27.2.11

climbing trees

I used to love to climb trees when I was growing up. Didn't you? There were two trees in particular that I loved to climb: one was a very large blackwood that had some planks of wood nailed at the base of the branches, making a makeshift tree house; the other was an acorn tree that was especially good for climbing and playing as one of its branches was horizontal and flat and wide, like an elevated platform.

This tree isn't as grand as those others, but that obviously doesn't dampen Jasmine's excitement. Being up a tree - regardless of the size - takes you away from the real world and into the world of nature. I always used to love the idea of shrinking in order to explore the magical world of gardens (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is one of my favourite kids' movies!). The scene from Disney's original Alice in Wonderland that sees Alice sink down into a field of daisies, looking up into the sky from beneath the flowers, is burned into my memory as one of the most fantastical things to experience. I just rewatched the scene, and interestingly she starts up a tree, before descending into the daisy field and singing about a world of her own where she interacts directly with nature. What a lovely idea.

15.2.11

portrait of the week: ben and imogen


Both of my SLR cameras have half-finished films in them at the moment, and I haven't taken the lomo cameras out for a while for various reasons. At times like this, with no fresh content coming in, it is easy to lose inspiration for these posts. My solution is to introduce 'portrait of the week'. It won't appear every week - just in those weeks that nothing else is standing out to me. This solves my problem because a) I have a lot of interesting portraits so there is no shortage of content, b) I don't necessarily need to write a lot because it's just one photo, and c) I will stop feeling guilty for neglecting my blog.

This week's portrait is of the endearingly dysfunctional couple (who will tell me they are not dysfunctional at all) Ben and Imogen. I was trying to take a photo of the camera-shy Imogen when Ben interrupted and made her laugh. It's a really cute interaction between the two of them, and I think that it is clear that the moment is between them even though they are both looking at the camera.

I'm sure I will develop new films soon and rediscover all that enthusiasm. In the meantime, this lovely portrait will hopefully suffice.

3.2.11

babes, birthdays

Some of my favourite people have birthdays in the hot, hot months of February and March. After a small hiatus, I figure this is as good a reason as any to get back to the blog and dig out some sweet portraits. It's also a nice way to reflect on the downright necessity of excellent friends and family by highlighting just a few of their lovely faces.

Taka - with the mind of a ninety year old, the face of a nineteen year old and the energy of a nine year old - kicks off the festivities with an early February date.

Shasta, pictured here with her affable little (big) brother Corbin, will no doubt out-party everyone during her traditional birthday week of celebrations - and still make it into work on time. When I moved in with her, I hoped Shasta would be a good housemate. As it turns out, she's like some amazing buy-one-get-one-free shoe deal at True Blue Shoes, because I got an excellent friend, too.

Despite our many differences in appearance and character, my only sibling, Maydia, is still the only person in the world to understand me on certain levels. If you have a brother or sister, you will probably know what I mean. It's an easy thing to overlook but I have come to realise that it's something that should never be taken for granted. I have no doubt Maydia will celebrate in glorious fashion when her March date rolls around. If she can afford it.

And Sasha, that kooky Russian who has, on occasion, driven me to distraction with her various and multiple neuroses. Who is also the most unwaveringly honest, kind and loyal friend I am probably ever likely to have. I'm not sure how she'll be celebrating her birthday, but I can only hope she knows that she is truly worthy of every kind of festivity coming her way - in March and beyond.

I am positively lucky to have these four wonderful people in my life, and I am even more blessed because I am close to many more glorious souls whose birthdays fall outside of these select months (or whose February–March birthdays escape me at this moment). And I think it's important to acknowledge that from time to time.