Create In Brighton

Okay, so my talented brother Paul Stanton has entered a competition in Brighton/Hove (where he lives). I am encouraging you all to vote for his artwork not only because he is my brother but also because he deserves a place in the final 10! His work is wonderful and I hope you think so too!
You have to go on the the Facebook site for Create In Brighton, you can do this even if you do not have Facebook so don't be alarmed!
Here is the link for the competition page:


https://www.facebook.com/createinbrighton

Please go on to the page and then go to the photo album 'SEMI FINALISTS - VOTE NOW!'
After doing this, go to this image:

This is my brothers artwork, his name is Paul Stanton and it says his name underneath the image. All's you have to do is simply like the image by clicking the LIKE button! You can also leave a comment if you want to! He will appreciate this so much if you support him. If he wins this competition he will win some money and also the chance to showcase all of his art in a gallery!
PLEASE VOTE NOW!

Speak soon!

Film Language - Film Comedy

The latest Film Language lecture was about Film Comedy. Here are the notes that I made in the lecture from the slide and also from the discussions had.

Comedy is the most commercially successful genre. It is seen as entertainment and as neither political or challenging. "Designed to provoke laughter" the genre is determined by the 'emotional reaction' that it provokes and is similar to Horror and Melodrama (the 'weepie') in this sense. (King 2002). Comedy is also defined by having a happy ending, usually represented through a wedding or some sort of occasion.

"Comedy in film, generally, is probably best understood as a mode, rather than a genre. Any genre might be treated as a subject of comedy" (King 2002).

The element of Comedy are as follows:

• Incongruity
• Exaggeration
• Departure from the norm

Theories of Comedy are as follows:

• "If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it isn't."
• Safety valve/relief
• Affirmation of superiority
• Parody- repetition with intent to amuse
• Satire - repetition with critical intent
• Play - fiction

Romantic Comedy as a genre is determined by the simple theory of equilibrium. For example:

boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy marries girl. A disruption occurs but is then resolved at the end. As we have previously mention, a wedding is usually the typical ending of such film.

The development of Comedy can be seen through the decades. Each decade brings something different or new to the table. Comedy is constantly developing and reaching new levels. Here is a basic timeline of Comedy:

• Classic Rom-Com (Shakespeare) - Heteronormative
• Screwball Comedies (1930's - 1950's)
• The comedies of remarriage (Caveli)
• Sex Comedy (1960's)
• Nervous/radical Rom-Com (1970's)
• The new romance (1980's - 1990's) - Frank Krutnik
• The neo-traditional romance (2000's) - Tamar Jeffers McDonald

To me, comedy was just a genre; but through this lecture I have learnt a lot more that I previously did not know. I like to know the history of film and this lecture always provides some new enlightenment for me as a student.

We also looked at Bridget Jones' Diary and other romantic comedies to give a sense of what these theories mean.

Speak soon!

Digital Media Tools - Working With HTML

In this Digital Media Tools lesson, we had a tutorial on using HTML coding to create a website. We did this exercise to allow us to see what exactly goes in to making a website. Although we will not need to put all of the HTML coding in to create or sites (as Dreamweaver does most of the work for you) it was good to find out actually how to code. I enjoyed doing the exercise because I learnt a lot about website design; I think having such knowledge will make me pay attention to the finer details when creating my website.
I am excited to start making my own website but I know it is going to be a long process. I have already began research in to what I am going to have my site look like and I am currently working on paper designs for it. I presented my research and plan to my lecturer and he was very impressed. I am glad that I done this extra work because I then received useful feedback which my classmates did not.
I am also currently working on creating a logo for my website to make it look more professional. This will also make my website unique and the work that I do will have this logo on it to link the two pieces of media together. Hopefully I can get my head around Dreamweaver soon so I can get started!

Speak soon!

Google Maps Presentation!

In the last Contemporary Media Issues lesson, we had to present our Google Maps Location Based Narrative to the rest of the class. We shared the reading and all had a turn at speaking about each location that we had used. We also shown the videos and images that we had collected and added to the map. I think it was a successful presentation and people found our story interesting which was the main thing! I have embedded the map on to my blog for you to all see and use! Please take a look around the map and read our story called 'A Drunk Man's Dream'. If it doesn't seem to work then you may have to use Google Maps Itself.

View A drunk mans dream... in a larger map


Speak soon!

