Helena La Petite

Blog moved

2014-06-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

Hey guys, just a quick update that I've moved the blog, which you'll be able to find at http://www.helenalapetite.com/blog/ now.
This site will stay around of course, so you can go through old posts if you're looking for something.
I think this is a good time to go through my archives as well, and edit + republish some of my old posts, which you might not have come across yet but would find helpful.
Let me know if there's anything you'd really love to read about! Thank you for your continuing support and for reading, I appreciate it a lot! :)

New Site + Workshop announced

2014-06-05T08:00:00.000+01:00

I'm seriously SO HAPPY to share some great news with you - my new portfolio is up. After what feels like two years or more of wanting to update my website, I finally managed to get it up. I went with Squarespace in the end (yes, I'd recommend them!), and am working on integrating the blog into the new site soon as well. For now there are still a few things to change, but I decided to just go live with it now.

Also, there's a complete new workshop coming up in July - it will be a two day workshop focusing on teaching you all the photography basics from scratch in a way that's easy to understand. I want you to be able to get to know your camera and improve your photos even if you're a beginner. I'll also teach you how to create great images that work well on social media, and that can get you the most out of your online marketing. Images play such an important role in marketing, and especially with so many blogs around you want to stand out through the content you create and the photos you put up on your blog. They represent your brand after all.
The two days will be filled with fun, meeting new people, and creating amazing content for your blog or website that you can use straight away.
If you want to find out more head over to the site and book your spot. I'd love to meet you, and teach you everything I know.

Blueberry, Lemon & Almond Cake

2014-06-04T08:00:00.000+01:00

You might have seen some similar pictures on Instagram quite a while ago - now I finally got around to editing all the pictures of the cake I made back then. I feel a bit sorry to say that I didn’t actually come up with the recipe, but adapted this one right here.
I’m happy to tell you that it tasted amazing, though! It was quite filling (lots of almonds), but SO good!

Anyway, here’s my adapted recipe - go ahead and make it! :)

Cake4 cups (400 g) ground almonds
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (120 ml) rapeseed oil
1/2 cup (120 ml) honey or maple syrup
2 small organic lemons
3 large eggs (replace with chia seeds* if you are vegan)
2 cups (300 g) blueberries (save half for topping)

Glazing1 cup/240 ml (250 g) Greek yogurt, drained (use vegan cream cheese if you are vegan)
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C. Combine ground almonds, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside. Heat oil and honey in a sauce pan on very low heat until combined. Grate the zest from the 2 lemons and add it to the honey/oil batter. Divide them in half and squeeze the juice from three of the halves into the mixture, saving one half for the glazing. Add the batter to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and then fold them into the batter together with 1 cup of the blueberries. Stir gently around with a wooden spoon until combined. Grease a 8-inch spring form cake tin, and add the batter to it.

Bake for about 40-50 minutes (depending on size of the pan and oven), or until golden on the outside and baked all way through (you can cover the cake with tin foil during the last 15 minutes of the baking time, if it starts looking burned). Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before removing the sides. Meanwhile, start making the glazing. Drain yogurt in a milk cloth or coffee filter for about 10 minutes. This is to make the yogurt less runny. Discard the water and combine the thick yogurt with honey vanilla extract and the juice from the remaining lemon half. Leave to chill in the fridge. When the cake has cooled completely, cover it with glazing, top with the remaining blueberries and serve. You could also just serve the cake with blueberries and yogurt on the side.

* You can replace three eggs with 3 tbsp chia seeds and 9 tbsp water that you combine and let sit for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

P.S. Just a reminder that the private view of my exhibition is tomorrow, if you’re in London and want to come. Would love to see you!

What 3 years of photojournalism have taught me / Part 3

2014-05-28T08:00:00.000+01:00

This is the last part of a short series of reflective posts on my last three years. I hope you guys enjoyed the first and second part and got something out of it. Do let me know your thoughts and feedback, it’d be great to hear.

As I said last time, I want to go a bit deeper into creating photo essays today. My last year at uni pretty much consisted of writing my dissertation and working on my final major project - a complete and in-depth photo essay.
I documented Zippos Circus, and got access to both behind the scenes and the main show (for more info on the upcoming exhibition scroll down).

Now, I don’t want you to feel like photo essays have to be huge and are something that only ‘professional’ photographers can work on. It’s simply about telling a story and can relate to any kind of photography. It doesn’t have to be focused on social or environmental issues either. Photo essays can be fun and short and sweet if you want it that way. Sure, you’ll feel great when you produce a long-term project that you put a lot of effort into, but the basics of a photo essay can be applied to any kind of photographic work - and I believe that keeping the structure of a photo essay in mind when producing a series of photos can really add value and strength to your work.

So, how do you go about creating a photo essay?

First, ask yourself what you want to document, what story you want to tell. Try to be specific, and really focus on a particular point you want to make. And don’t worry, it’s not set in stone, you’re still flexible and can change your chosen story later if you find that it doesn’t work.

Next, do some research or at least brainstorm some ideas of what kind of photos you’d like to get. This will help you to get the idea clear in your head, and make it easier for you when you actually start shooting. Also, you’ll be able to explain what you want to do to the person you are working with/you’re taking photos of.

Then start shooting. Brainstorming and planning and all that can be fun, but you’ve got to do the work. You have to get started to find out what works and what doesn’t.

Look critically at your photos, and get some outside feedback. Think about your chosen story again and the point you want to make, and evaluate how well your photos communicate that story. What photos do you still need? What is missing? What doesn’t work?

Then go shooting again. And again. And again. Keep repeating that process until you’ve got a complete set of photos which tell your story in a simple and clear way.

Finally, organise your pictures. What order do they go in, which structure tells the story best? Again, make sure you get some feedback and other people’s thoughts, going through the editing process on your own can be frustrating, and you most likely won’t be able to get the most out of your photos and create the best photo essay possible.

