Day 58 - Sisters

February 27th....the day the earth shook! I was woken up at 12:57 this morning by the penthouse rocking left and right, it was the scariest feeling and left me clinging to the bed for dear life! I was trying to work out if I had enough time to get out of the apartment and down the stairs before the whole building collapsed. Apparently it only lasted about 10 seconds but it felt like so much longer and the doors definitely rattled for longer than 10 seconds! My first thought was.."where's my man when I need him?!" and my second thought was..."I need to make sure all my photography equipment is insured!" I managed to get back to sleep but didn't sleep too well as I was thinking about whether another shock would come.

When I did get up this morning I was listening to different people's stories on the radio, some thought there'd been a bomb, one woman thought ghosts were trying to pull her out of her bed! One guy thought his girlfriend was trying to scare him by moving the bed!! I also heard a story of a guy who was stacking shelves in a supermarket and fell off the ladder into a pile of Easter Eggs when the earthquake happened! Everything is OK and as far as I'm aware nothing is wrong with the apartments...I don't want to be going though that again!

I had my BNI meeting this morning and then went off to Sheffield Winter Gardens to photograph Sophie and her sister for their mother's day present. I was really impressed with how the photos came out and the fact you wouldn't know that they'd been taken in the winter gardens..in fact you would think they were in a studio! Work is coming in slowly so it was great to be getting out and taking photos.

I then met Lucy for a lunch which was my birthday present from her so I felt very spoilt being taken out for lunch. We were ladies who lunched today and we loved it!!

Day 57 - What Katy Did....

I bought a remote control for my camera at Focus yesterday so had a play with it when I got in this afternoon! I am usually the first to run away from being in front of the lens but decided to play with a few shots I'd been thinking about for a while. All it cost me was 5p for the lolly! I took a couple of shots so you can see the other ones at www.flickr.com/photos/katysnaps
I was quite pleased with these and might use one of them on my website.

Day 56 - Focus

I travelled down to Birmingham today for the "Focus on Imaging" show at the NEC. I had lots of things that I wanted to check out and got there for when it opened at 10am. I was booked into 3 seminars on "setting up your own photography business", "photographing children" and "marketing". The seminars were hourly chunks from 11-12, 1-2 and 3-4, after each one I was out and rushing round different stalls checking out the HUGE variety of wedding albums, cameras, lighting equipment. There was so much to take in and I think I'll be spending the week digesting all the information! I bumped into a couple of my flickr contacts there (the Tait clan and Ms Moll) but missed a few others which was a shame but I think we were all busy checking out everything on show.
This photo is taken at the Canon stall where they were showcasing all their cameras and lenses. This area was full of men scrambling to look through all the lenses but I managed to get this shot of one of the lone women who managed to have a go.

Day 55 - The Stare!

Marion and Michael came prepared with their walking boots so we decided to get up early and head out for a walk in the gorgeous peaks. We booked a table at the Ladybower Inn for a pub lunch and then went and parked our car by Derwant Dam. We spent a couple of hours going for a walk, it was grey but stunning. I love living in Sheffield with the peaks on my doorstep. I took a number of shots of the scenery and landscape which are a lot better than this shot but I loved this photo of the cow/bull! I've wanted to get a shot of a cow's nose and eyes for a long time so when I saw these cows I thought my luck was in and took this shot. I saw it was badly out of focus so was going to take another shot when Marion pointed out that the cow was getting a little fractious and was actually a bull so I should walk away before anything happened!! There was a wire fence separating us but I don't think that would have stopped him if I annoyed him! I'll get my shot another time, this will remind me I need to do it!

Day 54 - Mojitos

Marion and Michael came up to Sheffield for the weekend and we'd booked tickets to go and see David Spikey (from Phoneix Nights). It was a brilliant evening and very funny, a great last minute booking from Michael. The show finished quite early so we went for a few drinks in Leopold Square. Marion and I enjoyed a few mojitos which are a strong favourite and brought back a few memories from her hen weekend!

