Photographing Plymouth

After a stressful few months, a lot of hours spent serving coffee and 7,000 words worth of essays completed, I decided to take a spontaneous trip down to Plymouth to visit Joe at university. I love Plymouth. I'll admit, the city centre isn't exactly a sight for sore eyes and on a wet day it's actually quite a bleak place but come rain or shine, The Hoe and The Barbican are both beautiful places to take a stroll. 

The Magical World of Harry Potter (Warner Bros. Studio Tour)

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to go on a tour of the Harry Potter sets at Warner Bros. Studios.

I can't even begin to describe how surreal it was to walk down Diagon Alley, stand in front of Privet Drive and gawk at the Philosophers Stone. After seeing the sets play host to some truly epic scenes and the best of British acting on screen, it was any Potterhead's dream to be able to see them up close and discover all the secrets off screen. It was undoubtedly a magical day, which I documented by taking no less than 300 photographs, and am going to share with you whether you like it or not! 

The Oxford Diaries

For the past three days, me and Eloise have been up in Oxford, visiting friends at university, seeing the sights and soaking up the Oxford lifestyle. Being there felt like being a little bubble of quaint streets, grand buildings, lovely people and good food; what more could you ask for?

Paella and Pudding

Last night, me and the girls headed over to my friend Alex's house to celebrate her birthday with what promised to be a glorious feast prepared by her mother, the original hostess with the mostess. Alex's birthday usually consists of frozen margaritas, a variety of salads and breads, posh meats and macarons. I was therefore extremely eager to see what was on offer this year and it's safe to say I was not disappointed. 

A Day in the Life #1

Some days, I have lots of fun plans that I want to photograph and share with you guys but I never seem to get round to actually documenting them. Of course when I say "fun" I generally mean eating nice food and seeing friends, not shopping for designer dresses or going to the spa. I think the reason I tend not to photograph these moments is because people seem to get rather intimidated whenever I whack out my SLR camera (even I can admit it does sometimes ruin the mood when I'm darting around with a gargantuan camera, trying to get a good shot of someone's meal before I allow them to eat it!). I have realised, however, that people seem to find it a lot less offensive when I want to photograph them on my iPhone as we go about our day to day activities. So, yesterday I got a little bit snap-happy and decided to put together my first "A Day in the Life" post. I don't usually like to post photos on here that weren't taken on my SLR as I'm a stickler for quality, so I'm hoping that my readers aren't as anal as me when it comes to aperture and ISO numbers!

I started the day off by hitting the gym bright and early (11am!!) in my new H&M workout gear. I always find it easier to get motivated to exercise if I know that I'm going to be seeing my friends after. 

Pancakes, Please

Today me and Joe had a slightly belated Pancake Day and of course, I couldn't resist whipping out my camera and snapping a few shots of our sweet treats in the hope of capturing at least one truly worthy of the "foodporn" hashtag.

Cardiff in 24 Hours

Back in November, I bought me and Joe tickets to see Russell Howard's Wonderbox tour in Cardiff. February seemed to roll around pretty quickly and yesterday we found ourselves hopping on a train and whizzing off to the Welsh capital. Seeing as it's less than an hours train ride from Bristol, I'm now questioning why I haven't visited Cardiff before because the shopping there is AH-MA-ZING. They have gargantuan versions of pretty much every shop I've ever heard of, and lots of little boutiques too. Unfortunately we were only there for 24 hours and I had already scheduled in one too many things for us to do, so a shopping spree was not on the cards (Although I did manage to sneak in to H&M and pick up a cute jacket before our train left this morning, but more about that in another post).

About six weeks ago I put together a rather informative spreadsheet detailing all the hotels in the city centre, and presented it to Joe who of course glanced at it, grunted, and picked the one at the top of the list. We therefore ended up staying in a deluxe suite at The Royal Hotel. It didn't come cheap but we got a king sized bed, 50" TV, a bathtub (very exciting for me), wine, hot chocolate, cookies, fluffy white bathrobes and a great location. The whole "hotel" thing was fairly new to me, seeing as the only hotel experience I've had in the past is cramming my whole family in to a room at Travelodge. So, to me, this place seemed prettyyyy luxurious (the staff were super friendly and helpful too, and it was all clean and fresh and whatnot).

A Week on the Farm

Every February my boyfriend's family takes a trip down to Cornwall to spend a week on Tredethick Farm. Having gone with them last year and fallen completely and utterly in love with it, I was super excited to have the pleasure of returning this year (and this time snap a lot of photos!). 