Edward De Bono - 6 Thinking Hats

The next creativity and concept lesson was about Edward De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats. Unfortunately I was off ill for the lesson so I have decided to do my own research in to the 6 Thinking Hats. The descriptions that I have found basically say that each coloured hat represents a different way of thinking. Here is a table that I have found describing each of them:

Hopefully we will have another lecture on this technique because the big thing in creativity and concept is actually taking part in the activity. If not, I will gather more information from my lecturers and class mates.

Speak soon!

Image Credit: http://johnkapeleris.com/blog/?p=418

Chinese New Year!

I decided to go to China Town in Liverpool to see their celebrations the day before Chinese New Year. It was amazing how many people had turned out to join in the festivities! They had dragons travelling through China Town, collecting food and money from the top windows. The actual dragons were beautiful! There was also firecrackers making load noises and red smoke all the way down the street. The festivities were happening throughout Liverpool city centre but China town was fantastic! Here are some photographs that I took at China Town.

Here is the link to my photoraphy blog also just so you can see the images in a better quality! Take a look at my other stuff as well (and follow me!)


http://stevies1day1photo.tumblr.com/

Speak soon!

'It's Liverpool' again.

So for the past week my film group has been cramming a lot of filming in between lectures and everything else. It's been a bit hectic because of the weather and every other issues we seem to come across. We have managed to get everything filmed however for the 'It's Liverpool' project; we even got passers-by to be in the film. We made cards for people to hold up with phrases about Liverpool on them. For example, we had 'Its Music' and we got a guy with a cello who just happened to be walking past to hold it up.
For each card we decided to try and find people who were related to the words. We managed to film all of these in one afternoon which was very good going! Now that we have all of the correct footage that we want to use (and a hell of a lot extra!) we have been able to edit a full version of our idea. The only thing that we need to do now is pick music to go over the film; we do have atmospheric sounds already included but using music will give the film another layer.
I have every confidence that we will have a finished piece for the deadline! As per usual I have done all the paper work for the project to hand in as well. Hope we do as well as last time!

Speak soon!

Film Language - The Development of the Western

In today's Film Language lesson, we spoke about the development of the Western film throughout the decades. We talked about themes that many Westerns contain and also actors and directors involved in them. Here are the lists of films through the decades:


1960's - 1970's:

• Ride the High Country
• The Wild Bunch
• Little Big Man
• McCabe an Mrs Miller
• Buck and the Preacher
• The Shootist

1980's:

• Heaven's Gate
• Pale Rider
• Young Guns

1990's:

• Dances With Wolves
• Unforgiven
• Posse
• The Ballad of Little Joe
• Bad Girls
• Legend of the Fall
• The Quick and the Dead
• The Postman
• Ride With the Devil

2000's:

• Brokeback Mountain
• 3:10 to Yua
• The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robery Ford

2010's:

• Jonah Hex
• True Grit
• Meeks Cutoff

What I would like to try and do is watch a film from each decade to get a feel for how the genre has changed over the years. Of course, I have seen a few of these so I am going to watch ones that I have not yet seen. It is interesting to look at how the genre has changed because there are so many variations of Western film now that it is hard to distinguish. We also spoke about different styles of Western:

Spaghetti Westerns:

• A Fistful of Dollars
• For a Few Dollars More
• The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• Django
• Once Upon a Time in the West

Acid Westerns:

• Ride in the Whirlwind
• The Shooting
• El Topo
• Dead Man

I had not heard of Acid Westerns before so this was beneficial to discuss what they were. I discovered that Acid Westerns is a sub-genre of the Western film which tries to avoid typical conventions of the Western genre however they are still set in the west. They look very interesting and also, as our lecturer pointed out, the name does suggest some sort of acid trip. We saw this through a few stills of these films and they are very crazed and deranged.

I feel that the presentations that we have before our screening each Friday are very beneficial because I seem to learn a lot from them. I also like to apply what we learn (if it involved theories) to the screening that we have straight after. This allows me to put what we learn in to practice. Glad to be back in Film Language after the Christmas break,

Speak soon!

Ideas for the Profile piece

After 'It's Liverpool' is all finished, we have been asked to create a profile piece. We can choose anyone we like as long as they are a good speaker and has an interesting story to tell. It is hard because of course it is easier if it is someone that we know, but half of the group is not from Liverpool so of course they probably wont know many people outside of university.
I have came up with three ideas for the profile piece; they are three people I know from my local area in Liverpool. I think all three would be happy to take part so we have a choice really.

