30 Day Photo Challenge - 2017

So, this year's 30 day photo challenge is finally over! It's amazing how much effort it requires to take just one photo - on a particular topic (not chosen by me) - each day, for a month. Not helped by the lack of daylight hours in December, plus having a full-time job, lots of pre-Christmas socialising and deciding to take all of the shots using a 50mm lens, cropped square and converted to black and white.

But I managed it, and took a shot on that lens and processed with those criteria every day before midnight (a couple were posted late). Along the way I discovered a few new subjects that I like (the Edison bulb) as well as playing around with some new editing techniques (including inversion, not covered here). I did cheat a little, using an extension tube on the lens to get some macro shots (eg the kiwi fruit). Still the same lens though - the amazing Canon 50mm f/1.2.

So here they are! My favourites are days 18, 20, 26 and 29.

Day 1 - Self-Portrait

Featuring me!

Day 2 - Landscape

Featuring Wandsworth Park

Day 3 - Friends

Featuring Jeff & Dan

Day 4 - Natural Light

Featuring Henry & his eyelashes

Day 5 - Reflection

Featuring the Gherkin

Day 6 - Nostalgia

Featuring the steps of Chelsea Old Town Hall

Day 7 - The Small Joys

Featuring my lovely new Orr Kula earrings

Day 8 - Black & White

Featuring Prudent Passage

Day 9 - Shapes

Featuring London Plane Trees

Day 10 - Portrait

Featuring Hubby

Day 11 - Mother Nature

Featuring London Plane Trees (again)

Day 12 - Childhood

Featuring Petit Bateau, King's Road

Day 13 - Hands

Featuring my hands

Day 14 - Something Old

Featuring Guildhall

Day 15 - K is For

Featuring a slice of Kiwi Fruit

Day 16 - Worth 1000 Words

Featuring a rather pissed-off Henry

Day 17 - Looking Down

Featuring my MacBook Pro

Day 18 - Artificial Light

Featuring the Edison Bulb

Day 19 - Silhouette

Featuring Royal Avenue, Chelsea

Day 20 - Patterns

Featuring De Cecco spiral pasta

Day 21 - Inside My Bag

Featuring the contents of my handbag

Day 22 - Love

Featuring the Edison bulb (again)

Day 23 - Close Up

Featuring my other new Orr purchase, Laus

Day 24 - Christmas

Featuring my Mother's Christmas Tree

Day 25 - Tranquility

Featuring Aldbury, in the Chilterns

Day 26 - The Best

Featuring Lane Woods, Little Chalfont

Day 27 - Absolutely Anything

Featuring the view from my window (more plane trees!)

Day 28 - Feel Good

Featuring a light low freezing fog on Eel Brook Common

Day 29 - Candid Photo

Featuring me again

Day 30 - This Year

Featuring my post on 11th Jan, on learning of David Bowie's death

30 Day Photo Challenge - Week 4

Still just about managing to take a photo each day for my #30dayphotochallenge - last 10 days!

Day 30 - This Year
Well the challenge is over. I didn't particularly enjoy it, and didn't really get any great shots, but I did it. This Year... well, better than last, but was somewhat overtaken by the fact that I started a day job during the middle of the year, so not as much photography time as I'd have liked. I thought it was only fitting to take a picture of my office, with a little OTT monochrome processing. My office is the one at the top of the shot, as if you'd ever be able to find it from this! Now it's time to have some fun with some friends, camera-free. Until next year...

Day 29 - Time Travel
I had thought of getting off the Tube at Earl's Court to photograph the Tardis that sits outside the station, or photographing the time capsule in Canary Wharf, but neither of those was practical. Instead, I went back in time to a place I used to drink over twenty years ago when I first started working in London - the Princess Louise on High Holborn. It still feels the same with all its little rooms and intricate decorations. So, not really time travel, but it felt a bit like travelling back in time. Here is my lovely hubby, processed to make the shot look a bit old. This would actually have been a better shot for yesterday's topic of candid. Ho hum.

Day 28 - Candid Photo
I didn't actually go out today, until the evening when I met a friend for dinner, as I was working from home. This made the whole candid photo subject a little tricky.

At lunchtime I noticed a woman sitting on the bench opposite my house having a cigarette and reading the paper. I didn't get a particularly interesting shot, but it was the best I could do from the inside of my house!

Day 27 - Feel Good
It felt good to wake up early this morning and head down to Richmond Park (again) in my borrowed car, on the first day of nice weather in almost a week. As it got later more and more people arrived, running, walking their dogs, photographing the deer, cycling. I stopped to look up at some parakeets and then felt a number of eyes on me - the older deer were lying camouflaged in the dried ferns, and they were all checking me out. I particularly liked this one with his antlers covered in ferns.

Tomorrow - Candid Photo

Day 26 - Absolutely Anything
Boys in the Woods. The highlight of my day was a very muddy, squelchy walk in the lovely woods down the road from my parents' house with my boys. It was so mild we were walking in t-shirts! The dog was in much need of a bath when we got home...





Day 25 - I Woke Up Like This
Just woke up Henry to take today's snap. Sometimes when he's been asleep his face is slightly squished to one side.