And to finish, please tell me what story you want to work on, no matter how big or small - I’d really love to hear! :)

By the way - if you want to get the chance to look at a lot of different versions of photo essays and see how different stories are being told through photos, come visit our final year exhibition at the London College of Communication between 2-7 June at Elephant & Castle. The show is open from 10am - 5pm every day (except for 7th June 10am - 4pm, and late night opening on 3rd June).
Would be great to see you there!

Invitation to Exhibition

2014-05-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

Some of you might already know - as part of finishing my course, we’re having an exhibition at the beginning of June, our final show. If you’re in London I hope you can make it - I’d love to see you there!
Below are the details:

Private View: Thursday 5th June 2014, 6-9 pm

Exhibition open: 2nd – 7th June 2014, 10am - 5pm (except for 7th June 10am - 4pm and late night opening on 3rd June)

Location: London College of Communication, Elephant & Castle, London, SE1 6SB

You can see a sneak preview of our work right here.
There will also be other courses exhibiting during the same time, e.g. BA Photography.

What 3 years of photojournalism have taught me / Part 2

2014-05-21T08:00:00.000+01:00

Thank you all for your lovely feedback on the first part of this short series. I love hearing your thoughts, so please do keep sharing.
I also enjoy sharing my experience over the last three years with you, and hope it will inspire and motivate some of you to get more into photography.
So, here are a few more things I’ve learnt through taking the Photojournalism course:

During my second year we worked on two exciting collaborative projects: the uni newspaper (Arts London News), which is published once a week, and a magazine we created from scratch. I worked as the picture editor on the newspaper, which was such a challenging, busy, and exciting time. I remember feeling like it was the busiest time of my life so far. Anyway, working as the picture editor taught me a lot about working with people, managing and organising time, and being assertive while staying friendly and calm. If you can get a chance to take on a leadership role in any kind of creative area, you should take the opportunity. This isn’t necessarily related to photography, but of course I also learnt a lot about selecting and editing pictures, and working very quickly and efficiently - a skill photographers definitely need, if we don’t want to spend hours and hours editing pictures.
As I just mentioned, we also created magazines in small groups. This project taught me so much about working in a team, staying calm and collaborative, while keeping up a productive working spirit. I personally love working with others, it keeps me motivated and the accountability pushes me to work hard and get things done. But we all know, that’s not the case for everyone - so being able to work with all kinds of different personality types can be a real challenge, but also a great learning experience. Again, not specifically photography related, but collaborating with others will help you grow your social skills, which you’ll definitely need as a photographer in any situation. All those skills come in handy every time you work with a client.

Another project I worked on during my second year was creating a photo essay. I haven’t talked about photo essays much before, but it’s one of the most challenging and exciting photo projects to work on if you invest enough time and energy into it. For the photo essay during the second year at uni I photographed a farmer - it definitely was time-consuming and hard, but again I’ve learnt so much from it: getting access and finding the time that works for both people involved, running around and keeping up with whatever your subject is up to, keeping your frame clean and composing the photo in a nice way, looking out for interesting details, and at the same time keeping annoying things out of the image, selecting the best pictures, remembering what you still need a photo of and getting that picture, editing all the images and putting them in an order that tells a story…
This is just a brief summary of what’s involved in a photo essay. I’ll talk more about it in the next (and last) part of this series.

For now I want to encourage you to think of a project that you might want to work on yourself. No matter whether that’s telling a story about something you’re interested in and working on a photo essay, or creating a magazine on a topic that you’re passionate about. It doesn’t always have to be ‘official’ - why not look for people to collaborate with, and just do something for fun? You’ll definitely learn a lot from it.

What are some projects and ideas you’ve always wanted to work on? I’d love to hear!

What 3 years of photojournalism have taught me / Part 1

2014-05-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

Images through Instagram

A few days ago I handed in my final major project. Now I’m officially done with uni, apart from our upcoming exhibition in June and graduation in July. This got me thinking about the last three years, what I’ve learnt and what I could pass on to you that you might get value out of.

To start with, let me quickly clarify and distinguish between photojournalism and documentary photography (which my course both involves). I often see people, especially in the wedding photography industry, talk about their style as photojournalistic - what they really mean is documentary. Photojournalism is, simply said, press photography. I captures news events, and other short-term situations, whereas documentary photography is about long-term projects, telling a story, and getting to know a subject over a period of time. Both photojournalism and documentary photography document something, which is why photojournalism is part of documentary photography, but documentary photography isn’t photojournalism.

Another important and most basic thing I’ve learnt is that you need to know your craft - the basics of photography. You need to know your camera, how to use it in manual mode, and everything else it can do. It’s also important to work with different visual techniques, such as composition, and get to a point where you feel comfortable taking pictures. This seems to be so simple and obvious, but is easy to overlook. You might feel like jumping ahead to the next step of figuring out a personal style, finding a specific area of photography to focus on, or making money with photography. But that would be like building a house without a base.

Now you need to get out there and practise. It’s the only way to learn the basics and improve. One thing that my photojournalism course made me realise, which made a huge difference, is to not just photograph pretty flowers and butterflies, but to get out there into the world and photograph the hard stuff. I went to protests, news events, film premieres, and more protests. And that might not sound like much fun to you - sure, it might not be, but it can be. I definitely don’t want to be a press photographer now, but I had a whole lot of fun taking photos at protests and really getting in there. Photographing demonstrations is exciting, exhilarating, and fun if you go with friends or other photographers. And it’s been a huge learning curve for me. I seriously believe that without going to protests and other events, I wouldn’t have learnt what I know now even half as fast. If you want to improve quickly, do something challenging!

Also get feedback on your photos. We had regular crits at uni, where everyone showed their photos of what they had worked on over the weekend or the last week. We talked about the positive and negative aspects, and provided helpful and constructive feedback. It’s important to share your work and to get others’ opinions on it, even if it might be tough. Not knowing where you are at or where you’re going will make it hard to know the areas that you have to improve in - and if you don’t know that, it’s hard to improve and become great at photography.