First, I asked my Dad if he knew anyone who would like to do such a thing because he is a fireman. I thought it would be interesting to interview a fire-fighter because they lead eventful lives and have a pressured job. The footage that we could collect would be nice because we would have access to the fire station and engines. We could even film the exercises that they do in the yard for training; for example the fire tower training where they use the BA to train their breathing.

Second, I have a local jewellery designer who happens to be my boyfriends sister. She owns her own business and has jewellery cabinets all across Liverpool in various shops and salons. This would be a good piece because I would have permission to film in her home and also follow her around to the shops where she sells her products. She has done interviews for the Echo and bloggers so I am sure she would be fine doing one for us students!

Third is a local actor who is up and coming and has made his name in films and programmes such as 'Nowhere Boy', 'Shameless' and 'Just Henry'. His name is Josh Bolt and he went to my secondary school, he is also a good friend of mine. He of course has done many interviews and so would not have a problem speaking. We could interview him somewhere like the FACT where his work has been shown. I think this would be a big profile to do and could also benefit Josh as an actor.


Just a few ideas for the profile piece anyway, hope my group likes the ideas!


Speak soon!

Image Credits:

geoconnexions.com

liverpoolecho.co.uk

tvchoicemagazine.co.uk

Filming is a struggle...

The weather in Liverpool can be a bit ridiculous sometimes as it has proved this week. With only having a week to film this piece that we are doing about Liverpool, it is a stretch already. But now the rain has caused more problems with our filming schedule. Of course, we are working around this problem because the deadline is Monday; but if this rain prevails then I cant see much else getting done over the weekend! Our main issue is that all of our plans have been for outside because our location that we have chosen is Bold Street. This makes life difficult because we cannot physically film outside with the camera equipment because it could get damaged.
Not sure what we are going to do if we doing get all of the footage we need; so far we have two half an hour time lapses from either end of Bold Street. Hopefully our lecturers will understand!


Speak soon!

Digital Media Tools - Compression and more!

For the most part, yesterdays lesson was about compression. This was a useful topic to discuss because it enabled me to learn about how to use media and jpeg files in an efficient way.
We spoke about 'lossy' and 'lossless' forms of compression. Lossless is when the compression lowers the amount of data in the video through the loss of redundant content. Lossy is when the compression reduces the quality of the video through the application of a codec.
I didn't know what a codec was until this lesson, so I will explain for those of you who do not know. Codec stands for compressor/decompressor.  They can be hardware based (used in cameras) and software-based available with software. The range available is extensive and the successful application will depend on choice and the nature of the content (film or animation).
Popular formats of film are: QuickTime (.mov), Real Player (.rm), Windows Media Player (.wmv) and Macromedia Flash (.flv). Depending on where and when you need you film, you should always look at what type of format you are going to use. It is important that your content is compatible with the software installed on which ever device you are using.
Here is a similar table to the one we were shown in this lesson, showing the various sources a video may come from and the details of its codec, resolution and bit-rate:

We also spoke about digital camera files which is very useful to me because I do a lot of photography. We talked about the fact that if we upload images on to something, it will take longer depending on the amount of pixels. For example, we were speaking about the websites that we are going to be making. And if the file sizes are too large for other peoples computers, they will take forever to load. The internet is a fast pace process and people want fast results so this would be something to think about when creating my website.

After the presentation on compression, we spoke about the websites that we are going to be creating in the near future. We have been asked to look at what we want our site to be like and what content we would like to include on the site. I am excited about doing this website because I will learn new skills through using Dreamweaver and I will also be able to showcase my work on my own site rather than through a blog or on Youtube. I cant wait to get started!

Speak soon!

Google Maps Location Based Narrative

In our second lesson on Google Maps we had to develop our location based narrative and put it on to the map. We did very well in this session, we completed everything that we wanted to put on to the map. We just now need to sort out what we are going to be doing next week when we actually need to present our location based narrative to the class.
We have put video content, images and text on to our map, however as a whole class there was a problem with adding sound bytes and so we were unable to do this aspect of media. However, in spite of this I think that our narrative is fairly strong and has a lot of detail surrounding the locations that we include. Here is the link to our location based narrative on Google Maps, take a look!

Location Based Narrative - Sefton Park and Beyond!

If the link isn't working, I have taken screen shots of the map itself to show you:

This is where the story begins; Sefton Park. We have images with each of the main locations.

