A lovely Sunday

I grew up in the countryside, a beautiful part of England - the Peak District. It wouldn't take very long to arrive at some truly stunning landscapes. Now I live in a city and I love it. I love being able to go places, to be able to walk to the train station and pick up some milk at 9 at night. But I do miss the greenery. Yesterday some of my friends and I went to a lovely place a few miles outside the city. I got to take some pictures of some of my favourite people. All in all, a good trip.

R.

Goals for this week

Life gets pretty busy most of the time. Wouldn't it be pretty dull if we didn't have anything to do?! Here's some of the things that I would like to do this week:

1. Finish my essay. It has been a step forward for me to decide to write an essay that a) doesn't count towards my final grade and b) is optional! I'm glad I'm doing it but my motivation is looow.

2. Take down the Christmas tree. It's the 14th Jan and it's time the tree came down! First though, I should probably take a picture of the tree that witnessed our first christmas together :o)

3. Tidy the whole house. Oh man. I'm not looking forward to this one!

4. Order some prints for our house. I seem to have quite a lot of picture frames and no pictures. That is going to change this week!

5. Write my friend Hanne a letter. I love writing letters but I am terrible at getting round to sending them.

And because this is a new blog and I've been taking pictures a while, here is a series of pictures I took at my Great Aunt's 80th Birthday Party.

Remember that time in the summer when the grass was parched by the heat? I remember meeting the caterers three weeks before our wedding and discussing how we would keep food fresh in this insane heat! Thank fully the weather was perfect: not too hot, not too cold. The sun came out and it lightly rained the morning of the wedding and on the journey between the service and reception. God really does have a sense of humour ;o)

R.

A Little Clarification

Yesterday I applied for a job. This is unusual for me. I can honestly say that this is the only graduate programme that I have remained excited about after looking further into it. It ticks all my boxes and I would genuinely be thrilled if I got a place. It's got me thinking about what God has in store for me. For a while now I've known that being a photographer full time wasn't on the cards for now.  I love photography more than ever but actually, I care about social justice more.

Every time I let my dreams run away with me I'm not traveling all over the world photographing weddings, I am somewhere, somehow making an impact on issues of social justice. I am paying attention to the people that society neglects. Back in the real world, I don't know where this leaves me. For a while now, nothing has jumped out at me. Photography sits there, steady in my mind as other ideas come and go. But now I have this glimmer. It might be that this job is not for me and that I have further yet to look, but maybe, just maybe it's where I'm meant to be.

This brings me on to another conclusion I have reached. Photography may not be my full time occupation, but I really hope it has a significant part to play in my future. I am excited about getting some more wedding practice and I really hope that eventually, I can shoot a few wonderful weddings a year without having to make a living from it. In my head right now, that sounds ideal.

A little while back I was staying with my cousins in the country. I got up early one frosty morning and took my camera. There is something magical about that time of day. I remember feeling as if what I was experiencing: the light through the trees and the sparkle on the ground was like a secret to be kept. I came inside smiling. The day was off to a lovely start.

R.

Rozi and the Winter Sun

Rozi is one of my favourite people. On top of that she likes photography too and lets me take pictures of her :o) On this particular occasion the light was pretty and we couldn't resist taking a picture or two :o)

R.

New Year's Resolutions

I am wary of setting goals for a year for several reasons. Mainly because I think the existence of targets feeds the idea that I can help myself, or that if I don't achieve what I set out to do, I have failed. Basically, I don't subscribe to the claim that my actions or accomplishments determine my value. What does determine my value however, is the grace that God himself has poured on me so that no matter what happens this year, my identity in him remains the same. I couldn't live without Him!

Happily, secure in that marvelous truth, I can set out some things that I would love to start/ improve this year.

1. To know God and enjoy Him forever. Well said. This year I want to know God better. Without a knowledge of God, my life is nothing. Recently I have been thinking about the time and energy I have been putting into my future career(s - haha) and that my relationship with God is more important than that. I want my time management and priorities to reflect that. I have a busy life and I am terrible at resisting procrastination. So I lay the desires of my heart at His feet and plead - help me know you more.

2. To invest in my degree in these last months. I am in my third and final year of university studying a subject that I love. I have suffered in the past with leaving things until the last moment and wasting time. God help me recognise my freedom from these things. I want to do the best that I can with the time I have left.

3. To improve my photography. I love taking pictures. I love looking at pictures. I love editing pictures. This year I want to take opportunities that arise and I want to improve on the skills I have developed last year.

Below is one of my favourite points in my photography journey so far - the day I discovered prime lenses!

4. To make simple, fresh food on a regular basis. When life gets busy, cooking falls by the wayside. This year I am going to work on preparing quick and healthy meals so steve and I can look after our health when we need the energy most.

homemade pizza anyone?

image courtesy of bbcgoodfood.com

These goals seem to be quite far reaching in scope so I think I will spend some time fine tuning how these aims translate into action :)

I hope that this year is a great one for you.

R.

place names

Today I came across a really cute idea for place names. Because I follow (too many to count) wedding photography blogs I can't help but be confronted with images of weddings and now and then I see a really good idea! Despite it being nearly six months(!) since I got married, I still ooh and aah and many wedding details and inspired moments that make weddings such awesome places to be!

So this concept is probably not new but I love it :o) instead of addressing people with their full names, one could make it a whole lot more personal by writing "Steve's Rachel" and "Sarah's Matt" or "Our Sophie". I'm not sure about you but couple that with brown paper tags and I'm smitten.

R.

Baby Heddwyn

In October our first nephew was born! A beautiful baby would you not say?

R.

harriet & michael are married!

Back in July I had the privilege of attending the wedding of two good friends. This wedding was full of fun, friends and so much love. I hope I get to photograph many more weddings like this one!

Thanks to Harry and Michael for such a beautiful wedding day - may you enjoy many happy years together!

R.