I hope this information has been helpful to start with - there is a lot more that I want to share with you, but I hope you do use these few simple but important points to get started with if you want to become a better photographer.
Let me know if you have any questions, or can relate to any of the points I made.

Brainstorm with me

2014-05-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

I’m back. Thank you all so much for your patience, and most of all for your kind words, tips, and encouragement! It really means a lot, and I appreciate all of your support!!

Now, I’ve also had a bit of time to think about where I’m taking this blog and where my life is going in general. I’m about to graduate, and have got lots of thoughts and ideas on what to do next. I want to share some of those ideas with you today, and would love to hear your thoughts.

While I love photography, I’ve been interested in psychology for a long time now. The more time passes, the more I seem to be drawn towards topics like psychology in business, perception, branding, body language, marketing, presentation, the subconscious mind. I love understanding how the human mind works, and applying this knowledge to creative business situations. I love presenting something in a meaningful way, analysing situations and people, and thinking on a deeper/subconscious level.
I’ve been taking a lot of branding, presentation and body language courses over the last couple of years, and have watched many videos about the human mind, and how our subconsciousness works and influences situations.
I can’t quite find a general or summarising word for all these things, and haven’t managed to bring it all together yet. I would love to work in this area, and have just been brainstorming ways of how to put it into words and make it more tangible.

I also want to quickly talk about personality types, which relates to what I just mentioned as well. There are loads of personality tests out there, and I believe that most of them provide interesting insights. I wouldn’t call any of them ‘the one and only’ personality test, I think they all have downsides and benefits, but I believe that combined they can give you a pretty good picture of yourself. Let’s quickly talk about the Myers Briggs Test: I’m an ENFP. You can read more about it here and here. If you want to take the test, I’d love to hear what your type is as well.
ENFPs have a hard time focusing - I can tell you that ;) We love coming up with ideas, get all enthusiastic and excited about a project until the next one comes up. And the next one. And so on. While I think I managed pretty well to keep this blog focused on photography, there have been A LOT of ideas coming and going in my head over the years.
I’m mentioning this, because apart from my interest in psychology which I talked about before, I’ve been considering going deeper into food photography and making a baking book. This idea’s been floating around in my head for a long time now as well, but I’ve pushed it away every now and then when new new ideas came up. And then there’s another big idea I’ve got, based around NGOs and business. Well, more on that some other time.

I thought I’d share my what’s going on inside of my mind - I want to be completely open and honest with you, and of course I’m hoping to hear your thoughts and insights as well. Let’s have fun and do some brainstorming. :)

Change

2014-04-10T09:00:00.000+01:00

I came across the following quote on Pinterest yesterday, and felt like it was speaking to me:

“Accept what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be.”
I want to talk a bit about change today - which is what this quote is all about for me.

As much as I would like to think of myself as someone who embraces change, I’m surely not accepting change easily. I get used to things being a certain way and I get comfortable. In my head I always know that change means opportunity, growth, and new beginnings, and that I should be open towards it - approaching it with positivity. Still, I’m not quite there yet, and change can be hard for me.
At the moment I’m going through some personal changes in my life, and I feel like there are a few more changes to come over the next few months. It’s scary and it can be hard to accept. And I think that is the case no matter what kind of change you’re going through.
I do think the quote above speaks a lot of truth, yet I find it hard to really accept and live accordingly. I think mindfulness relates to this topic in many ways - trying to be present, and enjoying the moment. It’s such a great concept, but so hard to live by.
I believe a lot of it is also about whether we make a conscious choice to make a change, or whether we are being ‘forced’ into it. But either way, the challenge is to deal with it and accept it.
Apart from personal changes, I also want to change a few things around here. I feel that I need some time to think things through and will take a week or so off blogging. Maybe even a bit longer if I feel like it. Sometimes you need a break to deal with change ;)
You see, I’m definitely not there yet - I have a hard time accepting what is, and moving forward. Have you gone through change recently, or have made any deliberate changes (not matter whether personal or work related or anything else)? I honestly would love to hear your thoughts on it, and please do share any tips you have for dealing with change in a healthy way.

P.S. While I’m gone, I have a few suggestions for you to work on: are you using your camera in manual mode yet? If not, why not give it try? Play around with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. I promise taking your camera off automatic will make a huge change to your photos.

P.P.S. My friend Emma is sharing a little bit about me and my work in one of her regular blog features. If you’re interested in being part of this feature as well, do drop her an email.

P.P.P.S. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway. :)

Discussion: capturing the beauty of a moment?

2014-04-08T08:00:00.000+01:00

Image via Instagram

The other day I read an article in a magazine about enjoying a moment just by yourself, for yourself. The article was encouraging us to see something beautiful with our own eyes more often, not through the viewfinder of a camera. It can be so easy to get sucked into the urge to document everything - an amazing moment you don’t want to forget or really want to share with your Instagram community. But how much do we really enjoy that moment when we always feel the need to capture everything?

I certainly feel this inner conflict of just wanting to be fully there without any distractions, and feeling the need and desire to document the beauty - all the time to be honest.
So when I went for a walk the other day I told myself not to take any photos - but I still ended up taking some. And while I was starting to feel ‘guilty’, I realised that actually it felt freeing to allow myself to capture the moment. I’m a photographer - it’s something I just can’t always resist. Sometimes it helps me to see the beauty of something even more and to really observe and engage with it.

So my take on this is to try to enjoy moments without a camera, without the need to share every single situation, but to allow myself to document a moment when I just can’t hold back that urge. Not to think about it too much, but go with what feels right in that specific moment and relax.

What are your thoughts on this? I’d love to hear, and open up a discussion - I’m sure it’s something that we all can relate to.

7 Tips for Great Food Photos without Fancy equipment + a Giveaway

2014-04-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

A while ago I wrote about my experience at a professional food photography shoot, when Hanna asked for tips on how to take great food pictures without having a studio or owning tons of pretty props. So I want to share 6 tips with you today that I’ve found helpful myself for getting some professional and great looking food photos without any fancy equipment. This post goes hand in hand with another post on food photography I wrote a while ago.