The drunk then dreams of being in a park in Japan. 

He then takes himself to the most famous park in America.

We then are led to the park underneath the Eiffel Tower.

He then wakes up to find himself back in Sefton Park.

Throughout the narrative we have extra icons along the way that you can click on. First we have attached locations where he decides to eat when he is on his travels around the world.

The drunk visits a Japanese Restaurant when he is in Tokyo.

He then goes to the Boathouse in Central Park for a bite to eat.

Then he takes himself to a local French Restaurant near the Eiffel Tower.

We also thought that it would be fun to add icons in Liverpool where the drunk may visit after his adventurous dream. If he is going to get his act together he would visit these two places.

The Job Centre.

Alcoholics Anonymous.

Finally, we added video content for each location showing what it is like in these parks or even just something atmospheric so you can get a feel for the culture and surroundings.

I hope you enjoy our Google Maps location based narrative, based around Sefton Park!

Speak soon!

Just a reminder!

Just a reminder for you all about my photography blog! If you don't know already, I have set myself the challenge of doing a photograph each day. I have a DSLR camera that I am still learning about/with so it is an exciting venture for me to have on the side of university.
Here is the link to my photography blog:


http://stevies1day1photo.tumblr.com/


Here are some of my most recent photographs ust so you have an idea of what my blog is like:

Speak soon!

Filming - It's Liverpool

On Tuesday afternoon our group decided to go and shoot for the 'It's Liverpool' brief. our chosen location is Bold Street so we decided to do the time lapses that we are going to put in the film. Because time lapses take a long time, we used this whole afternoon to shoot half an hour at each end of Bold Street. It was very VERY cold put we powered through and managed to get an hour of footage. Time lapse is one of the brief requirements for this short film so it was essential that we did the time lapse footage when we had a clear day (so that the camera would not be damaged).
I took a couple of photographs of the shoot to document, here they are:

Not only do you get a sense of where we are shooting from the many shops and cobbled streets; but it also allows the viewer to see other aspects of Liverpool such as the Bombed out church. We want the location to be as obvious as it can because we have been told that other films for 'It's Liverpool' have been too generic. I am happy with the footage that we got on this shoot and as you can see I took the liberty of using my Canon EOS 1100D to document the event. The bottom photograph was also my photo of the day for Tuesday :)


Speak soon!

Creativity and Concept - Facilitation

This Creativity and Concept lesson was all about facilitation. Now, what is facilitation? Well it is the process of enabling groups to work cooperatively and effectively. A facilitator is someone who leads the group in the right direction and stops any distractions or tangents from occurring. Facilitators are usually used in business settings where decisions need to be made or ideas need to be thought about. Groups of people come together when ideas need to be formed for new things (for example, toy companies). A facilitator can be an outside person who just simple directs the group to what they need; they don't even need to understand the companies work!

Here is the overview of facilitation:

For all of the group to experience facilitation, we were split into groups of 4. We were given a brief which was 'LJMU are having a festival to celebrate all of its achievements and students. What could they have at this festival?' After we had received the brief we all headed for a board each and one person was the facilitator at a time. We all took turns in being the facilitator; we had to be encouraging and stop anything that wasn't to do with the brief being spoke about. Also, nobody was allowed distractions such as mobile phones. We basically mind mapped (or brain stormed) about the whole festival. We came up with as many ideas as we possibly could; here are a couple of photographs of our work:

 We then had to decide what ideas we liked the most as a group and then pitch them to the rest of the class. We had a couple of great ideas but we narrowed it down to three.

We decided that the idea that we would probably use would be the student Olympics/camp out. This was one of our crazy ideas but we wanted to have something original that nobody else had done. The Olympics would be subject based so you could take part in any but you would have an  advantage when taking part in your own subject. The camp out was attached to this idea because after the Olympics it would be like an after party with fires and marshmallows for everyone. When it all settles down everyone could camp out with their friends for this one night only! We thought that the camping was good idea because the festival was going to be in the summer (we were told). I suggested Otterspool Prom because it would be beautiful by the water, but we could also do it somewhere like Sefton Park or Chavasse Park.


Of course this festival is fictional, but it allowed us to see what we were like as facilitators and also it gave each of us a chance to express ourselves.


Speak soon!

