Guys, I feel all excited about taking photos again. What is happening?
Windswept Gary
Whenever I hang out with Gary, I feel like it’s summer of 2011 all over again. Except it’s not. It’s winter of 2014 and a lot has changed. We spent a lot of time together that year just hanging out, but now we’re both grown-ups, and—even though we live closer than ever—we just don’t see as much of one another. We both have demanding jobs (Gary plays keyboards in Red Hot Chilli Pipers), he has a fiancé (Katie, she gets the Ashley stamp of approval), and we both have scary mortgages to pay off.
Today we went for coffee and a walk around Kelvingrove Park. As always, Gary let me take his picture. He has hair now. Our friendship has, …
Photography Workshop With Girl With A Camera
I have some exciting news! I’ll be hosting two photography workshops in Whosit & Whatsit‘s new space in Newcastle in the first quarter of 2015 (wow, feels odd to say that). If you own a dSLR but still shoot on auto, this workshop is for you. I used to be one of those people, too!
You can select which date you want from the Indiegogo campaign (7th of February or 14th of March).
I’ll be covering photography basics (the technical stuff ), my personal approach to taking photos (things I’ve learned), recommended tools (what I use every day), and post-processing.
It also includes a photo walk around Newcastle, so get on it!
The Real Easy All Stars
I don’t photograph live music much; I don’t find it particularly interesting to shoot (I’d rather dance), and the lighting is terrible 99% of the time. But Gary, my friend who plays piano, asked if I’d spend 10 minutes shooting one of the bands he plays for, The Real Easy All Stars, during a charity gig. And I’m a good friend, so I did.
Ginger
Today I spent a bit of time with Gary. He carried my new guitar home (thanks, Gary) and hung in my apartment while I edited wedding photos. He’s playing a gig at the hotel next door to my house, so I popped over and took some photographs of The Real Easy All Stars, which I’ll share later in the week. It’s been a good Sunday, but it’s been mostly work and no play. I want to play.
Christmas Gary
Gary and I treated ourselves to a mulled wine at the Christmas market, followed by pizza at Bier Halle and a milkshake at Mia. I guess that is my cheat day sorted until Christmas, huh? Whenever I’m in Glasgow with Gary we always bump into people he knows, and I realised they are always the most interesting and friendly of folk with a great attitude. It made me think about the saying “you are the average of the five people you surround yourself with”. That is on my mind today.
November on Buchanan Street
I think this photo pretty much sums up November. It’s wet, people wear poppies, the Christmas lights make an appearance (but have yet to be turned on), and everyone is wearing big, winter jackets. Still, I really like this time of the year. I can’t wait until Friday when the Christmas market arrives at St Enoch square!
My 25th Birthday
I have to admit, I wasn’t overly excited about turning 25. Quite the opposite, in fact. For as long as I can remember – because somebody told me so – 25 is the age I’ve associated with slowing metabolism and ageing skin. It’s all very dramatic. In the end, though, my friend Gary said “What’s so bad about turning 25? You’ve got good friends, you don’t have a broken heart, and you’re in good shape”, and he was absolutely right.
I thought long and hard about how I wanted to celebrate my birthday; go-karting? Ice cream? My favourite meal of mashed potatos with mashed potatos and mashed potatos? In the end I settled on a road trip, because I love nothing more than exploring with my camera. So we filled the tank with petrol, put The Beatles on repeat, bought a ton of sugary foods and headed to Fort Augustus in the Scottish Highlands. Magic.
