A Complete Pair

Things That Hurt When You Tread on Them

At the start of the year, I tentatively declared my photography project, A Strange Pair, finished. There was still one more photo I wanted to take for it, but I'd been unable to get my hands on one of the objects I wanted for it, and had reached my goal of 21 photos.

So I called it finished and forgot about it.

Sometimes forgetting about things is all you need for serendipity to throw what you want into your path, because whilst volunteering the other day, I came across a little Lego kit.
It had one brick of the size I wanted.
And it was the colour I wanted, too.

So at long last, I was able to take the stupid photo: Things That Hurt When You Tread on Them.

This project is finally complete! 

There are now 22 photos altogether, each one featuring two objects paired for unconventional reasons. This is based on information I found in a book on psychology, relating to the way a group of schizophrenics categorised objects (see my post Stop! for more information).
I found this utterly fascinating, so explored the idea of unconventional categories through this project. Thinking outside of the box for pairs/categorisations was as challenging as finding that damn Lego block...

And now it's done!
This counts towards goal 12: Complete 3 photography projects, along with my still in-progress project, State of Mind.
One down, one and a half to go!

See all photos taken for A Strange Pair here.

That Old State of Mind

Brainfog
(Fuzzy thoughts, lack of clarity)

Several months have passed since I updated about my photography project, State of Mind. This is part of goal 12 (Complete 3 photography projects) and is still ongoing, but here are some recent additions, plus one from last year (above) which I previously only posted as part of a 365 Project update.

Since it's been a while, here's the arty-farty description of this project:

State of Mind explores different emotions and mental states through a series of 'faceless' self-portraits, each one being a personification of those mental states or emotions: the residents of 'The State of Mind'.

Exhaustion
(Extreme tiredness, caffeine dependent, running on empty)

These most recent images haven't all turned out exactly as intended; I'd wanted to use a full-sized pillow for Exhaustion but...it was too big. Fortunately this little rectangular cushion pad was the right size!

Anxiety
(Catastrophe. Chained. Can't Escape.)

I'm finding that some 'states of mind' are harder to personify as a faceless portrait than I expected. It can be tricky to define emotions as objects, especially the more complex ones that are made up of lots of different smaller feelings, and are experienced in different ways by different people.

Gloom
(All is dull, no light to be seen.)

Though there is a similarity between some of these pictures (and there will probably be more), I hope the differences stand out. For example, Brainfog and Gloom are similar with pale, fuzzy heads, but whilst Brainfog emits a feeling of fluffy-headedness, Gloom is a lot darker, a lot heavier.

That's it for this project so far; other photos may end up being composite images, editing together a 'head' shot and a 'body' shot, due to issues with size/weight of the 'head'.

Fingers crossed it won't take me another ten months to post another update on this!

December Roundup: Last-Minute Goals & 365

Spin (335/365)

2017 is finally over, and here's my last monthly roundup.

I actually didn't do much in December, but I did finish off a few last minute goals!

017. Record myself singing and share it
031. Hold breath for 1 minute
063. Learn to sing a song in a foreign language

These are goals I've been putting off for ages, because the 'evidence' of them would require taking a video. Making video is simple enough in theory, but really pushed me out of my comfort zone!

Despite that, you can click the links above to hear the tiniest bit of singing, my attempt at Finnish, and my 'holding my breath' face!

Of course, another goal I completed - right at the end of the year - was:

065. Complete a 365 Project

December 365 Project Photos. Click link to go to 365 Project page

I was really struggling to find things to photograph during December, but I did try out a few new things. I finally managed to do a long exposure shot to capture traffic trails, and also tried an iphone app that allows me to take 'long exposure' photos (which I used for the first photo in this post).  

Bluebird (362/365)

I also tried out some sunprints, after receiving some sun-sensitive paper for Christmas! This was a fun and simple thing to try out, and something a bit different to include in my project.

Honestly it's a relief to have finished the project. I'm pleased to have got it done, but it was kind of stressful trying to come up with something 'new' to photograph each day. I wanted to take good photos, but there were plenty of 'meh' photos along the way!