The odds were stacked against us what with the recent storms and floods, but on Saturday at the crack of dawn, we packed up the car and braved the two hour journey down to the little Cornish farm. Fully kitted out in my wellies, dungarees and checked shirt, I breathed in the fresh smell of manure and felt a sense of relaxation that you just don't get in a city like Bristol. Ok, so the sense of relaxation may have had something to do with the cosy cottages, hot tub and swimming pool, but I definitely realised that maybe I'm more of a country girl... if the countryside had a Topshop.

I had the loveliest few days feeding lambs, star-gazing from the hot tub and indulging in too much pasta and wine. I also took my Canon everywhere with me, determined not to miss a good shot, and ended up with hundreds of photos to sift through when I got home. Of course, it's easy to take beautiful photos when you're in such a beautiful location, but I wanted to share some of my favourites on here.

The farm is made up of nine beautiful cottages, and we were staying in Granary, one of the biggest. It had a cosy log fire, beautiful stone walls and complimentary scones... pure bliss.

Girls Catching Up

Last week me and my friend Yasmin met up for a girly chin-wag, and I decided to actually take my camera along for once. We decided to head to Gallimaufry's, one of our favourite spots on Gloucester Road. We cosied up with a pot of tea and a pint of coke to discuss baking, boyfriends and birthdays for an hour or two, before Yasmin had to head off to help out at a local after-school club (Good Samaritan alert). I then found myself wandering up Gloucester Road, traipsing in and out of the various charity shops, pondering over why I spend 80% of my life on this one road. 

For those of you who have never been to Bristol, Gloucester Road is a mile and half of independent businesses (bar one Co-Op, a Boots, a Sainsbury's and a steadily going out of business Peacocks). Home to 20 pubs and bars, 10 charity and vintage shops, various fruit and veg shops, florists, fishmongers, jewellers, butchers, bakery's, a couple of dodgy off-licences about a million café's and hands down the best late-night chip shop in the world, it's no wonder me and my friends seem to find ourselves practically living there. 

Over the past couple of months we have holed ourselves up in at least half of the pubs with a deck of cards to fuel our unhealthy addiction to Rummy, and enjoyed playing Snooker at a rather amateur level. We've indulged in burgers at The Bishops, cheesy chips at Blue Lagoon, chocolate fudge cake at Cider Press and tackled "Dirty Fries" and the "Old School Triple Bypass Burger" (3 burgers, 2 hash browns, bacon, cheese, salad and a gherkin) at Hobgoblin. Not to mention the fact that a third of my wardrobe has been sourced from the charity and vintage shops, and you can find everything you would ever need for fancy dress in Katz. 

Anyway, enough about my weird obsession with... a road. Here are a couple of pictures I took in Gallimaufry's, next time I may venture outside and take a few more!

Girls' Christmas Dinner

After much stress and organisation, me and the girls finally got together on Monday for a Christmas meal. Having a Christmas meal with friends means a lot to me, because the one I have at home is always sub-par and leaves me feeling slightly cheated. 

We spent a week trying to decide which day would be best for everyone, and then another three days trying to decide what everyone should bring, before someone suggested that we just order a curry instead. Of course that idea was quickly shot down by me, and the Judas who suggested such horrors was forced to prepare and cook the chicken as punishment. 

Isy (aka the hostess with the mostess) had laid the table beautifully, which got me in the festive spirit for all of five minutes before I was informed that a chicken takes two hours to roast... at which point, a curry didn't sound so bad after all. However we powered on through (well the others did, I just pointed my camera in everyone's faces whilst they flapped around getting everything ready) and the meal was well worth the wait. 

Y-U-M-M-Y!

Christmas At Cribbs

Here in Bristol we have two main shopping centres; Cabot Circus and The Mall Cribbs Causeway. I think most Bristolians (apart from over-50's and chavs) would agree that for 91% of year, Cabot Circus is a more preferable shopping environment. However, if there's one thing The Mall does well, it's Christmas.

Every year they transform their car park in to a Winter wonderland; thousands of lights, a merry-go-round, a gigantic castle, fake snow, an ice skating rink and a mini Christmas market. 

What's In My Bag?

I've been struggling with writers block a bit lately; my life pretty much consists of going to work, sitting in pubs or seeing my boyfriend... hardly ground-breaking blogging material. However I made a commitment to myself to post regularly and so I decided to jump on the bandwagon (about a year late) and do a "What's In My Bag?" post. I'm not really sure what the point of these posts are, I guess they're just for nosey people who like to know what personal items people lug around with them on a daily basis. In which case, this could be pretty disappointing as I've just reviewed these photos and realised that I am in fact a rather dull person. So on that note, let's begin!