1. Learn the basics. Start to learn as much as you can about photography - composition, light, framing, focusing, etc. You won’t be able to take great food photos without mastering the basics of photography.

2. Collect props. You might not have millions of plates, cutlery, towels, and other props - but I’m sure you do have some. Start with what you have and make good use of it. Whenever you see something that you think would work well, keep it. This doesn’t mean you have to buy stuff, sometimes you already own a prop that you just didn’t think you could use for a food photography shoot. Keep your eyes open, it could be anything from an old piece of fabric to a bowl you’ve kept jewellery in before.

3. Get inspired & learn from others. What do you like about certain food photos? Have a look on Pinterest, and create a board with your favourite food images. What attracts your eye? Is it the styling? Or the colours? Or the type of food? Do what they do.

4. Find what works for you. Find the best spot in your home to shoot in - it will probably be somewhere by a window, as there’s lots of light. The same goes for backdrops and anything else - find whatever works best for you, and keep doing it. E.g. get some wood and paint it white (or whatever colour you prefer), and use it as your ‘go-to’ backdrop.

5. Always shoot in good light conditions! Shoot during the day, and use natural light.

6. Be creative. Experiment. Play. This one is similar to tip number 2 - you might not think of a certain prop or backdrop in relation to food photography, but be as creative as you possibly can be. Here’s an example: I sometimes use a wardrobe door that I can easily take off, and place it on the floor as a backdrop - who would have thought a wardrobe door could come in handy for a food photography shoot?
It’s the same with styling - rearrange, play around with your props, have fun. When I shot the muffins in this post for example, I tried lots of different options - I used different coloured towels, put the muffins on a plate, … you never know what works (or doesn’t work) until you try.

7. Edit your photos. Please do! Edit your photos! You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.

It all comes back to basics and making the most of what you have. Be creative.
I hope these tips help. If you want to read more about my thoughts on food photography, check out this feature on Shutterhub.

Shutterhub are also giving away a free one year membership to their site which let’s you create your own portfolio, be part of their community, and showcase your work in exhibitions. To enter simply comment and let me know your biggest problem when it comes to food photography (or anything else you’re struggling with in photography, if photographing food isn’t your thing).
The giveaway closes on 16 April at 11.59pm GMT, I’ll randomly draw a winner.

AND, Shutterhub are also offering 50% off their one year membership, if you want to create your portfolio right now - just sign up by 20 April and enter the discount code HELENA50.
Thank you Shutterhub team for being so generous!

P.S. I used this muffin recipe and slightly adapted it.

The Photo Brunch Shoreditch / 03

2014-04-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday I held my third Photo Brunch in Shoreditch - it was awesome again. I could repeat myself and tell you about how great it is to take photos with a group of like-minded people, but I already mentioned that here and here. So instead I’ll talk a bit about the weather and brunch - it was such a nice day (can you see how sunny it was in the pictures?). We had brunch at Dishoom again, since the food is so good and I really love the atmosphere there. Definitely go if you can - do book a table though, as it gets very busy.
I also really enjoyed teaching and seeing everyone pick up new skills. Seriously, everyone did so well - it was great to see Candi and Alistair, Imo, Yvonne, and Crystal starting to understand their cameras and getting their head around exposure. Even just seeing them having fun was fun!
I also met Crystal for the second time after having a one-on-one session with her a couple of weeks ago. It was lovely getting to know her a bit better!
And being in Shoreditch was a great experience as usual, I feel like I've never really noticed how many different areas there are within Shoreditch alone - we moved from lovely, quiet streets into the more arty and busy area around Brick Lane, and ended up somewhere that made you feel like you were back in old London a few decades ago.

By the way, I’m handing in my business plan today. I’m applying for funding for the Photo Brunch, so I can grow the business and offer more value to you in a few different ways. I’m excited to share more with you on this soon.

I’ve set up the next Photo Brunch for 18 May - it’s a Sunday because I want to take you to Notting Hill (and a Saturday around there would be way too busy to teach). You can book your place right here if you want to take your photography to the next level and get some pretty pictures. I hope you’ll join. :)

What have you been up to over the weekend?

London Fashion Weekend

2014-03-25T08:00:00.000+00:00

I know this post comes a little late, but I still want to share with you some photos I took during London Fashion Weekend a while ago. It was my first time shooting a catwalk - definitely a great experience! Thanks to Gatherly for making this possible and setting up awesome collaborations between illustrators and some of the photographers there. The top image was taken by me, and illustrated by Joanna. I love the result! (You can find more photography/illustration collaborations right here).

Have you been to London Fashion Week or Weekend before, or shot a fashion show yourself?

4 Practical Mindfulness Tips for Photographers

2014-03-21T08:00:00.000+00:00

As a follow-up from Tuesday's post, I thought it would be great to share some specific tips on how to apply mindfulness to your photography work. I truly believe that working mindfully creates stronger photos, and can help you to have more fun while taking photos.

Here’s how you can apply mindfulness to your photography:

1. Be all there when you’re taking photos. Completely focus on what you are photographing, what you are trying to say, and what your story is. Engage with your subject, and forget about everything else. Most of the time this happens naturally when you love what you’re taking photos of. Which takes me to my second point…

2. Take photos that you enjoy creating. Don’t worry about what you’re supposed to take photos of, or what you think others will like. Just go with your gut and trust your feelings. Have fun taking photos.

3. Take your time. Don’t rush taking your photos - no matter whether you’re just photographing some flowers, or are working on a story over a few days. Don’t let people walking past irritate you for example. Just do your thing and concentrate on it.

