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. 

Bristol's Beauty Spot

Today I had absolutely no motivation to do anything other than lie in bed, watching Gossip Girl and eating home made cookies. However, I knew that if I didn't get up and do something, then by the time evening rolled around my DVD's would be finished, the sugar rush would've worn off and I'd be feeling pretty down. So like a crack addict taking their final hit, I devoured one final gooey little piece of heaven, grabbed my camera and headed out to one of Bristol's best known beauty spots. 

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. 

Fully Focused

As my A2 Photography exam looms closer ("looms" is a strong word, I'm actually quite looking forward to it!) I've found myself looking back over the thousands of pictures I've taken over the last year and a half. I've worked with the briefs "Portraits and Personalities", "Fears and Phobias", "The Passing of Time", "Water" and "Text and Image". 

Most of my friends run a mile at the sight of my Cannon, so I have had a very limited selection of models to work with, but I can't complain because my best friend could probably rival Kate Moss when it comes to working the camera. In hind sight I definitely owe at least 80% of my A grade to her photogenic face. 

When I chose Photography A Level I dreamt of doing highbrow fashion shoots in fabulous locations every other week... Needless to say I soon realised I had overestimated just how glamorous A Levels would be. However I found myself subconsciously weaving fashion in to all my shoots no matter the brief. Whether it be dressing my model in gothic outfits and begging her to wander a graveyard in subzero temperatures; or forcing her in to her pointe shoes and making her plié and développé on a train platform; or perhaps the time I demanded she apply and re-apply make up for hours whilst I hovered around her clicking my camera, somehow fashion has always found its way back in to my shoots. 

Overall I am very pleased with the portfolio I have built up during my time at sixth form, and am going to share some of my favourite images with the dozen people who have viewed this blog since its birth yesterday!

KJ xo

Fears and Phobias: