Decorator's Notebook blog » Photography

5 ways to make your holiday photos more creative

Joe - Decorator's Notebook — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:52:42 +0000

I’ve just got back from a week away in Moscow and Bethan asked if I’d share some tips for getting more out of photographing new places. Next time you’re on holiday, try out these simple tricks to break the habit of seeking out the classic postcard shot and come home with something a little more more exciting on your memory card!

1. THINK OF A THEME

I’m a big fan of setting myself photo projects as it helps to focus my mind and hone my eyes as I explore unfamiliar places. A theme can be anything from trying to get as many pictures of one thing, like street vendors or transport hubs, or concentrating on the medium of your photography like black and white, tilt-shift ‘miniatures’ or shooting on film. This Photography Monthly article has some great ideas.

For my trip I thought about what Moscow meant to me. Having been previously, I was aware that whilst Russia has become a very different place over the last 30 years, the footprint of the Soviet regime in Moscow remains overwhelmingly apparent. I wanted to try and capture the city with in a way that would reflect photography from that era, so bought myself a plastic Holga lens to fit onto my DSLR for about £15. Effectively a pinhole lens, it’s small and lightweight and great fun to attempt to use.

2. MOVE YOUR FEET!

The Robert Capa quote: “if your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” has become a bit of a cliché in photography, but it’s something we can all learn from. I prefer the notion of zooming with my feet and only took a lightweight prime lens alongside my plastic Holga. Using your body to move your camera, forces you into new and dynamic positions and gives a fresh new perspective on the well-known sights. Standing in the middle of Red Square I could see hundreds of people with their cameras trained directly at St Basil’s looking for that famous picture above. My view is that if you want a postcard photo, then buy a postcard! Instead I captured something different by getting down on the ground and looking for interesting people or objects in the crowd which other people might discard as in the way.

3. NEVER LET GO OF YOUR CAMERA

Thinking about photography every minute is hard, especially when you’re on holiday. I find that having my camera in your hand, rather than around my neck can make a big difference. Just loop the neck strap around your wrist and you’ve got your camera at hand for all of those blink-and-you’ll-miss moments. This also has the advantage of making you look less like a tourist, which can be less intimidating for local inhabitants.

4. LOOK BEHIND YOU!

It’s so easy when walking from one destination to another to stride forward and never look back. In short, you’re missing 50% of everything there is to see!

5. SMILE AND TALK TO PEOPLE

This is probably the hardest one and can be even harder somewhere like Russia where smiling often rouses suspicion! But I think the best photos you can get when travelling are of people rather than things. Unlike a monument which is photographed hundreds of times a day, photographs of people are both rarer and more interesting.

It’s essential to be culturally aware of local customs and always best to ask permission, but no photograph will capture the feeling of a place quite like one of someone who lives there. A good tactic I picked up in Bali is to speak to people who are selling things, close the deal, then casually ask for a photo before you leave. If you negotiate a price that’s good for them, you might get a priceless smile for your extra pound!

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

Petal power at Hampton Court Palace

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:00:36 +0000

I’ve been mentally compiling a bit of a London bucket list and the glorious bank holiday weekend seemed the perfect chance to tick off one of the most beautiful places – Hampton Court Palace. I booked a ticket that included both the Palace and the gardens but as it was such a lovely day I spent most of my time outside. I’m determined to get to grips with my camera and post more original content this summer so here are a few of my snaps.

These photos are a bit misleading to be honest because with such nice light and stunning colours it would be hard to take a really terrible photos. Let’s just say there’s a reason I’m posting these and not the pictures I attempted to take of the equally stunning but badly lit interior!

The really interesting thing about Hampton Court is that it’s been added to by various rulers over hundreds of years, so everywhere you turn there’s a different period of spectacular architecture to admire. I particularly loved the towering Tudor chimney stacks, each with its own design to show off just how warm and cosy Henry VIII could afford to keep his visitors.

Even though it was a busy bank holiday I still managed to find a quiet spot to sit and read (ok, nap) in this pretty walled orchard.

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

If you’re in London and haven’t visited Hampton Court Palace yet I completely recommend you go the next time the sun is shining. The interior is absolutely incredible as well. I’m tempted to do a whole separate post just with photos of the ceilings!

