down; and i remained that way for about a week.



As you can see he's done  a pretty desent job, damaged: the nerve; the tendon; the joint and ground down part of the bone not to mention the gaping whole where skin and a lot of blood used to happily reside. Look at the second un-damaged finger to see just how much of the joint he managed to grinde away...

From here we were sent to the bigger hospital in our area  - the one that deals with plastic surgery. We stayed in this hospital a few hours waiting to see a surgeon and hear the options, there was three - turned out to be only one - a skin graft (of sorts). So after a night at home we went back and he went down to his first ever op whilst i bought himn some rather comical pjs. The following day he went home and after two weeks he's now had the stitches out and the finger is no longer in a boxing glove - or a restrictive finger only bandage and is free to the air. He's having physio to gain movement back as you'd expect - so that's the main reason why i havn't touched our holiday photographs yet but i plan to soon...very soon.

So here's some shots of out hospital... uh hum... shock over the last few weeks...

We got evicted from the room for an hour when we checked him in the day of the op (restricted eating times) so an hour away means quick bite to eat and present time, those are some expensive bears and balloons let me tell you, but worth it they're so cute.

Developing Effects...

Some more of our latest little adventure when the developing process went, well... oddly to say the least. The rather grainy quality is due to the enlargment of my negetives; i've edited these in Adobe Lightroom in order to better display each capture.

A little film shoot gone wrong but so right...

Simple really. We had a great time and shot a couple of rolls of film - yet somehow the developing went wrong. The stamps on the negetives were fine so the wrong element truly is a mystery never the less i do like the results.
I've used black and white film and once i developed the films i scanned into a computer as the negetives (in their origional state) were unworkable in the darkroom.

Kids with Cameras

More of our little adventure; he held my film camera and played whilst i look some digital shots. He juggled my camera; his dolly and my lens pen - since playing with a lens cleaner is a cheaper alternative to replacing lens' incase anything happened. We had a great time and hopefully you guys will love the results of our day.

I love his little converse and how he juggles his 'toys'.

I love this shot, definatly one to send his momma.

Pretty soon the camera was disguared just like "Claire" in favour of hide and seek fun with a clothing basket.

I've been Jacked!

I got to spend a few hours with my adorable 'nephew'. We posed, very carefully, on the bottom of the stairs; explored Grandma's house; looked out of windows and even learnt how to use a camera - well how to hold an SLR at least. These are just a few showcasing out latest little adventure, not edited yet i've just developed  in Lightroom; I'll upload the finished articles soon if you guys remind me.



Looking for doggies in the garden.

Having fun before bedtime.

 



 

Climbing the stairs one step at a time.



Doing a little artwork before the day ends.



Three hours to Carlisle.

I travelled three hours by car to visit another University today; whilst i learned from last week and took my camera along for the ride i did not manage to snap any great shots of the building its self but these seem to sum up the essance of the place...

Captured outside a town called 'Dundar', that borders with Carlisle.



A place where walls are made of trees not brick.



Finding an Oasis

I don't get to go into the English Coutryside that often so when we had a three hour drive through said countryside today i made us pull over and take just a few little landscape shots that i rather like. Views like these don't appear that often in busy town-life. Here's some very quick edits of a few places i quite like.

Missing my Camera...

I went for a University interview today and did not take my camera; now on a normal day i go to college; work so my camera stays at home. But somehow going out without it today - to somewhere new, just felt... well wrong. I missed my camera and kept seeing what i'd love to photograph all day; thinking of the angle's i'd use if it was with me, everything. So since i missed my 'baby' so much i thought i'd come home and discover some little jems that i hadn't noticed before. Now i have noticed them - tell me what you think?

I shot these a while ago but i always love trawling back over old shoots; nomatter how many times i've been through the files i always manage to find a new photograph to fall in love with.

All shot with my Nikon D5000.

Leaving teenagers alone with a Kite is a bad idea...

Day One.

Day Five

On Day Six we gave in...

And days before we left... we SUCEED!

See Patience pays off, better weather conditions help but patence is the key i'm sure of it.

I Just thought of something else i'm missing...

The COWS!

In Yorkshire Cows freely roaming across roads would be considered a 'hazard' not something to laugh at - well not much anyway. I love where i live but a cow named Daisy or a bull called Lenard could really change a town.

Missing the Views

I spent the summer in Scotland with my bestfriend; now the cold weather is making a come back i'm starting to miss a lot of things - including the views...

We don't get countryside views like this where i'm from - If i couls sigh on a screen i would i miss that beautiful cottage by the sea...

Supposidly a Rottweiler...

This "dog" or wanna-be human poses as a  Rottweiler cross; humm sometimes i think he's a little too pampered...

If his eyebrows wern't enough to convince you check out his little button nose.

Yep it's definitive - defiantly not even a dog.