A Few of My Favourite Things

I am lucky enough to be surrounded by wonderful things, wonderful people and to have enjoyed some wonderful experiences. But when it comes to things I love to photograph I have a definite top 5! My friends children feature quite highly, Isla Rose and Oliver James are both adorable and very enjoyable to photograph. They have a wonderful energy and it just shines from the photos. My family dog Millie and her best friend Henry (who belongs to my Father-in-law), they are so much fun and seem to always be in the right place for an awesome photo. The the countryside, near where I live it’s very rural and I never get tired of taking photos of trees and fields and leaves and finally wild flowers, there is just something enchanting about their ability to be beautiful and hardy at the same time.

Isla Rose

Isla is gorgeous, she takes brilliant photos and has the most amazing attitude. She is so laid back and totally not bothered by the camera, she really humours when I am snapping away! Her facial expressions are brilliant and if you take lots of photos you will catch her pulling some amazing faces. But my favourite expression is her totally knock out smile!

 

Oliver James

Oliver was the first little one born to our group of friends and he is growing into a wonderful, lively cheeky little chap. He has bundles of energy and I love getting action shots of him throwing himself around or of him really engrossed in what ever he is doing. He has the cutest little face and always looks like he is up to something adorable… But slightly mischievous.

 

Millie (and Henry)

These two are as thick as thieves, they always bicker and grumble but end up running round together and having a ball. They have been friends for many years and have matured into a very comfortable companionship. They don’t see each other all the time so it’s lovely to get some photos of them together. Millie is the little scrappy Jack Russell and Henry is the big, soppy Bull Dog. I adore going out on walks with them to take photos, it makes me so happy seeing them having so much fun.

 

Country Side

Ever changing and always interesting, rich colours and stunning textures. Even the most mundane of views are beautiful if you look closely enough.

 

Wild Flowers

Pretty, seemingly fragile, delicate and short lived. Wild flowers are all these things but they are much more, they are resilient to our cold springs, they grow every year disputed our hard, harsh winters and they spring back when we walk over them. I love all these things but what I love most of all is that they thrive in hidden, unexpected places bringing a bit of sunshine in the strangest of places.

My neighbours Cat

So we live in an ordinary road, in an ordinary town in an ordinary house. We are both animal lovers but are typically dog people, although I did have a wonderful hamster called Elivis who sadly died a few years ago. My parents have a dog, my Father in Law has 5 dogs and my husbands family had a dog when he was growing up, so you see, very much dog people.

My road is very much a ‘cat road’. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, there are big fluffy white ones, little tabby ones and gnarley scruffy ones that look like they can look after themselves. Then there is a beautiful, slender all black cat with striking yellow eyes who is exceptionally friendly. We often leave our door open and this lovely creature has taken to popping in to see us. The cat has been over so often that I have started to take photos of it. I am not sure if that makes me crazy, that I have got photos of someone else’s cat, or not. Either way I have grown quite fond of it, I’m not sure if it is male or female, all I know is it really likes cuddles and strokes and snuggling up on the blanket on our sofa.

Normally the visits only last about an hour and then it heads back out and comes back to visit the next day.

I think after a handful of visits I can claim part ownership…. That’s not weird is it?….

I thought I would share some of my ‘crazy cat lady’ photos of my neighbours cat… Next step will be putting them in a frame….

 

Beautiful Lochs

Scotland is one of my most favourite places on Earth, my Dad was Scottish and something about the area sings to my soul. I have lots of family who live in Glasgow and I am close to them all, which I am sure helps fuel my love. When my father died last year he wanted to be scattered in Loch Long, but well before that it had been somewhere I feel like I’m home.

When we went to visit family my Dad would take me on a Loch tour and tell me about all the holidays he had with his Dad in the ‘hut’ on the banks of the Loch and tell me stories from when he was a boy. The scenery is rugged and beautiful, there are waterfalls that flow down the hillsides that surround water. Boulders are strewn across the landscape and everything grows lush greens, purples and yellows, it is windswept and tough but rich and earthy, absolutely stunning.

 

 

San Francisco

I had the good fortune of spending 5 days in the cool, laid back hub that is San Francisco. The city is alive with culture, colour and a vibrancy that I just hadn’t come across before. The feel was so different to the other cities I visited, it felt European with a Californian vibe. Healthy, modern and cool but fun and bohemian.

The light in the city and the surrounding areas is perfect for bringing out the colour and detail in photography and there is no shortage of sights to snap. From The traditional San Francisco city shots to the hidden gardens, wall art, Bay areas and iconic tourist attractions you will not be disappointed.

Over the 5 days we visited all the typical tourist spots Alcatraz, Fishermans Warf, The Cable Car Museum, the Japanese Tea Gardens, the Seven Sisters. We also indulged in a personal tour with  Silver Lion Tours  and Dirk our wonderful guide. Dirk knew the city extremely well and tailored our day to fit with what we wanted, primarily beautiful photo ops and bits of the city we would otherwise not get to see.

The day was spectacular, we visited all the areas we hadn’t got to, we got to see some stunning vistas and not only got loads of information about the city we got a local view of the city.

 

 

Texture

I love texture, it makes everything more interesting.  You can take something as ordinary as a wall at the side of the road and make it beautiful.

Texture adds depth and soul, it gives everything a history, a story.

 

image