A Whole Lot of Change

I went out into the garden a couple of days ago with my camera and macro lens. The garden is looking beautiful at the moment with the flowers out in full bloom. I find that flowers are great to photograph when I want to do abstract photography. They have such delicate lines and the shapes are like brush strokes when they are slightly out of focus. I just love this style!! This is a macro shot of an Aquilegia which is more commonly known as a Columbine.

This next photo is of an Azalea and when I was taking this photo I was thinking of my sister because she is obsessed with pink and I was thinking this might be a nice print for her as I don't usually take photos of such bright pink plants because they often look too bright and in your face but I think this one is slightly more subtle and has different shades of pink.

Most of my photography work is done in my garden which is excellent because it means I don't have to spend any money on travel or have to carry all of my equipment around. I have always loved my garden as it is quite large and there is just so much to look at it and my family has owned this house ever since I was born. Unfortunately my mum is wanting to move back to Somerset and in the next few weeks she will be putting the house up for sale. I don't want to move to Somerset because Norfolk is my home and is where all of my friends are so this means that I will finally have to move out and find a place on my own. 

The only problem is, is that I am currently unemployed and very low on funds after my travels! I've been applying for quite a lot of jobs but haven't heard back from any yet which is very frustrating so it's starting to stress me out as I don't feel ready to move out and become an adult yet and even if I was. I wouldn't be able to afford it. 

It's strange because there is part of me that is excited about getting my own place and being able to decide how I'm going to accessorize my flat but then there's another part of me that is dreading it and I'm really worried that I will be really lonely living by myself. I'm not very good with dramatic changes and I just feel like everything that was solid in my life is now falling apart and I'm not too sure how to handle it!

I suppose the best way to deal with it is to stay positive and keep telling myself that I can do it! I will get a job and I will cope living on my own!! The most important thing is that I stay happy and I enjoy life!

If any of you have been through similar things with moving out and job problems then I would love to here them! Leave a message or email me at katherinepowellphotography@gmail.com

Check out my website www.katherinepowellphotography.com

Prints For Sale!

I haven't posted in awhile and this is due to me being rather busy! Since I last posted I have now passed my driving theory test, done a weeks volunteering at an rspb reserve, taken more photos and finally put some photos up for sale!

I had actually passed my theory test once before several years but I never ended up passing the practical test so my theory eventually ran out. This meant I wasn't too worried about it but I still had to do quite a bit of revision. I'm now looking into doing an intensive recap course because I was at a passing level but its been over 3 years since I've driven so I feel like this is the best option for me. Being able to drive will give me a lot more photo opportunities!

A few weeks ago, I went to Blacktoft Sands rspb reserve with my best friend to do a week of volunteer work. It was a great experience and I learnt a lot but it was a very tiring week! We did some habitat management which resulted in me not being able to move the next day because my whole body ached! We also did some bird surveying and got to see some great birds that I haven't seen before and even some pretty rare birds. Unfortunately I didn't see a Bearded Tit which is the one I was most looking forward to seeing but it was a very windy week. I would love to say that I got some great photos that I could share with you but I had to get the train to the reserve and it was quite a long journey and I already had too much stuff to take so I didn't actually take my camera. Overall, it was a brilliant week and I met some amazing people that work there!

I have been taking some more photos and here's one example:

I don't usually do black and white photography but I really liked how this photo looked and thought it looked better like this than in colour! It is of a Sow Thistle.

After weeks of research and planning, I have finally got some photos up for sale on Etsy. Click the link if you are interested and want to find out prices and sizes. www.etsy.com/uk/shop/KatherinePowellPhoto

At the moment I am just sticking with selling prints just so I can get the hang of it before making it more complicated! I got some business cards printed to put in with the prints that I sell and I'll carry some around with me if I ever bump into someone that might like my photos!

The next step for me now is to try and generate some publicity for my website and to obviously keep taking photos!

If you have any questions for me then feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at katherinepowellphotography@gmail.com

Check out my new photos: www.katherinepowellphotography.com

Beautiful Weather and Beautiful Flowers

This week we have had some beautiful weather and naturally I didn't want to be cooped up indoors, reading about how to start a business! So instead I spent majority of my time outdoors enjoying the glorious sunshine. I found it a bit too bright during the day to take photos so I waited until the evenings when there was less glare.

It's the first time I've properly been out taking photographs since I finished uni and I have to say it was a lot more enjoyable this time. Not having the pressure of a deadline and worrying about whether my teachers would like it or not makes it a lot less stressful. I feel like I have more freedom now to do what I want!

I just took photos in my garden because I often find that I don't need to go anywhere fancy because looking at anything close up is usually always interesting. There are also some beautiful flowers out at the moment so I thought I had better take some photos before they started to die.

This photo is of a purple Scabious. This has always been one of my favourite flowers because when I was a kid I used to think it looked like a UFO so I've always called it the UFO plant. This was taken with extension tubes attached to my macro lens so I could get even closer.

This photo is of an African Marigold. Its got such a beautiful, vibrant colour and really stands out from the other flowers in the garden. I didn't want to focus on capturing the detail with this picture because I just wanted to focus on the colours. There is only the edge of one petal in focus and the rest is out of focus. I personally like this approach because it draws you eye to that one part of the photo but it all flows well together. This again was taken with a macro lens attached to extension tubes. 

I will be adding some these photos and some more to my website soon. Check it out by following this link www.katherinepowellphotography.com

In the next few weeks I will probably do a post about what equipment I use. It's nothing fancy but some of you might be interested. 

If you have any feedback about my photos then feel free to comment. Or if you have any questions then again don't hesitate to leave a comment and I will get back to you as quickly as possible!

Hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather as much as I am!