Day 24 - Christmas
Delicious lunch made by my sister, mum and aunt. Stuffed now!

Day 23 - Out of Context
If I gave any description of this photo, it would give it some context, so I will give no explanation...

Day 22 - Green
I love the plane trees in London, and in the sun they often look pretty green. Their bark is special in that it comes off, protecting the tree from the pollution - which is why they thrive on London's busy streets. Most are probably over a hundred years old, having been planted in the 19th Century, apparently.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Week 3

My #30dayPhotoChallenge is into week 3. It's not going well!


Day 21 - Brilliant
Well, last day of week 3 - brilliant. Wasn't the easiest, although not too hard when you're out for some Christmas drinks with great friends. This is my wonderful, gorgeous friend Mandy, with an Ancho chilli - who knows what tomorrow brings...

Day 20 - Childhood
I don't have all that many possessions from my childhood, but probably the oldest - and dearest - is my old teddy bear. He used to be called Ted, but somehow got renamed Bear along the way. He was from Habitat, and I got him for my 11th birthday; he was lovely and soft and his nose hairs were perfect. Now he's looking a bit old and shabby (his is pretty old) and lives in a cupboard :(

Tomorrow - Brilliant

Day 19 - Artificial Light
Thought I'd use the 40mm lens again, and candlelight as my source of artificial light. The subject-matter is my two bone scrimshaw figurines that we bought in Greenland a few years ago, with some black clothes as the backdrop.

Day 18 - Worth a 1000 Words
I could probably write down at least 1000 words to explain just how damned gorgeous this little chap is! Or a 1000 words to explain that look. The shot was taken on my new 40mm pancake lens - early Christmas pressie from hubby! It's so light and tiny and so far I love it - will make carrying the camera around next week while I'm still at work a lot easier.

Day 17 - Mother Nature
One of the things I love about London (and there's lots) is the trees. Wherever you go there are trees, even in the middle of the City. I went for a little wander at lunchtime to Finsbury Circus, where I used to work a few years ago. In the middle there used to be a bowling green; now it's a CrossRail building site. But the enormous London plane trees are still there, looking wonderful even with most of their leaves gone. It was so grey that the photo looks black & white, but it's not. I wish I'd had my wide angle lens with me.

Day 16 - Star Wars
Not a fan. Not remotely interested. Christmas work lunch at lunch-time and Christmas party in the evening so no chance of photos. So, a rubbish one from the walk to work taken on the rubbish old iPhone 4S, seen in the window of a launderette on the King's Road.

Day 15 - Internet in Real Life
I was completely stumped by this topic. I even Googled it for ideas, but found nothing other than a weird Wikipedia page explaining that "in real life" is a term used to contrast with one's internet life, which presumably isn't real. All a bit odd! I guess I do have some internet friends who I've never met in real life, but I couldn't conjure any of them up for the purpose of the photo today. So I just took a photo of something I'd been meaning to for a while - a cool view that I see when I get my lunch each day. One day I'll go back with the tripod and do a long exposure with clouds moving across the sky above when the light's not so dull and overcast. Anyway, it was in real life, and now it's on the internet, so does that count?

30 Day Photo Challenge 2015 - Week 2

Week 2 of the #30dayPhotoChallenge...

Day 14 - Wanderlust
My plan to get a shot in daylight today backfired after an officious security guard stopped me from taking a photo in Liverpool Street station (although it's barely the centre for people heading off to fulfil their wanderlust, more just City workers busy getting lunch). So it was back home to take another photo inside. I've been a subscriber to the Wanderlust travel magazine for as long as I can remember, so got a stack of them off a shelf. Antarctica, South America, Northern Lights, China, Mexico, etc... Happy memories.

So tomorrow is the start of Week 3 and therefore time for a new blog. Hopefully the inspiration I still haven't found will come. Tomorrow's subject is "Internet in Real Life", whatever that means...

Day 13 - Friends
I didn't have a chance to get any friend-related shots at work today and besides, people at work aren't really friends. So I then had a brainwave - a little packet of throat-soothing goodies always lies at the bottom of my handbag - Fisherman's Friends. I really ought to get commission from them as I'm always introducing new people to them! Anyway, here they are, larger than life.

Day 12 - Would I eat this?

Well the answer is yes! I wouldn't normally have picked out a bright orange, rock hard cheese, but I thought I'd give it a go. It's actually quite good (and is called Mimolette - aged for 18 months).

Day 11 - Love
Love is...

Day 10 - Portrait
This is my friend Georgina. Had a lovely Christmas lunch yesterday with what's called "Dog Club" - a group of friends I made a few years ago when I first got my puppy. We used to meet in the local park every day and our dogs would play and potter about and we'd chat. Now I have a full time job I rarely see them, so it's lovely to meet up with them.

Day 9 - Opposites
Not as easy as I thought, but I decided to get my lightbox, macro & extension rings and miniatures out for this one. My interpretation of heads and tails.

Day 8 - Laughter
Hard subject when you're at work all day. So, it's a photo of hubby - trying to make him laugh. This is his "laughing at me" face. I need an easier subject!