Other things I did in December:

• Continued to learn/practise Japanese and German on Duolingo
• Continued trying to memorise all the countries in Africa (goal #33)

It isn't much, but honestly I didn't have the energy (or desire) to do anything in December! Just call it End of Year Exhaustion, I guess!

November Roundup & 365

Burning (308/365)

Another month has passed and we're already almost halfway through December...and I am totally slacking off, both with achieving goals and updating this blog.

November was, at least, fairly busy in comparison to the previous few months!
I started off the month with a last-minute trip to a bonfire and fireworks display in Cuckfield, Sussex, with a friend, my sister, and her boyfriend. In the few hours we were there, I took some of my best photos for November! (I also ate a hot dog. Can't have a bonfire without a hot dog).

Later on in the month, my sisters and I went to Stylist Live and had a fun 'Sister Sunday'! We had manicures, tried some cocktails, got pick 'n' mix, and a fantastic goodie bag!

Toward the end of the month, I went to Hyper Japan Christmas with some friends, and spent all my money, ate tasty food, saw neat lanterns and a cool band.

Something I never got around to blogging about was this:

Dandy Alpaca (332/365)

For a while, I'd wanted new art to go in this frame. Originally it held a band poster, but the band disbanded several years ago and I rarely listen to them anymore, so it was time for me to get something new!
Of course, all the posters and prints of the right size were way out of my price range. Then I saw some neat animals-in-vintage-clothes photomontages using recoloured vintage portraits and photos of animals.

"I can do that!" I thought to myself.
So I did, and this is the result.

This took several hours in photoshop, most of which was spent on the alpaca's head! I made it using a photo of an alpaca that I'd taken earlier this year, plus a vintage carte de visite that was in a box of pictures in the attic.

As fortune would have it, Bob Books had a Black Friday promotion at the time I'd finished this picture, so I sent it off to them to be printed as a poster. It turned up at the end of the month and fits perfectly into the frame. Now Mr Dandy Alpaca lords it over the room.
I think he needs a lordly title.

Santa's Workshop (321/365)

Alongside photoshopping alpacas and Going Out And Eating Stuff, I also spent time making props for, and putting together, a christmas window display for a charity shop. I made metres upon metres paper chains (from A4 paper), wrapped old boxes up like presents, sewed two giant candy canes, cobbled together a 'Santa's Workshop' and 'North Pole' sign using...well, paper and trash, to be honest.... and made 14 lines of 'falling snow' from cotton wool balls and sewing thread.
Making this stuff took around four days, and when putting the window together, I also recovered the chair to make it look more 'Christmassy'!

November 365 Project Photos. Click to see larger (on my 365 Project page)

Anyway, here's my 365 Project photos for the month of November. I felt that most of them were a bit of a 'miss' this month. Need to get my photo mojo back. This month's pictures are a bit better, at least!

Other things I did in November:

• Continued to learn/practise Japanese and German on Duolingo
• Continued trying to memorise all the countries in Africa (goal #33 - nearly there!)
• Finished my Christmas shopping (hurrah!)

Not exactly successful on the goals front, but better than nothing! 

Remember, Remember...

...the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.

Alright so it was the fourth of November, and that wasn't the most original of titles, but nevermind.
There was also no treason, the only gunpowder was in the fireworks, and the only plot was to get myself a hotdog from the friendly local scouts!

October Roundup & 365

Chill and Mist (300/365)

Well, despite my intention to get my butt into gear and work on more goals from The List, this blog totally fell by the wayside again during October.
Maybe it's because the weather is getting colder, maybe I'm just tired of the same goals and lacking in motivation, but I only managed to complete one goal this month:

068. Send Happy Post to 5 people

I wrote about it a few days ago; those who received happy post know who they are (and as for what they are? Awesome is the answer). 

