Hello, old friend. Remember me? You flirted with me at the top of the Spanish Steps and gave me a kiss at Fontana di Trevi. We held hands in sunny Tuscan fields and danced to O sole mio. I long for your poplars and olive trees. I miss your jolly, fat smiles and creamy gelato so dearly. I really hope I get to shoot some Polaroid with you. Maybe we can hang out again soon.
Love Amanda xx
Hello weekday readers. I hope your weekend was sunny and marvelous. I spent my first real summer evening out with friends on a restaurant patio eating good food and it was Vancouver awesome. I plan on doing that many more times over the next few months.
I just read this little nugget on Keri Smith’s blog ( which is fabulous by the way) that I’d love to share with you;
The lesson garnered from this story; you never know what will come up when you just put yourself out into the world in new and unexpected ways. People you didn’t know you were looking for are bound to find you. The universe opens and gives you little surprise gifts.
The story that she refers to you can read on her blog, however I loved what she said about being brave enough to put yourself into the world and never knowing what you’ll find.
I think about this stuff a lot. It vexes me at times. I have been brave and put myself out there in ways that years ago would have terrified me. In fact, it still does terrify me, but I have grown to realise that the awesomeness that can come your way outweighs the scariness. I can be quite the scaredy cat when it comes to just about anything so figuring my way through the nerves to get to the other side is always a struggle. What I do know is this, once you get to the other side, a whole world of fabulousness can be yours. I know this to be true.
One of my people who “I didn’t know I was looking for” found me a couple of years ago and because of her, a whole world of opportunities have come my way. I’ll tell you more about her soon perhaps. I’m sure you’ve heard of her. Really, you have. I’ve mentioned her here a few times. She’s kind of fabulous.
I’m putting myself out there more and more and I’m being brave. It’s really bloody hard but it’s worth it.
How was your weekend? Do you get nervous when putting yourself out into the world?
The pond is grand and glamorous with a touch of country charm.
Swans glide about the water, while geese fly overhead.
Ducklings waddle in and out.
Fountains flow in fancy backyards.
I can’t even imagine living here.
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Have a lovely weekend. I plan on getting in some sunshine. Oh, yes.
Sydney beaches are white sand, blue waters, surfing and sun light sparkling like crystals across the ocean. We are extremely blessed to have this as our playground and the more that I am away from home, the more I realise how lucky we really are. The cliché is true.
The little sis and I spent days watching the sea and listening to the soft, crash of the waves. She and I share an adoring love of the ocean and the lifestyle that goes with it. With her olive skin and tousled locks, she fits the bill more than I do. I, on the other hand, have the fair, freckle fabulous Irish skin that runs deep in our family.
Of course, I felt it would be too clichéd to show you pictures of surfers and white sands. You can faintly make out the beach line in the black and white shot of Kelly…if you squint. These are a little taste of our beach neighbourhoods from behind the scenes.
p.s. That was a bloody good cappuccino and if you squint for a second time, you’ll see the Frankie Photo Album book in the middle of that bookshelf. I found our book in one of my favourite book stores, Berkelouw.
All photographs were shot with a Yashica FX3 camera. The first 2 shots were taken with Kodak Portra 400NC film and the remainder with Natura 1600 film from Japan.
Yes, I’ve already talked about being published in Artful Blogging, but I wanted to share some pictures I took of my article in the magazine. I didn’t actually have a copy of my own when I shared the news, so it’s pretty awesome to actually have it in my hands.
There are some gorgeous other blogs in this season’s issue and I am honoured to be amongst them. Check out these creative blogs.
I am thrilled to have been published in a magazine and loved working with Jennifer and Christen.
Do you see possible awesome photograph options while you’re out and about but don’t have the nerve to shoot them? Do you ever wish that you had more camera courage whilst out in public? Recently one reader asked how I shoot the things I do without getting funny looks. She wanted to know what my “secret to avoiding the silly is”.
Often times I have missed great photo opportunities because I’ve worried about what people may think. Nobody wants to be the crazy lady crawling through the bushes or laying in the middle of the street legs and arms a-flailing with a camera pointed in the air. The secret is…there isn’t one unfortunately.
However, I pose to you this…how badly do you want the shot? There are plenty of times that I have wanted to shoot something and been too nervous or worried that people might think I am a weirdo. It’s moments like those that I ask myself this very question: How badly do you want it? If I want it badly enough, I will size up the situation, shoot as quickly as I can and then get the hell out of there.
Of course, there is a time and place for photography. As I’ve mentioned before, I used to shoot a lot of bands. One time I had a really hard time shooting and simply had to put the camera away. It was a Joanna Newsom gig. It was in the famous Spiegel Tent and with nothing but a little lady strumming a harp, it was dead silent. Having my shutter button clicking away during the performance would have been downright rude, so I put the camera away. Obviously, some things are not appropriate to shoot and I make a judgement call.
The photographs that posed this initial reader question were taken in a store. Now quite often some stores have rules about taking photographs so you need to be careful. I will admit that when I took some pictures inside The Regional Assembly of Text, I was nervous about it. I wanted to ask permission but it was super busy, so I just took a few shots as I walked around the store. Thankfully, one of the owners actually emailed me telling me that she loved the post. There is always the chance that you won’t be that lucky.
I take quite a lot of photographs in cafes and people may think I’m a bit of a weirdo but I’d rather walk home with some lovely pictures of my day than regretting not shooting that moment. I guess it comes down to not being worried what people will think and being courteous. I am always mindful of my surroundings and if I think that my shooting might disturb others then I will give it a miss. You can always ask permission first too.
I’ve had some funny looks from people, I’ve had comments and even quite a few people asking me to take their photo. It goes with the territory. If you really want the shot, compose it in your head, stand tall, be quick and courteous and be brave! You never know what you might come home with.
I’m dreaming of…
peaches, plums and nectarines…
low light filled evenings outdoors…
afternoons spent under striped sun umbrellas…
meanderings along sandy beaches…
smelling and tasting backyard barbecues on summer’s eves…
beads a dripping on ice cold drinks…
the warmest hugs from the sun…
exploring new places on road trips…
What are you dreaming of?
My love for stationery/gift stores knows no bounds. I could spend an entire afternoon peeking in and between shelves packed with notebooks and hand crafted ribbons. As I have shared in the past, books and pencils always stir up feelings of happiness for me. I’m not sure whether it’s a notion of childhood nostalgia remembering back to the days of the pure glee I got when receiving a new lined journal or whether it just makes me feel like a smarty pants to own diaries filled with hand written scribbles.
One of the stores that makes my heart skip a beat in Sydney is Newtown’s Pentimento. As you can see from the pictures, it’s filled with gorgeous trinkets and hand made wares. There are two walls dedicated to cards and notebooks from France and Japan, while the other houses arty books and quirky ceramics. Those milk bottles are made out of fine porcelain and oh so delicate. A friend of mine works there, so it’s always nice to pop in and have a chat too.
If you ever find yourself in Sydney, make sure you pay a visit to Newtown. It’s bold, colourful and full of gorgeous little stores like this one.
All pictures were taken with a Yashica FX3 camera using that crazy Natura 1600 film.