4. Take someone with you who’s just as passionate about photography as you are. It’s so much more fun going out and shooting with someone you can relate to, someone who you can talk to about photography, and even other topics you share an interest in. You’ll also feel more comfortable taking photos - that’s why the Photo Brunch is so great. You get to meet like-minded people, share your thoughts on photography, and explore London together - taking photos will feel more comfortable and natural, and you get to take your time.
There’s one spot left if you want to come along on 29 March.

What are your thoughts on mindfulness, especially when applying it to photography? Do you have any tips to add?

Guest Post - Mindfulness Tips

2014-03-18T08:00:00.000+00:00

I’m very happy to have Katie here today to share some insights on mindfulness with us.

I might have mentioned before that I’m trying to simplify my life, be more present, and appreciate the small things in life. At the moment I’ve got lots of stuff going on, both personal and work related, so Katie’s mindfulness tips come just at the right time. I hope that you can relate as well - please do share in the comments below if there’s something in particular that resonated with you.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Katie:

This year, one of my goals is to become more mindful. To help me to focus my thoughts and take more notice of my life as it happens. It’s so easy to dwell on the past or on the unknown future when we should take more time just to acknowledge and enjoy our lives as they happen.

To help me on my journey, I started doing a mindfulness programme, as just sitting about thinking ‘I should really stop overthinking things’ isn’t very helpful. The mindfulness programme I'm following is a book and audiobook that feature a series of guided meditations. Each day you're given a number of tasks to help you tune in to your body and your environment, and that help you to see or think a bit more clearly. Most exercises focus on breathing, but there are also other tasks that focus on movement, and others that are about changing the way you see your regular activities.

I’m only halfway through an eight week programme, but have already been feeling the benefits.
When I started, my husband made fun of me a little for being a hippie “off to meditate” but as we’re in the middle of house buying, using mindfulness to help manage stress has been really important for me, and even when we’ve had setbacks, I’ve been feeling pretty calm and generally maintained positive thinking.

I’m obviously still learning every day as I do this, and I can't say that I'm now completely zen and one with the world, but so far the things that stand out to me are:

-Every time you do mindfulness exercise, it will be different - and it’ll get harder before it gets easier. When I started, it was fresh and new and exciting, but after time, there were definitely some days where I had to force myself to do it because I just wasn't in the mood. But those days were when the practice made the most difference. So do make yourself do it.

- Mindful walking is amazing! I usually walk around with my iPod on, but every few days I have started leaving the music at the office and focus instead on sounds - all sounds - of birds, of cars, of people walking, and taking time to smell the air and feel the wind. It’s so refreshing - even 10-15 minutes makes me feel more awake and present. When I come back from a mindful walk during lunch, I actually feel as though I'm starting a brand new day.

- If you’re having trouble focusing on your breathing, choose two words to focus on as you do it. Say one (in your mind) as you breathe in and one as you breathe out. This was really helpful to me when I first started, as it gave my head something to concentrate on and helped to stop my mind from wandering again and again.

It can be hard to find the time to actually do some mindfulness exercises every day. But it makes such a huge difference, so I’d say it’s definitely worth making the time. And now I find that I’m actually excited to do it.

Have you ever taken up a mindfulness programme? How did you find it? What do you do to integrate it into your life?

3 Questions you should ask yourself and your clients

2014-03-13T08:00:00.000+00:00

I mentioned last week that I love working with clients who realise the importance of branding and the value photos can add to it. Today I want to go into a bit more detail with that, and share with you some questions that I believe are important to answer before working with a client. They are also a good starting point when you are just getting into business yourself, or if you want to grow your blog.
I’m writing the following as if I’m talking directly to you, but it works the same way if you were to ask your client.

Who?
Who are you aiming at with your work? The photos should communicate with the target audience in a way that speaks to them, so that they can empathise with whatever it is you want to say.
There are lots of points to consider, and ways to figure out who exactly a client might be. Personally, I love creating (secret) Pinterest boards to really understand who a client is, what they love, where they live, what they do, what they think about, how they spend their free time, what worldview they have, etc. In order not to generalise too much, create various boards keeping just one person mind for each of them - the clients can all be part of a similar group, but they are unique people with different lives.
If you’re working with a creative or visual client, consider giving this a try.

What?
What are you trying to say? What is the point of the photos you’re taking? This relates to what I mentioned in this post - what is the story you want to tell?
Think about your values: what is really important to you about your product/service? E.g. I love natural stuff. Anything from organic food to photos. This is why I want to keep a natural feel to my blog and photos - and it’s why I mostly only shoot using natural light. Apart from that it influences the way I write (trying to keep a personal and relaxed voice), and how I interact with clients. And everything else I do.

Why?
Why do you do what you do? Why do you need certain photos? Do you want your potential clients to take a certain action? Do you want to sell something? Or do you just want to create some pretty pictures to illustrate your writing?
When I work with Appear Here I usually document different places in London, capturing the feel and uniqueness of each area. E.g. I photographed the area around Baker St, capturing fancy houses, pretty Regent’s Park, and a lot of Sherlock Holmes stuff. The reason for this was to attract potential clients wanting to open up a pop-up shop in the area - who themselves either aim at tourists, or have a wealthy/upper-class target market.
I hope this example gives you an idea of what the ‘why’ is supposed to answer, and why it’s so important to think about.

In general, it all seems to comes back to the feel and mood you want to create with your photos, and what that will say about your brand.
I really enjoyed writing this post - I love going ‘deep’ with business type questions, and figuring out how and why something is done in a certain way. So, I do hope that these three questions have been helpful and got you thinking, or will help you find the right direction next time you’re working with a client.

VSCO Grid

2014-03-11T08:00:00.000+00:00

Just a quick post today to share with you my newly created profile on VSCO Grid. I made a selection of some of my favourite photos taken on my phone, so you might have seen these pictures on Instagram before.
I love using grid type platforms, such as Instagram, Pinterest, and VSCO Grid - apart from being able to find so much inspiration and seeing everyone’s talent, it’s such a great way to craft a portfolio. I think making a tight selection, choosing only your best photos, and combining them in a way that works well, really helps to develop a sense of colour, composition, and layout in general. Something that’s really important when it comes to creating an actual portfolio - I’ll talk about that soon in more detail, when I’ll launch my new portfolio.
Have you got a profile on VSCO Grid? I’d love to take a look!

