Little Surprise For Me!

Well, the other day I was playing around with my camera (this tends to be something I do when it comes to Technology because I like to now everything it does, and how to do everything on it). Anyway, there I was flicking through the settings and trying different styles when I found this BEAUTIFUL setting!

I absolutely love it, and it was such a great surprise!! I think I'll use it every so often to capture tiny little details! But it doesn't work too well for certain things so it'll just have to be a special setting for me until I figure out how to use it properly! The camera is an Olympus X-940, which I bought in February, and although it is a bit temperamental it is a pretty good camera. Look below for some more lovely photos using the same style:

Have you found any interesting features on your camera?

Top image is from here and the rest are from my camera.

At home for the Summer

 Well it finally feels as though Summer has started, there has been beautiful sunshine and warm breezes most days, with the occasional spot of rain and exciting thunderstorms. A few weeks ago I came home for the Summer in my home town of Mablethorpe, in Lincolnshire. So far it has been filled with days out with friends, drinking lots of tea, reading in the sun and now family have come to visit. I just thought I'd share with you a couple of the things from here at home near the seaside.

A little while ago my room was decorated cream with a feature wall in pink. I have the little "box" room in my house, but it's lovely and ever so cosy that I love it. It's so girly and (now that I'm at uni for most of the year) it's clutter free and minimalistic, with pine furniture and pink and cream accessories. Below are some pictures I have taken of my room.

 

I also decided to have my hair done for the summer with red streaks and a slight change in style. I'm planning to grow my hair long again, so I have opted for the simple centre parting. My mum was a hairdresser so she has cut (only slightly to allow for the new parting) and dyed my hair.

As part of my new hair style I treated myself to some new products by Tresemme (2 for £5 in Boots at the moment) which are to give my hair more volume. After using them for a couple of days (along with my Aussie Leave in Conditioner, which I would absolutely recommend to all) I have noticed more bounce and a beautiful shine in my hair. I love the smell of Tresemme products, and they leave my hair feeling soft and sleek to the touch. I think these are my new must-haves for my hair.

Top image is from here. All other images are my own.

Going to the Seaside

This weekend I am going back "Home" (where I came from before I moved to Leeds, which is also home) for 5 whole days! Now, some of you might have heard of Lincolnshire (it's that shire between the Humber and the Wash, on the east side of the UK) and I'll be staying in a small town called Sutton-On-Sea! My home is in Mablethorpe, where I will go visit the parents, and I'll also be going to Wainfleet, and probably a bit of time in Skegness!

I am going back for a Christening, as well as to see family and friends! I'm very excited! I'll take some photos and post when I get back to Leeds, to let you know how my little holiday home went! 

Here is a little picture my sister Adele took last time she went home. I hope it's this sunny next week!

Thank you to Adele Coady for allowing me to use your photo!

What a Beautiful Day!

In April, my boyfriend took me on a little surprise day trip to Wakefield. We got up early, took the train and walked (for ages and ages) through Wakefield to Newmiller Dam, which was absolutely beautiful.

The surroundings were tranquil and the view over the dam was outstanding. The weather was gorgeous, and it completely took both of us away from stresses of work and university, as well as giving us a break from our normally busy Saturday mornings. Once we were there we walked, talked and sat around the dam, basking in the glorious sunshine and enjoying the peace and quiet away from Leeds City Centre. I've attached some photos below that I managed to take before my camera battery ran out! Enjoy!

Photos are from my own camera.

Inspired

When I got my new laptop, it has Photoshop Elements already installed on it. As an Illustrator fan, with some knowledge of Photoshop, I decided to play around with it and see what it could do. I had a photo of my boyfriend Nathan and decided to see if I could make an Andy Warhol inspired picture. The results are below:

Firstly I duplicated the original photo and arranged in the four quarters. I then draw 4 identical squares as the background of each quarter. Next I changed the style of the photo to an artistic style called "cutout". I coloured in the square backgrounds and I used the Smartbrush to change the faces to match the colours of each background.

I feel that this worked well and although not exactly like the Marylin Monroe portraits created by Warhol himself, I feel I've achieved a similar effect.

Image taken from my camera and edited by myself.

Springtime!

Well it's been Spring for about a month, and I'm only just seeing some leaves and blossom forming around Leeds. The sun has started shining (even if it is still a bit cold) and you can start to hear the birds singing early in the morning. I love Spring and Summer, I think the sun makes everyone happier than the cold, even if they do sometimes complain it is too hot!

Back in Lincolnshire over the Easter holiday I took some photos on the beach of the sun glistening over the sea. I thought it would be a treat to share some with you! These are all really inspiring, and are scenes that were readily available for me visit everyday when I still lived at home.

 All images are from my camera

The Fashion Book

The Fashion Book is fashion's equivalent to the Art Book. I bought this book at the end of the summer and it's like my little fashion dictionary. It's small, compact and concise. The book features designers (fashion and textiles), illustrators, photographers, models and icons from the past 150 years and is really inspirational. I decided to invest in this book after choosing to study the 20th Century Fashion. Below are some photographs from the book showing layout. Each page features a different person, has a photograph showing an aspect of their work and includes information about them and where they fit into the fashion world. The list of designers and icons is in alphabetical order, which not only makes it easier to find information on a specific person but can also create juxtapositions between the creators and their work. The book includes quotes and gives a short biography, sometimes with information you might not have found elsewhere. For example in the entry about Stella McCartney the book claims "on Friday and Saturday mornings McCartney would garner antique buttons and vintage clothes, which explains the romantic strand of her style". I'd recommend this book for all with an interest in fashion.

Below are some photographs of some of the pages in the book including Stella McCartney, Kate Moss, Paul Smith, Thierry Mugler and Willi Smith.

Photographs are from my camera of The Fashion Book, Phaidon Press, 1998.