Visiting Oxford and the Death of my Camera

A catchy and positive title, I know.

Yesterday me and my mum took a little road-trip up to Oxford to visit my brother, who is currently in his second year of university. This trip excited me for two reasons; he had promised to take me to Christ Church where a scene from Harry Potter was filmed, and Oxford seemed like a prime location to take lots of beautiful photographs. 

I was snapping away all morning, completely in awe of the beauty of the buildings. Everything from the university was undeniably grand, whilst the town itself was rather quaint. Once again, I was mocked for wanting to photograph my macaroons, and eyes were rolled when I stopped to capture a lamppost; but I didn't care because I was in my element. 

After stopping for lunch, visiting some vintage clothing shops and looking round some of the colleges, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. Christ Church. In Christ Church there is a staircase which features in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. You know, the one on which Draco and Harry first meet and Harry gets his sass on and is all "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." There is also a Great Hall, which was JK Rowling's inspiration for her own Great Hall, and also where Alice in Wonderland was written.

After gaping in awe at the magnificent staircase for a few minutes, I whipped out my camera and tried to snap a few photos. Nothing happened. I turned it on and off again, still nothing. I took the battery out, still nothing. I detached and reattached the lens, still nothing. My auto-focus was well and truly buggered, meaning my only option was to use manual focus which scares the crap out of me, because I don't know how to use it. There was tears, there was sour faces, and there was a lot of anger at the insurance company who gave me what I have now discovered is a faulty lens. 

So the fun stopped there for me because, as my mum says, I can only really see things through a lens. I mean, if you dumped me in the middle of a Cathedral I'd be bored to tears but if you gave me a camera then I'd have the time of my life in there. Anyhow, here are some of the pictures I did manage to take, I hope they capture the essence of my trip nicely.

Hunting for Gromit

I'm not really sure why, but every year in Bristol some artists decide to paint some things and then they get displayed in some places for some time and some people like to try and find them all. Last year it was gorillas, this year it's Gromits. With me and Joe embarking on our gap year and his younger sister about to go back to school, we decided to take her out to enjoy the last dregs of Summer and help her bring her total of uncovered Gromits from fifty-two to sixty. (There's eighty in total but one of them is in London and ain't nobody got time for that.)

Despite what I may have previously said about the idea of Gromit-hunting making me want to gouge my eyes out, it was actually a lot of fun. There were eight Gromits located in the city centre, and so it was actually quite pleasant to take a leisurely walk around town to visit them all. Each Gromit is decorated in a unique way; some, such as Gromit Lightyear and Grosmos were super sassy, others such as Lancelot could have tried harder. 

If you want to read more about the Gromit Unleashed project, click here.

(I noticed when looking through my photos that I am wearing the exact same Topshop skirt and Urban Outfitters jumper that I have been wearing since Christmas. Can I still call myself a fashion/beauty/lifestyle blogger?)

Festival Essentials

I know that festival season is coming to an end, so this post may well be rendered pointless, but I have finally received a camera from my insurance company and felt the need to post something. Arrest me. 

I have only ever been to three festivals, so I'm not going to sit here and pretend to have the same festival-packing expertise as the likes of Kate Moss. However, this year was the first time I managed to pack efficiently and so I'd like to think I have now nailed the essentials. 

I rue the day I packed for Glastonbury and decided that taking two tonnes of playsuits, dresses, skirts, shoes and jumpers seemed like a bright idea because "I might wear them". I also rue the day I packed my entire make-up collection for Shambala because "I might have my picture taken". To sum up, when looking back on previous packing experiences, a lot of ruing is done. 

However this year, something clicked in my brain and I realised that I didn't need to take four vest tops, or two mascaras, or three pairs of black leggings. That's right, one pair of black leggings is enough! Who would've thought? So here I have put together what I thought were the essentials (well, not all the essentials... I didn't fancy trying to take an arty shot of toilet paper for my blog...). 

The Photographer

On Saturday night, my friend's mother threw a rather fancy birthday bash at the Avon Gorge Hotel. There were burgers, sausages, chicken and ribs sizzling atop the barbecue and thirty bottles of pink fizz doing the rounds. Everyone had donned their most glamorous gowns and mingled alongside the Clifton Suspension Bridge. It was the kind of event I'd always dreamed of attending, sort of like the ones I've spent hours watching, and re-watching, on Made In Chelsea. And Gossip Girl. And reading about in blogs. And Fitzgerald books. 

