Tuesday 30 March 2010

Things I am getting super-excited about

Festivals!
Yesterday I finally bought the Isle of Wight festival tickets for Sarah, Jack and I. That is, what I call, EXCITING! (Get the nod to Miranda? I love it!)
Also, have found an amazing festival called Hop Farm Festival, in Kent. It has Mumford and sons and Laura Marling playing. I don't think  I could be more excited! Also playing is Bob Dylan, Peter Doherty and Seasick Steve. Amazing, huh?
So I'm waiting for a friend to get back to about tickets, but I'm pretty sure I'll go with or without them!

Scotland!
The Baillie girls are heading up to Scotland for a few days! We haven't seen the relations for years so it'll be great to see them - though I'm sure things will go swimmingly once I whip out my amazing Scottish accent! Imagine Billy Connelly meets Shrek, make it even more absurd, then you have my take on the beautiful Scottish tone. I have also learnt to play Loch Lomond on my guitar, though I have been informed there is no room in the car for it. I think there's a conspiracy...

I'm not sure if I'll be taking my camera. I know I should, but we're minimalist packing.
Also not sure that I'll have the internet. I'll have my phone, so twitter and facebook, but probably not access to the blog =[

F xx

*BREAKING NEWS - HAVE JUST BOUGHT HOP FARM TICKETS!*

Saturday 27 March 2010

Things I did yesterday

Before I tell you what I did yesterday, I want to tell you something I realised today. It's going to sound like something you say when you're drunk and have a thought that blows your mind -  though I wasn't drunk when this thought struck me.

Have you ever realised that everything will be 'yesterday' at some point? EVERYTHING in your life has, or will happen yesterday. And for that matter, everything was once tomorrow. Mind blowing. Maybe not. Impressed me though!


Ok, Back to business.
Yesterday I went to London with my dad. I hate London. I always forget that, and look forward to each trip with anticipation, that is, until I get there. Then I remember...

A list of things that make me dislike London:

  1. The underground. It smells, it's dirty, it's busy, everybody's really rude and I can't work out (in less than 5mins) how the hell it works. I know I should expect those things - there's even a rather rude song depicting all these traits. But it never ceases to disgust me
  2. It's very dirty. I literally had trouble breathing at one point, just from the lack of clean air. I'm a wimp and a country girl, I know. 
  3. Everybody's in a rush. I can do rushing, no problems. I just think people can be polite about it. You stand on someone (bad thing about being small - you get stood on a lot) there's no loss in saying 'sorry'!
I could go on, but I have realised that my posts seem to be rants more than anything!
Well that significantly cuts the amount of things I have to write about.

I love 'Alas I cannot swim' by Laura Marling. It's an amazing album that I have become completely infused by (strange use of the word, but it's the right one. And I'm sorry if my brackets always seem apologetic, but I'm just being polite and explaining myself.)
If you like Mumford and sons, Amy MacDonald, Noah and the Whale etc. then you should really check it out! (She also has just released another album, 'I speak because I can')

Lovely.

Also on the music front, I am one step closer to getting Isle of Wight tickets! Exciting stuff. 

Um, my pathological inability to keep this blog going is starting to kick in, but I shall do my utmost (not upmost) not to abandon it. 

F XX

Friday 26 March 2010

Have been in London all day, and am therefore achy, tired and stressed. Will post tomorrow.

Thursday 25 March 2010

Things that make me a little bit angry:

Feminism: 
Not feminism itself - Just some of the things that go with it...


I should start from the beginning. Not the beginning of feminism, I wasn't there, ( though I've heard it was a riot!) but from the beginning of my experiences with feminism.
(If you carry on following this blog, you will soon realise I have a seriously bad memory - to the point where I can't remember if that conversation was yesterday, last month or a dream... Yep, it's pretty awful!) So remembering my first brush with the big, sometimes intimidating F is a bit of a feat. Either that or I've simply forgotten any previous encounters.


I'd obviously heard of Feminism before this, but studying Jane Eyre at school was the first real connection for me. Jane Eyre is my idol. If anyone from my English class reads this, they will probably be guffawing (it was a private school) and recalling my perfect ability to quote all the key quotes, as well as references. I was besotted. Not with the woman (she was fugly) - but with what she stood for. Maybe it stems from my being a romantic, and knowing that her being an independent woman is the only way for her to be with the scrumptious Rochester  and also letting her feel the freedom she deserves after years of oppression- I figured every woman should feel as good as she did when she knew they were finally equal. Though preferably without blinding/disfiguring their prospective hubby... (I've realised this is turning into a bit of an essay, so shall skip some bits!)


Less than a year later I was doing some background reading for some English coursework, and being the cool kid I am, started reading Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch.
I was on an airplane flying back from Rhodes and being a night flight, most people were sleeping. I wasn't I was trying to get my jet-lagged, rather hungover head around Greer's ideas when someone walked towards me, but stopped at the bathroom.