The importance of backing up your pictures

2014-03-06T07:00:00.000+00:00

If you’ve ever lost your photos you know how frustrating that feels. And even if you haven’t been in that situation yourself, there are many simple things through which you could easily end up there.
So I want to use this post to remind you to back up your files, and to show you different ways through which you might lose your photos - and stop them from happening to you.

I always thought of myself as being on the ‘safe side’. I back up my photos and documents regularly, and keep more than one copy.
But here’s what’s happened to me not too long ago: I’ve been taking a lot of photos recently, and I use four main SD cards. Once I’ve used up all that space, I have to format them to be able to take more pictures. It’s definitely enough space for a shoot, and sometimes even lasts for two days of shooting.
When I get home I transfer the images onto my laptop, and back them up on an external harddrive. So the next time I’m out shooting I can safely format my memory cards, and keep taking more photos. Sounds safe? I thought so too, and probably started feeling a bit too safe.
Then something happened the other day when I copied the photos over onto my laptop, and I somehow missed some of the images. I didn’t look through the photos again straight away because it was late, and I had to get up early the next morning to take more photos. But I knew I had transferred the images, so of course the next day when I was out taking more photos I formatted my card.
When I got home that night, I went through my photos of the previous day, and realised that some of my images were missing. I checked the SD cards I hadn’t formatted yet, but my photos were gone…
Luckily I still had enough photos from the shoot that I could use, so the situation wasn’t too bad, but it proved to be a great learning experience.

I’m sharing this story with you, because losing your photos can be so simple and happen in so many ways that you might not even think of. And even though I was fine in the end, it still felt really frustrating.

Here are some ways to make sure your photos are safely backed up - I’m sure I’ll be able to add more points over time:

1. Always keep at least two copies of your photos.

2. Store your images in two different physical places if you can (e.g. at your home, and at your parents’ house).

3. Never format your card before you haven’t checked that you’ve saved all of the photos.

4. Always transfer all of your photos from a shoot onto your laptop or a harddrive straight away.

5. Regularly transfer images + format your card. There are two reasons for this: 1. It might just be me, but I like to keep my SD cards ‘clean’, it feels better. 2. You’re less likely to lose some photos because you forget about them being on that card if you keep using it over a long time. (I like to use my memory cards only for one shoot, and then start with an empty card the next time, which gives me all the space possible.)

5. Don’t use up all the space on your SD card. Always leave space for a few more photos. Apparently the first and last images on the card are the most likely to get corrupted if something happens. Plus, it’s good to keep a bit of free space just in case you might want to/have to shoot a few more images, and don’t have the time to change your memory card.

6. Keep track of your photos - make sure you’ve got a system in place to archive your photos. Whatever works for you is fine, but don’t just drop all of your photos into one single folder and keep the original ‘IMG_0123’ name. You won’t be able to find specific photos again - so how are you going to know whether you’ve backed them up already?

Let me know if there’s anything you’d add to this list. I would love to hear - anything to keep our photos safe is welcome. :)

Freelance Work: London 03

2014-03-04T08:00:00.000+00:00

I haven’t shared a freelance project for a while, so I thought I’d keep you updated. These are just a few shots out of many, which I have taken for Appear Here recently (see more here and here, and on their website). This specific project was focused on different Tube stations and the surrounding areas, giving an idea of the atmosphere and feeling of the area. The photos above were taken around Baker St and the ones below at Old St. I love the Shoreditch Grind building right outside Old St station. It’s a completely round building, all in black, which makes it really stand out. I guess it kind of mirrors the Old St roundabout.
I really enjoyed working on these photos - I always love being able to capture a certain area and atmosphere, especially when the client is so aware of the importance of photography and the value it can add to a brand.

February on Instagram

2014-02-28T08:00:00.000+00:00

I haven’t shared my monthly Instagram pictures for quite a while, so I thought I’d get back into it this month. February has been busy, but fun. It’s really starting to feel like spring now, we’ve had lots of sunny days here recently, it’s so nice!

1. I held my second Photo Brunch in Covent Garden. Again, it was great and I really enjoyed sharing advice, helping everyone out with their photography, and getting to know them over coffee/tea. The next Photo Brunch is open for booking now as well - it will be on 29 March.

2. + 5. I obviously really like those flowers. And they go well with my new notebook - spring always puts me in the mood for red, pink, white, and lots of pastels…

3. Elephant & Castle in the late afternoon before the sun went down. I love this view, especially on a sunny day.

4. Documenting the circus has been lots of fun - great colours and light. It’s so exciting to see what’s going on behind the scenes, it almost feels surreal. It’s like being in a different world when you’re there as ‘part’ of the circus. I couldn’t live and work in the circus though - going back into ‘real’ life feels good after spending lots of time there. I’ll share more about this project soon.

6. I got to be part of a food photography shoot for the Sunday Times Magazine, which has been a great experience. Read more about it here.

So, this has been February. Now that I'm consciously looking back at the month again, I feel like 'man, time goes by way too fast'. I always felt like this when I last did my monthly Instagram series.

What have you been up to this month?

Tips for choosing a DSLR camera and lens

2014-02-26T08:00:00.000+00:00

Recently I have been asked a few times about good beginner DSLR cameras and lenses, and what to consider when buying new equipment, so I decided to write a post on this, hoping it will be useful for some of you.

To start with I want to (again) stress the point that your camera and lens are just tools to help you capture a great photo. They won’t do the work for you - you are the photographer. It’s all up to you, your eye, your creativity, the way you see the world, and how well you know your camera. So don’t feel like you have to upgrade in order to get better photos; instead start by photographing in manual mode, really understand exposure, find good light, work on your composition techniques, and figure out what other photographers do (visually) whose work you look up to.