Of course, I also continued taking photos for 365 Project:

October 365 Project Photos. Click to see larger (on my 365 Project page)

Once again I've struggled a little with ideas. I know I could simply make snapshots day to day, but I went into this project wanting to stretch my fingers creatively. I want to end up with a collection of 365 photos that I'm proud of (though I have a fair few 'meh photos' amongst the bunch!)

Asides from happy post and photography, during October I also:

• Finished the Japanese course on Duolingo (I still don't remember anything, haha)
• Picked up German on Duolingo again (I gave up a couple of years ago. Haven't forgotten as much as I thought!)
• Drew more hands (goal #001; I mostly did this whilst waiting for things like computer scans/backups/etc)
• Did 99% of my Christmas shopping. Yes, I know it's early. But it's almost finished and I don't have to stress over it, hurrah!
• Made plans to go to two events in November. Yay!

Hopefully having plans in November means I'll actually update more than once this month, but only time will tell!

August & September Roundup & 365

Flying Fish (218/365)

Alright, so I've been the worst person, and let this blog gather dust for an entire two months. Whoops.

Honestly, I haven't been up to much.
I went to Kitacon (an anime/nerd convention) at the end of August but other than that, and asides a few meetups with friends, life has been decidedly uneventful.
Mostly because I've not made the effort to make it eventful.
Over the past couple of months, I've lost a lot of my motivation to Get Things Done, and to Do Things. Everything takes more energy than I have, and more effort than I'm willing to put in. (Yeah I know, I suck.)

August 365 Project Photos. Click Here to view larger (on 365 Project page)

I am still working on a few goals, but really need to take another look at The List and decide how much I want to do some of those things.

Things I'm doing lately:

• Practising Japanese on Duolingo (not for a goal, but I'm on a 94 day streak! Yay!)
• Occasionally drawing hands (goal #001. Fill a sketchbook with artwork/studies of only one subject. I've a long way to go yet!)
• Gathering things for another goal, so I might actually do something I always intend to do, but take ages to get around to. (It's a cheating goal really, because it's something I do do, just not nearly enough).
• Trying to memorise every country in Africa (goal #033; I can name abour 30 off the top of my head)
• Continuing with 365 Project (goal #65)

September 365 Project Photos. Click Here to view larger (on 365 Project Page)

This time around, since I've missed two months worth of roundups, I'm not posting the individual photos from my August/September 365 Project, just screenshots from the 365 Project website. Click them to view the page and see the images at full size.

Please do go take a look, I've been practising with some different kit (70-300mm lens!) and some different concepts and techniques (high key & low key photography, 'splash' shots, surreal images, and more!)

And now, I'll go look at The List, and try to find some motivation...

A Strange Pair: Project Update

Things That People Look Through

I realised it's been some time since I last posted any photos from my project, A Strange Pair.

As a memory refresher, this project is based on information found in a psychology book, relating to the way some schizophrenics categorise objects (see my post, Stop!, for more details).

Things That Cut

Things That Hold Other Things Together

Things That Should Not Be Jammed Into An Electrical Socket

A summary of the project, as I wrote in my first post about it, is:

A Stange Pair is an exploration of the relationships between everyday objects.

Which sounds pretty fancy but is basically me popping various objects and a white background, and snapping pictures, having spent hours trying to come up with unconventional yet logical reasons for those objects to be paired together!

July Roundup & 365

Big Day (208/365)

Aside from attending my cousin's wedding (above) and upcycling a dress into a waistcoat, I didn't really do anything worth blogging about in July, so this post is going to focus on my 365 Project photos.

Despite doing little of note, I did experiment with some different techniques and ideas when taking photographs this month!

Reflective Afternoon (182/365)

Musical Wave (183/365)

I began the month with a couple of abstract images--reflections of light on the ceiling!
Over the course of the month, I experimented with other types of reflection too.
All will be revealed further on in the post...

June Roundup & 365

This roundup is a bit late, considering we're just over a week into July now! Between hot weather and being busy with things (mostly everyday things), this blog has been neglected over the past month, with posts I've intended to write as yet left unwritten.

Despite that, I've kept up with 365 Project and am now halfway through! The first six months of the year have gone by very quickly...