We then came home for me to watch the rugby which I'd recorded....I can't believe England were playing at 8pm on a Saturday!! Not good but thank goodness for dvd recorders! I went to bed smiling, a great evening and we won the rugby...come on boys!!!

Day 53 - For Fiona

It's my sister's birthday today so I thought I'd take a photo for her today. I was given this birthday cake candle for my birthday last week so I thought it'd be perfect for Fiona's photo today. It's the perfect diabetic birthday cake so I could be using it again in April for my cousin Ben's birthday and again in November for mum and dad's birthdays!

I had a bit of trouble taking this photo and think it's about time I bought a remote for my camera!

Happy Birthday Fiona. x

Day 52 - Rose

I was bought some flowers for my birthday and I'd been meaning to photograph them before they died so I took the opportunity this afternoon. I took quite a few but wasn't happy with them so decided to put my macro lens onto my camera and play with that. This was a stroke of luck as I was holding the camera away from me and hoping for the best....all about serendipity! I love this shot, the simplicity and beauty of the rose.

Day 51 - Aizlewood Mill

I had a meeting today with my friend Cliff who is helping me put together some publicity for my business. He runs a website design company which is based in this old mill which is down by the Wicker. It took a bit to find it with all the road works going on down there at the moment but I liked the old building and the fact that although it's now offices it has kept it's old look.

Day 50 - Frozen Berries

I woke up this morning to be greeted with a dense fog and heavy frost everywhere, it was quite beautiful. I was doing another day's supply today so was driving to work and itching to stop to take some photos! I was giving someone a lift who asked me if I wanted to photograph the frost...silly question! Anyway we decided to stop so he could have a cigarette and I could take some photos! It was gorgeous and I wished that I wasn't teaching so I could go out and take photos but I got a few and love this one of the berries. The contrast of the red with the white frost was beautiful and a contender for next year's Christmas card!!

Day 49 - Marking...the end!

I did a day's supply at Aston today and it reminded me that I still had some GCSE coursework which I had to finishing marking. I'd been meaning to mark it for ages but with my photography it kept going to the back of my mind and was the last thing I wanted to do! I decided today that I needed to get it finished so when I got home I put the kettle on, turned on the radio and sat down to complete my last ever piece of marking!! It actually got done pretty quickly but I think that's because I knew this was the last piece of work I'd ever have to mark.....it was a great feeling. (shame the students' work wasn't as good!)

Days 47 & 48 - 3A Girlie Weekend

A weekend away with my girlfriends in Kingham. I'd been looking forward to this weekend for a while as it's quite difficult trying to get all of us together at the same time but we managed it! We all met when we started Uni, we were on the same corridor in Earnshaw Hall and many weddings and babies later we're still good friends. 5 of the 7 of us still live in Sheffield so we got up very early to catch a train down to Kingham where Jan lives. We got there in time for lunch and then a few of us went out on a walk to a nearby village to find a pub! This photo was taken as we wandered back to Kingham, it had been a gorgeous day so the sunset was stunning, this was my attempt at a group shot! From left to right Lucy, Jan, Helen, Beth and me!

Jen arrived on the Saturday evening having been at a family celebration so it was great to catch up and have a proper girlie evening..it'd been a while! Jan cooked an amazing meal and finished it off with chocolate fondue!! We then settled down with a few bottles of wine and watched a good girlie flick!

Sunday was another beautiful day so we went for a wander around Stow-on-the-wold. We had a pub lunch and then had to get the train back to Sheffield. The 2nd photo is of Jen & Lucy whilst we waited for the train at Kingham station. Another great girlie weekend.

Day 46 - Cathedral

I took Mum and Dad for a tour round Sheffield this morning. We realised that whenever they come to visit we head out to the Peaks and they hadn't been into the city for years. I thought it was about time they were introduced to the new and improved Sheffield. We had a wander round town and had a look in the cathedral. I took a number of photos today but love the awesome structure of the cathedral.

Day 45 - My Birthday!