Production Practice Camera Workshop

In this lesson we had a workshop taken by Trevor (Head of Department). We touched briefly on some camera techniques but the main part of the workshop was to allow us to get to grips with using sound when filming. The first project we did was visual only and we were allowed to add music or sound effects. Now we will be recording sound as we shoot to apply it to the visual.
We received booklets that are very detailed and helpful to have when at a shoot; they give you more of an understanding of the camera and also how to use the microphones to the best of their ability.
I found a lot of the information useful and pretty much all of it was new to me. I did like how the workshop was set out because they had a camera filming another camera and this image was on a large TV. This gave the whole class a clear view of what buttons were where and how to use them. I think that without this workshop I would find it very difficult to use the microphones and sound through the camera.
The most interesting thing that I learned is that when shooting a film, the sound guys like to get extra 'atmos' (which is basically the atmospheric sound surrounding the shoot). This enables to editors to have more layers of audio to work with and gives the films more depth. I definitely will be using this technique when we are filming our next projects because I want to try my hand at everything - not just strictly holding the camera and pressing record.
After the workshop we were sent off to have a play around with the equipment to get used to using it and see how everything works. This was a useful exercise because we could actually get our hands on the sound equipment rather than just watching someone else explain everything. I do like active learning more, especially on this course because it requires a lot of hands on practical work.
Hopefully everything that I have learned will sink in and I can use these skills on my next shoot!

Speak soon!

Digital Media Tools is back!

Our first lesson back was all about looking back at what we have done so far and possibly improve any work that needs it. We talked about the various things that we have looked at:

• Image composition
• Photoshop
• Perception of image
• Flash (animation)
• Five frame storyboard
• Stop frame animation

I personally want to work more with Flash because I think there is a lot more that I could learn which would be useful for me if I make any more animations. I want to compile the five frame narrative together because I never had the time to do it. I only learned some skills with Flash so I want to go in to more detail so I will be able to use it on my own without help.

Our stop motion animation also needs to be put together and I would like to work with one of our lecturers in doing so because this is something that I would like to do in my spare time outside of the course. I also want to add audio to the stop motion animation because we have yet to record anything. Which brings me nicely to the rest of the lesson as it was all about audio!

Sound can either be the human voice, sound effects or music. These are the essential three elements when making films, animations, etc. Sound requires attention to detail and so acquiring/making your own will be more beneficial. A good example of layered sound is from Alien - Ridley Scott (1979). The scene that we looked at had many sound effects layered over each other which made the sequence have more of an impact and brought you inside the ship instead of listening from the outside.

Sound is exaggerated to match the impact on the screen; especially through animation. A prime example of this (and it is also one of my favourites) is Creature Comforts by the wonderful Aardman Animations. Creature Comforts is created by first taking interviews of people talking about day to day things; and then Aardman create characters that match this persons voice. It is a very effective way of getting the audio to match perfectly with the movement that is happening on the screen.

Music is usually used to represent a persons traits, for example certain characters in films will have a sort of theme tune, if you like. Any time they are on the screen, elements of their 'theme tune' will be evident in the layered audio.

Synchronous sound is matched to what is viewed and contributes to realism or draws attention to what is happening. Asynchronous however, is not matched with the visible source of the sound on the screen but it adds realism because of the layers.

Background music is used to add emotion and rhythm to a film. It usually helps move the plot along. Also, sound bridges are used in film so that the audio overlaps the next scene. This gives sequences a smoother transition. An example of this would be through the film High Noon (1952). And finally, we spoke about how the pace of audio was be applied to match the imagery. This is an obvious one, shown through most films with action or adventure in; if the scene is fast pace then generally so will be the sound.

Anyway, that was a summary of the notes I made in this Digital Media Tools lesson. I found the lesson very useful because I learned a lot about sound that I did not previously know. This will help me when creating sound or applying sound to films that I am making in university and also in my spare time.

Speak soon!

Image Credits: 

cinemasights.wordpress.com

news.bbc.co.uk

Location Based Narrative

Okay, so in our Contemporary Media Issues lesson we have started a new assignment which is to create a location based narrative using a location in Liverpool. The whole thing has to be presented on Google Maps using Placemark's and other various icons. The location that my group was given is Sefton Park. Here is the plan that we came up with:

If the photographs aren't clear enough here is basics:

• A drunk is lying on a bench in Sefton Park dreaming of a better life for himself.
• Locations that we will use are all gardens: Sefton Park, Shinjuku Gyoen, Central Park and Park Du Champs De Mars.
• Media that we will use on Google Maps will include: Videos, Images, Sound Bytes, Text and Web Links.