My blogging view (out with the old, in with the new)

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 07:54:12 +0000

Times are changing. My flat is getting a new owner. I hope she will like it here but it will be hard to say goodbye to this little place of mine. I always sit and write my blog in the same spot on the sofa and this is what I see. I will miss this view. It always looks so pretty in the early evening light.

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

These dried hydrangeas (liberated from the council flats around the corner) mixed with eucalyptus and pussy willow have served me well all winter. But the daffodils are finally blooming now and it’s time to embrace freshness and newness again. Even when there is brightness on the horizon, leaving the safe and familiar things can still be hard to do.

Just realised how badly the first photo is on the piss. Must get over my annoyance at putting up my tripod :-)

52 Forms of Funghi (aka: a year of knitted mushrooms)

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:44:36 +0000

There’s only one thing I like more than a good photo project. And that’s a knitted photo project! Fibre artist Leigh Martin from Oklahoma is on a mission to yarn bomb trees with knitted mushrooms. One species every week for a year. Brilliant right!?

{Bromeleighad via The Jealous Curator}

I’m definitely going to be following the progress of this mycological adventure …and if you’re wondering (as I was) how on earth such an idea comes about, read Leigh’s mission statement for a full explanation.

My Room, Keep Out!

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 08:42:36 +0000

Where Children Sleep is a thought-provoking photo project by James Mollison. James was born in Kenya but grew up and studied in England before moving to Italy to work for Benetton’s research centre. The brief for the project was to communicate the complex social situations of children growing up in different parts of the world. James chose to do this by photographing their bedrooms (filled with signals of their circumstances) alongside individual portraits taken against a neutral background in which they each appear equal, ‘just as children’. Click the images for a larger view.

{all James Mollison for Where Children Sleep}

There are 27 bedrooms and portraits in total – each one is equally fascinating and touching, so I strongly recommend you view the whole project here.

Just don’t mess with Joey from Kentucky…

The Makers Project: meet Brooklyn’s beautiful creatives

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:55:47 +0000

I’m fascinated by photo projects and am always intrigued by the niche subjects people choose. Kinfolk magazine (my new obsession) led me to The Makers Project by Brooklyn-based photographer Jennifer Causey. Jennifer has made it her mission to capture the creative goings-on on her doorstep. From painters and florists to perfumers and distillers, she’s recorded the relaxed beauty of the people, their products and places of work.

It was a struggle to pick one maker to showcase here because each photo story has its own beauty and charm, but I loved the simplicity of this profile of woodworker Ariele Alasko. She started off studying sculpture and now works full time crafting headboards, tables and breadboards from salvaged wood gathered from buildings being pulled down in her neighbourhood.

In between stints in her workshop Ariele also manages to write the very lovely Brooklyn to West blog (check out the about page for a sneak peek of her apartment), fit out an extremely cool restaurant and sell her wares.

{all Jennifer Causey / The Makers}

The Makers Project website is a pretty addictive so I strongly suggest you while away an hour or two flipping through Jennifer’s photo stories. You can read more about why she started the project in Kinfolk volume five which I’ve recently discovered is available through this trusty online outlet. Kinfolk fans of the UK rejoice!

Me in three…

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:45:16 +0000

I’m at a turning point at the moment and there is so much recharging, thinking and planning to do this weekend. These three photos encapsulate how I feel right now.

There’s something exciting on the horizon… will you come along with me?

{via View Your World}

{Shakespeare quote via Pinterest}

{Christian Kluge via Kinfolk}

Have a wonderful one.

Love DN xxx

Hastings: 28 years later

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 07:14:41 +0000

I was born in Hastings but my family moved to the Westcountry when I was a toddler so I don’t remember much except the inside of our house and mixing paint at playgroup. 28 years later and living in London, I decided it was time I took a trip down memory lane.

I’ve heard so many good things about exciting new shops in the Old Town so armed with 91 Magazine‘s Vintage Lovers Guide to Hastings I hopped on the train and a couple of hours later I stepped blinking into the strong autumn sunshine.

My first stop was supposed to be Dyke & Dean but it turned out to be closed on Sundays (take note: it’s only open Thursday to Saturday). A little crestfallen and chastising myself for having become a presumptuous Londoner I pressed onto the Old Town where I hoped things would be a bit more lively!