February 14th and I am another year older! My mum and dad came up to stay today so I woke up this morning, had breakfast and soak in the bath, then got ready for them to arrive. The postman actually came up the stairs to deliver all my cards and a couple of parcels!! Obviously inquistive to find out who the "hottie"was living in number 48 who got so many cards on Valentine's Day!!

Mum and dad arrived in time to take me out for lunch and we went up to the Norfolk Arms Hotel in Ringinglow and had a really nice meal. We then went for coffee in the Lounge Bar so they could see my photos on the wall. We then came home for an evening of champagne, smoked salmon and a movie! Great!

Day 44 - Valentines with love x x

I was up really early for my BNI meeting and came back to wake Claire and Leanne up with a cup of tea and pain aux chocolate. They left this morning to head back down south and I went back to bed...the events of the last few days have caught up with me.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and my birthday. I don't actually like having my birthday on the 14th February as restaurants charge a fortune for dinner so going out for a meal is not really worth it. If I want flowers they cost double the amount and friends who are in couples tend to be out for the evening....although I have to say my close friends have always been great at seeing the 14th as my birthday, not just Valentine's Day.

I decided to do a simple photo today for Valentine's Day, it also meant I had to buy some haribos....and eat them!! What I will do for my art!

Day 43 - Head Shots

The day after the night before and last night still doesn't feel real!! I woke up pinching myself and wondering if it really had gone as well as I thought it had!
We had a lazy morning, eating brunch and drinking tea...such a great way to spend the morning. It was also the first time I'd had 6 people round my dining table so it was a lovely morning.

One of the reasons Craig came up to visit was to support my launch but also for me to take some head shots of him for his actor's portfolio. I had been promising to do this for ages so it was good to get the shots done for him. It was another gorgeous day so we all went for a walk down to Millhouses park for coffee and cake and took the head shots for Craig at different points on the way down and in the park. It was great fun .... and work! I had Leanne holding the reflector, Claire straightening Craig's collar and Jenny holding Craig's jumper and scarf. Several cars slowed down and were looking at us whilst I was taking the shots, I guess they were wondering who the guy was. All I can say is watch this space..Craig is good!

I took a number of shots of Craig (and also cake and silly photos) but chose this one because it's a slightly different angle on head shots and was inspired by a photo I saw of my friend David, photographed by my friend Stephan.

Day 42 - My Launch Party! February 11th

A month of preparations and the day of the launch party has dawned!! It was so lovely having Leanne and Claire with me this morning as it meant they could help me with taking my photos down to the bar and general support and encouragement. I had been waiting for a few more prints to arrive through the post so was a little worried this morning when they still hadn't arrived!! Fortunately I use local Sheffield based businesses so I was able to phone them and stop them from posting my prints so that I could go and pick them up later this afternoon. Nothing like last minute!

Claire, Leanne and I took the photos down to the Lounge Bar and put them up on the wall and left the smaller prints for Daniel, the owner, to put up during the day. We then went out for lunch and got home just in time for Craig, Ruth and Jenny who arrived ready for the evening. Whilst they settled themselves in front of the Wii Leanne and I went to pick up the last few prints. We then had a mad panic trying to cook pizzas to eat, shower, change and get out of the house and down to the bar for 7pm. We didn't quite make it but weren't too far off which was impressive considering there were 6 of us!

Once we got down to the bar we literally had about 10 mins to get the last print up on the wall and get the wine glasses out before the first few people started to arrive. It was an AMAZING evening and went by so fast. The bar was full all evening and it was such a wonderful feeling to look round the bar and think that I knew everyone there and they were all there to support my photography and my friend Kim's vegetarian and vegan catering business. I had friends/contacts from Luton (Icknield), Aston (my school in Sheffield), BNI (my business networking group which I'd joined), the local walking group I joined in January and contacts/friends who I've got to know through flickr, some of who I'd not met in person but who had come down to support me. I also had friends there who I've known since my last time in Sheffield. I was sorry none of my family were able to make it, especially my cousin Ben who's been so supportive of me and who built my website but I'd had lots of phone calls of support so knew they were thinking of me. The biggest surprise of the evening was when my friend Marion walked through the bar ... she'd driven up from London specially! It was so wonderful to have her there and meant so much to me. Marion drove up after work and only stayed for about an hour before driving back to London. Having so many people there, seeing my photos on the wall and hearing people's comments was overwhelming. I felt so supported and can only say a big THANK YOU to all my wonderful friends for your love and support.