Anyway, here's a roundup of what I did in June, along with my June photos for 365 Project.

I started the month by going to see a comical play, The Accidental Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with my parents, followed by a meal at Las Iguanas in which I tried some new food: Brazilian xinxim (which helped me start on goal #43 Try foods of 5 different countries).
The play was fun, and the xinxim was so tasty that I have actually had dreams about eating it!

Photography-wise, I started off the month photographing pets:

Watching (152/365)	Attempted Portrait (153/365)
Snacking (154/365)	Ignore (155/365)

The first full week in June turned out to be quite a busy one, with three trips out, lots of walking, and some axe throwing for good measure...

May Roundup & 365

The month of May has come to an end, and thanks to Brighton Fringe Festival, it's been my busiest month so far this year!

Along with those events, I managed to get out on quite a few walks, and also make use of the smartphone clip-on lens kit I was given for my birthday at the end of April. The kit comprises of macro, wide-angle and fish-eye lenses, and I started the month by taking a fish-eye picture of a snail!

Curves (121/365)

Once again, I ended up taking many photos of 'nature things' for my 365 Project this month:

Beees? (130/365)	Posy (131/365)	Bald Patch (150/365
Tufty Bunny (122/365)	Petals (132/365)	A Good Nose (128/365)
Mouths (133/365)	Shellter (149/365)	Heads (134/365)

Fluffy Belly (144/365)

Though I keep intending to look for something other than nature to photograph, it still ends up being my go-to topic, whether it's due to a serendipitous discovery of a snail sheltering beneath a flower (and a bad pun I can't resist), a macro of a moth's fluffy body, or a snap of some freesias bought from the local greengrocer!

Being in the countryside, there is nature everywhere, which I suppose explains why I photograph it so much (it's not just laziness I swear).

I guess city-dwellers doing 365 Project might find themselves photographing urban life and landscapes--after all, it's right there on their doorstep.

April Roundup & 365

A Spot of Tea (110/365)

After three months of not doing much (seriously, why is everything closed during the beginning of the year?!) I actually got out of the house a little more during April.

Very little more.

Still, I have things to write about in this roundup that go beyond rambling about April's 365 Project photos.

As with March, unfortunately some of my plans this month had to be postponed or cancelled, which seems like a fact of life at the moment!
However, I'll catch up with people soon enough.

Despite the cancelled plans, I had some fun this month, both with activities and with photography!

So without further waffling, here's how my April went...

State of Mind

Daydreamer
(In moments of stillness, the action happens Inside)

In the process of keeping up with 365 Project, I've begun the second of my photography projects for goal #12 (Complete 3 Photography Projects).

State of Mind explores different emotions and mental states through a series of 'faceless' self-portraits, each one being a personification of those mental states or emotions: the residents of 'The State of Mind'. 

Inflated Ego
(That moment of smug big-headedness)

This is still a fledgeling project so I'm still developing the ideas!
Considering the subject matter of this and A Strange Pair, it seems matters relating to psychology are of interest to me, doesn't it!

Discombobulating
(Confused, surprised, trying to comprehend)

I started off using a few handheld props, but am looking to make more use of masks and/or headpieces, to give an effect of the head being Different rather than merely having something held in front of it...

Poisonous
(Those negative thoughts that catch us unawares)

In the image above, I reused the mask I made for one of the prompts on Delightful Aberrations some time ago! I'm glad I kept it. Comparing the above image to the one created last time I used this mask, I can see how much I've benefitted (technically at least) from my cheapo camera remote. Life is so much easier when you don't have ten seconds to rush between camera and backdrop!

Idealist
(Too many flowery thoughts, not enough roots in reality)

I also discovered that I can 'MacGuyver' together a flower mask using tissue paper, staples, an elastic band and a piece of bent wire!

This project has been fun so far, and I've started to think a lot more about each persona. I'll likely take more in future, since there are so many more mental states to consider--and just like Poisonous, they are not always good.

The State of Mind, like any state, province or county, has its bad guys.