There are (what feels like) a million DSLR cameras and lenses out there, so I won’t go into too much specific detail, but will instead give you some ideas on what to consider when buying new equipment, and share some links with you to read up on specific equipment in more detail.

I recommend either going with Canon or Nikon, they are the two main photography equipment companies out there. I use Canon, simply because I started out with a Canon camera and got used to it. Which one you go for is totally up to you and your personal preferences.

Here are some points to consider when choosing a new camera or lens:

1. What will you use the camera or lens for?

What is your ‘goal’? Is there something you can’t achieve with your current equipment (if you already own some), something that keeps annoying you? And what are the things you really like about your current camera and lens? What kind of photos do you want to take? E.g. portraits, landscape, fashion, etc. Will you carry around your camera lot and want something lightweight? What is your budget? Do you want a video option?

These questions will give you an idea of what features you are looking for, and with that in mind you can stay focused when reading reviews.

2. Do you already own some equipment which might only be compatible with certain other gear?

Check if you might (or might not) be able to use your camera with a new lens for example, or if you already own some equipment which is compatible with the new stuff you want to get (even think about memory cards, filters, and batteries here - this might save you some money).

3. A good lens is more important than the camera.

A great lens can for example add sharpness to your photos, help in difficult light situations, and focus faster - just to give you an idea. You will most likely only use one camera at a shoot (unless you’re a press or sports photographer), but you might change your lenses several times. You can constantly add to your equipment with new lenses, which let you achieve lots of different effects. The camera just captures those effects.

4. More about lenses: What maximum aperture do you want, and what focal length?

Aperture is what the F-number stands for, which on each lens indicates the largest available aperture. Focal length is given in mm-numbers (e.g. 18-55mm) - a small number means the lens takes wide-angle shots, whereas lenses with big numbers (e.g. 400mm) are telephoto lenses.

Consider going for a fixed aperture (when there’s only one f-number indicated on the lens, e.g. f/2.8) - it is worth a lot (and therefore more expensive). Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean you won’t ever be able to change your aperture. It simply means that your aperture won’t change every time you zoom in or out. If you are shooting at f/3.5 for example, this aperture will stay the same no matter whether you’re shooting at 18mm or 55mm. Compare this to some standard kit lenses without fixed aperture (e.g. 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6): if you want to shoot at f/3.5 this will only be possible at a focal length of 18mm. As soon as you zoom in, your aperture will decrease, so that at 55mm you are shooting at f/5.6.
Also, the largest aperture of a lens is important to consider, especially if you want to shoot in difficult light situations. I prefer lenses with a big aperture, starting at f/2.8 (and going up to f/1.2).

5. What does your budget include? Have you thought about extra equipment?

If you’re buying a new camera, don’t forget that you might need to get some memory cards, a spare battery, a filter, etc. All this will add to the price. Don’t get greedy here either - invest in some fast memory cards. It makes a huge difference, especially if you want to shoot a few frames in a row, or generally need a fast camera. Definitely keep an eye on the memory card’s writing speed.

6. Reviews

Before buying anything, make sure you read some reviews. Digital Photography Review is a really great site for this, you can find pretty much any photography equipment on there, and a lot of detail about most cameras and lenses. It’s also really helpful if you’re not sure about what to get yet, as it will give you a clear idea of the different pros and cons of each camera or lens.

If you want to learn more about specific cameras and lenses, have a look at the Canon and Nikon sites, where you can read more about each camera and lens. Canon even differentiates between cameras for photography beginners and more advanced ones, which is a good starting point if you are unsure about what to look for.

This post is also very useful, as it gives you an idea of some popular DSLR cameras.

And check out this article to learn more about lenses.

Finally, I want to give you a quick overview of the equipment I use, and have been using. I started out with a Canon EOS 1000D (Rebel XS in America), and the standard kit lens that came with it (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6). I only recently switched to a Canon EOS 6D, which means I have been photographing with a basic beginners DSLR for many years (I actually took both of the photos in this post with my first camera and the kit lens).
A few years after I got my first camera and lens, I bought a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens, mainly because it was affordable.
About 1,5 years ago I invested in a new lens (Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM), and got my Canon EOS 6D about half a year ago.
I’m really happy with my equipment now - it definitely was worth the investment, including some fast memory cards. I shoot pretty much everything with my 24-70mm lens, and so far have never felt like I needed anything else.

In general just keep in mind that you are the photographer, and a great photo is up to your skills. Equipment can help and make things easier, but it will never replace your creativity.

I hope this has been helpful - let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Now & Then

2014-02-20T08:00:00.000+00:00

A while ago Hanna invited me to play along in a fun series called Now & Then - it's basically a way to get to know each other better online, and to share some fun facts about what life was like back then. I loved reading Hanna's answers, so here are mine...

Now (2014, age 23) & Then (2006-2008, age 16-18):

READ

NOW: Harry Potter, The $100 Start-up, Contagious, Branding Yourself, Isabel Allende, Rafik Schami

THEN: Harry Potter, Carlos Ruiz Zafon

WATCH

NOW: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, Peter Pan, New Girl, Forrest Gump, The Help, Breakfast at Tiffany's
THEN: Pretty Woman, Harry Potter, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Sex and the City

LISTEN

NOW: Lorde, Adele, The XX, Lana del Rey, Chase & Status, Lykke Li, Two Door Cinema Club, Macklemore, Marina & the Diamonds, Phoenix, Lianna La Havas
THEN: Kanye West, Chase & Status, System of a Down, Lil Wayne, T.I.