We hope to create an interesting story using these places and types of media. The links between the places will become more clear on the actual map; as this is just initial ideas that we have had as a group.

Speak soon!

Team Work!

In one of our lectures this week, we discussed in depth aspects of working in teams. Of course this is a big part of our course (Media Professional Studies), because it is rare for us to work alone. Making pieces of media usually requires great minds to think alike and so working as a team is something that we all have to do.
We spoke about what makes a good team:

• Keeping goal in mind
• Listening skills
• Voicing opinions
• Honesty about suggestions
• Don't be passive
• Good leadership
• Delegating
• Accepting criticisms
• Trusting/supporting/being friendly
• Relaxed atmosphere
• Organisational skills

We were then asked to do an online questionnaire to see who we are when we are part of a team. The options were: Evaluator, Ideas person, Leader, Compromiser, Summariser, Recorder and Encourager. I got the highest mark in Recorder. I think that this is very true because every time I work in a team, I always take notes and I always like to have everything organised. For example, the new project we have just started called 'It's Liverpool', I have taken all of the notes that we have about the plan and also created any other relevant paper work such as a filming schedule.

We had to get in to teams that had people from various categories in them, this was to see if we would work better when there is more variety in the team. I think this is a good plan because it gets people to work with others who they have not worked with before. I found this exercise helpful because it allowed me to see what sort of team worker I am and also allowed me to see what other people in my class are like as well.

Speak soon!

Creativity and Concept - First Assignment of 2012

In the first Creativity and Concept lesson back we were introduced to the first assignment after Christmas. We have to create an exhibit, event or artifact for the new Liverpool Museum.
First of all we had to choose a user group out of a list that the lecturers provided. We have to pick numbers out of a hat to see who got the first pick (because the first picks would obviously be the better ones). We, unfortunately, were number nine so we had to pick one of our least favourite ones. I am not too dissapointed though because we got Film Enthusiasts which will allow our group to explore our chosen university subject in a different way.
Little funny anecdote; we had to choose a group names so that the lecturers would know who had which user group. Of course, because me and Ashleigh are obsessed with Harry Potter, we were naturally 'Gryffindor'. Anyway,


Speak soon!

'It's Liverpool'

The project that we have been given in Production Practice is the brief 'It's Liverpool'. We have been asked to create a short piece showing what Liverpool is really about. We should not use typical stereotypes that normal adverts portray and we should also avoid being generic as the piece needs to show, not just any city, but Liverpool.
We started working in our new group and came up with a few ideas. We want the whole piece to be based on Bold Street and we will show aspects of the city through one main character. In our next Production Practice lecture we are going to come up with the final idea in full detail so that we can begin filming as soon as possible.
We have to do this project at a fast pace so we need to get a move on! Once we have finished this film we have to start another right away which will be a profile on someone from Liverpool.


Speak soon!

Please follow my photography blog!

Here is my other blog that I have created for 2012. The idea is that I am going to take a photograph each day of the year; it's a challenge that I have set myself to see if I do progress with my work. I am going to actually do this New Years Resolution because I doubt any of my others will last very long! Here is the link, it is on Tumblr so hopefully a lot of you are familiar with this site!
http://stevies1day1photo.tumblr.com/


Speak soon!

Catching up!

I suppose I should catch you all up on my Christmas/New Year adventures! Didn't blog at all over the Holiday period because I simply didn't have the time. But I am now back with a vengeance and I have things to show you!
I took sooooooooooo many photographs these past 2/3 weeks so I thought I would share the good ones with you. I'm finding using my new camera a lot easier now as time passes; i am learning a lot of new tricks and it is slowly becoming an extension of my own arm.
Here are some photographs that I have taken over the Holidays with captions - enjoy!

 A Californian Christmas

 The Regal Kitty

 Reindeer in Red

Baby Bauble

 Snowman Chess

 Down at the Duck Pond

 Peculiar Christmas Tree

 My Little Pony

 Lake Padarn and Llanberis, Wales

My Three Favourite People

Well that was a few photographs I took over the Holidays, hope you like them! I would appreciate feedback if anyone has any to give. I'm still learning with my photography so of course I hope they get better :)
It has been nice to catch up, I will be very sad and say that I have missed blogging. My nice little outlet is now back and I welcome you, happy 2012 people!

Speak soon!