Guess who it was. I bet you can't. Yep, it was Germaine Greer. And she looked at me. Unfortunately she looked at me like I was an  idiot.


I was reading her book in the dark, on an airplane, reading a french quote to someone and saying 'what the hell does it mean anyway?!'
I looked like an idiot.


Recently the BBC has been showing a mini-series called 'Women' about the mighty F (feminism, not the other mighty F word). I quite enjoyed it, but I have been very bored, so a programme about the inside of a plastic cup would excite me. But these programmes have ruffled my feminist feathers (at last, I'm getting to the point!)


I'm just going to blurt it out.
I think the majority of feminists are calling for too much positive discrimination, and that really gets on my tits (I don't like that expression, but think it's rather appropriate). One person said 'anyone that puts on make-up is objectifying themselves'. I'm not going to get angry (I'm too tired, and in a surprisingly good mood today), but isn't it anti-feminist to say 'you shouldn't wear make-up because men will see you as an object' when wearing make-up and looking nice as a woman can be done for yourself? I wear make-up and nice clothes because I like it!  I see them as pieces of art (well, sort of. I'm no Lady Gaga), and an expression about who I am. 


And also some groups not allowing men into their meetings, public marches etc. Surely that's being hypocritical! If men want to support your cause, let them! You can't expect to be treated as equals if you treat the other party with hostility.


All this typing is making my head woozy, and so my views may not make sense.


The other thing that makes me a bit angry is the fact that this is my photography blog, and I have yet to post anything about shoots or results. I've only myself to blame for that though! 


F xx


*Disclaimer - other things make me a little bit angry too! This is not a comprehensive list.*

Wednesday 24 March 2010

Things I forgot that you should also know:

Seeing as this blog is meant to be about my photography, I thought I should elaborate on what I do.
I am in no way professional, and the phrase 'keen amateur photographer' makes me think of old beardy men... I don't know why! I see people's pics on Flickr and feel insanely jealous that they are so amazing! (I'll post links to my favourites later)

SO WHAT AM I?
I'm on my gap year, and decided to spend a lot of money on a decent D-SLR (I'm not going to use loads of camera jargon on here, but shame on you if you don't know what a D-SLR is! Google it!)
Once I had this uber-amazing camera I thought it'd be a good idea to know how to use it - I signed up for an OU course, which was pretty intense but a lot of fun (have got results from end exam, aparantly I'm excellent. I can live with that).

Since that finished I've not had a lot to photograph, though have spent days at a time orchestrating/conducting/editing shoots. I still have a box of ideas - I just need people! On my Flickr (link on the right!) you can see some of my photos, (apparently not spelt photoes... potatoes is right, photoes is not.)

A LIST OF THINGS I LIKE TO PHOTOGRAPH:
  1. People, but I can be picky! I'd rather take my camera somewhere and shoot people that happen to be there than tell someone 'Be here and I will shoot you... with my camera.' 
  2. Vintage things, or things that look old. For example, on  my Flickr there is a pair of brogues that I am particularly proud of! I also like to give photos a vintage feeling when post-editing.
  3. Old buildings - I'm a texture junkie!
Other stuff:
I'm a bit patriotic, not in the three lions on the shirt way, but the what lovely green hills and beautiful trees. I love this country way. I also love tea. One of my dreams is to open a tea shop - not a tea room, but a shop that sells tea... every kind of tea. I shall call it Quinteassential

I love adventures. Call anything an adventure and I'm there! I may be scared and refuse at first, but whip out the 'A' word and I'll do it!

I really want to go to the Isle of Wight festival this summer. I will, just as soon as I buy our tickets!

I also really want to learn to surf this summer. This is slightly  hampered by the fact I have a huge irrational fear of sharks. I mean huge. 

That's all I can think of today! Please check out my Flickr, and feel free to leave comments here or there - I'm very nice and always appreciate them =P

TTFN xx

Ps. Haven't abandoned the blog yet! GO ME! 

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Things you should know:

1: Ok, so I'm pathologically crap at writing blogs. I can't keep them going for more than a week.
See, I'm crap.
So I'm setting out with low expectations, and am therefore less likely to feel guilty when I abandon this.
You've been warned.
Don't get too attached - it'll end in heartache!

2: I have a tendancy to spell words with my imagination. Whilst being fun, it can lead to a lot of confusion(I'm sure there'll be plenty of examples in future posts).
I have also begun to realise that a lot of words I think are words, aren't words... like upmost is utmost.
Not the greatest qualities for a girl about to study English and Media at uni!

3: I like photography. I did a short course in it and have started this blog so I can write more about it, as well as show some of my pics.

I think that about covers it! (For now anyway!)

F xx