Whats is so funny about a goat? #satcap #funee

This week I took the little girls to the farm, which is the basis of my country kids post this week. But scrolling through the images i took this little succession of photos made me laugh. My little girl who is afraid of nothing marched straight up to the goats and started to feed them. I thought it would make a good caption day roll of pics and also you just have to love the faces she pulled. I was a little far away from her so i have no idea why she laughed so much. But clearly goats are very funny creatures. I guess they are…really…

🙂

Mammasaurus - Saturday is Caption Day!
Wot So Funee?
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Down on the farm #Countrykids

Another day going AWOL from nursery last week saw us going to a strawberry farm to pick/eat some strawberries. The way it seemed to work was that i picked the strawberries and the girls ate them! Hmmmm. They were a little bit put off in the strawberry patches as there were a lot of prickles.

But the redcurrant bushes in their long military style lines were a much better hit. Easy to reach and pick, pretty and luminesence in the lovely sunshine and tons of space to run up and down before a quick trip on the tractors in the greenhouse which GOOD LORD…was stifling. I mean i can take a bit of heat but wowsers..i was begging the girls to finish up and saying in a manic voice ‘shall we go and get an ice-cream!!”

Was really fun watching my two little girls just be buddies together. We are going to miss her in september when she heads off to school!

Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

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#silentsunday #socialpix #photooftheweek

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Making the most of it #Countrykids

This week has seen more of the fabulous sunshine, which makes me very happy. But my title this week is not about making the most of the sun, although nice weather in this country does tend to warrant that response. This time im referring to making the most of the the last few days when i have my fourth child with me throughout school terms. She is starting school in september and currently attends nursery in the morning. This all comes to an end in a few short weeks, i think she has 10 days left at nursery.

Since the weather has been so gorgeous I have been wanting to just do some chilled, relaxed mornings out with them both. While its still cool and before the lunchtime sleepy crabbyness hits. So we have been skipping a few mornings of nursery…they haven’t started charging yet for not going! It also safely navigates round the sticky issue of my daughter’s indigance at not being invited to go to a friends house every.single.day! Its not a part of the day i enjoy and to be honest not taking her avoids the almighty tantrum i just dont have the energy to deal with.

So instead we are exploring some parks with a picnic rug, some strawberries and little brioche rolls and playing games and chasing butterflies. 🙂

These are happy little moments that i will remember once she gets sucked into the school system. It connects us again and prevents me having to do a hundred drop offs a day and okay it breaks the rules a little but while i still can I will do it!

Ha!! Always a little bit of a rulebreaker!

Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

 

 

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Growing and learning #photography101 #mamarazzi

Firstly I wanted to say in this weeks mamarazzi how stoked i am to be included in the TOTS100 top 20 photography blogs. I have that wee little badge displayed over to the left and you can click there to see some of the other wonderful photographers that are included in the list. Thank you again Madame Tot.

So onwards…

This post is going to be a little bit different to others than i have done in the past as it is a little self indulgent and a lot about me and what i have learned recently. Which may not be something you are interested in or it may be, so please bear with me. At least enjoy the images.

As a bit of background…about 3 years ago when i was very heavily pregnant with my last baby I was flicking through a photography magazine when i noticed a small advert for photographers to go on workshops for editorial purposes. I sent them a quick email and 5 minutes later the phone rang and a journalist was asking me if i could be in manchester in 7 days time.

It took a HUGE amount of bravery because I was pretty new to it and was paranoid that everyone there would have vastly more knowledge than me. Which being honest they did but i learnt SO much on that day  (and got some of my photos published!) that it was the one of the best learning experiences of my photography journey. Stuff that i learnt on that day changed the way i shoot and i told myself there and then that i wanted to come back and do this sort of workshop.

It took a while for me to get round to deciding what it was that i wanted to do a workshop on. I have always been inspired by the use of light in a photograph…and the use of creative flash. Thats not horrible on camera red eye but off camera stunning light art images.

My goal for 2013 was to understand flash and Brett Harkness is pretty much a grand master at creative flash, both producing it and teaching it. So that was where i went. With three other photographers. A day with Brett, to critique our work (scary) and learn the art of creative flash.

It was such a fabulous day, opening up a huge range of possiblities. You know those amazing shots where the sky is a beautiful deep dark colour and yet the bride and groom are fabulously lit? This is how its done.

After lunch we got to have a go with high speed sync flash and off camera flash, using some real HUGE power packs that give out a huge amount of zap!

I was inspired..so inspired…wanting to go out and buy a tonne of stuff (none of which i can right now) and drag my kids onto the hills and shoot some amazing skies and skylines. So i will get practicing with what i have right now. What i was inspired the most by was that we were in a studio in the middle of a mill, a wood mill, with a fairly grotty carpark and STILL you can use the background to get some amazing images. Even our battered old car came to life as part of an sophisticated, grown up image. Transformed by the master of the light.

As i always say, its all about the light. When there isnt natural light available or that natural light is far too bright and harsh. Step in the most awesome and creative use of flash and you don’t have to worry any more.

Before you check out some of the shots from the day let me just really really recommend doing a workshop, not one of those £19.00 photography days that you get on groupon. A real, proper workshop with a photographer whose work you admire and aspire to. I cannot tell you just how much you learn. Just do it!!

so here are some of the shots from the day. Not my usual subject, the very lovely model Liz, who was incredibly patient and gracious with a baby photographer who faced with a professional model went somewhat quiet!!

 

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