Polaroid Pearls and Photo Swaps

I was sad to hear that Polaroid was no longer going to make cameras or film, because somewhere deep down I had a vision of myself one day taking gorgeous photos like these. 

Digital cameras just can’t get close to this sort of softness and subtlety.  Of course now I want one more than ever.

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The photos come from Jen of Fieryeyed Photography who writes the blog Nectar & Light – truly one of the most beautiful blogs on the web.

Jen also runs a monthly photoswap through her site The Photo Trade.  The rules are simple.  Give her your name and address and she will tell you the monthly theme and match you up with your swapees.  Get your picture in the post before the end of the month and then wait for the postman to deliver wondrous things.

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I joined in for the first time this month and this is what I sent to Susannah on the theme ‘Morning Ritual’ (I’m very glad that I didn’t know beforehand that she is a freelance photographer).

And these are what I got back from Christine, which are currently looking very beautiful thank you on my inspiration board.

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I think there was a teensy bit of confusion on the monthly theme, as I was told ‘Morning Ritual’ but lots of other people had ‘Green’.

Anyway, you’ve got until April 4th to sign up for this month’s swap, which is on the theme ‘A Faerie Tale Told’.

Updating to say that my breadbin photo made ‘Explore‘ on Flickr!  The first time anything I’ve taken has done so. 

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Daily Inspiration

There’s something about the start of a new year with all those empty days stretching before you, which lends itself to the starting of daily projects.

  

Images of Michelle Caplan’s collages

Michelle Caplan is challenging herself to produce a mixed media collage everyday in her new blog Collage Labthe results of which are for sale through her new Etsy shop. I can’t begin to imagine the mental effort required to produce a new piece of artwork every day.

The girls behind the hugely inspirational 3191 A Year of Mornings (soon to be turned into a must-have coffee table book) are now embarking on 3191 A Year of Evenings with features more beautiful and unplanned (that’s the bit that always gets me) photo diptychs of intimate domesticity.

Photos seem to lend themselves to the daily thing. I always enjoy the Seattle photos taken by Kim of Seattle Daily PhotoI’ve learned so much about Seattle life from her.  There are Daily Photos for most major(ish) city in the US and Europe (and many from further afield)  if you want to check out your local photographer.

There are also loads of Project 365 (or 366 this year) groups on Flickr for people to take a photo a day.  I’m currently enjoying Auntie Cookie’s 30 Days set and DineandDish’s Project 365 (mostly for the great foodie pics – a girl on WeightWatchers has to dream). 

You’ll see tomorrow why I’ve been looking into daily challenge thingies.  Tuesday 29th January is the ideal day to be starting a New Year’s project, n’est-ce pas?

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Abigail Percy Earrings

I’ve finally got round to photographing some new earrings from Abigail Percy.  Both feature her signature leaves – sweet horse chestnut leaves above and aquilegia leaves below.  I thought they looked great photographed with a couple of Karin Eriksson pieces as both artists like to play with outlines of leaves in their own different ways.

The sweet horse chestnut earrings are hand-pierced in sterling silver and I can’t imagine how much work goes into creating each one. 

The deliberately mis-matched aquilegia leaves are gold plated and then beautifully textured with linen. That girl is quite ridiculously clever and is also writing a great guest blog this week over on Design*Sponge.

I’m so pleased with these pictures as they are the first I’ve taken with my new daylight light, which meant I could take them in comparatively dull light. A new age of mirrormirror photography is dawning. Why did I never use proper photography lighting before?

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