Thankfully stop two – Butler’s Emporium (above) – was well and truly open for business and inside I wasn’t disappointed. The walls are lined with tiny little drawers and the huge counter harks back to a bygone era when the shop was a hardware store. Unfortunately the lady behind it wouldn’t let me take any photos but I loved poking around the tableware, vintage prints, stationery and other lovely bits on offer.

A little further along George Street I stopped at Warp & Weft (above) a beautifully presented vintage clothes shop. You’ll find none of the usual ’70s kaftans and patterned polyester here – stylist Leida has selected chic and simple linen shirts, buttery leather boots and wafer-thin cotton undergarments that wouldn’t look out place thrown over a chair in Picasso’s studio.

Hendy’s Home Store (above) is the kind of shop that makes my heart beat faster. If you think Labour & Wait is good, then this – to be frank – is better. Over three rambling floors you’ll find Falcon enamel, Berylware, preserving jars (Kilner, Weck, Mason…), simple wooden scrubbing brushes, natural candles and all manner of other utilitarian and understatedly decorative goodies. Admittedly, the kind of stuff that looks amazing displayed all together and when you get it home – well – it’s just a vegetable brush – but that’s not the point. Oh, how I wanted it all!

After all the excitement I was in need of a dose of seaside air and a bite to eat to still my beating heart. Thankfully, Hastings seafront was right there with both. First, a fisherman’s roll from Tush and Pat’s up-ended boat at the bottom of East Hill lift.

A fisherman’s roll (in case you’re wondering) is a fluffy white bap stuffed with two pan-fried fillets of fish rescued from being tossed back into the ocean. Mine was dab which I’d never tried before – and it was delicious!

Onwards to the beach where I got a bit snap-happy with my camera. The light was so stark and strong the colours looked amazing.

Hastings doesn’t have the prettiest beach in the world but the tangled nets, scattered lobster pots, circling seagulls and other fishing paraphernalia are undeniably photogenic in a practical kind of way. I loved picking my way between the boats with the crash and drag of waves on pebbles in the background.

A very ordinary name for a fishing boat, but I thought Sandra’s vivid colours and peeling paint made her the prettiest of all.

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

This post is already much too long but I couldn’t resist finishing it with some of Hastings’ famous net huts. These tarred, weatherboarded buildings have been a feature of the shoreline for hundreds of years when they were built by the town’s fishermen to store and mend their nets and sails. In the 1930s the council limited the area allowed for each hut to eight square feet – in response the fisherman built upwards, giving them their distinctive tall, thin appearance.

Wearily I headed back up to the train station – sea air in my lungs and a windswept blush on my cheeks. I’m so pleased to have finally made the trip and discovered a new vintage-lovers haven.

First attempt at food photography

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:40:44 +0000

Ahh, the bliss of a bank holiday weekend! I decided to use the bonus day to try something that’s been on my list since I bought my DSLR camera and 35mm lens a few weeks ago. In fact, this was only the second time I’ve used my new camera at all so I’m still trying to get to grips with its most basic functions. I have to admit, I didn’t think it would be quite so complicated!

Undeterred, I grabbed the three most promising props I had to hand – my trusty Falcon pie dishes, a £1 tea towel from the weird curtain shop down the road and a bag of plums – and set about copying a food photography tutorial I’d seen on Pinterest.

{all Decorator’s Notebook}

These are the best of over 400 snaps – all completely hit and miss technically if I’m honest. I had the camera set on aperture priority and played around with the exposure compensation a bit. At times I held a bit of white foam board to the left-hand side because I’d read that was a good idea although I’m not sure what difference it made!

So, do I have any photography enthusiasts reading? What do you think? Should I edit them somehow? All ideas and comments most welcome!

Oh, in case you’re interested, here’s my funny little “studio”…

{Decorator’s Notebook}

A bunch of flowers

Bethan - Decorator's Notebook — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:38:38 +0000

It’s no secret that I love flowers and I love organising. If you’re similarly inclined, you’ll appreciate the beauty in today’s post!

These pretty overhead photos and flower menus were produced by Krista Jon to help brides-to-be choose flowers that fit their wedding colours, but I think they’re useful for anyone picking blooms for their home or a special occasion.

Whenever I feel fedup about work I daydream about re-training as a florist and opening a little flower shop in a picturesque market town somewhere. Perhaps with a teashop and vintage interior shop on the side too. Maybe one day…

{Krista Jon via Wedding Chicks}

Click for the full selection of wedding flower colour charts and some other lovely bouquet ideas.