ATTITUDE

NOW: seize the day, simplify life, ambitious, pro-active
THEN: ambitious, believing, big dreams, have to look good

DREAMS

NOW: run a branding business, travel, live a simple life
THEN: work as a photojournalist (preferably for National Geographic), change the world

LEISURE

NOW: yoga, running, eating & drinking tea, baking, painting, church, learning/reading/taking courses

THEN: running, painting, dancing

I'd love to read Carrie's, Ana's and Marta's Now's & Then's - I hope you're up for it :)

5 Things I wish I knew when I started out in Photography

2014-02-18T08:00:00.000+00:00

We all have something we want to become better at, and wish we were already doing really well. Whatever that is, I think there are two important things to realise:
1. Everyone who is good at something today started out not knowing anything about the subject.
2. The time will pass anyway, so why not start learning today?

Considering these two points, I always find it helpful seeing how others started out and learning from them. So, if photography is what you want to become really good at, here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Know your story

What do you want to say with your photo? What is the story you want to tell? No matter whether you’re working on an actual photo story/essay, or are just shooting some pictures for your blog - there is always a story. Your story. Make sure your photos capture the feel and atmosphere you want to convey, and communicate what you really want to say. This goes back to your brand and your values - show what you stand for in a visual way.

2. Envision the final picture

Before you start shooting it helps to get a clear picture in your head of what you want the final photos to look like. Imagine what the location feels like, what/who is there, what are your surroundings like, etc.

Having a specific idea/goal in mind will help you get there - if you don’t know what you want, then how will you get 'there'?

3. Shoot in manual

Understanding exposure is so important in order to control the outcome of your photos. Learn how to shoot in manual mode, and then practise. I promise, the more you shoot manually, the easier it gets! I've been there myself ;)

4. Understand your camera

If your usual process looks something like ‘just use the auto mode, and press the shutter. Done.’, I suggest you start getting to know your camera. Especially if you’re using a DSLR, there are so many settings that can help you achieve better results. The only way to understand and learn how to use your camera properly is by reading the instructions. I know it can be boring (you don’t have to read everything from A-Z), and not all the settings and buttons on your camera are super important, but you’ll only know what you’re missing out on if you know what you could make use of.

5. A lens is more important than the camera

This one’s a bit technical, and I’m by no means trying to encourage you to spend money on camera equipment - I know it’s expensive. But if you are thinking about investing in some new equipment, consider getting a new lens first. It makes so much more of a difference than the camera, and it will last. Just make sure you get a lens that fits new camera models as well (if in the future you want to upgrade your camera, too).
But again - a camera and a lens are just tools. It’s so much more important to tell an interesting story, and to know the visual stuff (exposure, composition, light etc.)

I hope this has been insightful, and will help you on your way to becoming a great photographer. :)
Is there anything you would add to the list, or that you feel is particularly helpful?

Food Photography

2014-02-13T08:00:00.000+00:00

Last week I had the chance of being on set of a food photography shoot for the Sunday Times Magazine. It was wonderful! Such a great insight into food photography, and everything that’s going on behind the scenes.
I’ve done some food photography (see here and here - and read some tips here) myself, but in contrast to the Sunday Times shoot, I did everything on my own - from planning and preparing to cooking/baking, to styling, to photographing, to editing, and finally eating.
I can tell you, doing all that yourself can be very stressful, especially when you’re making something delicious that you just want to get your teeth into. Being patient and taking the time to photograph your food can be hard. And you don’t want to rush the process either, as you want to ensure you’ve got some good shots.

I’ve learnt a few new things on set the other day, e.g. that being picky is a good thing when it comes to photographing food. Don’t just settle for a shot that looks great at first sight, but take a closer look, especially if there’s a ‘repeating element’ in the photo (such as rice, chips, lettuce, …). Those things can easily create ‘gaps’ in between each other, leaving black holes. Go back and rearrange single parts, e.g. move a piece of lettuce slightly to create a homogenous image.

Relating to what I said before, it can really help to have a team of people working with you. Don’t feel like you have to do it all yourself. Of course you can, and it can be tempting to feel in control of everything, but it is so much easier to share tasks. If you want to focus on photography, work with someone who does a good job in the kitchen, and consider another person to help you out with props and styling.
Having a team of people on set also helps to judge the photographs and to get helpful feedback.
I’ve worked with my mum a few times before, she made most of the food, which let me focus my energy on styling and photographing. Just find people who are just as passionate about food as you are, and that you work well with.

That’s another thing - you have to really love food to work in food photography. Otherwise it can get really boring very soon. It’s still life after all, and in a way it’s all very similar.
I do love food a lot, so I really enjoyed being on set of a professional food shoot for a whole day. But even though I love food, I felt tired at the end of the day, and had definitely had enough of food for the day. I might not have actually eaten that much throughout the day, but being able to snack on so many different things all the time over the day really makes you feel like you’ve stuffed yourself.
But if you do love food enough, you’ll find that the next day you’re up for more food all over again ;)

This is a rather general post on food photography, and I’d love to share more specific advice with you. Is there anything that interests you in particular regarding food photography?

The Photo Brunch Covent Garden / 02

2014-02-11T08:00:00.000+00:00

Last Saturday I held my second Photo Brunch workshop in Covent Garden (click here to read about the first one in Shoreditch). It was loads of fun, I really enjoy being around a group of like-minded people which all share an interest in photography, and at the same time work in different creative areas.
We (Emma - who was there last time, Karen, another Karen, and Alexandra) had a chance to chat over brunch when we first met at Notes, before we headed out into Covent Garden. It was great having a variety of people come along, all at different stages in their photography. I shared some advice on composition with Emma, and helped Karen out with her camera settings.
We came past the greatest, probably most colourful and fun backyard in Covent Garden - Neal’s Yard (see below). I remember being there once before, but this time I actually got to take it all in. When you’re with a camera you really notice all the details. I think I could have photographed that space forever. It felt like so much positive energy on a rainy day. Definitely go when you’re in London.
After a while the rain and wind came back, and we decided to warm up in another coffee shop. It was lovely to sit and chat, and getting to know each other better.
Thank you guys so much for coming along, you made it heaps of fun! :)

If you want to get practical, customised help to improve your photos as well, let me know (via email, Twitter, or in the comments), and I will find a date that works for everyone.