Another brilliant year at Playgroup Festival near Tunbridge Wells. It has it all. The food. The fun times. The friends. Even the weather didn’t bring it down. I did another review for eFestivals (but also check out last year’s review), and took some more Kodak moments, mostly of all the brilliant costumes from the fun lovin’ crowd. Read the eFestival review here and look at most of the picas some of the on the eFestival’s website and well as my personal favourite snaps on my own Flickr.
If you have never been… next year, just go
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More wordy goings on from me. Back in May I went to Helsinki for a sight-seeing weekend away, and I loved the city so much that I wrote an alternative travel feature for Hound magazine. The mag is aimed at discerning young creative types, packed with musical interviews, reviews, fashion spreads, illustrations and features. The mag is free and distributed mostly in Brighton, but you can also read the publication online.
I provided some words and the photography, although there was also a lovely illustration by Ryan Humphrey. Time to pack your bags and go to Finland!
I got back earlier this week from a long European weekend away in Spain; a girly hen weekend with some of my oldest friends. There was a lot relaxing on the beaches in Salou – just 2 hours south of Barcelona on the Costa Dorada – spent a very fun day at a water park, and I was a tour guide for my group around Barcelona for the last day. There is a fabulous market in the middle of Las Ramblas called Boqueria Market, I would urge anyone to go visit; firstly for the food and secondly for the photos. Check out my Flickr to see the rest of my snaps from the holiday
I had a new photo toy that I took out with me for the trip, an electronic photo clicker for use with my tripod. It meant that I could take extra sharp photos, particularly at night, which was really useful for when I found these beautiful multi-coloured night fountains in Salou, that made beautiful patterns in the water. These might be my favourite abstract snaps to date
It’s wedding season! I have attended two of four this year already (nobody die please!), which means I have been a) drinking far too much champagne, b) hanging out with lots of lovely people and c) trying to take lots of lovely photos. The above was crying out for an animated Gif, the Groom at wedding number 2 with the groom Paul, very excitedly hugging his guests after the beautiful wedding ceremony. Afterwards was a cute village fete reception with games, including a coconut shy, which I painfully fell into during a family tug or war. Ouch! But such a lovely day. Congratulations Paul and Lauren!
Check out a selection of the best on Flickr and the the entire album for Friends on Facebook.
This time last week I was in Helsinki. Bosskite had a gig in the motherland of Skwee, so I went along to help carry the gear and have a mini break in Finland. Helsinki may be expensive, but a beautiful design mecca, oozing culture and character. Here are some of my best snaps from the weekend.
Last weekend I was frolicking in a field with a large group of chums. I can’t tell you how much I wish I was still in Eridge Park, Tunbridge Wells, enjoying a very sunny Playgroup festival. Again I was reviewing and snapping away for eFestivals, and it was by far the most fun festival I’ve attended this year, purely because of lovely happy people who dressed up and made it so easy to produce some stunning photography. Take this lovely lady/white rabbit for instance. Best Kodak moment I have taken all year. And there’s more where that came from.
You can read the review here, and look at the rest of the photos here.
Ever looking for wholesome weekend activities, rather than our prefered choice of a never-ending marathon of The Office watched via bleary hangover eyes, the boy and I took a trip to Beachy Head, just west of Eastbourne. He brought Cheese and Ham rolls. I brought my camera and new polarising filter. It was a beautiful afternoon of sublime weather and some not bad snaps. Some of the skies may be more white than blue – that damn sun getting in my way – but that will hopefully be a part of the photo learning curve.
Would really love to get more creative than taking the typical point and click holiday snaps. I’ve discovered the Photojojo blog and it’s marvelous shop. Gotta start experimenting with colored filters. Very tempted to get a disposable camera and mutilate it during a festival or two.
But until then, I will stick with taking holiday snaps.
Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) revolutionised photography. He is best known for his seminal work Animal Locomotion where he documented both humans and animals in motion. This body of work, initially began with a wager from one of Muybridges patrons in 1877 that a Horse does not at any one time have his feet off the ground while galloping. While this work is his most famous and has influenced photography, cinema and science for more than a century, the current Tate Britain retrospective (the first of this kind in the UK ans finishing on 16th January) has highlighted some other interesting facts about Eadweard Muybridge that you may not already know.
1 He changed his name more than his facial hair.
Eadweard Muybridge
People commonly mistake his name to be Edward Mybridge, but his name was just as much changed and mistaken during his own lifetime. He was born Edward James Muggeridge, has been listed as Muggeridge and Muygridge after moving to America, revised it to Edwardo Santiago Maybridge while in central America, changed his first name to Eduardo after a Saxon King, and was conferred as Professor Muybridge. The last form on his gravestone is Eadweard Muybridge. He also published some of his work under the name Helios. One thing that never changed though, was his beard. Apart from when he went grey.
2 He was acquitted for the Murder of his wife’s lover.
Flora Muybridge
In 1891, Muybridge married 19 year-old divorce Flora Stone, who was over 20 years his junior. Three years later she bore a child, Floredo Helious Muybridge. At first the child’s paternity was never in question, but as Muybridge spent many long periods away from home he eventually became suspicious that he may not be the child’s father. When his suspicions were confirmed, he then went and shot Harry Larkyns, Flora’s lover.
As Muybridge was a minor celebrity in San Francisco at the time, the murder and trial caused a scandal. However, Muybridge was acquitted for the crime on the grounds of justifiable homicide for what he had discovered. Flora asked for a divorce but she mysteriously died of Typhoid soon after the trial, and Floredo was sent to an orphanage.
3 He created two panoramas of San Francisco, one seventeen foot long.
Section of 1878 San Francisco Panorama
Muybridge created two Panaromas of San Francisco, the city he was largely based in during his time in America. A fire destroyed the glass plate negatives of the first panorama created in 1877, so Muybridge set about creating another Panorama a year later. It is estimated that it took 15-25 minutes to to expose each of the 13 glass plates.
4 Francis Bacon owned four copies of Humans in Motion.
Francis Bacon - Triptych 1974-1977
Many of Muybridges stills served as inspirations for Francis Bacon’s own work, who always drew from photographs. Muybridges studies of motion drew countless inspiration for other Artists including Edgar Degas and Marcel Duchamp.
East London residents might recognise this cuddly multi-coloured cross-stitch bear, it’s a character created by Graffiti artist Malarky, as seen in Brick Lane.
Playgroup Festival eFestivals review 2011
The Death of the British Festival
A photo mini break in Helsinki