I managed to take a number of photos of the evening which you can see on my flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/katysnaps/sets/72157603905477665/
It was quite difficult trying to choose one photo for my Project 365+1 so I chose one of Kim's delicious food. Kim has been one of my biggest supporters and encouragers in Sheffield. It was so wonderful to be able to do the Launch Party together and to hear so many people say how wonderful her food is. Love you Kim! x

Day 41 - Shadows

Another beautiful day in Sunny Sheffield. We've had some gorgeous weather these last few days that it's not really felt like February at all! I spent today tidying up the last few bits and pieces around the house before Claire and Leanne arrived this evening. I also watched the rugby and was pleased to see England beat Italy....but only just! Come on boys!!

One of the things I love about where I live is the view out of my living room window. I overlook a park and so tonight as I was sorting things out I saw the long shadows of the trees as the sun was setting and loved the effect on the grass. I had been planning on getting a photo of the girls as they arrived at my door but that didn't work so this became my photo for today.

Day 40 - A bit of glam!

I decided that I wanted to buy something new for my launch on Monday so went shopping for something a little different. I wasn't sure what I was looking for but one of the shop assistants in Oasis was bored and almost pleaded with me for her to help me! I took her up on it and had my own personal shopping assistant which was great! I told her what I was looking for and before I knew it I had about 6 different outfits to try on. This red top stood out because it's a little special and also with black trousers works perfectly with my strawberry logo for Serendipity! With my birthday being Valentine's Day as well, this rich red is perfect. I did think it might be a bit over the top for a Monday night out but it's not every Monday you launch your new business and celebrate your birthday!

Day 39 - Framed and Ready

Another hectic day today but I'm really enjoying the variety that my photography business is allowing me to have in my everyday life. I had an appointment with a nursery just outside of Barnsley who are keen to use me to take relaxed photographs of the children. It was such a positive meeting and I came away feeling really excited about this contact and the opportunities which it could lead to. They were excited about the photos I showed them and the relaxed/reportage style of my photography so I'm looking forward to working with them in the next few months. The contact with the nursery came from one of my business contacts at BNI so it's great to see the referrals working already.

After the meeting I went to Ikea...for work!! I had to buy some more frames for my images so that they can go on the wall in the bar. I had managed to smash one during the week so wasn't too impressed with myself but I managed to get enough frames for the prints that I'm wanting displayed. When I got home I spent a while putting the prints into the frames and it feels amazing to see them presented like that. Seeing photos that go from my camera to the computer to enlargements in frames is such an amazing feeling! The photo I took today is of two prints, one of my sister Fiona and one of a little girl from a toddler group (Fiona's the one without the dummy although that would have been a typical photo of her when she was little!). I keep having to pinch myself that these are my photos..framed and ready to go!

I also got another wedding booking tonight which is great..brings the total of weddings to 5 this year and it's only February! I went to the pub with some friends and bumped into a friend who used to teach at Aston with me. She's getting married at the end of March and had mentioned back in July that she would have loved me to take the photos but they'd just booked a photographer! Anyway she's cancelled the other photographer because she's so impressed with my photography and style and wants me to photograph her wedding! So I was booked over a pint in the pub..I can get used to this! It's all very exciting!