However I was not just there as a guest, I was also the official photographer. This is a title that I have coveted for years, and instilled both excitement and fear in me. As a shy person, it is not in my nature to walk up to strangers and stick a nine inch long lens in their face before blinding them with a flash. I was much more comfortable photographing the location, and capturing unsuspecting victims from afar. I therefore came away from the party worried that I had not fulfilled my role; after looking at my photos though, I am rather pleased with them, I just wish I had been brave enough to photograph a wider selection of people! However, as this was my first attempt at event photography it has taught me a lot about how to effectively capture the ambience of an event through a lens and left me positively drooling for another go. 

I did make sure that me and Joe got a picture of course, mainly because I was in love with my new dress. I had originally planned to wear long-sleeved black velvet but the recent heatwave sent me in to a sweaty whirlwind of panic as I attempted to find an alternative outfit (woe is me as I forgot to also order an alternative bra and ended up with pink and black polkadots on show for the whole night). I ripped apart my wardrobe but, of course, nothing was appropriate so I logged on to Asos and ordered this cheap and cheerful swing dress (my first ever Asos order, may I add). I paired it with 5" strappy heels from New Look, and Chanel polish in 'Pirate' on my fingers and tootsies. 

Strawberries and Cupcakes

Seeing as temperatures last night hit a high of a muggy 24 degrees, me and my friends decided to celebrate the end of exams with a summery barbecue. I took my camera with the intention of taking some picturesque shots of the garden, the food and cocktails. However I quickly realised that I don't actually know anyone who drinks cocktails and after receiving the sarcastic comment "I'm sure people know what bread looks like" I decided to put the camera away for the night and don a tea-cosy instead; if you can't beat them, join them!

Third Time Lucky

I'm not sure if it's a girl-thing or just a me-thing, but looking through pictures from other people's proms fills me with rainbows and smiles and other happy things. In the hope that I'm not completely abnormal, I decided to share some photos that I took at my friend Isy's house before we all headed off to our prom (It was actually called "Leavers Ball" but, being American at heart, I have to refer to it as "Prom" and also be rather confused as to why I did not receive a corsage).

This was my third prom and definitely my favourite! When I left primary school we had a hideous 80's themed disco; it's a rather distant memory that I have spent many years trying to block out, but I am still haunted by the masses of tie-dye and neon leg-warmers that invaded the school hall that night. 

Upon leaving secondary school we all dressed up in (what we thought were) our prettiest cocktail dresses and highest heels and teetered over to Ashton Court Mansion. The night ended in a mosh pit and we shall speak no more of it.

This year, as we leave sixth form and head off in to the adult world of gap years, university and full-time employment, I'd hoped we would be attending a slightly more high-brow event. We enjoyed a three-course meal at The Bristol Hotel (the term "enjoyed" is being used very loosely there), before the DJ began playing everything from the Cha Cha Slide to Taylor Swift. Of course, now that we're all 18, the evening was not without it's casualties and some people didn't quite manage to make it to their seats before having to be escorted home by their parents.

Afterwards, we ventured in to the deep dark depths of Oceana (a club with a reputation for tight skirts and fake tan) and surprisingly, I felt quite at home as within ten minutes of being there I had already heard Justin Timberlake, One Direction AND Taylor Swift! Once the smell of Lynx had got too over-powering and we were close to asphyxiation we decided to call it a night and headed home.

I hope you enjoy looking through some of my favourite snaps of all the beautiful dresses and fancy suits as much as I do!

KJ xo

           

The Beginnings of Adulthood

Last month I celebrated my 18th birthday and I wanted to write a post documenting what I received because I'm lame like that. 

I wasn't all that excited about my birthday because unlike most people my age I don't care for going to clubs or becoming paralytic, and if anything, turning 18 signalled the end of my childhood and the start of a huge, new (terrifying) chapter of my life. I mean, are you still even allowed to enjoy things like Harry Potter once you're an adult? And do I have to vote because I really don't know anything about politics, and why does my mum keep twittering on about my need for online banking, is that another adult thing? 

Those worries aside, I did enjoy my birthday and received some lovely gifts which I have photographed below (I never realised quite how blue my room is until I looked at these photos on my laptop!) mainly for my own recollection when I'm old and wrinkly.

It was duly noted that I received two cards with pugs on this year, despite never having shown any particular affection for them.