Day 38 - Happy New Year (Chinese New Year)

I had one of those frustrating days today when you have lots planned and hardly any of it gets done! I had a meeting in the morning and then I was going to clean the Penthouse and get it all ready for my friends and parents who are coming to stay next week. I also wanted to get the prints/canvas prints sorted out for Monday but I'm still feeling really indecisive about which images work together and which ones will work in the bar for my launch party. I took some of my prints down to the bar and had a good chat with Daniel, the owner, but came home wanting to get a few more prints done! I think I'll be dreaming of photos and prints for the next few days!
Today is Chinese New Year and I went to a local charity dinner to celebrate the new year so it was great to get away from all my launch thoughts and enjoy the evening. It was in the Ballroom at City Hall and a lovely evening. We started the evening with a glass of champagne and the dragon dance...works for me! We then had a chinese meal which was OK, I've had better but it was good to support the Cavendish Cancer Charity.
I chose to merge two images from tonight to give a feel of the evening. The bright colours of the dragon against a classic black & white image of friends who were there to celebrate.

Day 37 - Rafi

This is Rafi, he's the very cute son of my friends Kim and Mark. Kim and Mark have been so supportive of me since I moved back up to Sheffield and it's been so good to be just around the corner to see them regularly. I met Rafi when he was 2 days old and have been watching him grow up over the last 16 months. Rafi just started walking last week so today was the first time I saw him walking and he was loving it..a new found freedom!!

I took this photo when he came and sat next to me on the sofa to eat his apple. He had quickly shoved it into his mouth and had been giggling with me. I thought he looked so cute so had to take a photo but as soon as I put the camera up he got all serious! I'll get another photo of his adorable smile but just love his curly blonde hair and big blue eyes so love this photo!

Day 36 - Pancakes.

It's Shrove Tuesday today and I can't remember the last time that I had pancakes on pancake day so today was different...plus I needed something to photograph!!

I did a day's supply teaching today and came home feeling like it was a Friday because I'm not doing any more teaching this week and going out this evening!! I then decided to be creative with some flour, eggs, milk, lemon and sugar. I have to say I've made better pancakes but they worked and were all eaten with no complaints so that's all I asked for! As far as toppings go I'm a lemon and sugar girl but if I'd had more time I'd have had a go at apple & cinnamon & bananas & chocolate. My all time favourite pancakes have to be french savoury gallettes with ham, egg and cheese..hmmmm.

Tomorrow is the start of Lent so I need to take some time out to see what that means to me this year. I would say i'd give up teaching ....but I've done that one this year!!

Day 35 - Lego

Not my normal type of photo today but I quite like it!

My sister, Fiona, called me today to say that she was looking for a photo of lego and was wondering if I'd be able to help! Fiona's company were doing an advert and were looking for an image of a piece of lego to use on the design. The problem they were having was that the photographers they were asking for this image were charging a ridiculous price so Fiona thought of me! She said, "if you can get a piece of lego, photograph it on a white background the job is yours!" I couldn't say no so went in the hunt of lego! I was doing a day's teaching so there had to be some lego in school somewhere...surely! My mission was successful when I found that the physics department had lego...don't ask me why..so the task of photographing lego was on!
I set up the lighting and spent a good 45 mins photographing one piece of lego, then a further hour and a bit on the computer and this was my result. I had been sent a photo of angle to take the lego from and had also been asked to do it with and with a shadow..talk about specific!! Anyway I sent it off and it's being used by the company so I'm hoping this may lead to them using me for more things in the future!
Who would have thought I'd be leaving teaching and photographing lego? I'm loving it!!

Day 34 - Serendipity Flyers

With my launch quickly approaching I knew that I needed to get some form of publicity to let people take away with them and had no idea where to start! Fortunately my lovely sister works in events and is regularly putting together flyers for businesses so she was an absolute star and put together a template for me. I played around with the template and then Fiona tweaked it and came up with my flyer design! I sent it off last Wednesday and 3 boxes full of 5000 flyers arrived on Friday but I've not had time to stop and look through them properly so I did that today! They are printed on good quality card but aren't as glossy as I'd hoped. They still look good though and it's a really lovely feeling to have something to hand out to people with my business name on it. It's all coming together.

Thank you Fiona for being my "events' advisor" and Ben for my great website! x x

Day 33 - Chinese New Year Celebrations

In Sheffield today there was a procession to celebrate the Chinese New Year so I went down to get some photos...along with all the other photographers in Sheffield! It started with a display in front of the town hall and then the procession went down The Moor and stopped at various Chinese Restaurants where they had to feed the dragon. The food (lettuce) was hanging from the doorway and the dragon danced its way round it, grabbed the lettuce and then ate it. All the time the drum was beating and the dragons were dancing. It was great to watch and really interesting to see this celebration first hand. It was so colourful and fun and I got some great shots..it was actually quite difficult to choose which photo to have for my one a day! I loved this one because of the piercing eyes of the dragon and the feel of the procession with the crowd.

I'm going out on Thursday to a Chinese New Year meal so I'm looking forward to getting more photos then!

Day 32 - 1st February - Sesame Photo Shoot.

My friend Kim runs her own Vegetarian and Vegan Catering Company.

www.sesamesheffield.co.uk

It was her drive and success with her business which inspired me to give it a go myself with Serendipity. I have known Kim since we were at Uni and it is great to have her and other friends around in Sheffield (and in other parts of the country) who can support me and encourage me in these early stages with Serendipity.

Today Kim had arranged with her neighbour, Carl, to go to his photography studio to photograph some of her food to update her website and I tagged along! Carl is a very good photographer who focuses on product photography so has his own studio and I was really keen to go along to see a studio in action and develop my knowledge of studio lighting.

Kim had prepared some lovely dishes and had also brought along a few wedding cakes and some gorgeous table arrangements made by her neighbout Ann to be photographed to show that they also provide these different services. It was a very long day but we got some amazing shots and they will look amazing on Kim's website. I felt quite overwhelmed by the whole studio set up and have so much still to learn but I'm hoping to arrange a time for me to go back to the studio to be shown the ropes on studio lighting.

January Mosaic - 31 photos so far!

31 days down-335 to go! Here is a quick glance at the photos I've taken for this month. It feels quite an achievement to have them like this!

Day 31 - Bingo!

I had a girls' night out today...to BINGO!! I have never been to bingo but it's something I thought would be fun to go along to so with 4 of my girlfriends we decided to have a night out with the blue rinse brigade at the local Bingo! It was a giggle but also SO much harder than I thought! The Bingo caller reads out the numbers so quickly that you have to be really quick at stamping each number. You're looking at a whole page of numbers and I'm sure I could have won on a couple of occasions if I'd be quick enough!! I came close to winning £300, I only had 1 number left but someone else got there first..grrr!! Kim did really well and went away with £75..not bad for a night's work!

I did think about taking a photo of us in action..but it took all my concentration to play that there was no way I could take a photo at the same time!! I ended up composing this shot during a break!

Day 30 - "I'm watching you Aunty Katy"

I had a busy but good day today. As with every Wednesday it started very early with the BNI breakfast meeting but I really enjoy it so the 6:45am start is acceptable...particuarly as I now don't need to get up ridiculously early every morning so once a week is acceptable!

After the BNI meeting I went for a swim and then popped along to get some of my photos printed onto canvas for my launch..all very exciting but my credit card is getting a lot of use at the moment!

This afternoon I went round to my friend Lucy's for a cup of tea. We'd also planned that I'd go round in time to go and pick Amy up from school to surprise her. Amy is 4 1/2 and started school in January so she's growing up and I'm feeling old! When we got to school I tried looking around for Amy amongst all the parents and other children but she saw me first and came running over and gave me the biggest hug...she always has a nack of making me cry! A child's unconditional love is the most special gift anyone could ask for! She then proudly told her teacher, "This is my godmother, Aunty Katy". I really wanted to get a photo of Amy at school in her shool uniform but you have to be so careful photographing children so I took one of her when we got home. I was trying to catch her whilst she wasn't looking but she was too quick for me and caught me out! She's used to me photographing her now! I love this shot of her, her expression is great!